Original Riches

The number of businesses using direct mail marketing now compared to how many used this medium 10 to 15 years ago is staggeringly higher. More and more marketers understand its effectiveness and are on the bandwagon – especially Mortgage Brokers.

Years back the novelty of receiving an advertisement in your mailbox was such that any direct mail pieces were not only looked at but mulled over. Not so anymore. The term ‘junk mail’ was coined sometime since then and I’m sure you’ve thrown out your fair share of unread pieces enough to understand why. So, what can you do about it as a marketer? How can you ensure you get the biggest bang for your direct mail dollar? Now more than ever, you have to understand how to put together a direct mail piece. More than ever you have to really target your mailing to go to a specific market. And more than ever you need to be patient and learn how to campaign – because that is the key to success. Don’t get me wrong… direct mail is not dead – and I don’t see it dying any time soon. It is still the quintessential part of the largest company’s campaigns. Because it works.

In this article I will teach you some of these three topics:

· Designing a direct mail piece

· Targeting your specific market

· Campaigning

A Great Design

Many people think that the quality of any graphic design is determined by how aesthetically pleasing it is: Although making the card look good is important, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The only true measure of any design, at least commercially, is “How well does it pull?”. By pull we mean what type of response does it elicit? Does it pull in calls, or pull people into the store? In essence, does the design accomplish what it set out to do?

From this fact it is not a reach to come to the conclusion that the merit of a graphic designer is based on the performance of his or her designs. You may be able to put together the most beautiful ad that the world has ever seen, but if it doesn’t make the phone ring it isn’t worth the paper that it is printed on.

You need to make designs that are not only attractive but, more importantly, that get the response needed to turn a profit. You want to ensure people see your ad and want your services. In short, if the ad doesn’t make you any money, it’s not a good ad.

To BE or Not To BE

Easy. Say there is a monkey loose in your office and you can’t seem to get any work done. The only solution is to catch the little distraction and FedEx him back to the jungle that he came from. Question: How do you catch a monkey? You have to get into his head, think like him. You have to “BE” the monkey to find out what is going to bring him close enough for you to catch him.

Every potential customer is like the monkey. They are going to do whatever they want unless you can persuade them to listen to you. You have to get into their head, think like them, “BE” them. A monkey is a simple animal so you can probably get his attention with the stereotypical banana.

Human beings on the other hand are extremely complex. Then you add in the fact that the mailing list is targeted and it can get quite challenging. To help you answer the question of what you should say in your ad, you should use three things:

· Reasoning

· Experience

· Research

Take an unrelated subject to your own industry – sometimes it’s better learn that way. Pick something. Say you have an upscale Italian women’s shoe boutique. You want to appeal to women that like that sort of thing. Get in her head. What would make her want to buy from you? Remember, she gets bombarded with advertisements every day. What can you say that really draws her in? How about “Tired of Wearing the Same Styles as Everyone Else?” Have a graphic that supports the message – show a fantastic pair of shoes or better yet a good looking woman with a great pair of shoes on.

Now pretend you are a family man or woman with a household income of the $75k with revolving debt of $15K and you’ve got two kids! Kids can be pretty expensive. So, why would you like to refinance?

Find a Specialized Mailing List

If there is one thing I can’t say enough it is that the most important part of your mailing campaign is your mailing list. It is vital that you put the right amount of energy into learning about lists – who to mail to – so that your mailing efforts aren’t wasted. There are a few different ways that you can get an adequately targeted list.

As always the first step is to determine who your target market will be. Say you want to market to homeowners. Good, now we have narrowed it down to only 291,324 people in your area. As a minimum, your mailing campaign should send to the same names three times. So all you have to do is send out 873,972 postcards at $0.185 per piece & you get the point. We need to narrow it down some more.

So how do you accomplish the narrowing of your list? Many factors can be considered, including age, gender, zip code, annual salary, profession and number of children are some of the more common qualifiers. It may take a while to figure out what combination works for your specific product. Don’t worry about political correctness when considering whom you should mail to. It is perfectly acceptable to test certain lists that may be considered “stereotypical”. Many times these lists will work well. But you never know until you test them.

No matter how great an idea you have about a certain market, ALWAYS DO A SMALLER TEST MAILING FIRST! Average test mailings run around 1000-1500 names. Once you see acceptable returns on the smaller mailing then you can jump in with the larger numbers. Test, test, test!

The purpose of special mailing lists is to target a specific type of customer for your specific type of business. The eventual end result is more customers and a better bottom line. And this is what we all want, right?

Repeating Your Message

cam·paign

n.



A series of military operations undertaken to achieve a large-scale objective during a war: Grant’s Vicksburg campaign secured the entire Mississippi for the Union.



An operation or series of operations energetically pursued to accomplish a purpose: an advertising campaign for a new product; a candidate’s political campaign.



intr.v. cam·paigned, cam·paign·ing, cam·paigns

To engage in an operation planned to achieve a certain goal: campaigned through the jungles of Vietnam; campaigned for human rights.

[French campagne, from Italian campagna, field, military operation, from Late Latin campania, open country, battlefield, from Latin campus, field.]

Definition number 2 above is the one we’re using. But from studying the entire definition along with the derivation (the word origin) you can see how all the definitions tie together. Campaigns for marketing are, in a nutshell, a series of advertising steps including repeat mailings that are strategically planned so that there is maximum benefit (more new customers) for your business.

Nota bene (that means “take note” in Latin – and I do mean take note): If you are not doing repeat mailings then you are flushing money down toilet. Sorry, I know. The truth sometimes hurts.

Why is this true? One mailing of one postcard once is barely going to get anyone’s attention for more then the minute they see it. Think about it. How many times have you seen the same TV commercials over and over? A one shot in the dark postcard mailing is not going to change your business, your bottom line, your life or your anything.

So, if you are not up to confronting that you need to do a campaign then maybe you shouldn’t be in business. And that may sound harsh – it is harsh. It’s a harsh world. And I want you to succeed in it.

There is another reason. Credibility. In some cases people will hold onto your postcard for a while. They can hold onto your po
stcard for six months. They may even hold on to your card for three years. But in most cases they’ll think “Oh, I may need that some day” and then while tidying up they’ll throw it away. When you repeat your mailings to those same people and they see your image, logo, slogan, message over and over you become credible to them. Your chances of them responding just got greater. Repeat mailings cannot be repeated enough.

To give you an example, I call it the ‘Trickle Down Effect’:

Say you send out 5000 postcards.

Out of that 5000, 150 hang onto your postcard.

Out of that 5000, so many call the 1st week.

Out of that 5000, so many call the 2nd week.

Out of that 5000, so many call the next month.

Out of that 5000, so many call in 6 months.

Out of that 5000, so many never call…

There is a dwindling inflow from that first mailing and therefore can give a false impression of what occurs from one mailing. Someone sends out a postcard and says, “I only got four responses from my mailing!” But there is a whole dynamic that is going on that is continuing from that one mailing way after the person who sent the mailing expects things to happen. Think about it. Do you jump at every single advertisement that you get bombarded with that you think is a good idea? If you do, you are either a millionaire or broke. But most likely, you see some advertisement that catches your interest and say to yourself that you’d like to check that out some day. Then, you see it again and remember that you wanted to check that out one day. And then, you see it again and this time you decide to check it out.

You want continuous and consistent growth. So what do you do? Look at this scenario:

What if,

You send out 5000 postcards one week and you have all that going on that I mentioned above.

You send out 5000 the next week and you have all that going on that I mentioned above.

You send out 5000 the next week and that dwindling flow chart is going on, on each one of those outflows.

What is going to happen? Eventually it is going to snowball – it’s coming in from all different places!

You are really putting your communication out there consistently in a big way.

And yes, it costs a lot of money to do it. (Once you have your list which you’ll use over and over – only paying for it once – postage is more then 55% of your costs) So, FIND THE MONEY. If you are going to borrow money to do a business, spend that borrowed money on marketing!

Start with a list and mail to one list one week, another list the next week and another list the following week. Then you rotate those lists – again. And again. And again.

Now you ask – what if you only have one list? You can still rotate one list. And it is always good to put it on a spreadsheet or a flow chart to track what you are doing and what you have already done.

For instance: You get one list of 6000 identities. You can mail to 2000 one week, 2000 the next week and 2000 the third week. Then you rotate. There are your three different lists!

A campaign is mailing to the same people over and over and over again. The point is you want to hit your prospects with different communication about the same thing or hit them with different products with the same look and feel or both. The rest will come.

Because what you are building with a marketing campaign is credibility. You are building your business through communication. You are communicating consistently, so much that people will believe you (credibility) and they will respond; they will come, they will spend.

1744, Benjamin Franklin published and mailed the first direct marketing catalog which sold scientific and academic books. Direct Mail has come a long way since then, so DON’T let your piece get lost in the mail, so to speak, make it stand out by applying these three basics of successful marketing:

· Being

· Targeting and

· Repeating

Good luck!

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. By 2005 the company did over $12 million in sales, employed over 100 people and made Inc. Magazine’s prestigious Inc 500 List as the one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the nation. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. As an Expert Author, she is always willing to share her marketing advice through articles, interviews and speaking engagements. Visit her web site at www.postcardmania.com

Given what’s been happening with the economy, climate change and the politically charged atmosphere we seem to constantly live in, there has never been a more appropriate time to be socially responsible as a business owner. As an entrepreneur I’m sure you have business goals to create the profit and lifestyle you want, but what about the world at large? What about the community you conduct business in? Do you want to be known as a business that improves the world around you? Besides the goals you have as a business, do you have other goals that support a cause larger than your business? There is no rule that says you have to be socially responsible, but the benefits to your business, not to mention yourself, can be quite satisfying.

Social responsibility can start as soon as you decide to have a product or service. If you are already in business and want to get on the bandwagon, a good place to start is by picking a cause or organization that you authentically want to support. Of course, if you are not genuinely interested in the cause or organization then people can see right through that. Consumers are getting smarter and smarter and they won’t be fooled by you just having a half hearted advertisement about a coat drive once a year for the holidays. However, if you are interested in sports, then donating to a local little league team could be a great idea.

Be wary of making the decision to contribute to something in isolation. Your employees are a great resource to pull from when deciding where to start. It seems simple but, if as the boss, you randomly decide to contribute to something that the company workers don’t support, you could have some grumbling amongst your employees. Polling your employees on causes they would like to support can create a stronger sense of contribution and camaraderie within your whole company. The other benefit to the company is that you’ll start to see the passion that people naturally have. It gives people an opportunity to rise up into leadership in a way that they might not have otherwise.

Money isn’t the only thing to give when you are considering a contribution. It can be a huge benefit to simply host a computer recycling drive on company property or to help clean up a local playground. The bottom line of profit doesn’t need to be hit hard so you can look good in your community. Your contribution doesn’t have to be huge either -the small stuff counts as well. Simply being smart about recycling the paper in your office is not only a socially responsible act but is cost effective. Instead of buying post it note pads for your employees, using scrap from the copy machine and then recycling can, at least in a small way, affect your profit. You can end up saving money doing that as well as saving some trees along the way.

There are so many ways to make a good impact on your immediate community. Your contributions as a socially responsible company can help you become more visible as a business while making a genuine contribution along the way. We all have time, money or energy to spend in our lives and they can all count towards making an impact on your community.


In 1995, Dalbey Education Institute founder Russ Dalbey set out to provide customers with the highest quality of wealth-building products, services and networking resources for buyers and sellers of real estate and all other cash flows.

You’re ready to make a big career change. You really want to get going. But youre held back by fear. So you wait…and wait.

Fear leads to paralysis. Then you start what psychologists call “catastrophizing:” imagining the worst that can happen, then magnifying the consequences till you’re predicting a major, irreversible disaster.

Then you feel even more fear…you do nothing…so you feel even more fear. You’re tempted to go hide in the closet, maybe forever.

Career change begins by breaking the fear cycle. Here are 3 steps to start.

(1) Recognize the consequences of doing nothing.

You really hate your job and you’re long overdue for a change. But you like the security of a pay check. Maybe you have family (and dogs) depending on you.

Hang on long enough and you’ll probably start sabotaging your own security. You’ll find yourself making dumb mistakes, missing deadlines, losing important documents and more.

Some people handle this sort of thing better than others. Some live for 20 years with jobs they despise with no outward appearance of problems. My theory is

(a) you just don’t see what’s going on: doctor visits, anti-depressants, stomach trouble, family grief, or more;

(b) they don’t hate their job as much as they say; or

(c) they were born with a certain temperament with high tolerance for frustration.

(2) Do some reality testing.

‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ is a good first question. Once you have the answer you can often create plans to cover your worst case scenario.

Here’s where a career coach can help: not someone who administers a handful of tests, but someone who knows the ins and outs of careers.

(3) Take a small 10-minute step.

What should you do? It doesn’t matter. Take just 10 minutes to deal with your frustration.

Action means getting off the couch. It doesn’t include introspection (“what do I really want”), reciting mantras and affirmations (although you can do that too) or talking to friends on the phone. It doesn’t mean reading books and surfing the Internet for more ideas.

Examples of action include phone calls to people who can help (such as experienced professionals in your field), attending meaningful networking events (not mechanically attending lunches), and meeting contacts for coffee.

If you can’t think of a single action step, or you’re taking steps but aren’t seeing results, find a professional who can help. The sooner you get moving, the faster your fear will dissipate and the faster you’ll find yourself in a good space.

Just one note. Sometimes you’ve just been through a traumatic experience: a death of someone close to, the loss of a career you loved, break-up of a relationship, sale of a business or loss of your biggest customer. Any of these experiences require time for recovery.

Each person will handle loss differently: formulas (even the famous Kubler-Ross stages) do not apply to everyone.

In my experience, it’s best to wait 30 days before making any big moves or taking any significant risks. But at some point, you really do have to get off the couch and spring into action.

FREE 10 Secrets of Mastering a Major Life Change: My Special Report gives you insider tips to change your career, move to a new residence or consider a new business. From Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., at Midlife Career Strategy

Many people think they understand the elements which comprise the highly sought after entrepreneurial mindset. However the business-minded attitude is much more complicated and elaborate than originally thought. Most up-and-coming entrepreneurs simply know they would love to possess the mindset as it has brought about great success for a host of individuals. Discover the traits and characteristics of this valued way of thinking.

In order to truly grasp the concepts of the entrepreneurial mindset, you must first break it down to its core. Begin by delving into the inner workings of your online business. While it is not suggested you try to master every side of your company, you should form some level of understanding for every juncture. Devise a sort of model for various aspects such as web design, sales and advertising. An exceptionally talented entrepreneur can surround themselves with gifted minds to help aid these primary theories. As a result, by the time your online business gets off the floor, you will hopefully have a strong model in tow.

A typical component of the entrepreneurial mindset is something that often times cannot be taught. One of those aspects remains the ability to spot untapped talent, resources or business opportunities. It is a willingness to try out the latest technology, explore untested social media sites or partner with revolutionary new companies. While it can be scary to sink capital into something unproven, those in control of the entrepreneurial mindset understand that risk takers are likely to garner an enormous payoff.

Most of these entrepreneurs are able to see greatness in the ordinary due to a high level of intelligence and an ability to view situations on a larger plane. They think not just in terms of the here and now, but they also manage to leap forward, imaging their business as it unfolds years down the line. As a result they make the effort to launch long-term business commitments while fostering organic relationships with their clients.

It is difficult to stay healthy in today’s fast paced business world, however leading entrepreneurs must make time to care for themselves. It is hard enough to sustain a successful business while you are healthy, just imagine trying to do so while feeling run down. Those who long to achieve the entrepreneurial mindset must be certain they tend to themselves both physically and mentally.

Sheila Denise Cox is a business coach and mentor that assists serious entrepreneurs in building a profitable online business with multiple incomes streams. Sheila and her team have assisted hundreds of people in generating an executive level income or more in their first year. For more information and to contact Sheila, visit: http://www.WealthGuide4U.com

Sales force outsourcing describes a situation where a business chooses to transfer some or all of its sales and marketing processes to a third party. In the UK many businesses choose to make use of sales force outsourcing services.

There are many reasons why outsourcing your sales and marketing can make sound commercial sense for your business.

Reduce Risk

In business every decision carries with it a certain amount of risk. When outsourcing much of this inherent risk is passed over to the service provider. As specialists outsourcing companies are generally much better placed to manage and reduce this risk.

Improve Competitiveness

Outsourcing can help small businesses to compete with larger competitors. If you are a small business owner then it is unlikely you will be able to afford to maintain a large full time sales and marketing team. Outsourcing companies can help your business by giving you access to the same expert resources that larger businesses enjoy.

Reduce Costs

Many companies that choose to outsource their sales do so because it simply isn’t cost effective for them to employ their own full time sales team. Companies offering business development services will typically operate on a shared revenue model. This means that if they don’t make a sale then there is little or no fee charged.

Specialist Sales Expertise

If you are a sole trader or small business owner then sales force outsourcing can make good sense. Your strength as a business owner may not be in sales and so hiring a specialist to take care of sales and lead generation means you can concentrate on the things you are good at. Similarly many sole traders will find that they don’t have enough time available to effectively promote their business and so employing a third party to help is beneficial.

Increased Flexibility

Beginning a new sales campaign in-house can take weeks or even months of planning especially where new employees need to be found and trained. Sales outsourcing companies have the resources to begin new projects almost immediately giving greater flexibility in the way you run your sales campaigns.

Based in the UK BasePlus offer a comprehensive business development service. From IT telemarketing to sales force outsourcing BasePlus provide a range of business services.