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Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 197 - Lessons from Susan Reed (now watchable on YouTube, don't forget), we wanted to talk about common scams - but not in the way you'd expect.

We want to find out what marketing tactics make scams so effective. And we've come up with 5 takeaways for lessons we can steal (on brand) from Susan Reed and company.

If you're unacquainted with ol' Suzy, she's the name for a common scam where an event planner reaches out asking for a very specific set for her upcoming corporate event. She names a place, time, and location - ironically exactly in the same city as the unassuming baker.

Once you take her order, she pays you. Which would all be well and good but she makes a mistake and accidentally overpays you - by just a hundred bucks (give or take) on top of the nearly $1k she intended for the baker. The baker is notified of the mistake and returns the overpayment.

A few days later, the baker's bank reports the entire transaction as fraudulent, the e-check bounced, and the baker is out the refunded amount. But the marketing question lies in what made the baker believe the lie? And that's today's podcast.

⚠️ 1. Be Consistent.

If there's one thing Susan Reed is, it's consistent. And in marketing, you have GOT to be consistent. Corrie and I say folks shouldn't worry about an oversaturated market - they should worry about their lack of consistency because it's inconsistency that will lead to someone gobbling up your market share.

The unfortunate part of inconsistency is that its results are not immediate. 📆 That break you took all of January? 😭 You'll see those slower sales in July - when we are truly fighting for each and every baked buck.

⚠️ 2. No is not the Final Answer.

In marketing, "no" just means you've not found a way around an objection. 🛑 "No, we're not looking to switch bakers" should sound like, 👂 "The deal you pitched isn't good enough yet, what else do you have to offer?" A salesperson sees no as the interlude to a yes. Same with Susan Reed. She emails thousands of bakers and keeps emailing - ❌ even if 1000 told her no - 1️⃣ because all she needs is 1 yes.

⚠️ 3. Cold Outreach (on repeat).

Cold outreach ain't for the faint of heart, but it works! 🥶 Cold outreach means reaching out to someone you have no prior relationship with (be careful when cold emailing, there are some laws around this). But reaching out to a 🧊 cold contact is how they become a 🔥 warm contact willing to talk business. Look at Suzy - every baker she reaches out to is a cold contact - it's because her pitch is so desirable that she gets bakers on the hook for hundos.

⚠️ 4. Concise and Clear Communication.

The reason why so many bakers fall for Susan Reed's antics is because her initial email is so clear and concise. ✍️ She tells you what she wants, when she wants it, how she wants it, what she'll pay for it, and how to deliver it. It's such a great approach to emailing: clear and concise.

⚠️ 5. Steal. LoL Jk. Efficient Follow-Up.

Finally - steal. 🦹‍♂️ Just kidding. Don't do that no matter how tempting. 📧 But the final point is efficient follow-up. While the "Susan Reed" emails are likely a script running to thousands of bakers at all times, it seems like the follow-ups are actual scammers, and they get replies because they reply so quickly. ⏰ They do this on purpose - the less time you have to see if they're scammers, the more likely you are to fall prey to their schemes.