It is much easier to create interest (a lead)
than it is to get a person through an entire buying process (a sale)
Do it Right.
I receive postcards all the time. The other
day I received a postcard trying to sell me a copy machine. It had tiny,
tiny lettering slathered all over the front and a large portion of the
back of the card.
It was extremely hard to read, so hard
in fact that I threw it away.
Several days later I received a postcard
with 32 words on it telling me that I could get complete information on
unrestricted long distance telephone service for 5.5 cents a minute with
no additional monthly fee by calling the 800 number on the card.
I did call. I got the information, had
my questions answered and ordered my long distance service changed.
The company who offered me the long distance
service was using a time tested 2 step selling process:
Step 1. Generate a lead - Get me to call
their 800 number.
Step 2. Provide the requested information
- Provided to me on the phone by one of their sales representatives, who
was able to answer my questions and make me feel confident that I could
save quite a bit of money on my long distance bill and that the service
would be as good or better.
What's So Good About 2 Steps?
It is much easier to create interest (a
lead) than it is to get a person through an entire buying process (a sale).
You aren't getting the prospect or existing
customer to part with any money just yet.
You can use postcards to inexpensively
promote to your target prospects and customers and generate leads (inquiries
about your products and services) to then be followed up on and converted
to sales.
This 2 step process also helps you to create
a list of people who were interested enough in what you offered to contact
you. You can then recontact the one's who you didn't complete a sale with
when they first inquired, preferably until they do buy from you.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to get the information
you will need to recontact the people who responded to your postcard offering.
Repetitive follow-ups with the people who contacted you will result in
increased sales. Make it a company policy to follow up with those people
who contacted you about your products and services.
The Most Effective Use of Postcards:
The purpose of your postcard's message
is to generate a sufficient level of interest in the mind of your prospect
to get him/her to contact you to ask you about your offer. You are generating
interest, not collecting their money (not yet anyway). That is what the
2 step marketing process is about. Generating interested prospects and
customers who contact you for more information.
Your message needs 3 parts to be most effective:
1. A clear statement of the biggest benefit
of your product or service (in the long distance example, it was cost savings).
2. A good reason for them to contact you
NOW.
3. A simple, easy way for them to respond
(an 800 number for example).
Your message should be short and to the
point. Short messages on postcards produce more leads than long ones.
For example:
Call 800-555-1212 for Your Copy of Our
Free Report:
What 99% of Business Owners Don't Know
and Will Never Find Out About Using Postcards to Explode Their Profits
Offer ends 5-5-01 (Print a date 3 weeks
from your mailing date to create some urgency)
Lots of people will respond to find out
what they might not know. Don't forget, they responded, which is proof
they have at least some interest in the information you have created a
curiosity about.
This method works and is sure to produce
a large number of inquiries if sent to your proper market.
This 2 Step Marketing Process Works.
Use the tips you have read here to create
your next postcard's message and see what happens.
You will generate a bunch of leads from
people who are truly interested in your products and services.
Author-Bio: Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania
in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. By 2004 the company did
$9 million in sales and employed over 60 people. She attributes her explosive
growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing
savvy. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at http://www.postcardmania.com
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