Combining marketing tools multiplies their power

I know of a chap, whose primary mode of selling was the telephone because that's what he was comfortable with. He was selling a series of books and audio tapes that would help people accelerate the learning process with such tools as speed reading, memorization techniques and more. It was a terrific product and a system he developed himself while working as a college professor at a small university. He quit his job to focus on selling his accelerated learning program, hoping to turn it into a thriving business.

He was doing fairly well making sales by phone, earning just enough money to make it worth his while and pay his bills. But then it was suggested he could sell a lot more if he bought some radio advertising to pitch his product. The product seemed a good match for radio advertising. He agreed to try. He bought a series of radio ads that gave a strong pitch and announced a freephone number prospects could call. The ad ran periodically for almost two weeks in his city.

The problem was that his freephone number barely rang at all. The radio ads were a big flop. He was mortified and it cost him a lot of money, and got him little in return.

And yet all was not lost... His telephone sales suddenly quadrupled! As it turned out, hundreds of people had heard the radio ads, but few of them bothered to write down and call the number. But when he made his 'cold' sales calls, he was delighted to discover that a high number of his calls weren't so cold anymore! That's because a lot of them had heard the radio ads, had some time to think it over, and were ready to buy when he called. By adding radio advertising to his telephone sales strategy, he had managed to greatly increase the effectiveness of the latter.

The moral of the story: when you combine marketing techniques, they often increase the power of each other. In his case, the radio ads had worked to change the attitude of the public, softened them up, and got them ready to buy when he called.

The same is true of direct mail. When you follow-up a mailing with a phone call, response rates have been shown to increase from 6% to 22% or more! The results tend to be even stronger when direct mail is teamed up with print advertising.

If you are targeting a specific city, area or region, try buying a series of ads for your product and let them run for a couple of weeks. Then hit the same area with direct mailing, and you'll be amazed at the results.

Make sure your two or three different marketing tools have a definite connection with each other. Push the same benefit in a print ad as you do in the direct mail piece. If you call a prospect after mailing them, refer to what you told them in the mail piece, and increase the attractiveness of the offer even more.

WHEN YOU FOLLOW-UP A MAILING WITH A PHONE CALL, RESPONSE RATES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE FROM 6% TO 22%

Another good idea is to advertise a higher price in the first round of marketing, then follow-up with a lower price. Someone else I know of was selling a booklet on how to get government grants. In a four-page sales letter, he asked for $19.95. After about ten days, he sent a postcard to all those who didn't go for the $19.95 price, and offered the booklet for just $12.95. The response to the second, lower price was phenomenal! Interestingly, the lower price is the price that he wanted in the first place! He never expected to get $19.95, yet he still got a few from his initial mailing. But then a very high percentage bought at the lower price resulted in a very nice profit.

The effect was to make people think they were getting a $19 product for only $12. It's all just a matter of perception - but as you already know, in marketing, perception is everything.

I urge you to combine and coordinate your various marketing tools to multiply their power. This terrific technique easily completes my list of Marketing Gold Principles'.

INVESTORS HUNGRILY BOUGHT UP SHARES OF ANY COMPANY WITH DOT.COM BEHIND ITS NAME...

AND SUDDENLY, THE BUBBLE BURST

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