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  • Suggest You - 10 Tips for Writing Effective Direct Mail Sales Letters

    I'm Looking for a Skill Set in Communications
    This is the last in a series of articles devoted to communications in relation to Customer Service.If you are in a busy Customer Service environment (phones ringing, people asking questions and as usual, shorthanded) I am sure that a tool that is easy to use and implement would be helpful.I have been reading a lot about Behavioral or Personality Profiling and studying the different types.This is the culmination of what has been a career journey and learning experience. We all have different ways o
    either keep you in mind for future reference or even contact you outright to make additional inquiries. You can worry about the sale if and when they get back to you.

    Offer Guarantees and Special Deals - as long as it's within your power, try to offer special deals and discounts for your prospective clients. Remember, too, that a lot of people are already jaded by "bait and switch" tactics, so keep your presentation of deals clean, honest, and present them simple and factual.

    Let Them Know how to Get in Touch with You - Include detailed contact information and use prepaid reply postage mail on your letters. Some salesmen in the past favored the "mysterious" and "hard to get" approach in the mistaken and idiotic belief that customers would become curious if conta

    How to Grow Your Business by Leveraging the Human Dimension in Your Company - Part One
    Many business owners and CEO’s of small and midsize businesses are wondering what’s going on in their business having it done all, and yet success is not where it is expected. That’s why many of them as well believe that they have a lot more potential than their real world results are showing.If you are one of those leaders, let me tell you that you are absolutely right! What it takes is just recognizing the power of the Human Dimension.What do I mean with “Human Dimension”?The Human Dimension is
    Direct Mail Sales Letters still remain a viable means of advertising a product in today's electronic world. The biggest reason for this is that email sales letters can and often are shunted off easily with the development of simple spam blocker utilities that almost everyone activates to get rid off unwanted email. To be able to deliver your mailed sales letters effectively, here are 10 tips to help you:

    Proper Introduction and Post Script - people will often only check two parts of a letter initially before either deciding to read it, or to throw it in the trash bin: the opening statement and the post script. Keep both catchy without sounding like a "positive scripting" addicted sales man. Both should encompass the general message of the entire letter, letting your potential customer know immediately what you're there to talk about.

    Pay Attention to Layouting - the layout of a letter is the order in which the paragraphs are structured. Be sure to keep everything detailed and organized, because a poorly structured letter will confuse a reader. Confusion will lead to a headache, which will result in your letter heading for the trash bin.

    Keep it Short and Simple - a one page letter is best for direct sales. Nobody likes advertisments at all, and that's a fact. The longer they are, the more boring and time wasting they are as far as readers are concerned. People whose interest is caught will at least still take time out to read what you have to say IF they see that it won't take up too much of their precious time.

    Avoid Jargon - whether it's using fancy language or "business terms" to make your letter sound more "professional", using jargon is asking for a kick in the pants. All you achieve by using jargon is to come across sounding (or reading) like a con man who's out to impress people with how "smart" he is and how "perfect" his product is.

    Always Go For the Bottom Line - don't beat around the bush. Whatever point you're trying to make, just say it plain and simple. Trying to dance around a topic gets people irritated and confused, and we all know where that's going to lead.

    Emphasize Benefits - remember that it's all about what your product or service can do for a customer. If you emphasize pointless details like dozens of new features, high tech materials, and endless hours of research that went into the creation of a product, this is what will most likely pass through your reader's mind: I've heard it before. Next...

    Communicate Properly - for most people, just keep your tone light and conversational. This may be subject to change though depending on the nature of your reader and the type of product you're offering. Tailor the tone and approach of your letter to suit the type of people it's intended for. Ignoring some of the rules above can be done IF your clients are, for example, high income business men who will be more familiar and comfortable with corporate jargon.

    Push for a Lead as Opposed to a Sale - don't push for a sale. The purpose of a business letter is to pique a potential client's interest just enough that they will either keep you in mind for future reference or even contact you outright to make additional inquiries. You can worry about the sale if and when they get back to you.

    Offer Guarantees and Special Deals - as long as it's within your power, try to offer special deals and discounts for your prospective clients. Remember, too, that a lot of people are already jaded by "bait and switch" tactics, so keep your presentation of deals clean, honest, and present them simple and factual.

    Let Them Know how to Get in Touch with You - Include detailed contact information and use prepaid reply postage mail on your letters. Some salesmen in the past favored the "mysterious" and "hard to get" approach in the mistaken and idiotic belief that customers would become curious if contac

    Beliefs and Productivity - Seven Signs You Are Off Your Game
    I once gave a presentation to a group of sales professionals about how belief patterns can take us "off our game." Afterwards, one of the audience members asked what he could do to notice when he is "not on his game." He said he could see where beliefs were likely a part of this, but expressed frustration that he didn't always notice right away when something was off and now wanted to shorten his time to awareness.Being "on your game" is a great expression for that feeling we have when we are feeling good about
    otential customer know immediately what you're there to talk about.

    Pay Attention to Layouting - the layout of a letter is the order in which the paragraphs are structured. Be sure to keep everything detailed and organized, because a poorly structured letter will confuse a reader. Confusion will lead to a headache, which will result in your letter heading for the trash bin.

    Keep it Short and Simple - a one page letter is best for direct sales. Nobody likes advertisments at all, and that's a fact. The longer they are, the more boring and time wasting they are as far as readers are concerned. People whose interest is caught will at least still take time out to read what you have to say IF they see that it won't take up too much of their precious time.

    Avoid Jargon - whether it's using fancy language or "business terms" to make your letter sound more "professional", using jargon is asking for a kick in the pants. All you achieve by using jargon is to come across sounding (or reading) like a con man who's out to impress people with how "smart" he is and how "perfect" his product is.

    Always Go For the Bottom Line - don't beat around the bush. Whatever point you're trying to make, just say it plain and simple. Trying to dance around a topic gets people irritated and confused, and we all know where that's going to lead.

    Emphasize Benefits - remember that it's all about what your product or service can do for a customer. If you emphasize pointless details like dozens of new features, high tech materials, and endless hours of research that went into the creation of a product, this is what will most likely pass through your reader's mind: I've heard it before. Next...

    Communicate Properly - for most people, just keep your tone light and conversational. This may be subject to change though depending on the nature of your reader and the type of product you're offering. Tailor the tone and approach of your letter to suit the type of people it's intended for. Ignoring some of the rules above can be done IF your clients are, for example, high income business men who will be more familiar and comfortable with corporate jargon.

    Push for a Lead as Opposed to a Sale - don't push for a sale. The purpose of a business letter is to pique a potential client's interest just enough that they will either keep you in mind for future reference or even contact you outright to make additional inquiries. You can worry about the sale if and when they get back to you.

    Offer Guarantees and Special Deals - as long as it's within your power, try to offer special deals and discounts for your prospective clients. Remember, too, that a lot of people are already jaded by "bait and switch" tactics, so keep your presentation of deals clean, honest, and present them simple and factual.

    Let Them Know how to Get in Touch with You - Include detailed contact information and use prepaid reply postage mail on your letters. Some salesmen in the past favored the "mysterious" and "hard to get" approach in the mistaken and idiotic belief that customers would become curious if conta

    Is Your Athenticity Creating Growth Or Stagnation?
    I have a recommendation for you for 2006: Take a risk and be inauthentic.Authenticity, being yourself, is the foundation of your health, and the health of your business. But, it can also be a source of stagnation, and, eventually, your death. It has to do primarily with how many of us learn.For most of us, we learn by "monkey see (or read, or hear) - monkey do." It's the easiest way I know to learn- we emulate someone else's (hopefully) experienced and masterful example.And here's where the proble
    argon - whether it's using fancy language or "business terms" to make your letter sound more "professional", using jargon is asking for a kick in the pants. All you achieve by using jargon is to come across sounding (or reading) like a con man who's out to impress people with how "smart" he is and how "perfect" his product is.

    Always Go For the Bottom Line - don't beat around the bush. Whatever point you're trying to make, just say it plain and simple. Trying to dance around a topic gets people irritated and confused, and we all know where that's going to lead.

    Emphasize Benefits - remember that it's all about what your product or service can do for a customer. If you emphasize pointless details like dozens of new features, high tech materials, and endless hours of research that went into the creation of a product, this is what will most likely pass through your reader's mind: I've heard it before. Next...

    Communicate Properly - for most people, just keep your tone light and conversational. This may be subject to change though depending on the nature of your reader and the type of product you're offering. Tailor the tone and approach of your letter to suit the type of people it's intended for. Ignoring some of the rules above can be done IF your clients are, for example, high income business men who will be more familiar and comfortable with corporate jargon.

    Push for a Lead as Opposed to a Sale - don't push for a sale. The purpose of a business letter is to pique a potential client's interest just enough that they will either keep you in mind for future reference or even contact you outright to make additional inquiries. You can worry about the sale if and when they get back to you.

    Offer Guarantees and Special Deals - as long as it's within your power, try to offer special deals and discounts for your prospective clients. Remember, too, that a lot of people are already jaded by "bait and switch" tactics, so keep your presentation of deals clean, honest, and present them simple and factual.

    Let Them Know how to Get in Touch with You - Include detailed contact information and use prepaid reply postage mail on your letters. Some salesmen in the past favored the "mysterious" and "hard to get" approach in the mistaken and idiotic belief that customers would become curious if conta

    3 Ways Your Compelling Story Gets You Clients
    Many of us entrepreneurs are drawn to our particular profession by a specific defining moment or series of events that changed everything in our lives. Because of that moment, some of us dropped everything and decided to dedicate the rest of our professional lives to doing what we now do.My compelling story is my before-and-after scenario: how I went from not enough clients and struggling to pay the bills, to learning everything I could about marketing, networking and business management. As a res
    of research that went into the creation of a product, this is what will most likely pass through your reader's mind: I've heard it before. Next...

    Communicate Properly - for most people, just keep your tone light and conversational. This may be subject to change though depending on the nature of your reader and the type of product you're offering. Tailor the tone and approach of your letter to suit the type of people it's intended for. Ignoring some of the rules above can be done IF your clients are, for example, high income business men who will be more familiar and comfortable with corporate jargon.

    Push for a Lead as Opposed to a Sale - don't push for a sale. The purpose of a business letter is to pique a potential client's interest just enough that they will either keep you in mind for future reference or even contact you outright to make additional inquiries. You can worry about the sale if and when they get back to you.

    Offer Guarantees and Special Deals - as long as it's within your power, try to offer special deals and discounts for your prospective clients. Remember, too, that a lot of people are already jaded by "bait and switch" tactics, so keep your presentation of deals clean, honest, and present them simple and factual.

    Let Them Know how to Get in Touch with You - Include detailed contact information and use prepaid reply postage mail on your letters. Some salesmen in the past favored the "mysterious" and "hard to get" approach in the mistaken and idiotic belief that customers would become curious if conta

    Consumer Mailings
    One of the best ways to remind your customer about you and what you do for them is to keep them on a consumer mailing list. This is one of the best ways to maintain return customers.Always ask a customer right before they check out if they want to be added to the consumer mailing list. On internet websites it is best just to have a box that the customer can check if they choose to be on the list. The less information that they have to fill out the better, too much blanks to fill out will cause them to decide no
    either keep you in mind for future reference or even contact you outright to make additional inquiries. You can worry about the sale if and when they get back to you.

    Offer Guarantees and Special Deals - as long as it's within your power, try to offer special deals and discounts for your prospective clients. Remember, too, that a lot of people are already jaded by "bait and switch" tactics, so keep your presentation of deals clean, honest, and present them simple and factual.

    Let Them Know how to Get in Touch with You - Include detailed contact information and use prepaid reply postage mail on your letters. Some salesmen in the past favored the "mysterious" and "hard to get" approach in the mistaken and idiotic belief that customers would become curious if contact info was left vague. They would then go out of their way to track down these salesmen and their "superior" products. Get real guys, people are smarter than that. Vagueness does not lead to curiosity, it leads to you and your product getting labeled as a scam.

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