Time? Money? Your pride? Every day that you aren’t sending out direct mail is another day that you are missing out on potential sales. The amount you are missing out on could be astronomical. Look, at Wholesalelists.net our name says it all. We sell wholesale lists. That means they are inexpensive because you are buying straight from the source and avoiding the middleman.
Does a direct mail campaign cost money? Of course it does, but it isn’t an expense, it is an investment which is very different. The truth of the matter is that it is costing you money NOT to do a direct mail campaign. Am I implying that simply by purchasing a wholesale mailing list and tossing some mailers out to random people that you are automatically guaranteed to make more money? No. Come on, now, you have to target the right demographic and create a piece of direct mail that is designed to sell. Do those two things and then I guarantee you will increase your business in direct proportion to the number of mailings you send out.
So what do you have to lose? Your business if you don’t do something about it!
Do you use a script for telemarketing? Scripts can be a very good way to stay on track during a telemarketing call, but you must train your employees well before setting them loose with your wholesale telemarketing list and a fresh script. The last thing you want is for them to sound like they are reading a script because people will hang up before they even know what the call is about.
Your first goal in telemarketing is to connect with your prospect. Before you can do that, however, you will have to catch them off guard and get them to talk to you…get them to talk first. You should never start off a telemarketing call by announcing who you are and the nature of the call, as in, “Hello, this is Dave from XYZ Company and I’m”…click. Start by asking for your prospect by name as if you are a friend, “Mary?” if it is Mary she starts off the conversation by saying “yes” so you are off to a good start because the more times you can get your prospect to say yes during the call the more likely they are to say yes at the end of the call.
Adapting a script that gets your prospect to open up, do a lot of the talking and say “yes” as much as possible will make a tremendous impact on your sales numbers. Of course, starting with a well-priced and highly targeted wholesale telemarketing list doesn’t hurt either.
Are you doing the same thing over and over again while hoping for a different result? I believe it was Einstein who said that is the definition of insanity. In any case, it isn’t very realistic is it?
If you are looking for a dramatic increase in your business you are going to have to do something dramatically different. If you aren’t using direct mail, maybe it’s about time you got started. If you are using direct mail, maybe it is time to amp up the volume and take it to a whole new level.
Whatever you do, don’t use the “poor economy” as an excuse to coast along. History has proven that in an economy like this you are either going to have to sink or swim, there is no treading water. During The Great Depression people either became incredibly rich or completely broke (does the name Rockefeller ring any bells?). Which path will you choose?
In any event, you have nothing to lose from filling out the free quote request on our website or giving us a call at 805-267-1525 to find out what we can do for you. Remember, these are wholesale mailing lists which means you get the best bang for your buck.
The top sales trainers in the world have taught for many years that people buy from people they “know, like and trust”. How does that relate to you and your direct marketing efforts? The simple answer is: Branding. You have to create a brand that makes people feel like they know you, like you and can trust you.
Start by creating a presence online. Make sure that your website, blog, Twitter account and Facebook all have the same theme. Use pictures of real people in your company, especially the owner and salespeople. Interact with people online so they feel like they are getting to know you. And when it comes to your mailings keep the same principle in mind. You may need to send multiple mailings to the same mailing list before getting a big response because people want to know that you are a real business and that your offer is genuine before spending their money with you. Consistency and patience are the keys to success in any business, but especially in direct sales.
Whether you consider yourself in direct marketing or a complete novice, there are some common mistakes that are made when it comes to mailing lists. Keeping away from making these errors can save you time and money while increasing your profits. The top five mailing lists mistakes:
- Failing to purchase a list. A lot of direct marketers make the mistake of doing a bulk mailing to a particular zip code rather than buying a list. This is a mistake on so many levels. First of all, it is impersonal and secondly, the large majority of people who receive this type of mailing aren’t at all interested in your product.
- Not purchasing a targeted list. If you are selling sports cars you might think that sending your mailing to men over 18 would be a good idea, but you can get much more specific. You would probably do much better targeting men from 24 to 62 years old who make at least $40,000 a year, for instance.
- Inconsistency. Some direct marketers will do a one mailing and then sit around waiting for the phone to ring. It is a much better idea to use mailing lists on a consistent basis to keep a steady flow of calls coming in.
- Poor quality mailing. Your mailing has to grab the customer’s attention, present them with a good offer and then give them an easy way to follow up and make the purchase.
- Failing to test market. It is a good idea to send different mailings to the exact same demographic in similar areas to see which mailings yield a better response and continually test and refine to keep improving the results.
By simply avoiding these five errors when using mailing lists for your direct advertising campaign you will be able to significantly increase your sales and profits.
When you are dealing with people online it seems like everyone is selling something. Those who want to sell you on an internet marketing strategy will say that every other form of marketing is dead. They tell you to abandon direct mail, radio ads, newspapers, etc. and that the ONLY way to market your products these days is online.
The fact is that just over 25% of adults in the US aren’t even on the internet. Another fact that we covered in Monday’s blog The Results are in, Direct Mail Wins! is that just over 27% of people never read direct mail. Those numbers are pretty close and I think somewhat telling. I am not at all against internet marketing, obviously I have a website, blog, Twitter, Facebook and so forth, but I don’t think you should put all your eggs in one basket.
Internet marketers want you to give up all forms of traditional advertising and strictly advertise online. I, and many other people, think you should diversify so you can reach as many people as possible and choose the method that works best for your product (often telemarketing and direct mail give the best results for a specific product).
All too often people think of sales as trying to convince people to buy something they don’t need or want. That just isn’t what it is really supposed to be about, however. Successful marketing revolves around creating useful products that either satisfy a need or want for the customer and continually improving on products and ideas to make them even better.
If sales are down you might consider ways to amp up your marketing campaign. Perhaps you need to increase the number and frequency of your direct mailings? You might need to buy a more targeted mailing list or even a response list. Maybe you need to improve the quality of your mailings in either appearance or copy? Or maybe you need to consider what your customers want and make an improvement to either the product or the offer.
Taking the time to see things from your customers’ point of view will help you create better products as well as understanding how to market them more effectively.
The success or failure of your direct marketing campaign relies on 4 basic things:
- Your actual offer (the product you are selling/the deal you are offering)
- Your copy (what you say to interest the prospect in the offer)
- The quality of your mailing list
- Your direct mail design
These four elements must work in harmony to achieve the best results in any direct marketing campaign. Your direct mail design is vital to getting your message across because a bad design won’t draw the reader in. Here are 5 tips to improve your direct mail design:
- Color scheme: make sure your color scheme is pleasant and draws the reader in.
- A good header is vital. Your title and opening sentence are going to determine whether your prospect reads your offer or tosses your mailer directly into the trash. You only have 1 chance to get their attention and this is it.
- Use bullet points wisely. Bullet points attract attention and provide a great way to quickly get your message across to your reader.
- Don’t overdo it–too many colors or graphics distract from your message
- Be sure to include a strong call to action aka close. You have to encourage the reader to take action whether it is calling your 800 number to order or mailing a postcard, you must make the call to action clear and easy to follow.
Keeping these 5 tips in mind can help you improve the effectiveness of your direct marketing campaign and increase your sales.
Assuming your offer is attractive
Internet marketers may try to tell you that direct mail is dead and that all valuable marketing is done online these days, but the fact is that people still read their mail and these people are looking for value in their mailbox. The reality of it is that only 27.3% of people don’t read any of the direct mail they receive that leaves 72.7% who are reading the mail and looking for value.
According to the study, the people that do read direct mail frequently are “more likely than the average adult to be spending money on home remodeling, consumer electronics, and new furniture” Find more here: http://qviews.typepad.com/qviews/2009/07/people-still-check-the-mail-box.html and while you are there click the link to the newsletter and scroll down for the story called “Direct Mail Use Increasing despite Competition”.
And then stop by our website for a free quote.
