4.What is going to cause them to purchase or not purchase? Ask!!

5.What makes them want to do business with someone or not? Again – ask!

You can find out all of this information while talking to person on phone when that person first calls. The more interested you are in that lead more they will like you and will want to do business with you. It is not how interesting you are or how low your price is, or how great your company is – it is how much you actually are interested in them. Your initial closing percentage will actually go up and likewise you will have simple information that can be put into a data base (or a simple Excel spreadsheet) about your leads and you’ll be able to find out what is common denominator about those people. Then do a communication to those people based on those common factors.

By way – this is what big companies are doing, they already know about this. If you want to get big – do what postcard marketing experts are saying and doing.

Take information that you gathered and send out tiny little mailings. These particular mailings are for different segments of people that have already reached for your product or service; message is based on what they have told you.

Wouldn’t it be great if it was really easy to send out a full-color glossy postcard that was specific to that one customer, all from your own computer? Where are you going to get beautiful postcards that have variable data and can get your small mailing out? Usually you have to send out same piece and order a large quantity – companies have minimums. The reason why they have minimums is because that is way it is cost effective to sell to you. At this juncture, though, you want to get your mailing out more inexpensively and still get results.

“Variable Data” is data that is printed on a postcard that is variable – it changes from postcard to postcard and can be taken from any database. What if you could put that on front of a full-color glossy postcard and not have to type a specific letter?

Like “John Murphy, it is time for your dental cleaning” or “John Murphy, how about that pair of sunglasses you wanted?” or of you’re doing mortgages, “John Murphy – what about refinancing that house for Johnny Jr.’s college tuition?”

On back of postcard, you could say:

“Dear John,

I understand that you were interested in “product” for purpose of “purpose”. (It is in database – fill it in.)

Call me if I can help you make a decision.

Sincerely, Your name, Your number and information”

You can find companies that do this. Research on internet and look for companies that allow you to stay in touch with variable data postcards. Research well and make sure they are going to do a good job for you. Get referrals, check samples – will they give you a chance to try out product and see their turn-around time?

A final tip is that different people need different amounts of communication. When postcard marketing experts tell you to hit your target list of 5000 postcards over and over again, reason why some call after just first time and some others call after second time and others call after 5th time, etc., is because people move at different speeds in life and in business.

Now, with those that have called in you have closes that are slam dunks, but others operate differently when it comes to closing. So don’t just waste those leads. Consistently put out your communication in same way you did with your initial mailings, but with a more personalized message.

That is Database Marketing. That is how you get people to buy from you after they have reached by following up with them enough.

Put in your calendar to make three different follow up phone calls; if you get voice mail then leave a message that really communicates to them. Send a variable data postcard, send an email, but stay in touch. You will be glad you did – in fact you’ll be smiling all way to bank.

With all different options available to businesses wanting to pinpoint customer profiles, how do you know what to look for in a CRM system? With ever more sophisticated technology and techniques available, making this decision can be difficult. Let me share a few CRM system features that will not only help you track customer information, but also help to create new revenue.

Power Dialing CRM systems equipped with power dialing allow you to significantly increase number of sales calls made by your outbound call center. Anyone who's worked in an outbound call center (myself included) will tell you that it's only a matter of time between two calls that end in a sale. This feature helps you shrink that time dramatically.

Voice Messaging A CRM system that includes this feature will allow our sales agents to automatically send a pre-recorded sales message to potential customers with intent of eliciting a return call. By using voice messaging you will be able to multiply your efforts dramatically without paying for additional staff.

Customizable Fax and Email The ability to customize mass correspondence with potential clients will go a long way toward improving your sales conversion rates. Moreover, ability to do this quickly will ensure that you don't miss out on time sensitive sales opportunities.

System Flexibility Since every business is different, CRM should be flexible enough to accommodate your business's particular needs. Make sure that whomever you buy from is willing to work with you until system is working properly.

With right CRM system working for you, you can expect a significant increase in ROI.