Do it Right.I receive postcards all
time. The other day I received a postcard trying to sell me a copy machine. It had tiny, tiny lettering slathered all over
front and a large portion of
back of
card.
It was extremely hard to read, so hard in fact that I threw it away.
Several days later I received a postcard with 32 words on it telling me that I could get complete information on unrestricted long distance telephone service for 5.5 cents a minute with no additional monthly fee by calling
800 number on
card.
I did call. I got
information, had my questions answered and ordered my long distance service changed.
The company who offered me
long distance service was using a time tested 2 step selling process:
Step 1. Generate a lead - Get me to call their 800 number.
Step 2. Provide
requested information - Provided to me on
phone by one of their sales representatives, who was able to answer my questions and make me feel confident that I could save quite a bit of money on my long distance bill and that
service would be as good or better.
What's So Good About 2 Steps?
It is much easier to create interest (a lead) than it is to get a person through an entire buying process (a sale).
You aren't getting
prospect or existing customer to part with any money just yet.
You can use postcards to inexpensively promote to your target prospects and customers and generate leads (inquiries about your products and services) to then be followed up on and converted to sales.
This 2 step process also helps you to create a list of people who were interested enough in what you offered to contact you. You can then recontact
one's who you didn't complete a sale with when they first inquired, preferably until they do buy from you.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to get
information you will need to recontact
people who responded to your postcard offering. Repetitive follow-ups with
people who contacted you will result in increased sales. Make it a company policy to follow up with those people who contacted you about your products and services.