WHAT TO SEND TO A LIST
As a small business owner, when you have
a golden list of
ideal prospects in hand, then the ball is now in your court to woo
them to your business, product or service. If it's the very
first time you are connecting with these people, don't try to sell
them something instantly. People rarely buy from strangers
unless is something that's very low cost and low risk. A great
way to start is to offer something for free in your area of
expertise. (free booklet, free teleseminar, free CD, free
report, free checklist, free evaluation, etc). But it must be
described in a way that would entice the recipient.
In exchange for the "free something"
the person provides their contact information. If they accept
your offer, then you know you have a lead - someone who is
interested in what you do. It is then your job to turn them
into a client. At my web sites, when a prospect becomes a
lead, my first step is to ask questions on their problems and
challenges so that I can later create or offer what's most desired.
DIRECT MAIL MUST BE REPEATED
Be prepared to do a direct mail
campaign of at least 3 different mailings to the same list.
Doing a 1-time mailing is rarely effective and you are likely to get
little or no response. In fact, the more iterations the
better, but remember you can start with just a small number of
people to match your budget. As you begin to acquire new
customers and clients, you can use larger list sizes.
A direct-mail campaign can have 3
different marketing pieces with a different (or same) offer in each.
You can even send the same piece 3 times with only slight
modifications. If you've never attempted to do direct mail
piece, I highly recommend the book "The Ultimate Sales Letter"
by Dan Kennedy. It not only shows you how to craft an
effective direct mail piece but it also tells you the secrets to
getting your direct mail read (vs thrown in the trash) by your
target audience. Dan Kennedy has been an awesome mentor to me
in learning the skill of direct marketing.
