How Can Direct Mail be Used With Other Marketing Tools?

Author: Steven Sellwood

Direct mail is sent to businesses and consumers every day and is used by a very wide range of organisations and industries.


A mailing, often accompanied by a letter, in the post has become a proven and accepted way of targeting your audience, with consistent conversion rates of about 1-5%.


However many direct mail users don't realise just how much of a friend it can be to many other marketing methods and tools. And combining more than one marketing tool together in the same campaign can also reap bigger benefits and increased response rates.


The experts might call it ‘Integration' but to everyone else its just common sense - marketing activities work best when they are used to support and complement each other. Carried out in isolation, marketing activities just don't have the same impact or resonance with the target audience.


Here are just a few examples of how you could use direct mail alongside, before or after other marketing communication activities:


Before you exhibit at an event or exhibition, send out targeted invites to your stand to your own list of contacts, prospects and existing customer. Or rent and mail a mailing list of previous visitors from the event organisers to attract plenty of new business, especially if the mailing is combined with an offer or incentive.


After you return from exhibiting at an event or exhibition, use a direct mailshot to follow up on your new list of stand visitors, leads and prospects about a week or so later. Thank them for visiting your stand and ask if there's anything else you can help them with


Push new traffic to your website by mailing a list of prospects. One big advantage of this technique is that you can increase direct traffic to your site without having to worry about losing potential visitors to natural or paid search activity by your competitors. This strategy works equally well for gaining b2b leads online as it does for gaining b2c ecommerce sales.


Use direct mail to follow up on telephone or coupon enquiries you may have received as a result of above the line promotional activities such as press advertising, radio advertising, competitions or public relations. You may need to mail these lists several times over a period of time before getting a response.


When you are running a sales promotion or incentive campaign, perhaps in your own outlets or in retailers, make sure you also promote it with a mailing to potential or previous contacts and customers as well. This will help drive traffic to stores and ensure the success of your merchandising campaign.


Before you start a field sales or telemarketing campaign, do a mailing first to soften up your prospects and open doors. Depending on your market, you may also want to give recipients a chance to decline receiving a sales call in advance.


Likewise, after your telemarketing or direct selling campaign is over, follow up on your lukewarm prospects with another mailing - often it can take several contacts using different forms of media before a lead turns into a customer.

Article Source: www.articlesbase.com

About the Author:
Steve Sellwood is from selectabase.co.uk , leading UK suppliers of quality direct marketing lists for all uses, and for both business-to-business, and business-to-consumer campaigns. Selectabase also provide a range of affordable list cleaning services to keep your in house lists up to date and ready to use.

Lead With “you” for Proactive Relationship Selling

Author: Sam Manfer

What do you say when you call on potential buyers or the top executives of your clients organizations? If you’re like most, you’ll do some chit chat and then say something similar to, “I just wanted to check on how we’re doing with the XYZ project.” Then probably before you leave, you’ll say, “Are there any new projects coming up that we can help with or participate in?”


Both questions are self-centered, reactive questions. Yes, reactive. Even though in the second question you’re asking about future business, you’re not causing change. You’re waiting for the person to tell you what he’s going to do and hopefully allow you in. That’s reactive. Self centered because you’re asking how “we” are doing or how “we” can help. This is all about you even though it relates to his world.


To become more effective on your visits (that is leave with something tangible), get into your clients worlds, as if you were just trying to learn about it. Ask questions that will reveal their current state of mind relative to their job or the project - not as it relates to you or your company. Once you understand their concerns, you can determine if you can fit and if so you’ll be able to offer suggestions to help create the desired changes.


See if you understand the difference between the following questions from the questions in the first paragraph.


“How’s the XYZ project going?” vs. “I just wanted to check on how we’re doing with the XYZ project.”


The difference is it lets the person think of the XYZ project as it relates to him rather than how it relates to you. As he answers you’ll get a broader understanding of this person’s mindset beyond your participation. If you use the “we” then he’ll start thinking of you’re involvement, which narrows his focus. Then to minimize time and to spare your feeling he’ll be brief, “You’re doing fine,” or “It’s OK, but I wish we had something.”


In other words you won’t learn much, not even about you’re participation. However, if you just ask about the project, using the “you / your” focus, his mind is free to go anywhere related to the project and you’ll get more information about his feelings. And this information can be useful later to sell him more of your other services. You’ll also get a better understanding of your position relative to his bigger picture.


“What are some of your issues and concerns with upcoming projects?” vs. “Are there any new projects coming up that we can help with or participate in?”


The difference here is it gets the person to reveal what’s on his mind about his job as it relates to the upcoming project, etc. If you listen, he’ll say what’s bothering him or what needs to be done in the future (changes). These may be areas where you can offer ideas and solutions before he finalizes what he’ll do. And if you’re prepared to pepper him with other ideas you can get him thinking beyond his original boundaries into other services (that you offer) he hadn’t thought about. Now that’s proactive.


Based on his answers, you can decide if you want to participate, and if so, you’ll be seen as a consultative sales person rather than a vendor. You’ll be able to offer solutions to a broader area of pain, which enables you to sell more. You’ll also be able to determine if he’s a looker or a doer. That is, willing to exert the effort required to produce the changes. If he’s not, you’ll get out quickly. But if he is, you’ll be the resource he’ll want to use.


The differences in the questions are subtle, but profound. Most people genuinely feel they are asking the other person to talk about themselves and their situation. Yet the way they ask the questions, unconsciously limits the responder’s answers. Once you put the “I” or the “We” into your questions, the other person feels it’s all about you wanting to sell him and consequently becomes guarded with his answers.


Test yourself. Next time you leave a voicemail, play it back before you hang up and see if you are “I” oriented or “you” oriented.


So keep it all about him. Start all you questions with the word “You”. This will be extremely difficult at first. Just try it. You’ll quickly see it is not easy to just focus on the other person.


For more selling insights go to www.sammanfer.com and review other articles.

Article Source: www.articlesbase.com

About the Author:
Sam Manfer provides powerful selling information through articles, books, and seminars for Relationship Selling at C-Levels, Effective Sales Calls and all other selling skills. Visit www.SamManfer.com to see more inspiring articles and to register for his free Selling Wisdoms E-zine.