by Kris Mills
I often get asked what sorts of sales pieces does a business need Generating leads 1. A Yellow Pages ad that sells (if you're in a classification 2. A variety of appointment generating letters with unique 3. Appointment rain check letter - for people who don't agree to 4. A series of "sell off the page" campaigns to past prospects By thinking outside the square you may find that you can, in 5. A series of press ads, cold sales letters and letters to 6. Endorsed mailer - where one of your client writes a letter to 7. A "host beneficiary" campaign - where a strategically aligned 8. Two or three good lead generation ads in a targeted 9. A series of small classified ads promoting your website and or 10. Post box fliers - depending on your product or service, you 11. Website postcards - if you have some really valuable 12. A Website that sells - it doesn't matter what type of 13. One press release every month - FREE publicity is like gold. 14. Appointment confirmation letter that reminds them of the 15. Benefit-oriented corporate brochure. 16. Product and services fact sheets that go inside a 17. A series of how-to reports and/or white papers which pitch 18. A "Questions and Answers" document which handles any buyer 19. A "case studies and client success stories" document giving 20. A comprehensive, benefit-oriented proposal template. 21. A powerful enquiry letter and information package with a 22. E-Profile - an electronic brochure that you can email to 23. Cross-selling checklist which lists all options a customer 24. A series of powerful, staged email auto-responder messages 25. Drip-feed prospect nurturing campaign where you follow up 26. "Sorry we couldn't help you" letter that gets sent out after 27. A variety of how-to articles that you submit to various 28. A variety of introductory e-books which act as information After the sale 29. A "thank you for investing" letter. 30. A "welcome to xyz company" package with thank you letter,
to maximise their sales conversions and repeat sales. Well -
every business IS different, but here is a good starting point.
where there are a large number of large ads featured).
gimmicks - designed to be followed up with a phone call to gain
an appointment. Continually test new approaches to see which one
delivers the best result for your efforts.
the appointment (refer above letter). This is designed to say
thanks for their time and to give them some additional
information about the company with the view of gaining an
appointment down the track.
and qualified lists. Some businesses are reluctant to try this
approach because they feel that a sale needs face to face
contact. In some situations it does, but in others, it really
doesn't.
fact, sell your product or service off the page. Having said
that, there will always be some industries where it doesn't
work. If you're wondering if this approach might work for
your business, just send me an email at
kris@wordsthatsell.com.au
clients, that promote "timely" events eg. end of financial
year, Easter, Christmas etc.
your prospects endorsing your services. This can work
fantastically well because they're hearing how good your
business is from someone who counts ... another customer.
business writes to their clients recommending your business and
offering them a special "deal" on your behalf. This is a
fantastic win-win. Naturally, it's important to reciprocate the
offer by then writing to your clients recommending the other
business's products or services.
publication promoting a FREE report, a consultation or FREE
seminar. Almost every industry can use this approach with great
results. What can you offer?
your business Depending on the industry, you'd be surprised at how
well this can actually work. Even if you're in a b2b field, there
are numerous newspaper classifications where you could place your
ad.
could find that this is a highly cost effective ways to generate
extra leads.
information on your website, use a postcard to drive traffic
to the site.
business you're in, a website is a must.
Tap into it for all its worth. Maximising your sales conversions
appointment date and gives them preliminary information that
excites them about meeting with you.
presentation folder.
you as an expert in your field.
objections up front and gives them all the information they
need to make an informed decision.
specific details of wins experienced by clients.
limited offer and a clear, powerful call-to-action.
prospective clients instantly.
might consider. This helps maximise the average value of each
sale.
that follow up email requests for information and keep
encouraging your prospect to buy.
unconverted leads with a series of letters designed to subtly
sell them on your services in a staged manner.
receiving a rejection. This helps endear your company to the
prospect even though you didn't make the sale AND it may even
steer them back to you down the track.
e-newsletter publishers and article announce groups with the
view of having them include your article in their ezines.
packs and also as viral marketing tools (spreading the word about
your business).
"how to get the best use out of our widgets" report and some
other helpful tools that nurture the relationship and offer
post-purchase reassurance. This is a very powerful tool in
increasing referrals and minimising refunds.
31. A 2 week review letter with feedback form and response 32. A 6 month review letter asking their feedback and mentioning 33. A well-thought out nurturing program with a total of 2 34. A referral campaign designed to generate high numbers of 35. A "thanks for your referral" letter. 36. Introductory letter to people who have been referred. 37. Invitation to a "closed door event" - if you're in the 38. Newsletter - an absolute must. If most of your clients have 39. "Special offer" sales letters - One of the reasons some As I mentioned earlier, these are the basics. Naturally, there About the Author
Kris Mills of Words that Sell
maximising device.
that you will call to review their situation.
nurturing pieces per year (in addition to at least 4
newsletters per year) and 2 to 3 letters asking for a repeat
sale (depending on your industry.
direct referrals in return for an incentive.
retail industry.
emails, an email newsletter will suffice.
businesses don't generate much repeat business is that they
simply don't ask customers to buy from then again.
are more you can add to this list, however this is a good starting
point.
( http://www.wordsthatsell.com.au ) is an experienced
direct marketer, copywriter, author and internet marketer.
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