Wednesday, December 03, 2008
5 Ideas for Writing Effective Sales Letters
Sales letters, sent via e-mail or snail mail, are an effective and inexpensive way to get your message out. Even if your letter goes out to thousands of people, it can give the feel of a personal communication -- IF you write it in a direct and conversational tone.
To get your creative juices flowing, here are five tried and true formulas that can work for either e-mail or printed letters.
1. Tell a story -- from either your point of view or a customer's.
Example: '"When I started my own business, I was very nervous about keeping my books. I'm not a numbers person and wanted nothing to do with it! Then I purchased 'EZ-BOOKS' software. Instantly, all my accounting "dirty work" disappeared. I gained instant peace of mind, and now I can focus on my real job -- finding and keeping customers!"
Copy written in a story format has great appeal. By telling a short story that relates to the reader's situation, you create empathy with her. People are also familiar with stories and enjoy hearing them (they appear daily in newspapers, magazines, TV, etc.). If your letter happens to be a long one, you can draw out your story for added suspense, saving the outcome for the end. (People WILL read long copy... IF they are really interested in it.)
2. Ask questions.
Example: "Have you ever stared at yourself in the mirror and wanted to cry? If we told you we have a product guaranteed to help you lose weight, would you be interested? And what if we told you this product would cost you less than $30?"
Basic psychology dictates that when you ask a question, the reader feels compelled to answer it. You're involving them immediately in the issue at hand. Many effective sales letters ask a series of questions that are all likely answered with a "yes" from the reader.
3. Offer something FREE.
My Own Example: "Would you like a complimentary copy of our FREE report, "The 3 Simple Secrets to Publishing an Ezine That Makes You Money?" Then just go to www.boostbizezine.com and you can download it instantly."
Think of three free things you could offer right now. A free e-mail or printed newsletter. A helpful article, report, brochure, or booklet. A complimentary consultation or a discount on a first visit.
4. Point out a problem or fear the reader may have.
Example: "You may feel safe in your own home, but did you know that burglaries in your neighborhood are UP by 30%? This is the ideal time to install that home security system you've been thinking about."
The advertising industry has been doing this to us for years. Remember how Listerine convinced all of us we have "halitosis"? (It's the clinical term for bad breath, but it sounds like the plague!) Direct marketers call this "pushing the ouch button". You'd be surprised at how many situations you can use it in, and it works like a charm.
5. Mention someone the reader knows.
Example: "Your friend *Jenny Smith* told us you could use a little 'R&R.' That's why we're inviting you to the grand opening of our new 'Bath and Beauty' Web store, featuring home spa products to help you relax."
If you operate a referral program, this is an extremely effective way to reach out and touch your prospects. When I was a copywriter in New York City, I wrote a letter using this format for a prominent day spa, and it generated quite a bit of attention. Why? The reader immediately sees the name of someone she knows -- the letter makes an instant, personal connection.
(TIP: Ask your clients for the names of a few people who may be interested in your products/services, offering them an incentive if those people respond. These types of referral programs -- or "affiliate programs", as they're called online -- take some time to generate, but they're well worth it!)
One Final Note:
Remember that your #1 goal is to "hook" your reader right away! We're all bombarded with tons of e-mail and snail mail every day, so you have a limited amount of time to grab our attention.
Your best bet is to keep your e-mail sales letters within one or two computer screens, and your snail-mail letters to one or two pages. There are exceptions, but keeping it to the point is the best way for you to get started.
© 2003-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
To get your creative juices flowing, here are five tried and true formulas that can work for either e-mail or printed letters.
1. Tell a story -- from either your point of view or a customer's.
Example: '"When I started my own business, I was very nervous about keeping my books. I'm not a numbers person and wanted nothing to do with it! Then I purchased 'EZ-BOOKS' software. Instantly, all my accounting "dirty work" disappeared. I gained instant peace of mind, and now I can focus on my real job -- finding and keeping customers!"
Copy written in a story format has great appeal. By telling a short story that relates to the reader's situation, you create empathy with her. People are also familiar with stories and enjoy hearing them (they appear daily in newspapers, magazines, TV, etc.). If your letter happens to be a long one, you can draw out your story for added suspense, saving the outcome for the end. (People WILL read long copy... IF they are really interested in it.)
2. Ask questions.
Example: "Have you ever stared at yourself in the mirror and wanted to cry? If we told you we have a product guaranteed to help you lose weight, would you be interested? And what if we told you this product would cost you less than $30?"
Basic psychology dictates that when you ask a question, the reader feels compelled to answer it. You're involving them immediately in the issue at hand. Many effective sales letters ask a series of questions that are all likely answered with a "yes" from the reader.
3. Offer something FREE.
My Own Example: "Would you like a complimentary copy of our FREE report, "The 3 Simple Secrets to Publishing an Ezine That Makes You Money?" Then just go to www.boostbizezine.com and you can download it instantly."
Think of three free things you could offer right now. A free e-mail or printed newsletter. A helpful article, report, brochure, or booklet. A complimentary consultation or a discount on a first visit.
4. Point out a problem or fear the reader may have.
Example: "You may feel safe in your own home, but did you know that burglaries in your neighborhood are UP by 30%? This is the ideal time to install that home security system you've been thinking about."
The advertising industry has been doing this to us for years. Remember how Listerine convinced all of us we have "halitosis"? (It's the clinical term for bad breath, but it sounds like the plague!) Direct marketers call this "pushing the ouch button". You'd be surprised at how many situations you can use it in, and it works like a charm.
5. Mention someone the reader knows.
Example: "Your friend *Jenny Smith* told us you could use a little 'R&R.' That's why we're inviting you to the grand opening of our new 'Bath and Beauty' Web store, featuring home spa products to help you relax."
If you operate a referral program, this is an extremely effective way to reach out and touch your prospects. When I was a copywriter in New York City, I wrote a letter using this format for a prominent day spa, and it generated quite a bit of attention. Why? The reader immediately sees the name of someone she knows -- the letter makes an instant, personal connection.
(TIP: Ask your clients for the names of a few people who may be interested in your products/services, offering them an incentive if those people respond. These types of referral programs -- or "affiliate programs", as they're called online -- take some time to generate, but they're well worth it!)
One Final Note:
Remember that your #1 goal is to "hook" your reader right away! We're all bombarded with tons of e-mail and snail mail every day, so you have a limited amount of time to grab our attention.
Your best bet is to keep your e-mail sales letters within one or two computer screens, and your snail-mail letters to one or two pages. There are exceptions, but keeping it to the point is the best way for you to get started.
© 2003-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
# posted by Alexandria Brown : 10:59 AM
Monday, October 20, 2008
What You MUST Understand About Your Web Numbers
Six years ago, when I first started selling online, I focused on doing what I did best: generating useful content that people would want to pay for. But I quickly learned that selling a product online required me to have to learn about ...
...my Web statistics.
"Yuck!"
"Why should I have to do this?" I thought. "I'm not a numbers person. Such small details! I want to spend time on big ideas."
Then after a few months of poor sales, I realized I needed to learn more about my numbers so I could learn how to improve my results. (You can't improve something that you can't measure.) After getting acquainted with my stats, I not only realized that this information would help me immensely, but I was relieved that it wasn't so hard after all. It had just been something unfamiliar.
There are four types of basic "Web numbers" I want you to understand. Don't worry -- if I can handle this, you can too!
1. Sales
HOW MANY SALES are you making? This should be easy to determine on your end.
2. Unique Visitors
HOW MANY PEOPLE are visiting your sales page? To know this, you'll need to know your number of unique visitors for that specific page.
Do NOT confuse unique visitors with "hits," which refers to number of graphics downloaded.
Your Web host may already provide some stats you can access, but many of these programs are hard to understand and only track hits. If this is the case, it's well worth it to use a low-cost outside tracking service such as WebSTAT that will show you your number of unique visitors. (I use them and love their service.)
3. Sales Conversion Rate
Here's where we start with some math. Take your number of sales during a given time, and divide it by your number of visitors during that time. We'll walk through this in a minute.
4. Value per Visitor
This tells you how much each visitor is worth to you. It's basically your selling price times your conversion rate.
Let's Walk Through It Together
Say Suzy Q runs a site that sells a special report on how to teach your dog to do a back flip. The report sells for $20.
Last month she had 50 online sales. Her Web stats show that during that month she had 1,500 unique visitors.
First let's figure her sales conversion rate -- sales divided by visitors.
50 / 1,500 = .0333. We'll round it down to .03. (If we're talking about percentages, that's about 3%. Or 3 sales for every 100 visitors.)
Now, let's determine her value per visitor.
The report sells for $20, and we now know that her sales conversion rate is .03.
So .03 x $20 = $0.60.
That means each visitor is worth 60 cents to Suzy, whether they buy or not.
(Here's a longer way of doing this, but it may make more sense to you: Based on Suzy's current conversion rate, she makes an average of 3 sales per 100 visitors. 3 x $20 = $60. So for every 100 visitors she makes an average of $60. $60 / 100 visitors = $0.60 per visitor.)
This number tells Suzy how much it's worth spending to get a visitor to her site. For example, if she decides to advertise via a pay-per-click search engine (such as Google AdWords), she knows that $0.60 is the maximum she'd want to bid.
Want My FREE Calculations Template?
Would you like a free fill-in-the-blanks template to help you make the calculations above? I've put one together for you! Send a blank e-mail to ali-39796@autocontactor.com and you should receive it automatically.
What to DO With Your Numbers
First of all, look at your unique visitors. If your numbers aren't as high as you'd like, work on attracting more prospects to your site via your e-zine, search engine listings, advertisements, articles, etc.
Then look at your sales conversion rate. The average for information products is actually around only 1%, according to both my testing and that of my colleagues. (So don't get upset if that's where you're at!) Often my conversion rate is a lot higher, but it depends on who's visiting that sales page. My conversion rate will be a lot higher if I'm sending my own subscribers there (people who already know, like, and trust me) versus strangers who found me from a search engine or other website. Make sense?
Aim to continually improve your sales page to boost your results.
Keep a log of what changes you make and when you make them so you can see which factors help or hinder your sales. (There's a place for these notes in that template I created for you.)
You should also do simple "split tests", but I'll go into that another time.
Don't Wait Any Longer!
Remember, you can't improve something you can't measure. Take a few minutes and start tracking these things. I guarantee that once you do, you'll actually enjoy this process, because it gives you the power to continually IMPROVE. : )
For STEP-BY-STEP instructions on all of these strategies (and dozens more) see my SPECIAL REPORT: "101 Simple, FREE and Low-Cost Ways to Quickly Build a MASSIVE EMAIL LIST" that's part of my "Boost Business With Your Own Ezine System".
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
...my Web statistics.
"Yuck!"
"Why should I have to do this?" I thought. "I'm not a numbers person. Such small details! I want to spend time on big ideas."
Then after a few months of poor sales, I realized I needed to learn more about my numbers so I could learn how to improve my results. (You can't improve something that you can't measure.) After getting acquainted with my stats, I not only realized that this information would help me immensely, but I was relieved that it wasn't so hard after all. It had just been something unfamiliar.
There are four types of basic "Web numbers" I want you to understand. Don't worry -- if I can handle this, you can too!
1. Sales
HOW MANY SALES are you making? This should be easy to determine on your end.
2. Unique Visitors
HOW MANY PEOPLE are visiting your sales page? To know this, you'll need to know your number of unique visitors for that specific page.
Do NOT confuse unique visitors with "hits," which refers to number of graphics downloaded.
Your Web host may already provide some stats you can access, but many of these programs are hard to understand and only track hits. If this is the case, it's well worth it to use a low-cost outside tracking service such as WebSTAT that will show you your number of unique visitors. (I use them and love their service.)
3. Sales Conversion Rate
Here's where we start with some math. Take your number of sales during a given time, and divide it by your number of visitors during that time. We'll walk through this in a minute.
4. Value per Visitor
This tells you how much each visitor is worth to you. It's basically your selling price times your conversion rate.
Let's Walk Through It Together
Say Suzy Q runs a site that sells a special report on how to teach your dog to do a back flip. The report sells for $20.
Last month she had 50 online sales. Her Web stats show that during that month she had 1,500 unique visitors.
First let's figure her sales conversion rate -- sales divided by visitors.
50 / 1,500 = .0333. We'll round it down to .03. (If we're talking about percentages, that's about 3%. Or 3 sales for every 100 visitors.)
Now, let's determine her value per visitor.
The report sells for $20, and we now know that her sales conversion rate is .03.
So .03 x $20 = $0.60.
That means each visitor is worth 60 cents to Suzy, whether they buy or not.
(Here's a longer way of doing this, but it may make more sense to you: Based on Suzy's current conversion rate, she makes an average of 3 sales per 100 visitors. 3 x $20 = $60. So for every 100 visitors she makes an average of $60. $60 / 100 visitors = $0.60 per visitor.)
This number tells Suzy how much it's worth spending to get a visitor to her site. For example, if she decides to advertise via a pay-per-click search engine (such as Google AdWords), she knows that $0.60 is the maximum she'd want to bid.
Want My FREE Calculations Template?
Would you like a free fill-in-the-blanks template to help you make the calculations above? I've put one together for you! Send a blank e-mail to ali-39796@autocontactor.com and you should receive it automatically.
What to DO With Your Numbers
First of all, look at your unique visitors. If your numbers aren't as high as you'd like, work on attracting more prospects to your site via your e-zine, search engine listings, advertisements, articles, etc.
Then look at your sales conversion rate. The average for information products is actually around only 1%, according to both my testing and that of my colleagues. (So don't get upset if that's where you're at!) Often my conversion rate is a lot higher, but it depends on who's visiting that sales page. My conversion rate will be a lot higher if I'm sending my own subscribers there (people who already know, like, and trust me) versus strangers who found me from a search engine or other website. Make sense?
Aim to continually improve your sales page to boost your results.
Keep a log of what changes you make and when you make them so you can see which factors help or hinder your sales. (There's a place for these notes in that template I created for you.)
You should also do simple "split tests", but I'll go into that another time.
Don't Wait Any Longer!
Remember, you can't improve something you can't measure. Take a few minutes and start tracking these things. I guarantee that once you do, you'll actually enjoy this process, because it gives you the power to continually IMPROVE. : )
For STEP-BY-STEP instructions on all of these strategies (and dozens more) see my SPECIAL REPORT: "101 Simple, FREE and Low-Cost Ways to Quickly Build a MASSIVE EMAIL LIST" that's part of my "Boost Business With Your Own Ezine System".
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
# posted by Alexandria Brown : 6:45 PM
Friday, October 10, 2008
15 Easy Ways to Grow Your Subscriber List with Your E-zine
While there are seemingly endless ways to promote your e-zine and attract new subscribers, here's a list of my favorite 15. Which ones are YOU using?
Print this out and check those you already do, and note those you should "get a move on."
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
Print this out and check those you already do, and note those you should "get a move on."
- ___ 1. Tell your clients, associates, and friends. Send out one of your best issues (or your first issue) as a sample issue, inviting them to sign up if they like it. (Never sign anyone up without his/her permission.)
- ___ 2. Put a signup form on your home page and every page of your Web site. No matter what page people may land on, this way they'll know about your amazing e-zine. Don't let them click away and lose them forever!
- ___ 3. Use a pop-up or pop-under box on your site. Yes, they're irritating if abused, but I can tell you they work. Studies show pop-ups/unders can increase your e-zine signups by up to 10 times! Give it a try and test it. (Automatic popup creators like Ad Impact make it super easy.)
- ___ 4. Offer a free goodie for new subscribers. We all get so much e-mail these days, that you have to work hard to get anyone's e-mail address. Offer new subscribers a valuable free article, report, resource list, e-book, etc.
- ___ 5. Offer a free sample issue on your Web site or have one available by e-mail autoresponder. Some people won't sign up for anything until they can see it first.
- ___ 6. List your e-zine in free e-zine directories. There are hundreds of these on the Web where people visit to search for e-zines on particular topics. Make sure you're here so you can be found! (One of the best is Charlie Page's Directory of E-zines.)
- ___ 7. Swap ads with other e-zines. Search online e-zine directories for other e-zines whose target readership matches yours, and contact their publishers. Swap at least three ads in a row for best results.
- ___ 8. Buy ads in other e-zines. Again, search those directories for other
- ___ 9. Plug your e-zine in your e-mail signature. After your usual contact information at the bottom of all your e-mails, be sure to include a two- or three-line plug for your e-zine.
- ___ 10. Get published in OTHER e-zines. There are dozens of Web sites where other publishers visit to pick up free content for their e-zines. Why not post YOUR articles there for them to use? You get free exposure and plenty of traffic back to your site.
- ___ 11. Do a co-op with other e-zine subscribers. You can cross-promote with other e-zine publishers on your own, or use an automated service such as Subscription Rocket, which I used when I got started years ago.
- ___ 12. Try a pay-for-subscriber service. These services advertise your
- ___ 13. Announce your e-zine to all of the professional organizations and associations you're a member of. They usually allow you to make announcements in their newsletters or on their online bulletin boards.
- ___ 14. Advertise your e-zine on the back of your business cards. In the text, be sure to tell people how they can sign up for your e-zine.
- ___ 15. Become active in a few online forums where your ideal readers hang out. In your posts, position yourself as a resource in your area of expertise, and include a signature file that promotes your e-zine!
e-zines whose target readership matches yours, and see their ad specifications and rates. Purchase at least three ads in a row for best results.
e-zine for you and bring you subscribers automatically for as little as 10 to 30 cents apiece.
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
# posted by Alexandria Brown : 8:15 AM
Monday, September 29, 2008
Up Your Cashflow by Next Week: 13 Ways to Have a SALE!
Nothing gets people buying products or programs like a special promotion in your e-zine. Now, I know right now you're thinking, "I can't have a sale on my products or services. That's sooo cheesy!"
Au contraire, mon frere. It's all how you position it. Here are 13 ideas to consider. Choose one that would work for your business and give it a try.
IMPORTANT: You'll need to put some type of time limit on the offer to encourage folks to buy now and not later. It's also better if you explain to your readers WHY you're having the sale. You're not Wal-Mart and you can't just drop prices whenever you feel like it. Instead, give your prospects a reason. (Even a funny one -- see tip 13!)
1. Close-out sale. Have inventory you want to get rid of? Making room for other products or new versions of products? Then offer the current version at a significant discount.
2. "Scratch and dent" sale. Have any books, tapes, or CDs that were returned to you by customers? Offer them at a hearty discount for people who don't mind if they're a bit worn.
3. Half price sale. Lop off 50 percent from all your goods, or select just one.
4. Coupon sale. Allow customers to enter a coupon or promo code to get a discount. (If you have a decent shopping cart program you should be able to set this up in seconds.)
5. Free shipping sale. Offer free shipping for a limited time. Or, upgrade folks to express shipping at no extra cost.
6. "We'll finance it" sale. Offer a payment plan - this works great for higher priced items and programs. (Again, if you have a decent shopping cart program, you should be able to set up timed, automatic billing.)
7. Free 30-day trial. Get their credit card information at the time of order, but don't charge them until the month is up. Another variation is the 30 day trial for $1.
8. Pre-publication sale. Start taking orders before your product is even ready. (Seeing orders come in is also a great incentive for you to finally finish creating that product!)
9. VIP discount. Give a special offer to a certain group. Show your e-zine subscribers, your clients, your speaking audiences, etc. that they're special.
10. Buy one get one free! Yes, this can even work for information products and services. The purchaser can give the extra copy to a colleague as a gift, or two people can split the cost and essentially get your product or service at half price.
11. Special bonus. Give something extra if people purchase before a certain date. (This is a great strategy to up your sales without cutting your prices.)
12. Package discount. Offer a big discount if they order all your products/services or a select combination thereof.
13. Birthday sale. Or any fun occasion... Valentine's day, your anniversary, groundhog day, your dog just had puppies, your kid just lost his first tooth -- have fun with it!
BONUS TIP: Many of these options for coupons, discounts, cutoff dates, etc. can easily be set up with a good shopping cart system. QueenCart.com links you to the one I use and recommend.
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
Au contraire, mon frere. It's all how you position it. Here are 13 ideas to consider. Choose one that would work for your business and give it a try.
IMPORTANT: You'll need to put some type of time limit on the offer to encourage folks to buy now and not later. It's also better if you explain to your readers WHY you're having the sale. You're not Wal-Mart and you can't just drop prices whenever you feel like it. Instead, give your prospects a reason. (Even a funny one -- see tip 13!)
1. Close-out sale. Have inventory you want to get rid of? Making room for other products or new versions of products? Then offer the current version at a significant discount.
2. "Scratch and dent" sale. Have any books, tapes, or CDs that were returned to you by customers? Offer them at a hearty discount for people who don't mind if they're a bit worn.
3. Half price sale. Lop off 50 percent from all your goods, or select just one.
4. Coupon sale. Allow customers to enter a coupon or promo code to get a discount. (If you have a decent shopping cart program you should be able to set this up in seconds.)
5. Free shipping sale. Offer free shipping for a limited time. Or, upgrade folks to express shipping at no extra cost.
6. "We'll finance it" sale. Offer a payment plan - this works great for higher priced items and programs. (Again, if you have a decent shopping cart program, you should be able to set up timed, automatic billing.)
7. Free 30-day trial. Get their credit card information at the time of order, but don't charge them until the month is up. Another variation is the 30 day trial for $1.
8. Pre-publication sale. Start taking orders before your product is even ready. (Seeing orders come in is also a great incentive for you to finally finish creating that product!)
9. VIP discount. Give a special offer to a certain group. Show your e-zine subscribers, your clients, your speaking audiences, etc. that they're special.
10. Buy one get one free! Yes, this can even work for information products and services. The purchaser can give the extra copy to a colleague as a gift, or two people can split the cost and essentially get your product or service at half price.
11. Special bonus. Give something extra if people purchase before a certain date. (This is a great strategy to up your sales without cutting your prices.)
12. Package discount. Offer a big discount if they order all your products/services or a select combination thereof.
13. Birthday sale. Or any fun occasion... Valentine's day, your anniversary, groundhog day, your dog just had puppies, your kid just lost his first tooth -- have fun with it!
BONUS TIP: Many of these options for coupons, discounts, cutoff dates, etc. can easily be set up with a good shopping cart system. QueenCart.com links you to the one I use and recommend.
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 36,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
# posted by Alexandria Brown : 1:22 PM
Friday, September 26, 2008
You've Got... Complaints! How to Turn Disgruntled Customers Into Raving Fans
Did you know that marketing isn't only about getting your clients or customers? It's also about KEEPING them, and keeping them happy. That's a big key to growing your business, because not only will those customers themselves keep coming back to you for more, but they'll send their friends and colleagues as well.
Studies done by the American Management Association show that your average HAPPY customer will tell 3 people about her experience with you. But your average unhappy customer will spread the negative word about you to 11 other people!
I'm sure you've done this yourself. I sure have! In fact, I can name three companies right now that I will *never* do business with again, simply because of the way they handled my complaints. (Sometimes all I wanted was for someone to say, "I'm sorry this happened, Ms. Brown!")
A System Is Your Solution
If there are any complaints you receive on a regular basis, you should be addressing them by putting systems into place to avoid those problems from happening in the first place. There's no way your business can grow with those landmines in your path.
But even after you do, remember that you are human, and so are your customers, so things will go wrong from time to time. And customers will write or call you to complain. So let's give you a system to handle these situations graciously, with integrity, and turn them around for the best!
After doing some research, I've found that most all the recommended protocols for taking care of complaining customers basically follow this 5-step process.
In some situations I'd also throw in a little something else for her trouble. For example, perhaps free shipping or a bonus gift.
(IMPORTANT: Of course, if a customer is being unreasonable, offensive, asking for you to jump through hoops, or breaking an agreement, you have the right to decline their request. Some people will take out their life's frustrations on you because you are accessible.)
Adjust to Fit, and Review With Your Team
Of course you should adjust this process to fit your particular business. I suggest you take a few minutes to write up a script based on these steps, and then review it with your assistant or anyone else in your business who is in contact with your clients and customers. Make any necessary changes, and then distribute it to your team and agree that everyone will follow it.
Have your team keep a log of each complaint that comes in, what it's about, and how it's handled. Then have a monthly meeting to review and suggest improvements.
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
Studies done by the American Management Association show that your average HAPPY customer will tell 3 people about her experience with you. But your average unhappy customer will spread the negative word about you to 11 other people!
I'm sure you've done this yourself. I sure have! In fact, I can name three companies right now that I will *never* do business with again, simply because of the way they handled my complaints. (Sometimes all I wanted was for someone to say, "I'm sorry this happened, Ms. Brown!")
A System Is Your Solution
If there are any complaints you receive on a regular basis, you should be addressing them by putting systems into place to avoid those problems from happening in the first place. There's no way your business can grow with those landmines in your path.
But even after you do, remember that you are human, and so are your customers, so things will go wrong from time to time. And customers will write or call you to complain. So let's give you a system to handle these situations graciously, with integrity, and turn them around for the best!
After doing some research, I've found that most all the recommended protocols for taking care of complaining customers basically follow this 5-step process.
- Validate the customer's feelings. Simply acknowledge that she's irritated. Example: "I can understand you are upset."
- Assure her you'll take care of her. Let her know something will be done. Example: "I'm here to help you with this."
- Make a "sad-glad" statement. This helps the customer realize you care. Example: "I'm sorry you experienced a problem. And I'm glad you told me about it!"
- Ask the customer what will make HER happy. Don't let this scare you! Customer service experts say that most often the upset customer will ask for *less* than what you would have offered yourself. Example: "How can we make this better?" or "How can we make this up to you?"
- Acknowledge that you'll do what she wants, or make a counter offer. (But always try to just give her what she wants! In the end, it will save you time and headaches, and avoid any bad word spreading about you.) Example: "I want to keep you as a customer, and we're going to honor your request." Or, "We can't do that per our agreement, but we can... [counter offer here]."
In some situations I'd also throw in a little something else for her trouble. For example, perhaps free shipping or a bonus gift.
(IMPORTANT: Of course, if a customer is being unreasonable, offensive, asking for you to jump through hoops, or breaking an agreement, you have the right to decline their request. Some people will take out their life's frustrations on you because you are accessible.)
Adjust to Fit, and Review With Your Team
Of course you should adjust this process to fit your particular business. I suggest you take a few minutes to write up a script based on these steps, and then review it with your assistant or anyone else in your business who is in contact with your clients and customers. Make any necessary changes, and then distribute it to your team and agree that everyone will follow it.
Have your team keep a log of each complaint that comes in, what it's about, and how it's handled. Then have a monthly meeting to review and suggest improvements.
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
# posted by Alexandria Brown : 9:02 AM
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sell More Online By Offering a Big Fat BONUS!
I don't know about you, but I secretly love watching infomercials. I enjoy dissecting how they sell, how they get people excited, how they entice people to take action now and pick up the phone and order something they completely don't need!
As you know, these programs always offer a huge bonus or multiple bonuses for people who buy. Often the bonus is worth even more than the featured product itself. You know what I mean... they're selling you a little vegetable chopper, but they also throw in a blender, toaster, and coffeemaker!
Why do they do this? Because it makes the offer completely irresistible. The prospect thinks, "Jeez, I'd be crazy not to buy this right now!"
The same strategy works extremely well online too. Using BONUSES is also a great way to add more value to your program or package, enabling you to raise your price point. And you don't have to spend any money creating your bonus products if you don't want to.
Here are 7 ideas to get you started offering a bonus ASAP:
1. Special Report
Think of some information that relates to what you're offering that would be very helpful for the customer. Exciting titles with numbers are shown to work best, like "31 Easy and Fast Ways to Get More Clients" or "5 Mistakes Most Families Make When Choosing a Puppy." Write it in Microsoft Word, format it so it looks nice, and then use Adobe Acrobat to save it as a PDF file for easy downloading. (Be sure to promote your business and website in there too - remember it may get passed around.)
2. Resource List
Compile a list of your personally recommended resources, websites, books, and vendors that are related to your product or service. You can set this up as a PDF file as well, or create a password-protected area of your website that customers and clients can access. Example: One bonus that comes with my Boost Business With Your Own Ezine system is the "Ezine Queen Private Resource Library." It's simply a select collection of links to websites and tools that can help my customers grow their lists and run their online businesses.
3. Checklist
Are there any checklists that would be a good tie-in to what you offer? That help people do what you're teaching them to do, better or easier? Example: Everyone who attends my Online Success Blueprint Workshop receives several of my real-life business checklists as bonuses, including one I use to plan any teleseminar I teach!
4. Collection of Articles
Hopefully you write articles or tips on a regular basis for your own ezine or newsletter, and you may even have them posted at your website as well. Why not package your favorites into a PDF document and title it your "Top 10" or "Best of" collection?
5. Action Guide
Look at the principles, strategies, and tactics you teach in your program, and put together a separate guide to help the user do assignments, stay on track, and document her progress. (Some marketing experts say calling it an "action guide" or "success journal" is better than "workbook," because "work" can subconsciously deter people.)
6. Audio Class
Record a 60-minute audio introduction or orientation to your program. If you already offer a free introductory teleclass or do live speeches, you can simply record that. Offer it online as an MP3 download, or even better, let people listen right from the website.
7. Consultation With You
A consultation is a great bonus to offer, for several reasons. First, it lets you get to know your customers better and hear the questions they ask and issues they face. This will help you further improve your products and services to offer what they want. Second, it's a great opportunity to upsell these folks to a higher-priced program at the end of the call. For example, if they enjoyed the advice you provided on the call, they may be interested in your six-month coaching program.
Don't fear that everyone who buys your product will actually take advantage of your free consultation - they won't. When I got started, I offered a free 30-minute consultation to all purchasers of my Boost Business ... system. I estimate that less than 20% of the people who bought it actually scheduled a call with me.
Digital or Physical?
I'm a big fan of digital bonuses because they cost nothing to create and there's no packaging or shipping involved. But of course you can also go with physical bonuses, especially if you're already shipping the main product to the customer anyway. My Boost Business... system is a physical package that we ship, so we add in a 2-CD program that teaches people how to get more sales from their ezine. It's simply a recording of a great teleseminar I did about two years ago.
If you're offering printed material as a bonus, don't go crazy spending a ton of money making it look great. "Good" is okay! A simple report that you have printed and bound cheaply at a copy shop is fine. Remember that people are paying you for the information you provide.
What's most important is the cover -- even if you only produce a digital report or audio product, having a graphic of it will help increase your response and make you look more professional. I use and recommend Vaughan Davidson.
Give Your Bottom Line a Bonus This Month
So get YOUR bonuses in gear! Make a note of how your sales have been so far, and then add some bonuses and watch the numbers rise.
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
As you know, these programs always offer a huge bonus or multiple bonuses for people who buy. Often the bonus is worth even more than the featured product itself. You know what I mean... they're selling you a little vegetable chopper, but they also throw in a blender, toaster, and coffeemaker!
Why do they do this? Because it makes the offer completely irresistible. The prospect thinks, "Jeez, I'd be crazy not to buy this right now!"
The same strategy works extremely well online too. Using BONUSES is also a great way to add more value to your program or package, enabling you to raise your price point. And you don't have to spend any money creating your bonus products if you don't want to.
Here are 7 ideas to get you started offering a bonus ASAP:
1. Special Report
Think of some information that relates to what you're offering that would be very helpful for the customer. Exciting titles with numbers are shown to work best, like "31 Easy and Fast Ways to Get More Clients" or "5 Mistakes Most Families Make When Choosing a Puppy." Write it in Microsoft Word, format it so it looks nice, and then use Adobe Acrobat to save it as a PDF file for easy downloading. (Be sure to promote your business and website in there too - remember it may get passed around.)
2. Resource List
Compile a list of your personally recommended resources, websites, books, and vendors that are related to your product or service. You can set this up as a PDF file as well, or create a password-protected area of your website that customers and clients can access. Example: One bonus that comes with my Boost Business With Your Own Ezine system is the "Ezine Queen Private Resource Library." It's simply a select collection of links to websites and tools that can help my customers grow their lists and run their online businesses.
3. Checklist
Are there any checklists that would be a good tie-in to what you offer? That help people do what you're teaching them to do, better or easier? Example: Everyone who attends my Online Success Blueprint Workshop receives several of my real-life business checklists as bonuses, including one I use to plan any teleseminar I teach!
4. Collection of Articles
Hopefully you write articles or tips on a regular basis for your own ezine or newsletter, and you may even have them posted at your website as well. Why not package your favorites into a PDF document and title it your "Top 10" or "Best of" collection?
5. Action Guide
Look at the principles, strategies, and tactics you teach in your program, and put together a separate guide to help the user do assignments, stay on track, and document her progress. (Some marketing experts say calling it an "action guide" or "success journal" is better than "workbook," because "work" can subconsciously deter people.)
6. Audio Class
Record a 60-minute audio introduction or orientation to your program. If you already offer a free introductory teleclass or do live speeches, you can simply record that. Offer it online as an MP3 download, or even better, let people listen right from the website.
7. Consultation With You
A consultation is a great bonus to offer, for several reasons. First, it lets you get to know your customers better and hear the questions they ask and issues they face. This will help you further improve your products and services to offer what they want. Second, it's a great opportunity to upsell these folks to a higher-priced program at the end of the call. For example, if they enjoyed the advice you provided on the call, they may be interested in your six-month coaching program.
Don't fear that everyone who buys your product will actually take advantage of your free consultation - they won't. When I got started, I offered a free 30-minute consultation to all purchasers of my Boost Business ... system. I estimate that less than 20% of the people who bought it actually scheduled a call with me.
Digital or Physical?
I'm a big fan of digital bonuses because they cost nothing to create and there's no packaging or shipping involved. But of course you can also go with physical bonuses, especially if you're already shipping the main product to the customer anyway. My Boost Business... system is a physical package that we ship, so we add in a 2-CD program that teaches people how to get more sales from their ezine. It's simply a recording of a great teleseminar I did about two years ago.
If you're offering printed material as a bonus, don't go crazy spending a ton of money making it look great. "Good" is okay! A simple report that you have printed and bound cheaply at a copy shop is fine. Remember that people are paying you for the information you provide.
What's most important is the cover -- even if you only produce a digital report or audio product, having a graphic of it will help increase your response and make you look more professional. I use and recommend Vaughan Davidson.
Give Your Bottom Line a Bonus This Month
So get YOUR bonuses in gear! Make a note of how your sales have been so far, and then add some bonuses and watch the numbers rise.
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
# posted by Alexandria Brown : 2:02 AM
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
4 Ways to Make Money from People Who Are LEAVING Your Site!
Oh no... are people leaving your site without buying?
Get used to it! In fact, an average of 99% of your first time visitors to your sales pages will leave without buying or even contacting you.
But don't get upset. Get richer!
Use what's called an exit pop. Now, I know pop-ups can be incredibly annoying. But they WORK. Almost all the people I know doing over $1 million each year online use exit pops in strategic ways to seriously boost their bottom lines.
Here are four ways to generate revenue from people leaving your website, using exit pops:
1. Get them on your list.
Because most people will not buy from you at first visit, it's extremely important to have a way to follow up with them. After all, they're already interested in what you have. That's why they're at your site! So these people are worth their weight in gold to you.
But how to follow up? Well, here's where your ezine comes in. Your ezine list is your key to ongoing revenues and generating income on demand.
One of the best places to get people on your list is actually as they're leaving. It's kind of like the "Columbo" strategy of your website. (What did he used to say on the way out the door? Something like, "By the way..." or "Oh, one more thing...")
These exit pops often work BETTER than a pop-up that appears as soon as someone lands on your site. Why? You give the visitor a chance to get to know you first, before you ask them for their email. Let them take a look around, grow to trust you and your website.
One of my exit pops says, "Congrats... You've Won a FREE Subscription!" It has an eye-catching graphic representing my ezine and gives a raving description of it as well. Also the opt-in form is right in the box, which you always want. Don't make folks have to click around to sign up. If you'd like to see what one of mine looks like, go here and you'll see it when you leave.
From what other marketers are sharing, the "congrats" exit pop is one of the all-time best performing exit pops for building your list.
2. Ask them WHY they're leaving.
Why not find out the reason they're leaving in the first place? For example, one of my exit pops says, "WAIT - Can I ask your advice? Please tell me the biggest reason you're leaving without giving my 'Boost Business With Your Own Ezine' system a try. I'd really appreciate it, and your answer is completely anonymous. Thanks."
I looked for the most popular answers and then made some adjustments to my sales page. For example, several people said, "I don't have a website yet." So I revised my sales copy to include the fact that you don't need a website to get started publishing an ezine.
Knowing this kind of information will help you make a LOT more sales down the line!
There's a great tool that makes doing these exit surveys super easy, and you can see a demo at their site: www.askmyezine.com
3. Offer a down-sell or alternative.
Yep, that's right. Offer me something for less m0ney. After all, I'm leaving anyway, with my wallet! Example: My "Boost Business With Your Own Ezine" system is a physical product, but for several months I tested a down-sell of a lower-priced digital version with fewer bonuses. I also configured the exit pop to appear only if the person had been on my sales page for at least 30 seconds, so I knew they were serious about the product and not just on my page to take a peek.
The tactic did pretty well, making me about an extra thousand bucks a month that otherwise I would not have gotten! That won't make me rich, but it sure helps cover my take-out sushi habit. I'll be testing some other down-sells like this one too. (Remember, it's all about trying new things and seeing how they work for YOU. That's what's so fun about Internet marketing!)
4. Send them to someone else's site.
Really! But not just anyone's site. Send them to a site with products or services that are related to yours, AND that will give you commission on any referred sales! That's called an affiliate program, and there are millions of companies doing it on the web. If you don't know of any websites that are related to yours and have an affiliate program, search the two biggest directories: ClickBank and Commission Junction.
Just remember to check out any company before you start sending people there. You don't want to taint your reputation by sending folks to a site with shoddy products or lousy service.
I make several thousand dollars per month simply by referring my readers and web visitors to other websites. And you can too. It's just one of my tactics. But some internet marketers even make ALL their revenues with affiliate programs - they don't sell any of their own products! It really works.
Don't Get Blocked!
It's a fact that almost half of all Internet users now have some type of pop-up blocker.
The good news is, whenever a new technology comes out, there's one close behind it that will make it obsolete.
There are several scripts for making pop-up boxes that cannot be blocked. My favorite that I use right now is a service that requires no programming and has dozens of fun designs you can choose and just type in your message -- www.QueenPopups.com
Just remember to please use these tools ethically! Don't drive people crazy with 10 different boxes appearing as they leave.
Choose one, use it strategically, and test, test, test. I promise if you try just ONE of these tactics above, you'll see some extra sales!
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
Get used to it! In fact, an average of 99% of your first time visitors to your sales pages will leave without buying or even contacting you.
But don't get upset. Get richer!
Use what's called an exit pop. Now, I know pop-ups can be incredibly annoying. But they WORK. Almost all the people I know doing over $1 million each year online use exit pops in strategic ways to seriously boost their bottom lines.
Here are four ways to generate revenue from people leaving your website, using exit pops:
1. Get them on your list.
Because most people will not buy from you at first visit, it's extremely important to have a way to follow up with them. After all, they're already interested in what you have. That's why they're at your site! So these people are worth their weight in gold to you.
But how to follow up? Well, here's where your ezine comes in. Your ezine list is your key to ongoing revenues and generating income on demand.
One of the best places to get people on your list is actually as they're leaving. It's kind of like the "Columbo" strategy of your website. (What did he used to say on the way out the door? Something like, "By the way..." or "Oh, one more thing...")
These exit pops often work BETTER than a pop-up that appears as soon as someone lands on your site. Why? You give the visitor a chance to get to know you first, before you ask them for their email. Let them take a look around, grow to trust you and your website.
One of my exit pops says, "Congrats... You've Won a FREE Subscription!" It has an eye-catching graphic representing my ezine and gives a raving description of it as well. Also the opt-in form is right in the box, which you always want. Don't make folks have to click around to sign up. If you'd like to see what one of mine looks like, go here and you'll see it when you leave.
From what other marketers are sharing, the "congrats" exit pop is one of the all-time best performing exit pops for building your list.
2. Ask them WHY they're leaving.
Why not find out the reason they're leaving in the first place? For example, one of my exit pops says, "WAIT - Can I ask your advice? Please tell me the biggest reason you're leaving without giving my 'Boost Business With Your Own Ezine' system a try. I'd really appreciate it, and your answer is completely anonymous. Thanks."
I looked for the most popular answers and then made some adjustments to my sales page. For example, several people said, "I don't have a website yet." So I revised my sales copy to include the fact that you don't need a website to get started publishing an ezine.
Knowing this kind of information will help you make a LOT more sales down the line!
There's a great tool that makes doing these exit surveys super easy, and you can see a demo at their site: www.askmyezine.com
3. Offer a down-sell or alternative.
Yep, that's right. Offer me something for less m0ney. After all, I'm leaving anyway, with my wallet! Example: My "Boost Business With Your Own Ezine" system is a physical product, but for several months I tested a down-sell of a lower-priced digital version with fewer bonuses. I also configured the exit pop to appear only if the person had been on my sales page for at least 30 seconds, so I knew they were serious about the product and not just on my page to take a peek.
The tactic did pretty well, making me about an extra thousand bucks a month that otherwise I would not have gotten! That won't make me rich, but it sure helps cover my take-out sushi habit. I'll be testing some other down-sells like this one too. (Remember, it's all about trying new things and seeing how they work for YOU. That's what's so fun about Internet marketing!)
4. Send them to someone else's site.
Really! But not just anyone's site. Send them to a site with products or services that are related to yours, AND that will give you commission on any referred sales! That's called an affiliate program, and there are millions of companies doing it on the web. If you don't know of any websites that are related to yours and have an affiliate program, search the two biggest directories: ClickBank and Commission Junction.
Just remember to check out any company before you start sending people there. You don't want to taint your reputation by sending folks to a site with shoddy products or lousy service.
I make several thousand dollars per month simply by referring my readers and web visitors to other websites. And you can too. It's just one of my tactics. But some internet marketers even make ALL their revenues with affiliate programs - they don't sell any of their own products! It really works.
Don't Get Blocked!
It's a fact that almost half of all Internet users now have some type of pop-up blocker.
The good news is, whenever a new technology comes out, there's one close behind it that will make it obsolete.
There are several scripts for making pop-up boxes that cannot be blocked. My favorite that I use right now is a service that requires no programming and has dozens of fun designs you can choose and just type in your message -- www.QueenPopups.com
Just remember to please use these tools ethically! Don't drive people crazy with 10 different boxes appearing as they leave.
Choose one, use it strategically, and test, test, test. I promise if you try just ONE of these tactics above, you'll see some extra sales!
© 2005-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning "Highlights on Marketing Success" weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com
# posted by Alexandria Brown : 10:36 AM
