One-Two-Three Punch Marketing

Printed material is just as important today as it was before the Internet. With sp*a*m getting out of hand, it’s a wise choice to rev up, update or create printed material, ads, catalogs, direct mail, press releases, letters, templates
and the like.

You will notice that I didn't add brochures to this list.
Brochures are not a good investment for a first piece. When
someone asks for a brochure and you don't have one, this
doesn't mean you ignore their request. Worse scenario, you
may run wildly around using up a large portion of your
year’s marketing budget completing one.

If you move or update your materials frequently, it isn't
wise to spend thousands of dollars on new material. Here
are a few alternatives. You can use a professionally
created folding business card as a main document. Another
option to expensive letterhead is to print your own in a
two-pass process. Use a color printer in the first pass for
your logo and use a black and white pass through for the
content. Use Kinko's if you don't have a color printer
(http://www.kinkos.com). At Kinko’s you can send them a
file via Internet, have them print the color portion on high
quality paper.

Mailing out a marketing piece weeks after your first contact
is too late. When opportunity knocks, be ready. Timing is
everything. If you don't, the extra time allows them to
solve the issue on their own, or change its priority.

It is always preferable to have a serious phone discussion
even before an in-person meeting. If they don't show up for
the call, it is easier to recoup your time, and it indicates
they aren't ready to buy. All you need to do is follow-up
lightly to remind them to contact you when the time is
right. Send them a newsletter, template letter, or flyer
and not expensive material. People generally toss items
they receive on the first punch. Save the best for a time
when the punch is more effective. Multi-follow-ups show
them that you aren't a fly-by-night going-to-fad-in-the-
next-few-months provider.

Giving too much information early in the marketing process
overwhelms customers and jeopardizes the sale. It makes
them nervous about you. This is, of course, if you are
selling services or products worth more than whatever your
market considers discretionary.

Instead, create a call to action to get them to visit your
web site periodically, send them an "I'm still here for you
when you are ready" note, or a printed copy of your latest
newsletter or ezine.

Selling a product? Send an oversized post card or direct
mail piece. The direct mail piece needs to use an "I'm-
following-up" language and not a "you-never-met-us-yet"
dialogue.

Have template letters, Word or Act, ready to go with a few
clicks. Design them so the first or second paragraphs are
easy to add a personalized follow-up dialogue.

When you drive along the same route and one day you spot
something that seems new, only later discover it’s been
there all along you are pleasantly surprised. For even when
we seem fully awake, many things pass our radar. .

In marketing, it is the same experience. We don't see
something that’s been there until something happens and
wakes us up. The seven-times rule, a proven marketing
principle, is the "you have demonstrated credibility" and "I
now see you" model. The seven-time rule applies whether the
main marketing draw is a web site, networking, direct mail,
or a combination. People who don't like to sell stop after
the first or second punch.

Printed materials do indicate credibility and quality counts
in most cases. If you post your brochures at your State’s
visitor’s center, you will see that they stand next to many
similar ones. What stands out are the one-half page black
and white flyers or the like. In this situation, the plain
black and whites get the attention of many. It is important
to know how, when, and where your materials are going to be
viewed and be represented.

For mailings, this doesn't mean send the best stuff first
and let it do the sale for you. No, no, no. Printed
material seldom makes the sale. It’s just another contact
point. First punches are either tossed or buried in some
stack.

If your price is under $100, send them to your web site.
Over, send them material for added credibility. This also
depends on the target market value of your price. If your
market considers $500 a drop in the bucket then credibility
perception changes.

Interview past purchasers. Find out when did they first
take notice and how many before they took action. Was it
when they received a certain number of contacts? Always.
When did the need make it a priority. Create a list of the
triggers and look for those signs in future contacts. Model
your follow-up program accordingly.

In several studies, 92% of the purchase makers cited that
letterhead, envelopes and business cards where the major
factors in how they rated creditability.

Credibility can be lost if your material includes careless
mistakes or omits vital information. In the buyer’s
perspective, all the answers need to lead on how they can
feel confident about your service or product and how it
solves their need.

One of my services is printed material and web site
analysis. After reviewing 294 brochures, I found 81.5% of
the information dancing around solutions instead of
commitment to direct and clear solutions. Non-commitment is
the biggest sales destroyers. Don't send them material
about X when they inquired about Y. If it doesn't answer Y,
it’s tossed. And you have 30 seconds to 3 minutes to
complete their question. Long sales letters demonstrate
commitment in receiver’s minds because of the thought and
care it took to create and address their challenge.

Also, don't send Y, with the "I think we need to offer this
because we've received a few inquires lately even if it’s
off our path" feeling. If you are unable to fit in the time
to write a letter explaining how and why you can provide Y,
then pass it up. This may be a "good" opportunity but not
be the "great" opportunity you truly want to attract.

If, on the other hand, their issue isn't clearly understood
or known, then you're asking the horse to jump the fence
without knowing how height. It’s a wasted effort and you
can
lame the horse. Don't mail it with an "if it works, okay,
if it doesn't oh well" energy. This gives the impression
that you weren't listening. A big strike against you.
Usually one too big to overcome.

For service businesses, it is best to complete your first
contact verbally and follow-up with printed material once or
twice, then verbally, then twice, etc. Give prospects the
1-2-3 punches if you have the answer. Be honest if you
don't provide what they are seeking. Don't adjust and
accommodate because sales are down for the month. This is a
disservice to your customer and your business. This will
diminish assets later. Share the wealth; earn a life-long
customer, and new collaborator with your referral.

Copyright 2004, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.

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Word count: 1192 words

Catherine Franz, 15 year business coach, specializes in
marketing and nonfiction writing, She is available for 1-
on-1 and group support. She also instructs teleprograms and
workshops. Additional articles, ezines, and blog available
at: http://www.AbundanceCenter.com.

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