Sales Tips and Marketing Strategies

Great Mailing Lists

Listguy:

If you asked people if they like to get “junk mail”, most people would say “no”. But don’t worry – people really don’t hate direct mail. $250,000,000,000 worth of goods and services are sold through direct mail each year in the US alone. And the total continues to grow. According to the Direct Marketing Association, it is growing at 8.6% a year, several times more than the growth rate of the economy. And it’s not just a few people. Last year over half of all American adults ordered something through direct mail. Continue reading ‘“does Direct Mail Work?”’ »

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E-mail and SMS marketing are becoming more and more mainstream.

Social media is rapidly escalating in popularity as a marketing tool.

Printing and postage costs keep increasing.

You are probably wondering why even bother with Direct Mail. It’s antiquated and ineffective.

The USPS even has stats to support that opinion. In their annual Household Diary Study, they published that US households received 85 billion pieces of direct mail advertising in 2009, which was 15 % less than in 2007 and 2008.

So is there a future for direct mail? It appears there is!

According to the 2010 DMA Statistical Fact Book, 79% of households either read or skim junk direct mail advertising sent to their home. Within that 79% – only 38% are skimmers, with readers encompassing a whopping 62%!

That same publication also predicted that spending on direct mail marketing is expected to increase by more than $1 billion in 2010.

Why, if it’s so outdated? Continue reading ‘The Future of Direct Mail’ »

Why a Multi-step Plan is Best

Very few people buy on impulse. Getting people to buy on impulse is called cold calling. It’s very difficult to do, and extremely cost ineffective. Also, people do not like to being sold things. Hard sell ads are not much fun to read, and even less fun to write, even though they can make a great deal of money. A softer approach is much more tasteful to the vast majority of buyers and sellers alike. Therefore, it is much more efficient to create a multi-step program for prospects to voluntarily opt in.

I did not invent the approach I am about to share with you. It is how the old direct mailers made their millions. It is proven and effective. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Continue reading ‘The 3 Step Marketing Plan That Pros Use to Earn Millions’ »

How to Handle Any Objection

There are no sales without objections. Objections indicate interest. Objections are signposts that lead you step-by-step toward closing the sale. The fact is, if there are no objections, there is no interest. If there is no interest, there will be no sale.

Use a Testimonial
As you already know, one of the most powerful ways to eliminate objections is to present testimonial letters from satisfied customers who shared the objection at one time. A sweetheart letter answering a customer’s major concern is a potent way to demolish the objection forever.

Interpret It as a Question
Aside from using testimonials, another way to deal with objections is for you to take the objection and interpret it as a question. Treat it as a request for more information. Recognize that an objection is a natural customer response to any offering where there is some risk of purchasing. When the prospect says, “It costs too much,” you can respond by saying. “That’s a good question. Why does it cost more than you’re expected to pay?” You then go on to answer the question you have posed. Continue reading ‘How To Handle Any Objection & Convert More Leads To Closed Deals’ »

How to Handle Any Objection

There are no sales without objections. Objections indicate interest. Objections are signposts that lead you step-by-step toward closing the sale. The fact is, if there are no objections, there is no interest. If there is no interest, there will be no sale.

Use a Testimonial
As you already know, one of the most powerful ways to eliminate objections is to present testimonial letters from satisfied customers who shared the objection at one time. A sweetheart letter answering a customer’s major concern is a potent way to demolish the objection forever.

Interpret It as a Question
Aside from using testimonials, another way to deal with objections is for you to take the objection and interpret it as a question. Treat it as a request for more information. Recognize that an objection is a natural customer response to any offering where there is some risk of purchasing. When the prospect says, “It costs too much,” you can respond by saying. “That’s a good question. Why does it cost more than you’re expected to pay?” You then go on to answer the question you have posed. Continue reading ‘How To Handle Any Objection & Convert More Leads To Closed Deals’ »

It’s an emerging debate that looks set to become more widespread in the future – which direct marketing method is most effective: traditional direct mail campaigns, or new generation email marketing?

Direct mail is sent to businesses and consumers every day and is used by a very wide range of organisations and industries. A mailing in the post, often accompanied by a letter, has become a proven and accepted way of targeting your audience, with consistent conversion rates of about 1-5%. However in recent years direct mail has attracted criticism over the environmental impact it can have, and the annoyance caused by misdirected mailings.

Email marketing using opt in data is less widely used at the moment, but is growing more rapidly in popularity than almost any other direct marketing tool. A growing range of good quality opt in, and in some cases double opt in lists are becoming available, as are a wide range of email broadcast services. But this new marketing medium has already been tainted by abuse and association with the practice of spamming or junk mailing.

So what are the relative merits of each of these contrasting direct marketing methods? Continue reading ‘Direct Mail or Email Marketing?’ »

Ask the ListGuy

“What are the most common Direct Mail Mistakes and how can I try to Avoid them?”

Successful direct mail doesn’t depend on fancy, four-color design or “creative” copy.

Mistake No. 1: Not renting the right mail/email list for you.

Do you know what the most important part of your direct mail campaign is? It is the mailing list. No matter how beautiful your graphic design is, no matter how slick your ad copy is, if you mail to the wrong mailing list, your mailing is doomed to failure. Remember, a mailing list is not just a means to reach your prospects, it IS your prospects!

The best list available to you is your “house” list—your list of customers and prospects who previously bought from you or responded to your marketing efforts. Continue reading ‘Two Common Direct Mail Mistakes… and How to Avoid Them’ »

Great Mailing Lists

When done correctly, direct mail is one of the most effective marketing tools available to small businesses, regardless of industry. Unfortunately, many first-time mailers–and even some experienced ones–overlook some of the basic “rules” for creating an effective direct mail campaign. Here are some proven thoughts to heed when planning your next mailing.

The success of your campaign relies on the following:

1. The accuracy of your mailing list

2. The perceived quality of your offer

3. The appeal of your mail piece .

Many experts speak of the 40-40-20 rule. It states that the mailing list makes up 40% of the success of a mailing, the offer makes up another 40% and the package itself (paper, design, copy) is responsible for the remaining 20%. Continue reading ‘what are the Direct Mail Basics?’ »

Many small businesses are stuck with the problem of needing to advertise in order to bring in more clients, but not being able to afford to do so until they’ve actually acquired these new clients. This doesn’t paint a very nice scenario, but the good news is that it’s easier to fix than you may realize. While you may not have the budget to launch a television or billboard campaign, you probably do have the budget to launch a fairly powerful direct mail campaign. To get the best results from your direct mail campaign, you’ll need to make sure that it meets certain criteria.
It has to stand out. Most people, especially business owners, get a lot of direct mail. If yours looks just like everyone else’s it’s going to get tossed right into the trash along with the rest. Make sure that yours stands out by using an unusual size, shape and design. To do this, you’re going to have to take a look at the direct mail that your competitors are sending out, but it won’t hurt to look at direct mail from companies outside your industry too remember, even though you aren’t directly competing with them, your marketing materials are competing with theirs for the attention of your prospect.
It has to present the right message. Your message should be clear, concise, and contain a call to action. Don’t just tell your prospects that you are the best mortgage broker in town tell them to call or stop by your office. The goal of your direct mail should be to get their attention and cause them to take some action so that you can then convert them into a client. Continue reading ‘Making Direct Mail Work for your Business’ »

Sales Lead Tracking and Management Software

Do you want to improve ROI on your marketing efforts?

SmartTrack software has all the tools you need to speed sales leads from any source to the appropriate territory and provide information to prospects in minutes rather than weeks. SmartTrack is a single source for all lead tracking and sales lead management information for your entire organization.

Do you have multiple sales lead sources?

Sales lead management software for less than the cost of a single ad campaign or trade show event. SmartTrack software is quickly installed, easy to use, and will provide ROI within weeks

Continue reading ‘Smart Leadz provides SmartTrack To Help You Maximize Your ROI’ »

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