Dear Subscribers,

Welcome to the Perry Marshall e-letter! This
electronic newsletter is a two-way conversation,
so be sure and email me with your questions and
comments.

Feel free to pass this along to others! To subscribe
or unsubscribe, send an email to:
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Sincerely,

Perry

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In this issue:

-The Conversation Inside Your Customer's Head

-Happy Birthday to me - and a special birthday gift to you

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THE CONVERSATION INSIDE YOUR (CUSTOMER'S) HEAD

In my "Cold Call Curse / 21 Secrets" tape, I talk about
"Entering the conversation inside your customers' head."
Today I'm going to relate that incredibly important
concept to popular television shows.

Why do so many people like Oprah? Seinfeld? Jerry
Springer? Survivor? Cheers?

The other night I had dinner with a couple of very insightful folks.
We had a fascinating conversation about those TV shows:
Why people like them. Why they relate to them. Why they
tune in every week and what those programs say about the
people that watch them. What they say about the conversation
that's already going on inside America's head.

Popular TV shows say a lot about Americans. The shows
we like say a lot about us.

One of the most accurate ways to tell what kind of
people watch a show is to watch the people on
the shows - AND the ads that go with them.

Have you ever noticed what they advertise on the
Jerry Springer show?

1) bankruptcy and personal injury attorneys
2) GED classes and low-rent trade schools
3) DNA and "who's the father" tests
4) rent-to-own furniture
5) $99 divorce kits

And of course we all know that Jerry Springer features
the finest and most upstanding citizens in our communities.

Current / upcoming topics: "Springer's Sex Circus," "You Made Me
Cheat," "A Mistress, Two Cheaters And A 3-Some,"
"Raging Lovers Confront!" and "Cold Hearted Mistresses."

Well let's face it. The folks who watch Jerry Springer watch
it because it jives with what they're constantly thinking about.
They watch it because they relate to it and it matches their
perception of reality. It enters the conversation (or argument)
that's going on inside their heads.

What about Oprah? It's a completely different set of people
who watch that show. Oprah talks to average to upper-middle
class women about the conversations going on inside THEIR
heads, the struggles, the problems, the challenges.

She emphasizes looking inward, taking responsibility
and solving problems by being proactive. And her sidekick,
Dr. Phil, functions as the loving but tough father figure who
presses people to face tough decisions they've been avoiding.

Oprah has her finger on the pulse of America. She knows
what buttons to push with people. Observe her ways and be
wise.

What about Seinfeld? Seinfeld is about senseless, obtuse,
funny and neurotic relationships. It's very unreal, but I believe
that people like it because it closely resembles the randomness
and senselessness of the places where we work and hang out.

In every episode of Cheers, somebody "loses." But everyone
sort of "loses together." And everyone can relate to that to
needing a place where "Everybody knows your name."

Survivor is another interesting one. That show hit America
like a ton of bricks almost two summers ago. Nobody can forget
how Survivor resonated with people, especially the first season
it aired. The bikinis, the complex interpersonal relationships, the
politics, the intense competition, and getting "Voted off the
island." How completely American!

Those shows, and the advertising that goes along with them,
are successful because they enter the conversation that's
going on inside the head of a particular slice of the viewers.

Your marketing must similarly resonate with people. It
must be a clear reflection about WHO and WHAT your
customers love, hate, desire and fear. And it has to
have emotional human hooks, just like all those
popular TV shows do.

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Today (April 10) is my birthday, and to celebrate, I'm giving
away slices of my time.

That's right - everyone who contacts me via email between
today and Friday 4/12 can schedule a 15 minute consulting
session. We can discuss whatever marketing or
business challenge that faces you.

There's a lot of things we can discuss: advertising,
publicity, Internet, direct mail, publishing, sales
strategy, product definition. Your great new idea
or campaign. And yes, we will talk about how to
enter the conversation that's inside your customers'
head.

Just decide what you want to discuss and make sure it's
a short, organized, tightly focused list.

Just email news@... with a suggested
day / time and I'll schedule a slot for you within the next
few days.

Best of Success,

Perry S. Marshall
news@...
www.perrymarshall.com