I have used all types of media from postcards to Money Mailer Coupons to get my message out to the masses. But, out of all of the media that I’m familiar with, I believe that the simple Sales Letter is the most reliable and powerful method of selling any product or service—whether offline or online. 

By the way, I have yet to see what the “thing” is that can’t be sold with a sales letter.  I believe everything can.

With this in mind, my advice is to always try to include sales letters in your marketing portfolio.

When doing direct-mail marketing, self-mailers and post cards can also be effective.  But nothing beats a true letter that is written like a letter.  It should look like a letter and be delivered like a letter in the mail.

Remember a flyer is not a sales letter.

Here are some smart ways to use Sales Letters.

1. To introduce new products to existing customers
2. To get prospects to call you
3. To ask for referrals
4. To directly sell services and products
5. To generate publicity
6. To sell seasonal promotions
7. To sell out last year’s product, get it off the shelves and out of the warehouse.
8. To create direct response advertising
9. To sell subscriptions or memberships
10. To introduce new services to existing customers/clients
11. To create a multi step promotion program

What are your thoughts about using sales letters?

Technorati Tags: direct mail, direct mail marketing, direct response advertising, Referrals, seasonal promotion, sell memberships, sell new product, sell new service, sell products, sell services, sell subscriptions

In my last post, I talked about seasonal tie-ins.  Here are more ideas you can use for this Spring season, later seasons in the year, or upcoming holidays, like July 4th, etc.

Now and every day, you need to be out there in front of your clients, showing them exactly why they should shop or visit you again.

Here are a few more ideas for Holiday Promotions.

Create a package of your products or services that your customers can’t refuse. Why should you do this?  Since the Economy is tanking, your customers and clients are looking for ways to save money and are also looking for deals.

It doesn’t have to be the cheapest price.  It means the most attractive offer that appeals to them. Do you have multiple products and/or services? List every product, service, report, package, or incentive you have for your clients.

Then package products that fit together.  For example many advisors have three levels of help.  A Silver, Gold, and Platinum level.  Create your own Silver, Gold or Platinum package arrangement that could go from inexpensive to a high-end price tag. 

For example if you were in the health field, say chiropractic, you can offer an adjustment, a book on stress relief, soothing music to relax your client, and whatever else you can add to the package. This could be your silver package. This could be a $100 dollar package.

For a Gold package, you could have 6 months of adjustments, candles, aromatic oils, and all of the above. This could be a $500 package.

Your Platinum package could be one year of adjustments, plus a facial and pedicure every other month, (done with someone you Joint Venture with), plus all of the above.  This package could go for $750.

Try massaging this idea to your business and create packages.  Joint venturing other businesses’ products and packaging them with your products/services can create a win-win situation for everyone.

Most of all, put a time limit on the availability of the package.  Make sure that they know that each package is only available for X days.  Anytime you can create a deadline and scarcity situation, you will immediately increase your response rate.

You might also think of giving your customers a Platinum membership and upgrade for Free.  Give them a gift for being a devoted customer.

If you are in the real estate business or insurance, think of joint ventures you can do with restaurants, accountants, and others.   The list is almost endless when you start thinking about it.  This not only keeps you in touch with your client, but it also allows you the opportunity to get them involved in thinking about the need for insurance or investment real estate.

As usual, let me know your thoughts.

Technorati Tags: holiday sales, increasing sales, promotions, seasonal promotions, seasonal sales

Before I give you some methods and ideas of offers to get Customers Beating a Path to Your Door, it is important that you understand that the real secret to creating a successful offer is to do the initial research and to find out as much as you can about the individuals whom you are targeting for your offer.

Here are a few examples:

I consulted with a company which had 6 restaurants.  It catered to different groups of individuals.  4 catered to local residents, and 2 were in locations that catered to the business community because the two were located among office buildings and hotels.

If you’re going to do a direct mail promotion, the questions is: should you mail the same offer to both groups?

My answer is no.  For the restaurants located in the business community, I would get a list of the executives and managers who worked in the office buildings.  I would then send them a mailer that contained a brief cover letter, a brochure stressing that the restaurant was the perfect place to stop for dinner with visiting executives whom they have to entertain, or the perfect place to stop after work for Happy Hour.  I would mention that it was a great place to meet, greet, network and mostly relax in a great environment.

I would also enclose a few coupons for a 2-for-1 executive lunch and/or dinner.  I’d would also have something in the envelope for the secretary to use for lunch.  It would offer a 50% discount for lunch.

For the neighborhood restaurant I would get a list of the area homeowners with families and I would mail them a letter, but with a different brochure.  I would also create a small booklet of coupons.  Perhaps two offers for 50% off of lunch, and depending on the day of the week that we are slower than usual, I’d offer a 2-for-1 dinner, early-bird dinners for two, or all-you-can-eat for spaghetti on the slow days.  This could be only for the hours of 4 thru 6PM. 

John, here’s one for you for your dry cleaning business.   Because you have a few locations, I’m going to assume that they are located in different neighborhoods.  If you are like most dry cleaners and advertise in the local community weekly newspapers, and since there are quite a few newspapers to choose from, you must be selective.  Let’s assume there are two newspapers and one goes to the high-income neighborhood and one goes to a middles-class neighborhood.  The questions is, “Should you run the same ad in both papers?”

In looking at the papers in my area, I find that most merchants run the same ad in both papers.  They are wrong to do so and here is why.

Just as I mentioned in the restaurant example above, there are different groups of individuals you are trying to convince to visit your establishment.  Therefore, the messages should also be different. 

To the high-income neighborhood, I would write an ad that stressed how important it is to be looking your best for upward mobility and how individuals would see them as well dressed. I would then offer them one suit cleaned and pressed free, with another suit at full price or one tie done free with each suit.  You can create other offers for other garments

For the middle-class neighborhood, I would write an ad that stressed quality cleaning at a very modest and affordable price.  I would also create a small booklet entitled, “How Dry Cleaning can Help Certain Clothes Last Longer,” and just as above, offer discounts to get them into the store. 

I’m sure you can think of others, so let me hear some of them in the comments section.

Technorati Tags: attract customers, more customers

About 3 weeks ago, I wrote about the idea that Chrysler had with offering gas as an incentive for purchasing or leasing a car. Since then, I’ve come across a few other innovative ways to use this “problem” to your advantage.

You should take a few minutes and just sit back and analyze this idea.  If it’s not gas, it will always be something or another that becomes a problem in our lives.

One of the strategies I came across involves my local Shop Rite Food Store.  For those of you who don’t have one of them nearby, they are a chain of very large food stores, similar to A&P. 

The chain worked out a JV with Kraft, General Mills and P&G to promote their products, and the incentive is that if you spend $75.00 on any of those products, you will receive a $25.00 gas card for Shell or BP.  And if there isn’t a Shell or BP near you, you can choose a $25.00 Shop Rite Gift Card.

The promotional period is over a three-week period of time.

If any of you are selling products of any sort, you should ask your Manufacturer or supplier to work with you on similar promotions. 

The ad is really great.  It’s a full page ad in the local newspaper that is headlined:

FREE GAS!      FREE GAS!    FREE GAS!

Again, put your creative mind in gear and come up with similar promotions that will help you get more customers and grow your business.

Technorati Tags: Chrylser, gassoline JV idea, high gasoline price opportunity, joint venture with manufacturer, joint venture with supplier, JV idea, JV promotion