TaxCoach Briefs:    July 2, 2009

Volume 4, Number 29

• Marketing Minute: Death of a Salesman
• New Resource: Member Call-In With Ed Lyon

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MARKETING MINUTE (EAL)
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DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Keith and I hold the July 4th holiday in special regard. It marks the birth of our nation, a birth due in large part to our forefathers' deep desire to avoid taxes they didn't have to pay. Since all of us are in the business of helping people avoid taxes they don't have to pay, we expect you'll appreciate July 4th as much as we do. (Of course, fireworks don't hurt. Who doesn't like an earthshattering ka-boom?) So we'll keep these holiday-weekend Briefs true to their name.

These last couple of weeks have been a dangerous time to be a celebrity. First Ed McMahon, whose financial problems made headlines, died. Then sex symbol Farrah Fawcett, known for the poster that most of you in that red-blooded 40s demographic probably had on your wall growing up. Then Michael Jackson, of course. And most recently, Karl Malden, who first gained fame as a detective on "The Streets of San Francisco."

Last weekend's news focused on Michael Jackson. So you may have missed the death of TV pitchman Billy Mays at age 50. Autopsy results suggest heart disease as the cause of death.

I've written here and in the monthly Lineup about "Vince From ShamWow" and how his informercial is actually a model for our own marketing. But probably more of you are familiar with Mays, the burly, loud-mouthed pitchman for everything from OxyClean and the Awesome Auger, to the Big City Slider Grill, and even poking a little fun at his own genre for ESPN 360. ("The SECRET . . . is in the INTERNET CONNECTION!") Mays became such a famous pitchman he could start each of his commercials with "Billy Mays here, for . . . ."

There's a reason why Mays comes across like an old-school carnival barker. It's because he was. Mays started his career on the Atlantic City boardwalk hawking the "Washmatik" portable washer. From that modest start, he built an entire empire of pitches, and even landed a reality show on Discovery Network. (These days, you're nobody 'till you have your own reality show. That's why Keith and I are nobodies!)

Billy's voice was grating. His delivery, obnoxious. His commercials, annoying. The products, generally cheesy. (And I don't just mean the Big City Slider Grill.)

But his pitches worked. The products sold. And Billy made money like crazy.

Billy succeeded partly because he made himself into a brand. You saw him pop up on your screen, and you just had to see what his next new gadget would be, just like Ron Popeil 30 years ago. And he succeeded because he was a regular guy, just like us -- maybe a bit louder, but certainly someone you felt you could approach and trust.

What's the lesson? Well, it's certainly not that you should turn yourself into the Billy Mays of taxes. But you should realize that Mays was almost pure "pitch," and consider how that "pitch" made him successful.

Our friend Chauncey Hutter has said for years that you're not in the business of giving people tax advice. You're in the business of convincing them to pay you for it. And that difference makes all the difference in the world.

One final thought as we head into this July 4th weekend. What was the Declaration of Independence, if not a sales letter -- laying out our grievances ("finding pain") and declaring independence (a pretty bold call to action), all written in a way to justify our actions to our own sometimes-reluctant people as well as the world.

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NEW RESOURCE (KAV)
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MEMBER CALL-IN WITH ED LYON

Ed and I hosted the first Member Call-In session yesterday, July 1, and we were both very pleased with the results. We had great questions from across the spectrum, and wish we could have answered more — except the call was full.

So if you tried to join and couldn't, Ed and I apologize. Actually, Ed apologizes, and Catherine and I just sit here saying, "I told you so." We didn't know how many folks to expect on the first call, so we used GoToMeeting because it's simple to use — but it does limit the number of attendees.

Next week, we'll use GoToWebinar instead, which allows a much larger number of attendees, and lets callers "raise their hands" so we can mute out the background noise except for folks who are speaking. It will also let us display instructions on the webinar panel.

It went well enough that we anticipate offering it weekly, unless our schedule or holidays prevent it. Or sunspots. So our next one will be on Wednesday, July 8, at 1pm Eastern. For you fans of the 60's TV version of Batman, that would be the "same bat-time, same bat-channel."

Check the "Contact Us" button within TaxCoach for registration instructions.

One excellent bit of feedback we got asked about using the chat feature, to let attendees who have no mic, or who prefer not to speak in front of the group, to still ask questions. We will monitor the chat interface on the GoToWebinar panel for additional questions.

If you missed what this is about — ever since Ed and I launched TaxCoach, we've invited you to submit your questions on TaxCoach content, strategies, or marketing to us by email or phone. We've been pleased to answer those questions as part of making our service as valuable to you as possible. But as the volume of questions has grown, Ed's time has become scarcer, and he has been forced to dedicate most of it to our All-Stars, Press Club, and Hall of Fame members.

We still want to hear your questions because they tell us what you need to know to make the most of the system. We still want to answer to be as useful as we can. We just need a better system. So we've begun offering regular Member Call-In hours, where you can present your questions and discuss the answers with Ed and other callers.

Of course, access to Ed is always available to All-Stars, Press Club, and Hall of Fame members, via the scheduling calendar on the All-Stars page.

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We're happy to answer your questions on TaxCoach content or features. (Save marketing and tax strategy questions for Member Call-Ins.) For best response, email support@taxcoachsoftware.com. If we think the answer will be useful to all of our members, we'll publish it (anonymously) here in the 'Member Q & A' section of TaxCoach Briefs.

Regards,

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