Instead of automatically dumping it in garbage, take a few minutes to look through it. What kind of headlines do they use? Do they use any creative packaging? What is formatting? Did something catch your attention?

One of most powerful strategies for being a successful marketer is to borrow and adapt ideas. It doesn't matter what industry it is from. In fact, often ideas from other industries will provide biggest breakthroughs.

If you have bought any courses from real estate gurus, then you probably get a lot of mail from them. These guys are masters. Pay attention to what they do.

If you have a good rapport with a seller, ask them what other mail they might have gotten from investors. This works especially well with sellers in foreclosure. They often get mounds of mail. If they will gather it for you and hand it over, that could be a treasure trove.

What do you do with all of this? Start what is called a swipe file. Every master marketer has one. Keep best pieces. Get a bunch of file folders and come up with a system that works well for you to organize it for quick reference.

When you want to create a new marketing piece, a few minutes perusing your swipe file will get juices flowing and make it much easier.

So...don't pass up education that passes through your mailbox everyday.

Experts: If you are selling artificial hearts, then a testimonial from Dr. Denton Cooley would probably boost business. Even though he might be paid, he is so credible that it would probably work. Your expert must be an expert in a relevant field.

Expert Organizations: A trade association, a magazine in your field, a chamber of commerce, a newsletter, etc. Expert organizations carry a lot of weight because people believe that their opinion cannot be bought.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL? To maximize selling power of testimonials, you should keep a few tips in mind:

Tip#1...Be Specific: Testimonials phrased in specific terms pull more weight than more general statements. For example...

"I increased my companies profits by $78,350 last year using your advice!"

is a lot more effective than..

"I enjoy working with your company."

Tip#2...Cite Complete Attributions:

"Mr. John Jones, President SMITH MANUFACTURING Chicago, IL

rather than

" J. Jones, Chicago"

The more complete attribution more believable testimonial.

Tip#3...Use Customer Terminology and Phrasing: Resist any temptation to rephrase you customers' words. You'll generally lower believability factor.

Tip#4...Use Photos of Testimonial Writer: You will triple believability and selling power if you print a photo along with words. Photographs of person using your product work best.

How To Collect Usable Testimonials...

Collecting usable testimonials should be an organized and on-going marketing function.

First...Read in-coming mail carefully and keep a file of customer comments. Follow-up on those with potential and put them in usable form.

Second...Analyze your customer list and develop a sub-list of your top 10% of customers by sales volume and frequency of ordering. Carefully craft a letter to this select list "Asking for their help". Suggest to them what you are looking for in way of comments and then let them provide you with raw material. The important lesson here: You can't sit casually back and hope for testimonials to come your way. You have to go out and get them.

The reward, however, is always worth effort. The time you spend nurturing your testimonial program will result in increased sales and profits, an improved image, more sales leads, lower sales costs, shortened selling cycles, and improved cash flow