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MAY 2002 ISSUE
Six Tips for
Instant Marketing
By Ann Barr
Like everyone else, I was skeptical at first. It sounded too
easy. After I spent countless hours calling prospects and producing
direct-mail letters, claims of amazing results from using Internet
marketing seemed too good to be true. But now I can tell you,
truthfully, that it really does work.
Consumer Preferences
According to a recent study, U.S. consumers who respond to direct
marketing reflected a preference for mail by a four-to-one margin
(74 percent for direct mail vs. 18.5 percent for telemarketing.) The
study by International Communications Research interviewed 485
consumers that had ordered goods or services as a direct result of
responding to mail, telemarketing or both.
One marketing analyst was quoted as saying that consumers prefer
direct mail and fax marketing because they like the "feeling of
being in control." In other words, they do not like the
feeling of "being controlled" by someone who calls on the
telephone.
Have you ever noticed that after you make sales calls to customers
who "don’t need anything," they call you back the next
day to place an order? I do not know about you, but it has happened
to me often. By doing this: calling back to order, the consumer is
in control. She decides when and how to buy – after being prompted
by a telephone call, a
fax or a letter or all three.
The same thing happens with another form of marketing. A form of
marketing that people can choose to ignore or can choose to act
upon. They are in control. It is up to the consumers when or if they
buy. It is what I used recently to generate 24 new sales. 24 instant
sales. E-mail marketing.
I am not talking about spam – sending
millions of unsolicited E-mails to people who do not know who you
are, but instead, using your own customer list (after first getting
permission from your customers).
Six Tips
1. Ask permission from your current customer base to send
E-mails when your products go on sale, or to send helpful
"Tips" and other information that will benefit your
customers.
* * Example: I recently received an interesting, informative E-mail
message from a company that sells printers and cartridges. The
headline was: YOUR PRINTER HAS ENEMIES. The message contained
helpful information about how to keep a printer in good working
condition and avoid problems.
2. Collect E-mail addresses from your customers regularly –
on a daily basis, if you can.
3. After you have 100 or more customer names and E-mail
addresses, begin sending personalized helpful (not sales)
information on a weekly or monthly basis. Examples:
* * "How to avoid becoming a victim of toner pirates.
* * "Three tips to make toner cartridges last longer."
* * "Four ways to avoid copier jams."
4. Send marketing and sales E-mails sparingly
– no more than once a month. Reason: If you use E-mail marketing
(for selling) too often, after awhile people will tune out and
become immune or annoyed.
5. In every E-mail you send to customers, include
instructions on how readers can "opt out" and have their
names removed from your list.
6. Use a software program that will allow you to send
hundreds and thousands of personalized E-mails. For
the past three years I have been using World Merge by Colorado Soft.
You can try out a free version at www.coloradosoft.com
E-mail marketing added to your telephone and fax or direct-mail
marketing can instantly boost your sales and it is practically free.
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JUNE 2002 ISSUE
Cold-Call Tips
By Ann Barr
Whether you’re making a cold call or a warm call, there are
certain responses from screeners and decision-makers that can stop
you cold. Some phone calls end quickly with an answer from the
prospect like: "We don’t need anything" or "We’re
all set."
Automatic Responses
If you are calling a busy office that gets a lot of telephone
calls, it is understandable that you will often hear an automatic
response. The receptionist (screener) has learned that s/he can end
phone calls quickly with a response like: "We’re all
set." If you are not prepared for an answer like this, your
call could end quickly and the call will have been a waste of time.
However, if you can get at least one bit of
information that will help you with future calls to this prospect,
you will have accomplished something and your call will not have
been wasted. What can you say after you hear "We don’t need
anything"?
If you hear this from a screener, you can say:
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"Oh, so you do the buying for your toner cartridges?"
If s/he is not the buyer, nine times out of ten, s/he
will give you the contact name you need.
The Decision Maker
If you hear "We’re all set" from the decision maker, you
can ask a question that will cause the listener to:
1. Think
2. Talk
3. Become involved in a conversation with you,
AND this can be the beginning of a business relationship.
Questions To Ask
If you sell consumable products, you need
specific information for your follow-up calls. Ask questions like
these:
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"How many do you have on hand, so I can schedule my next
follow-up call?" Or,
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"Are you using OEM or compatible toner?" Or,
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"When is your next re-order time?" Or,
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"When would you recommend I follow up with you?"
Follow-up Calls
With each call, you will learn something new about the prospect and
her/his needs. Getting – and keeping track of – information to
help you in future calls will be another step forward in the sales
process. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a sale in the
first, second or even third telephone call. Research from Sales
and Marketing Executives International found that 81%
of all sales are made in the fifth call or later.
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