After the marketing, follow up and service make the sale

Earlier today I made some changes to my primary website: marte-cliff.com, but after I did it I thought maybe I need to go back and add a disclaimer for those business people who aren't just going after a one-time direct sale from their marketing.

It is absolutely true that your marketing materials have to send the right message - they have to touch some emotion in the reader (or viewer) to cause them to stop, think about your message, and take action.

But for many businesses it doesn't end there. You aren't asking your customers to just "click here to order." You're trying to draw them in to use your services, you need to explain your product in person, or you want to sell them products on an ongoing basis. After all,if you're selling your real estate services, want them to patronize your health spa, or are merchandising steel buildings, your marketing materials are designed only to bring you leads.

And if you get a dozen great leads in a day and then let them go cold because you didn't respond to their inquiries - they'll be gone by tomorrow.

Then, if you get a customer but fail to give the service they expect, they won't ever come back.

So, while your website, your ads, your letters, and the rest will bring customers to you if they're written correctly, what happens later accounts for at least 50% of your success.

I'm constantly amazed at the companies who don't bother to answer customer inquiries. And of course, when I'm the customer I'm not only amazed, but annoyed!

Why do people do that? It costs money to get a lead, so ignoring them is a lot like taking handfuls of bills out on a windy day and letting them fly.

Speaking of bills, I ran across a really strange situation lately. Someone sent me a very persuasive direct marketing piece. I think I already told you about it. It was so persuasive that I decided to Google it, and found out that it was a scam. But... in the envelope with the marketing letter was a "Million Dollar Bill."

That caught my imagination - I thought of all kinds of ways to use that for advertising, and even to enclose with a "Thanks a million" note to people who have done me a good turn. It's just a fun thing to have. On the bill was the web address of the person who supplied the bills, so I went there.

Hmmm... no prices. No way to order. But there was an email address, so I wrote, asking for pricing and ordering instructions. That was at least 2 weeks ago and I've not had a reply. Now how goofy is it to go to the trouble to set up a website for your business and then ignore someone who writes wanting to know the price and how to order?

Since then I've found several other websites that sell the million dollar bills, and I'll order from one of them. But again - goofy. This person made me aware of the product, but someone else will get the sale.

I'll bet if you keep your eyes open you'll find more examples like this. So... write and tell us about them!

How Google Can Save Your Sanity

Yesterday I got a most interesting direct mail piece. It was a scheme to get me to send money to someone who would teach me how to go out and find merchandise that stores need to liquidate for some reason or another.

I didn't count, but it was about 6 or 8 pages long, showed copies of the big checks people are receiving, and told how easy it all was. All you have to do is find the deals, convince the people to sell for ten cents on the dollar, and then this guy would buy the stuff, re-sell it, and give you half the profit.

Easy work, right? Somewhere in the letter he mentioned that he spent thousands every month to gather the contact info for the people you need to talk to - but I didn't notice anywhere that he said he'd give you that info. Only that he had it.

Anyway, out of curiosity, I decided to Google him and the business.

Oh boy! All I can say is that it's too bad the people who wrote about him hadn't done the same before they forked over their cash.

That's the second time in the past month or so that I've gotten something really persuasive in the mail and Googled it - to find that it was a complete scam.

If everyone would do that before they bought into these schemes, that kind of business would be out of business in short order.

And why doesn't everyone do it? Within just a few minutes you can find out if something is for real or not.

As well as doing a search, there's a website called www.ripoffreport.com where you can research all sorts of businesses you might be considering using. I got acquainted with it when I did some work for Hollywood Hair - he had me go see the reports people had posted about his biggest competitors.

Once I got there, I went exploring, and it was an eye-opener. Of course, some of the reports were silly. For instance, someone had written that Melaleuca products were no good because some people are allergic to them. Well duh - some people are allergic to almost anything you could name. So, you have to pay attention to what the complaints actually say.

If you're thinking about getting involved with a business opportunity, or even considering buying from a new company, use this tool we call the internet. You'll save your sanity and your money too!

Best success,
Marte