IneedProfit.com | Small Business Blog

This week, we’re going to offer up some tips on getting the maximum value out of snail mail campaigns. We will address the mailing list, to the actual mailing piece and everything else there is to a successful mailer.

We do work for companies, and have even sent out mass mailers for our business. However, unless you have a very large advertising budget, this is not the ideal way to go about your mailer. You should be targeting people who have confirmed they’re in the market for what you are selling, or at the very least, targeting your general demographic audience.

If you want to do the work yourself, you are going to need access to a consumer and/or business database. You can use services like InfoUSA and Hoovers to provide you with unlimited access for a monthly fee. From there, you can search for people or businesses that fit into your demographic mold, and create your mailer solely on this info. If you want to take it to the next level, you can call out to confirm their interest in your product or service. Once you have validation of their interest, you can then compose your mailing list from this data.

If you are doing B2B transactions, there are no DNC requirements. If you are doing B2C transactions, you always have to be aware of the DNC list. With that said, there is an easy way to get around this. You create an economic recovery survey, and have one of the questions pertain to the product or service you are selling. You can’t sell anything on the call, but with the right survey, you can determine who is in the market for what you’re selling.

If you don’t want to do this on your own, we are now offering the economic survey, lead generation service to the public: Click here

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the actual mailer.

We have received a few emails in regards to our project. We are very busy and understaffed at the moment, so it’s not coming along as we hoped. However, don’t fear, we’re still going to do it. The launch time should be around the new year, and we’ll keep you updated.

Like every proud businessman and businesswoman, our team wants to take on a near impossible challenge – To start an online business on a shoestring budget, and see if we can gross a million or sell the business for a million within a year.

We have a very talented team, and it wouldn’t be fair if we put forth all of our manpower behind the effort. Also, with huge marketing dollars, this wouldn’t be much of a challenge. So, we came up with a few rules in which this challenge must be taken on:

1) Two team member partnership
2) $1,000 budget
3) IneedProfit employees forbidden to offer any help outside of advice
4) Business must be started from scratch

This would be a stretch in the best of economies, but it’s going to be even more trying in this current economic situation. We could have attempted some lame project, where we would sell shirts or show you the basics of business startup, SEO, etc. You might learn something from that, but it would be way too tame for our tastes.

We are aiming for the stars and we are going to take you along for the ride. Follow this blog as we update you on our journey.

Let’s face it, you are not where you want to be with your sales goals or you wouldn’t even be opening up this article. That is OK. Nobody starts out a sales guru, as it takes experience, knowledge and a lot of trial and error. We can’t give you experience, but we can give you our experiences, knowledge and what has worked for us.

It’s been said that being a salesman or saleswoman is tough gig, but that is not really the case. Well, you are probably wondering where this misconception came from. This is fairly easy to explain – The majority of people entering the sales game don’t make it. Next, you have a few lifelong sales folks who are average, do enough to get by, and complain about everything related to their job.

Then, you have the rare birds, your elite sales class; the people who are making the majority of the money. Right about now, you are probably thinking I am contradicting myself. Nope. It’s not that sales is rocket science, it’s that people see big money and they think they’re going to make it without much effort. They enter green into a sales job, associate with new and average sales reps and they eventually fail.

Here is the road-map to becoming an overnight sales pro:

1. Mindset – You have heard that selling is a numbers game and that is the truth. Even a monkey could sell if it got in front of enough prospects. The more time you put in, the less you goof around, the more you will find yourself working deals. When you work more deals, you will close more deals. It’s time to start thinking about putting in the work it takes to be the best. It’s time to know that you are the best.

2. Product & Sales Knowledge – Hey, at least you are reading this article, so it shows that you care. However, you also need to be learning everything about your product and/or service. Also, you need to know everything about what your competitor is peddling. Become an expert in your field and you will exude the expert status to your customers.

3. Think Outside The Box – Do something to set yourself apart from other sales people. I always ran a contest for every prospect that I talked to. For every lead they gave me, I entered them into a drawing for gift cards that I paid for out of pocket. Create your own website to collect leads, run your own ads, work the companies dead files, do something that nobody else is doing.

4. Always Ask For The Sale – If you are not asking for the sale, you are doing it all wrong. If they object, address the objection and ask for the sale again. You won’t sell anything if you are not asking for the sale.

5. Follow Up – They didn’t talk to you because they felt like wasting their time. They took up your time and their time because they want what you have to sell. They are either shopping you or finding someone who knows how to sell them what they want. Your time is running out, so you better follow up.

Here is an email (names changed) we wrote to a business that asked us to look over their site:

We started to dig into your website, so we could offer you some more detailed information. Lets start with optimizing your pages:

You need to be targeting two keywords with each page. Each page should have different keywords and meta data, as you don’t want to cannibalize your pages – You want them all to give you the most search traffic possible.

Right now, your main page is targeting one keyword string: “Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry” Setup your title like this: xxxxx.com | Handcrafted Beaded Jewelry | Insert one more string

Here is a link to help you find easier keywords and strings: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Once again, each page title should start with: xxxxx.com | Unique and relevant keyword string | Unique and relevant keyword string

Every sub page should contain the keyword string in the url. Example: www.xxxxxx.com/wooden-aggie-beads-orange-longhorn-beads.html

Make sure to also target the keywords and/or strings in the meta description and meta keywords. You want to make sure the keywords are also in at least an H1 tag, and as many more headings as possible. Get the keywords in the first hundred words as many times as possible. Bold the keywords. Make all of your alt image data turn into the keywords strings.

Next, you need to get backlinks that validate your keyword strings. Submit your site to directories, post on dofollow message boards, trade links. However, in the title sections, make sure it’s targeting your keyword string and not the company name. You want the anchor text to match your keywords.

Times are getting rough and the majority of businesses are experiencing a drop off in revenue. This is leading to many businesses intentionally raising prices on their loyal customers and many businesses that have yet to examine out of date price increase policies. The problem is that our current economic situation isn’t limited to certain individuals or certain businesses, it’s close to everyone that has taken a hit. When individuals and businesses take a hit, they look to lower expenses and maximize revenue. So, what’s the first change or cut made? The product or service that just increased their price!

Here is a story about one of our loyal Austin clients:

Company X rents office space in NW Austin. They’ve been in the same location for over 10 years and they have been a great tenant. Over the 10 year time period, there have been steady price increases with each lease renewal, but these price increases stayed true to market conditions. However, as the economy turned sour, other companies either went bankrupt, downsized or moved from the complex. This has lead to the office complex now offering slashed pricing and great concessions to lure new businesses to their location. Meanwhile, Company X was still getting by, making timely payments and being of top value to the landlord. Then, the landlord tried to go Uncle Sam on Company X – When you’re hurting for money, increase the burden on those most valuable to your income. Company X was upset at the price gouging, and instead of negotiating, they found a bigger and better office space for less money, elsewhere.

Once you raise your price and run off loyal customers, what are you left with? You’re left starting over – More money blown on cost per conversion, not knowing what kind of customer you’re even landing, and probably at a reduced price point. Offer a small price reduction or keep your prices steady for loyal customers. Creative solutions are the key to running your business in a recession, not price increases.

First, you have to know how to write a press release. A press release is hard to get published much less picked up by the media and other sites. You’re even less likely to get your press release published when you opt for the free service, but it can be done. There are a lot of great resources on how to write a press release, so there is no need for us to attempt to reinvent the wheel.

Good resources on how to write your PR:

www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
www.copyblogger.com/social-media-press-release/

Now we’ll move on to the part you have all been waiting for…. The links for sites that will distribute your press release at no charge:

www.i-newswire.com/submit_free.php
www.free-news-release.com
www.free-press-release.com/submit/
www.openpr.com/news/submit.html
www.pr.com
www.1888pressrelease.com
www.sanepr.com
www.free-press-release-center.info
www.PRUrgent.com

Sign up and send out your press release with each company, it will increase your chance of approval. Also, they all have different readers and websites in which they feed your press release to.

Even though it’s still a long shot, we are making some progress in our pursuit to sponsor Tiger Woods. We now have been sent the contact information to send our proposal directly to Tiger’s agent, Mark Steinberg. We will keep you updated.

Dear Chad,

Thanks for your interest in Tiger. You may forward any proposals for Tiger Woods to:

Mark Steinberg
IMG
XXXX
XXXX
Cleveland, OH 44114

This blog is going to have some helpful information posted, just like our website tips and article sections. However, we are going to use our first blog post to tell you about what we are trying to accomplish:

We are in the process of communicating with IMG, trying to sponsor Tiger Woods. Is it a pipe dream? Maybe, but we are offering a great monetary and equity proposal. If there were ever a time to land Tiger, this would be it. Press releases have just been sent out and you should see some activity on this by the end of the week.

Here is the press release:

Days after Tiger Woods’ much anticipated apology, and in what seems like the calm after the storm, Tiger has been offered a new endorsement deal.

 Austin, TX – It seems like just yesterday, that the public learned of Tiger Woods’ wreck and all the hoopla that followed, but in actuality it’s been close to three months. Tiger has always been the quintessential image of a professional golfer, dominating headlines for his achievements on the course, and for his philanthropy off the course. In the last few months, the Tiger media circus has been reminiscent of Hollywood stars, not professional golfers. With so much negative attention on Tiger, many sponsors felt it was in their best interest to part ways.

As the old saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and this is where IneedProfit.com is hoping to land a Ferrari Enzo with cosmetic damage, one that has been left for dead. “Tiger is one of the greatest golfers of all time. He might be down right now, but this will blow over and he will be back on top in no time,” says IneedProfit.com cofounder Chad Jeffers. With those feelings on Tiger, it’s no wonder that IneedProfit.com is trying their hardest to partner up and sponsor Mr. Woods.

The ratings for a golf tournament with Tiger in the field is huge, however, there have always been a handful of people that tune in with hopes of a Tiger defeat. More times than not, Tiger ends up on top. Now, it is a waiting game to see if this saga has come full circle, where Tiger and IneedProfit.com come out on top.