Return Envelopes Increase Response By 33%!

            Did you know return envelopes can increase response by 33%?   I always use return envelopes for all of my mailings.  I may not use them in small mailings of 1,000 or less.    However, if you’re going to mail 5,000 envelopes or more, use them.  For a mailing of 5,000 it will cost you an additional $200 — which would essentially be covered with four orders if your product costs around sixty dollars.    Well worth those four orders.

            Anything that could distract your customer from ordering your product is a potential detriment.   If they have to search for an envelope that act alone could be the one thing that could kill an order.   Don't give them the chance. 

           Let’s say you get 100 orders without return envelopes, you would receive 133 with them.  That comes to an additional $1,800 in your pocket.   

    Moral of story:  Always use BRE's.

More Emails Please! Really . . . Yet . . .

You Will Find the More You Email Your List

Or Mail to Your In-House Direct Mail List

The More Responsive Your Lists Will Become

  

This is a “Hard Rule” in direct marketing that I’ve found that it applies online as well. In other words, each email you capture could potentially be worth $2 to $3 dollars a month in additional income for you granted your list likes you.  If they don’t like you (and it happens), then your list won’t be responsive no matter how much you mail them.   Which is why you should always track who your multiple buyers are on your list, and separate them.   They are always  going to be your most responsive customers.

Now here is . . .

“A Tip That Literally Shocked Me In Regard

To Emailing Your In-house Email List”

I was listening to a CD from a very prominent online marketer who was already doing over $50,000 a month when he shared something that was eye opening. It was something he said he learned from an affiliate marketer who was earning over $100,000 a month – and it was this . . .

Email your in-house list at least once if not twice a day.

Wait!

 I can hear you now saying Chris what are you talking about.  Yes, I thought the same thing when I listened to this. In fact, the marketer who shared the information on his CD said the same thing – until he started doing it.

He was amazed with the results by emailing twice a day. Likewise he increased his monthly revenues by about 30% by simply emailing his email list at least a couple times a day – once in the morning, and once in the evening.

Why does this work?

Everyday your prospects are getting bombarded with information they need to make decisions in regard to making money online. But with so many different places to find the same information online, they don’t always know who they can trust. 

That's why frequently communicating with your email list is so important.  You have to build a relationship with them before they will buy from you. It’s about building trust.  Without your own email lists it's darn near impossible to communicate, educate and persuade someone with only a single visit to your site or direct mail solicitation.

The key for this to work is that you at least must be providing your readers with some beneficial and practical content in each of your emails. Something they can really benefit from. Then what you do is provide a link to your main site or blog. 

The Internet and The Death Of Long Form Sales Letters.

              I'm presently working on a new "Sales Letter Video" for my Quiet Fortune Inner Circle Membership.    Being an old school direct marketer, this is new for me.  As I'm putting it together, I will admit, I'm getting into it.  It's fun -- particularly the creative process.  

            Once it’s up for you it will run 24 hours a day on autopilot.  Working  as your tireless little salesperson.   Your next job is simply to drive traffic to your page.

            If you really want to learn more about putting together web vides, I highly recommend David Kaminski's WebVideo University.  I’m a customer of his and it has been well worth it.  He’s the guy.

 The video will probably be live in May.   I'm very excited.  

            What I'm finding interesting is that it's been proven through testing that people right now tend to respond better to sales letter videos then they do traditional long form sales letters.   Two well known marketers admitted as such.   What I've found interesting is they have totally scrapped their long form letters and have gone exclusively to sales letter videos.  Interesting.

            Now video sales letter are all over the Internet.  Particularly as it relates to people promoting "How To Make Money Online."  

People in our industry are used to sales letter videos.   We see them all time.   However, where they're not as prevalent are in other markets.   For instance, if your product relates to dogs, most people selling such resources are not doing sales letter videos.  When people see such presentations for the first time, they mesmerized by them.  I have an eBook I wrote a few years ago about writing creative cover letters.   I’m going to definitely do a video sales letter for it.

            Sometimes, we marketers, get so caught up in what we do, we take for granted the impact it can have when you get outside your market.   It's called being too close to what you love.   I know it happens to me sometimes when I write copy.   I allow "My selfish thinking" to get me sidetracked.   I get too focused on my thoughts and not what my product can do to help my customers.  You know, “What’s in it for them.”

            Video sales letters are really power point presentations filmed on screen recorder software.  The most popular screen recorder software is called Camtasia.   If you're serious about doing sales letter videos you will want to own the software.  I do.  At this writing it runs around $300.          

            I will definitely let you know when the video is up.  And, last, how good is Derrick Rose!

Smart People Get Rich During Tough Times.

            They know it’s often when the best moneymaking opportunities present themselves.

            Smart people also know how to turn problems and bad times into profit.  Or as they say, turn lemons into lemonade.   As a monthly subscriber, each month I will teach you how to turn difficult times into a full time income.   In other words, turn your problems and passions into profit.

            Regardless of the state of the economy, your present financial situation or even age at this time doesn't matter.  Meaning, you could be sitting on a gold mine and not know it.  Proof you can still start late in life and still retire comfortable.

           For instance, Jerry Alonzi did.  At the mature age of 57 he figured out a way to earn a cool $120,000 a year as a result of cost free ads nationally.   Then there was Jerrold Foutz, 75, who figured out a quick and easy way to earn $2,000 a month from Google. Tip: It’s money Google wants to pay you.   All from turning problems into profit.

             

          Which leads me to the amusing comedic story of how to turn problems into positives and when actually “Too Much Manure In Your Life Can Be A Good Thing.”  It’s a funny story of two young twin brothers — one a perennial pessimist while the other one was an eternal optimist.

           Their father decided to take them to the fair to see the horses.  However, when they got to the barn where the horses we they did not see any.  All they saw was about five feet high worth of manure. The pessimist brother became despondent and left.  No horses.  What a scam.

          However, when the father saw the second child (the optimist), to his surprise he was frantically digging through all the manure. When the father asked him what he was doing, his optimist son said “You know dad, with all this manure in here, there has to be a horse in here somewhere.” 

Moral of story: Moneymaking opportunities are everywhere.  You just have to know where to look, when to look, and what to look for. In the Mogul Millionaire newsletter I will teach you the how, the when and the where.

What’s A Control Letter?

     Once you have a sales letter that is working for you in your direct marketing endeavors – in other words generating qualified profitable leads for you on the front end, then that letter will be called your “Control” letter.  In other words, the letter you will always test against in order to try and improve and maximize future response.

          Each week you will always mail your “Control” letter because it’s your ‘always counted on’ bread and butter income source, but at the same time, will always test against the “Control” letter with other letters similar to the “Control” letter, minus perhaps one change. For instance, you will change the price from the “Control” letter in order to see if a price change impacts response.

           Another time, you might test post dating checks versus not post dating checks.  Another time you will test a simple change in the headline.  What you are doing is trying to improve upon the “Control” letters response.  Once you do improve response that ‘new change’ makes that letter the new “Control” letter.

That’s why you should always test when involved in direct marketing. It’s the ultimate in a quantitative business. It’s a business that is entirely about numbers – a business where everything is measurable. 

            The public will let you know almost immediately if they like what you’ve put together based on response.  That’s the beauty of direct mail. 

Once you understand the numbers, you will understand why it’s probably the best and fastest way to earn a fortune from home.   Typically with direct mail, if it works small, it will work large – and more so.  However, the key is your sales letter and more so your list.  

           Once you develop a front end that derives you profitable qualified leads, the next step is putting together a back end that should convert at least 7 to 10% of your prospects into your program – which is also why you will have a backend “Control” package as well.

         Ideally the best back end product is something that can provide you continuity income.  Something like a monthly CD or book club, a newsletter, or a membership site.

     

What’s More Important An Excellent Product Or A Great Sales Letter!

This dilemma is often of great debate with many marketers.  Personally to me, I would say a sales letter on first glance. Because without a great sales letter your product won’t move – even if it is better then the competition.

What’s the saying “Build A Better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door.”  Well, they sure won’t if you don’t market the product well. Remember, marketing always precedes you product. Your customers will always see your sales literature before ordering the product.  That’s why I always recommend . . .

Write Your Sales Letter

First Leaving No Stone Unturned And Then

Write Your Ebook or Report In Response to Your Letter!

In other words, write your sales letter first and make it so enticing and compelling that you would say to yourself “Geez, I would want that book or product.” 

Then give the letter to your friends and ask them what they think.  Ask them would they be interested in the product after reading your letter even if they weren’t your typical mail order customer.  If they say yes, then you need to go create a product to match the letter.

“There’s only one way to get anybody to do anything – and

that is by making the other person want to do something.”

                            Dale Carnegie

                     Many a small thing has been made large by

                                  the right kind of advertising.

                            Mark Twain

But here is the problem when it comes to only having a great sales letter.  Sure A great sales letters can make you some wonderful money and do so pronto. But it alone won’t make you permenantly rich.  Yes nice money, but in the long term not “Be Rich.”  After all, the “Real” purpose of successful enterprise is putting permanent “Good Money” in your bank account – certainly if possible.

Let me give you an example of superb marketing in execution, but with a below average product.  “The Pet Rock.”  Think about this for a second. Here is a guy that actually made over a million dollars some 30 plus years ago selling a rock. Of course, not a particular creative product – but this product became nothing short of a legendary phenomena. Partly because of the gall the creator had for thinking of selling such a product. Here is a guy that literally became a millionaire selling a rock.

            It was of course a quick hit product.  Certainly not a product you could “Build” a fortune around.  Once people got the joke – it wasn't funny anymore.

Yet he made millions.  How?  Because he was selling a concept, not a product.  It was how he packaged the product that made it work.  

 On further thought, he wasn’t really selling a rock.  He was selling a concept – a concept of having a Pet Rock.  The rock was a mere prop.  What he was selling was the packaging.  It was how he packaged the rock is what made it work.  He packaged it in a portable kennel, with an instructional booklet on how to care for your Pet Rock.  He even had instruction on how you could get your rock to perform special tricks.  The booklet was well written and hilarious – and it worked.

There’s a huge lesson learned here.

             In reality you do need a strong product if you want to get permanently wealthy.  And preferably a product that produces repeat purchases.  Ideally you need continuity ordering if you want to make great money.  

Four Direct Marketing Tips To Remember

              Offers are the key to direct marketing success:  What’s an offer?  An offer is your hook that compels your customer to respond “Risk Free” to your offer.   For instance, our $9.95 21-day trial is an offer.  Allowing customers to post date their checks is an offer.  A double money-back guarantee is an offer. You can pay in three installments is an offer.  Offers will always increase sales.

             Your offer can increase response as much as 100%.  For instance, I tested one of my letters where I didn’t offer the $6.95 free trail and response dropped as much as 100%.  That’s significant.  Of course, when your offer free trials it will increase your number of returns, bad checks and declined credit cards, but despite such issues, you will still make more money.

            Did you know return envelopes can increase response by 33%.   I use return envelopes for all my mailings.  I don’t include them in the small mailings of 1,000 because I don’t know if they are as cost effective for such mailings.  However, if you’re going to mail 5,000 envelopes, I do recommend that you use them.  It will cost you an additional $200 — which would essentially be covered with four orders.  Let’s say you get 100 orders without return envelopes, you would receive 133 with them.  That would come to an additional $1,500 and $1,300 in additional money in your pocket.   

             The money is always in the backend:   In direct marketing it’s critical that you have a back end offer — a second offer on the back, and preferably something that can provide you recurring income. Or, a higher ticket product such as a course, high end training materials or seminar.  And/or, at least allows you to be leveraged with an ever growing numbers of mailers under you.  That’s also why we are going to be making the course available for commissions starting the New Year.

            Refunds, Bad Checks, & Returns, often the difference between profit and loss:   A lot of times you can have your mailing bring in enough orders to turn a profit, but it’s the returns, bad checks and declined credit cards that can sometimes take a profitable mailing and make it a loss.  It’s just a part of this business  you can’t avoid. It’s also important that we address and honor all returns as to keep our name clean and free of complaints.