Besides a survey, your contact list can be used to generate sales directly. Some of the following ideas must be done one-on-one and others can be done to large quantities of prospects at a time. They all have varying levels of effectiveness. A general rule of thumb is:
The more personal the contact, the greater the chances of a sale. That means that an in-person interview has a better success rate than a mass mailing.
1. The in-person interview. As the name suggests, this is something that is done in-person where you have the advantages of eye contact, voice inflection and body language. Although, very time consuming, it is extremely effective in generating sales.
Much has been written about the "presentation", but the main facet should always be finding out what's in it for the client to do business with you. What do they need and what have you got that satisfies that need. This is the basis for ALL sales and I don't see that changing any time in the near future.
2. Direct mail. Much has ALSO been written about direct mail. You can expect a 1-3% return from direct mail. A lot depends on how targeted the mailing list is, how effective the envelope is in getting prospects to open it, how effective the letter is describing the product or service and how competitive the offer is to what the receiver is currently using.
3. Call-to-Action pieces. These CAN be distributed by mass mail but are often delivered by hand to individual homes/businesses. These include door hangers, coupons, and flyers. These pieces have an offer that has a limited time to respond, has specific requirements for qualification to take advantage of the offer and/or is otherwise limited in its scope.
An effective way to do this is to team up with another business and share client lists. Find a business that offers a complimentary product to yours (you sell houses- they give mortgages; you sell tee shirts, they have a health club) and do a joint offer to both lists involving both businesses.
4. Use your contact list to generate referrals. Each one of the people on your contact lists knows 250 people (according to Reader's Digest). Your contact list is a GOLD MINE of referrals. I currently offer a $50.00 credit to anyone sending me a referral that turns into a client. That amount is offered on a $200.00 sale, so it's a 25% finders fee.
It is not always necessary to financially reimburse persons who send you a referral, though. It is ALWAYS necessary to send a THANK YOU. That THANK YOU can be in the form of a finders fee, a discount coupon, or just a simple THANK YOU note. This goes a long way in developing good, strong relationships. Appreciation never goes out of style.
Nancy Roebke, is the Executive Director of Profnet Inc, a professional business leads generation corporation. We bring business professionals together in a non-competitive environment to help each other make more money.
mailto:execdirector@profnet.org http://www.profnet.org
Copyright c Nancy Roebke
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
RSS has been around for more than 10 years but... Read More
Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who... Read More
Do you have Communication breakdown?How are you communicating with your... Read More
You may not realize it, but you already have a... Read More
There are many different ways to increase your traffic on... Read More
The whole idea of Niche Marketing is exciting! The possibilities... Read More
Remember the baseball cards kids traded while... Read More
Little Kids Ask Until They Get What They Want.Mom, Mom,... Read More
Maybe you've heard these different marketing terms, maybe you haven't.... Read More
The right direct mailing list targets people who want your... Read More
I'm always amazed that people would spend months to develop... Read More
Sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the... Read More
What is a Joint Venture? A joint venture is an... Read More
Over the past 30 years, I've read so much on... Read More
You followed time-honored online marketing techniques to the letter: you... Read More
What do you do if your business, product or service... Read More
What is database marketing?Database Marketing is the gathering and storing... Read More
I've heard a lot of people lament the fact that... Read More
RESOLVING THE "PROPRIETARY" DILEMMA... SHOULD YOU RENT YOUR OWN MAILING... Read More
In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More
The Logo: a little historyLogotype, commonly know as a logo,... Read More
Business cards and greeting cards almost go hand in hand... Read More
It is easy to focus on what remains outstanding and... Read More
Is your marketing plan dull, flat, and downright boring? Is... Read More
Rule Number One when writing marketing materials is "Know Your... Read More
Networking on the Internet is the same as networking in... Read More
Email CampaignsEmail marketing can be a tremendously valuable tool for... Read More
"Get your positioning and your programs implemented properly, and the... Read More
When people think about promoting their business, the first thought... Read More
Over the course of your business life you'll come in... Read More
Marketing is a business process about which much is written,... Read More
The famous P.T Barnum once said, "Without promotion, something terrible... Read More
Altruism. Corporate responsibility. Philanthropy. These are often used to describe... Read More
Last week I took our two boys on an all... Read More
One commonly overlooked method of advertising offline is flyers. Flyers... Read More
Market, Market and then market some more. So many small... Read More
So, you have a business card? And you have given... Read More
Postcards are an effective way for many business owners and... Read More
Lost & Found for the 21st CenturyHere in the 21st... Read More
Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer: A Step... Read More
A person or business that might buy from you is... Read More
Benefits, that's what!Whether you're selling in print or in person,... Read More
What if there were things you could start doing now... Read More
Every day I talk with professional service providers who do... Read More
Secret #4 - Get very comfortable asking for paymentOne of... Read More
Too many loan officer websites look like congested intersections, information... Read More
What if you've done a variety of marketing activities over... Read More
Brochure printing can be easy if you first identify your... Read More
It's a great concept, - and it has a 'cool... Read More
We are all customers of one product or another. How... Read More
Market research specialists have discovered a new tool which enables... Read More
What is Marketing? There are many text book answers to... Read More
For many small business managers, finding the time and commitment... Read More
Are you willing to spend $1.25 to raise $1? To... Read More
If you're just dipping your toes into the waters of... Read More
There are a great many online business people who are... Read More
If you want your marketing to be effective, you absolutely... Read More
Hopefully we are all adults here, so let's talk about... Read More
Doing a current customer breakdown can help you find the... Read More
I don't know about you, but I am still waiting... Read More
There's a secret to marketing, which is so simple, yet... Read More
Can we actually learn a marketing lesson from reality TV?... Read More
What is database marketing?Database Marketing is the gathering and storing... Read More
Available to all small businesses are business lists, which come... Read More
All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms... Read More
Rest assured that no matter how smart you are, you... Read More
Marketing |