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Thursday, September 6, 2007
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   Thursday, September 6, 2007

Mailing List Brokers Boost Direct Mail Marketing Results.
Last time I checked, there were 25,000 direct mail response lists and 50,000 compiled lists currently on the market. Among all of these lists, you'll find hundreds that work for your product or service. Actually, you likely won't find them. Locating the best names for your mailing is complicated and best left to an experienced list broker.
A list broker is a specialist who researches and recommends lists for you, and manages all the paperwork and other details of renting the list. An experienced list broker:
helps you find new lists
identifies profitable segments on unlikely lists
helps you create a matrix for testing your mailing against other lists
negotiates the best prices for you with the list owner
recommends other media (such as email) to consider testing
makes sure the list gets to your lettershop on time
helps you evaluate your response rates, net revenue and other results
manages invoicing for lists you rent

A Typical List Rental Transaction
You phone a list broker that specializes in lists for your kind of buyer
You describe your business and what you sell
You describe your ideal customer (such as "female, 55 years old, married, owns home, $150,000 household income, entertains regularly, lives in the United States and responds to direct mail offers for interior decorating products")
You email the list broker a PDF sample of the direct mail package that you are going to mail to the list, and the list broker forwards it to the list owner
The list owner reviews and approves your package
You tell the list broker the following:
the selects you want, if any*
how many names you want to order
when you will mail your piece
when you need to receive the names
where you want the names to be sent (your lettershop, usually)
The list broker prepares your list and sends it to your lettershop or service bureau
Your lettershop keys your reply device and other components so you can track the results of this mailing back to this list
You mail your package to the names on the list
You process each order you receive, adding the names to your database (they are yours to keep), and flagging each new customer record to note the list, package and offer used to acquire the customer

* A select is a process that the list broker conducts on your behalf to choose only some names from the entire list. You might ask the broker to select names from a particular zip code, for example, or only people with cats, or only women, and only rent you those names.
Mailing list brokers know the industry. The firms they work for have researched and tested thousands of lists. So working with a qualified mailing list broker is vital.
© 2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the Author" message).

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers attract new clients using direct mail marketing. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com/newsletter


Proactive Selling
This article distinguishes proactive selling from reactive selling and illustrates the technique and benefits associated with proactive selling.
Are you getting "no's" bleed from customers saying no too often? Try asking questions that can't be answered with a no. Try proactive selling.
Reactive Selling
Much of the time, we adopt a reactive posture with our customers. We "lob" a statement or benefit over the fence and wait for the customers to respond to the statement or benefit. Then we react to their response. Reactive statements include:
• "I'm calling to see if there's anything we can help you out with today." lob … wait … The response usually is "No, not today. Thank you." Our reaction is "Well, if something comes up…."
• "Last week I sent you our line card and I'm following up to see if you've received it." lob...wait... The response usually is "Yep. But I don't need anything..." or "I don't remember." Our reaction is, "Well, if something comes up..."
At the very best, many reactive sales calls end with the rep – not the customer – doing something. Reactive sales calls result in the rep sending literature or setting up another phone call.
With reactive sales calls, you give up control of the conversation and reduce the possibility of making something happen.
Proactive Selling
Bring the customer into the conversation with an open-ended but specific question:
• "How familiar are you with our Pro-Act registry service?"
• "How familiar are you with our Inventory Elimination service?"
• "How familiar are you with the depth of inventory we stock?
This question should be targeted towards the customer needs but can be very effective for cold-calling as well. You retain control over the conversation and build the opportunity to qualify the customer.
In General
Also don't forget to:
• Begin each call with a specific Initial Value Statement.
• Confirm that you're speaking with the decision-maker. "Are you the one who makes the decision to buy/sell…"
• Ask if this is a good time to talk for a few minutes.
• If the customer has done business with your company, thank them for their business.
And Finally…
Proactive selling won't work for everyone and won't work all the time. But when you're feeling like you're getting "no's" bleed, try proactive selling.
(This information comes from Planning for Success, a module in Entelechy's High Performance Sales program. Check out this module as well as our 40 other modules, training tools, and eGuides at www.unlockit.com.)
Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com.

Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com.


Should You Start a Cleaning Business With Your Spouse?
Copyright 2006 The Janitorial Store
Running a home based cleaning business with your spouse can be a good way to combine business and family activities under one roof. But are you and your spouse the right match to work together as well as live together? Before you invest time and money into starting up a cleaning business with your spouse there are several key questions you should ask.
1. Will your financial situation allow both of you to quit your present jobs and go into business together? It may be necessary for one person to continue working on either a part-time or full-time basis until the business is profitable enough to provide the income you need.
2. What is your mission statement? Before taking out any loans or buying supplies and equipment, decide on a mission statement and write a business plan. This will help you get the "big picture". While writing your business plan, remember to address how the business will affect your marriage. Make sure you separate work and family conflicts by setting boundaries - such as "No business discussions during dinnertime".
3. Have you developed job descriptions? Running a cleaning business involves more than just cleaning. There is also marketing, bookkeeping, ordering supplies, and depending on the size of your business, hiring and supervising employees. Clearly state the responsibilities for each job description, and then divide the jobs fairly to make sure that one person is not doing most of the work.
4. Are you each doing what you love to do and do best? If you and your spouse have the same strengths and weaknesses, then you might have a problem. The best case scenario for working with your spouse is when you both have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, if you love working in the office and taking care of the behind-the-scenes tasks, and your spouse truly loves to clean, loves being out in the field and marketing the business, then you're in a great situation. There's less chance of getting into disagreements and butting-heads when you can each take control of your portion of the business.
5. How will you solve disputes? Between business owners there will always be a "difference of opinion" on the best way to get things done. Before you and your spouse make the financial commitment in a business, make sure you have a system in place for discussing and resolving business conflicts.
There will be business issues that come up daily - everything from scheduling to what supplies to buy to where to get your business cards printed. As a couple, you must be able to work together and make compromises when necessary. Having a management meeting once a week is a good way to review how the business is doing, discuss issues, and make plans for improvement.
6. Do you have a system in place to guide you through tough financial and legal decisions? A business can become paralyzed if you run into legal or financial difficulties and you have no experts to guide you. Before starting your cleaning business, create a support team that can help you if (and when) problems arise.
7. Have you set time aside for your private lives? Starting a business is a time-consuming endeavor. If you're not careful, the business can take over your lives. You and your spouse need time to reconnect as a couple and not as just business partners. This may be as simple as a quiet lunch or a walk where there is no "business talk".
8. If you have children, what child care do you have in place? As small business owners you will have business responsibilities pulling at you from all directions. Make sure that you have child care in place so the children are taken care of and you can devote the time you need to the business.
Before starting a home cleaning business with your spouse, it's important that you sit down and discuss these issues. If you have a good relationship with your spouse, put a good business plan in place, and know where your business is going, you can start a successful cleaning business. Putting in time before-hand to plan properly will help to ensure that your cleaning business is on the right track to success!

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Steve Hanson is co-founding member of TheJanitorialStore.com, an online community for owners and managers of cleaning companies who want to build a more profitable and successful cleaning business. Sign up for Trash Talk: Tip of the Week at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com and receive a Free Gift. Read cleaning success stories from owners of cleaning companies at http://www.cleaning-success.com/ .