Personalising Your Mailing

:: Home » Library » Home Based Business Ideas Part 3

A good sales letter will be short, to the point and say for example;
'Dear (give their name if possible),
I have included some of my latest offers and would like to point out that you can get reduced prices on a few of them if you answer quickly. In particular xyz is very good and I would thoroughly recommend it. However, if you are interested in abc, then I would recommend xyz as well. I hope you will take the trouble to thoroughly read the information on these and others for wgich I very much hope that I will hear from you again.
Yours sincerely,
(Your Christian name).

With a litte thought, you can, probably come up with a much better letter than that. Most of my letters are either personally written or written with a purpose in mind. Therefore, it is difficult to write one that will suit ALL purposes. Once you can write letters quickly, you will find that it is little trouble to write a page that really WILL br read. The personal letter makes a lot of difference. I like people who buy from me to feel that I am their friend. Once they trust you, they will buy more from you and follow your advise and recommendations on what is worth buying. Never try to fob someone off with something that they obviously don't want.

The packaging of a mailing is also very important. It doesn't , in my opinion, need to be expensive but it DOES need to neat. I use 9"x6" white envelopes so that all the A4 brochures can be folded in half . Each brochure should be folded indervidually and the fold should be at the side it is opened. Letters are usually opened from the back and for that reason, your brochure should be arranged so that the titles are seen when withdrawing the mail so make sure that it comes out the right way up. Your letter must be at the front. It is a good idea to include a self-addressed envelope or a 'Freepost' one.Try to make the whole package neat and interesting when it is opened.

Keep records of all your sales and what you sent back in return. You will find some brochures sell better than others. Keep them going. You will also find that some brochures give a better follow-up response than others. They may not bring in as much money but they are a better sale than any other. Watch for them. Records are VITAL to the mail order dealer. Don't try to do without them. I have a computer but I still find it easier to keep my records in a filing box so don't think that you are at a disadvantage if you don't have a computer. Make certain that you learn from your records. Every six months, go through them and work out which are your best sellers, which sales generate follow-up sales and any other patterns that may appear,

Getting results from mail order is hard work but it can be done with little equipment and a cost of around £20. 'Repeat Orders' is what it's all about. Be honest and only sell the best. A good business can be built up if you take it slowly and carefully. Plan how you are going to go about it and learn after you have done it.