The letter…Ah, yes. It’s a very splendid thing - when done
correctly. But when was the last time you read a letter than
really ‘talked’ to you, that pulled you in, that did its job?
Whether used as sales devices in their own right, to entice lost
customers back into the fold, appeal to prospective customers,
act as reminders for an unpaid invoice, undo the damage caused
by bad publicity…letters are the oil that run the business
engine. And every business worth its salt uses sales letters -
aka direct response or marketing letters - to appeal to and
stimulate a response from customers and prospects. They’re like
your personal sales-force in print.
Write a good sales letter, and you can win customer loyalty and
even make a small fortune. For example, manager of specialist
recruitment firm Jessica won three new jobs from three new
clients within days of sending out her sales letter campaign.
However, if your sales letters are guilty of any of the
following, beware: you could lose out on sales and even lost
custom. That’s what happened to sole trader George. He spent his
entire marketing budget on a sales letter that was sent to 3,000
prospects. It sank: only two enquiries and no sales.
Time to reveal what he and many others got wrong, then…
Mistake # 1: And you are?
Most people fall at the first hurdle, before any pen has been
put to paper. They buy a few mailing lists, get out one of their
generic letters (”Hey! It wasn’t too bad last time, right?”)
and, zap, off it goes to the individuals on that list.
But who exactly is behind that list? What are their fears,
wants, hopes, desires..? How old are they? Male or female? What
is the common denominator of the people on the list? How can you
start to even thing of appealing to their emotions if they have
such wide and varying characteristics? Approximately 90% of all
businesses don’t bother to find answers.
Before you are able to adequately address the specific concerns
of your market, you should pinpoint exactly whom you are hoping
to reach. Your list is your market, so get to know it inside
out.
Mistake # 2: Enter the list
What if the list you have is not an ideal match for your product
or service? Perhaps the most obvious yet common blunders with in
letter mailings is not selecting the wrong or outdated list.
It’s worth bearing in mind that your campaign will only be as
good as the mailing list used. And there’s absolutely no point
in trying to send a beautifully crafted sales letter to the
wrong people. You don’t have to be a genius to realise that a
letter explaining the benefits of pensions will not be a hit
with a group of teenagers.
So what makes for the best list? Your own list. Most businesses
overlook this biggest source of never-ending profits. Start by
collecting emails and other details of visitors to your website,
telephone enquirers, and so on.
Mistake # 3: Heads up!
Around 99% of all businesses sending out sales letters omit one
crucial element: the headline. Why is it so important? Because
it will be the first thing your reader will look at. If there’s
nothing immediate there to stir his or her interest, your letter
will more than likely be ignored.
A good headline demands attention and compels the reader to read
the rest of your letter.
Mistake # 4: Ego trip
Believe it or not your prospect doesn’t want to know about you
and how great you reckon your company/product/service is. They
want to know what’s in it for them - why should they keep
reading?
How do you know if there isn’t enough focus on the prospect?
Grab one of your latest sales letters. How many times do you use
the words Our, We, Us or your business/brand name? Now count the
number of times you use the words You, Yours, Your.
Which scores higher? If it’s the former, you’ve committed one of
the deadliest yet so simple sins in the direct response world.
Change it so that You, Yours and Your make more of an
appearance, and you should see a difference in response rates.
Mistake # 5: Benefit of the doubt
One of the oldest and most widely acknowledged ‘rule’ for
writing letters that sell is, “Stress the benefits, not the
features.” Aside from technical products, where features are
used to differentiate between products, benefits are what make
things irresistible.
Far too many businesses stress the features of their product and
don’t even mention the benefits. Big mistake. Readers want to
know how they will personally benefit from buying your product.
What are they getting for the price you’re charging? Be sure to
focus on your customer and present her with benefits that fit in
with her wants and needs.
Mistake # 6: No offers
I get asked by clients why their letter isn’t pulling the
desired response. One of the mistakes I see time and time again
is that there is no incentive for the reader to respond. To be
successful, your letter should include an appealing offer that
would make it almost impossible for readers NOT to respond. You
want them to act now, don’t you?!
Mistake # 7: Out of action
Even if you do offer an incentive to respond, have you clearly
explained what they potential customer should do next? Quite a
number of letters go out without a ‘call of action’, so the
reader never responds. Think about it, if they get to the point
where they think, “Mmm, this looks interesting…” do you think
they will go to the bother of hunting down how to place an
order? Not many do, if any.
Mistake # 8: The proof of the pudding…
I never cease to be amazed by how many people don’t bother to
offer proof that their company is the one to do business with.
Even if you have done a good job so far and managed to show how
and why your product is the best one in the universe, today’s
highly skeptical marketplace means that you absolutely have to
provide proof and come across as credible.
Mistake # 9: Risky business
Say you’re targeting a couple of thousand prospective customers
and you omitted to mention your guarantee (you DO have one,
don’t you?), the likelihood is that they will hesitate to do
business with you. The risk might be too great. People need to
be reassured that there will be no strings attached to
purchasing your product, so give them reason to buy with
confidence. Offer a guarantee or some other form of
risk-reversal. Research shows that few people actually take up
guarantees if the product or service is good enough.
Mistake # 10: Mind your language
One of the quickest ways to kill any response from your letter
is to use weak, unimaginative and unconvincing language. A lot
of letters posted through today’s letterboxes are full of vague
phraseology. They lack specifics, authority, creativity and,
worse of all, there’s no ‘persuasive’ copy. Using the right
words and solid facts can dramatically increase your letter’s
success rate.
Tylenol is one of the most common pain-relievers on the market today. It is a well-trusted brand name, not only for pain relief, but fever reduction as well. The key ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, is found in many other drugs on the market as well, but Tylenol is the most well known. Many people who are afflicted with chronic pain, turn to Tylenol or other acetaminophen based pain killers to help them deal with their pain and be able to function every day.
People who are in considerable pain, will often do anything they can to make the pain go away. Some make the mistake of thinking that taking more acetaminophen will reduce their pain faster and make it stay away longer than the recommended dosage does. Little do these people know, however, having too much acetaminophen in your system can lead to other serious health problems. Just by taking a double dose of acetaminophen, you are subjecting your liver to a possibly lethal dose, which could lead to liver failure. People who are in pain don’t realize the consequences of taking too much medicine, they just want something to help them now. Thousands of people each year are being hospitalized for acetaminophen overdose, and hundreds die each year, not from intentionally overdosing, but misuse.
A common cause for this problem is that acetaminophen is found in most pain relievers on the market today. Many people will take Tylenol, then an hour or so later, turn around and take a different brand name pain killer, not realizing they are taking a double dose of basically the same ingredients. Many diseases and conditions cause chronic pain, such as arthritis, migraines, lupus, even down to the simple cold and flu that we all fall victim to at one time or another. In the search for something to lessen the pain and make day to day living more bearable, many people will inadvertently feed too much acetaminophen into their systems. It is important to understand that just because you may take a different type of pain killer, it is still likely to have the same active ingredients as the one you took before that didn’t work. Taking larger doses will not lessen the pain any faster than a normal dose, however it will put you at a substantially increased health risk.
Some people are more susceptible to the side effects caused by many medicines than others. Even a normal dosage of acetaminophen can sometimes lead these people straight to the emergency room. It is important to keep in mind the effects that medicine have on you individually, before you start popping pills.
It is a good idea to start reading the labels of any medicine you are considering taking, especially to find out what the active ingredients are. You are probably better off not mixing over the counter pain relievers, just pick one that works for you and follow the recommended dosage. Avoid the temptation to take more thinking it will work better, as odds are high that it will do more harm to your system than good. If you are a person who suffers from chronic daily pain, you should see your doctor for recommendations on what to do to help alleviate it, rather than taking treatment into your own hands with over the counter products.
Susan Anderson enjoys writing articles for families and consumers which are
informative and adds value to their lives. With a simple and down to earth
writing style, these articles are suited for all audiences. ContentArticles.com
I’ve written about customer service before but I want to touch on the subject again because this is such an important topic. In fact, getting the customer service aspect of your online (or offline) business right could mean the difference between success and failure….
I don’t care what you are selling, who you are selling it to, what service you provide or who your target market is, if you don’t make the effort to provide top quality customer service, you will definitely be losing sales somewhere along the line.
This subject is fresh in my mind at the moment because I have had cause to make several online purchases over the past week or so and the levels of service I have received have varied considerably. At one end of the scale I have had some excellent service and in contrast, some companies have totally ignored my requests for assistance!
This is to be expected I guess (though there is no excuse for ignoring paying customers) but the businesses that really stand out for me are the ones that made the effort to communicate on a ‘personal’ level. By that I mean taking the time to reply to my emails rather than just ignoring them in the hope that their standard automatically generated emails would do the trick. These businesses that went the extra mile to make me feel like a valued customer are the ones that will reap the rewards in the future because I will go back to them to purchase again. It really is so simple that it amazes me when companies/individuals don’t bother to make the effort.
So what can you do to ensure that your online business is offering the right level of customer service? Well here are a few ideas to get you started….
1. Ensure that your website has a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQ) page. This will help your customers to find the answers to their own questions immediately without the need to send an email/make a telephone call. As many of you know, I set up a Support Centre earlier this year which includes a Knowledgebase of commonly asked questions. Not only does this help customers but it also reduced my inbound emails considerably.
2. Make sure that your contact details are easily located. Online businesses can generally get away with not publishing a telephone number (though if you want to do so, even better) but it is vital that a working email address is available for customers. Note that I say ‘working’ email address - if your ISP is filtering your emails for spam and junk, then this doesn’t really count as it is very easy for a genuine email to get sent to the trash bin in error.
3. You should set your sales site up so that when a purchase is made, a confirmation email is automatically sent to the buyer. This lets them know that their order has been received and confirms that it is being processed. I can’t stand it when I spend money online and don’t even get an email confirmation!
4. Answer all emails/enquiries within 24 hours. That said, I actually think that 24 hours is too long to wait for a reply from an online business. I have always stated on my sites that I will respond within 24 hours but most emails are answered within 8 hours absolute maximum. If an online business can’t/won’t respond to me within 24 hours, then I won’t deal with them.
I am afraid that I have little time for anyone running a business that says that they can’t answer emails within 24 hours. Even when I had a full-time job, I checked my emails first thing in the morning and then again in the evening so that customers weren’t left waiting. I even check my emails daily when I am on holiday so if I can do this, why can’t other people? Ok, you might want to have time off over the weekend - that’s fair enough but make sure your website tells your customers that your office is only manned Monday to Friday.
Mind you, any online business owner that doesn’t check their emails at the weekend is missing a trick. I make a fair few sales on Saturday/Sunday and I know that sometimes this is because I bothered to reply to an email sent on one of these days within a few hours. If I had left it until Monday, chances are that one of my competitors would have got the sale.
I have come across some business owners that have gone on holiday for two or three weeks and just left their emails to pile up. I find it hard to believe that anyone that takes their business seriously would do this but I have seen it happen. If you want to take a holiday and don’t want to check your emails, fine but make sure you get someone else to do it while you are away. Sending an autoresponder message that says ‘We will answer your email in two weeks time…’ just isn’t good enough. If you want to be able to clear off for a break and forget about your work, then you need a job not your own business.
5. Finally, deal with complaints quickly and fairly. Whatever type of business you run, you will get complaints from time to time - it just isn’t possible to please everyone all of the time. A lot of the time you will probably feel that the complaint isn’t justified and in many cases, it won’t be - people can be a strange breed! However, just handle it and move on - it isn’t worth getting hung up on.
Spending time on customer service is time very well spent - it gets sales and more importantly, it brings customers back again and again. To quote an old saying, it is much easier/cheaper to retain an existing customer than it is to find a new one.
Copyright 2005 Richard Grady
Richard Grady has been helping people earn online since 1998. eBay sellers find wholesalers for free at: http://www.wholesale118.co.uk (UK) & http://www.thewholesaletrader.com (US).
Many consumers that are bogged down in debt frequently turn to bankruptcy as a form of restoring their financial status back to a zero balance. Unfortunately many of these same consumers are confused when it comes to the difference between a Chapter 13 bankruptcy and a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This quick article will explain what a Chapter 13 bankruptcy actually is and what it does for a consumer that files this form of debt relief.
Before explaining what a Chapter 13 is I want to make sure that you are familiar with what the definition of bankruptcy actually means. It is basically a legal process that is filed in a court of law. The reason for filing this debt elimination strategy is to relieve individuals or businesses that cannot pay their current financial obligations of those same debts. This allows them a fresh start on their finances.
A Chapter 13 bankruptcy which normally runs around $185 to file is commonly referred to as reorganization bankruptcy. This form of debt elimination is filed by consumers that wish to ay their debt off between a period of 3 - 5 years. This is a preferred strategy for individuals that wish to actually keep some of their possessions and have the means to financially meet their normal living expenses while still having money left over to pay towards their accumulated debt.
When filing a Chapter 13 the individual will present a bankruptcy petition which list the consumer’s schedule of assets and liabilities. Immediately following this the person filing bankruptcy will have to present a repayment plan that is carefully reviewed by the debtor’s creditors to see if it meets their needs. If there are no objections or points of argument then both the creditors and consumer filing bankruptcy must follow the reorganization plan.
Additional confirmation tests remain before a reorganization bankruptcy takes place. One of these tests compares the amount that the unsecured creditors will receive under the plan to the amount they would receive under a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Basically what this means is that all unsecured creditors must be able to receive the same amount of monetary compensation under a Chapter 13 as they would for a Chapter 7. A final test requires that the individual filing bankruptcy must also pay all of their disposable income into the repayment plan.
A Chapter 13 is especially beneficial for consumers interested in keeping on to some very important possessions such as their home. For instance if the consumer has missed several house payments and is facing the scary possibility of a foreclosure they can effectively halt the foreclosure by filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. This is normally referred to as an automatic stay. This allows time for the consumer to catch up on missed payments. If the individual is unable to effectively catch up during this reorganization period then the foreclosure proceedings will continue as before.
When it comes to a Chapter 13 or any other form of bankruptcy it is highly recommended that an attorney who is knowledgeable in bankruptcy law be consulted in order to receive the most accurate information. One additional note - although a bankruptcy can restore an individual’s financial status it does so with the high price of that same consumer’s credit suffering a blemished record for about 10 years making it difficult to obtain future credit when needed.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Debt-Relief-Solutions.com. He provides more debt relief, consolidation and bankruptcy information that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
Wireless microphones have numerous uses, from amateur to
professional, from bars and clubs to educational institutions
and churches. A good, reliable wireless microphone system can be
an excellent addition to any of the mentioned locations, but it
can also be used on stage, during a concert, a prize contest,
announcing a play or for karaoke. Radio and TV stations often
use such cordless microphones with great success. There are
several frequency ranges in which you can get a microphone: VHF,
UHF and Giga Hertz. Cordless microphones may also take shapes
like hand held wireless microphones or clip-on microphones.
Advantages and potential problems of cordless microphones
When looking for a cordless microphone, one of your main
concerns has to address the mobility range that the device will
offer. Although the absence of a cord gives the person holding
the microphone more freedom, this must also translate in the
distance you can use the microphone, in relation with the
wireless receiver. A good wireless microphone will allow a club
DJ, for example, to leave his mixing desk and walk on the dance
floor with the mic in hand, without experiencing any signal loss
or quality problems. Also look for battery life specifications -
it’s better to get a cordless microphone that has a battery
level indicator on it, so as to get early warning and not be
surprised by a sudden battery failure in the middle of a speech.
In fact, batteries used to be one of the biggest disadvantages
of older cordless microphones: they were heavy and had a short
life. Today, however, you can expect to get dozens of hours of
battery life and most wireless hand held microphones are
actually lightweight.
A few popular wireless microphone models
VHF performance gear microphones are the least expensive in the
line of semi professional and professional microphones. They
work well in a wide area, but you cannot expect extreme
recording environments to produce high quality results. Such
microphones are, however, suitable for 80% of all sound
recording situations. Fixed frequency UHF units are another
popular choice for many musicians and even for educational
institutions. They come with a series of microphone types, such
as cardioid, super cardioid or omni directional. Broadcast
quality UHF models are usually used in award shows, TV shows and
other high-end locations. They offer agile frequency responses
and excellent ambient noise cancellation filters.
How the Government of Ontario would entertain such a regressive notion as the introduction of Shari’ah law in the resolution of family matters continues to mortify me. Widely documented and internationally condemned as being contrary to basic Canadian values, the abuses, biases, and discrimination practiced against women under Shari’ah has no place in my province.
Justice is blind to nothing but the facts, Shari’ah law is not.
It devalues women and accords them little if any protection in respect to domestic
disputes. To believe that the provision of Shari’ah law as a “voluntary” dispute
resolution alternative is naivety at its grandest. Implementing this puts women at
risk of coercion, condemnation, and alienation within the Muslim community should
disputes arise and they fail to “voluntarily” opt for resolution through Shari’ah
tribunals.
“Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel
others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore
obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose
part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-
places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely
Allah is High, Great.”
(Qur’an 4:34 English translation: MH Shakir)
I know this because Hinduism had a similar “voluntary” practice called suttee. For
Hindu women who became widowed “voluntarily” jumped on the funeral pyre,
sometimes being “helped” by her husbands family to maintain their honor upon his
death. The British outlawed this practice 200 years ago, and for good reason. It is
not inline with western thought - and as hard as it may be for some to believe,
Canada IS a western nation.
I believe that women, irrespective of faith are entitled by law to equal status,
protection and representation as their male counterparts. “Equality before and under
law and equal protection and benefit of law” is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms. Shari’ah does not embrace this ideal in its application to
domestic matters and on that ground alone if no other, is unacceptable. Ontario
already has means of arbitration. The Family Law Act exists to govern family legal
matters in the Province of Ontario and should also be the only applicable Act in
respect to family matters in the Muslim community.
I urge anyone who claims stake in the future of Canada to write to the Premier and
voice your concern for the introduction of Shari’ah law as a legally binding means of
arbitration.
Discipline and parenting is a tough game indeed. We need to discipline but we empathize with our children and we really love them and want to be there friends too. This causes a catch 22 for parents and thus became a topic in an online think tank recently as one of the members stated;
“My generation’s parents felt like they wanted to be our friends instead of our parents which has lead to lack of respect for authority, lack of self-discipline, lack of personal responsibility, lack of motivation, lack of integrity overall.”
Very interesting point indeed. Yes, it does appear that we did indeed have such generational conditions like this and of course anytime something changes the results will be different. And in changing the raising of kids we see the changes in patterns of behavior both as teens and adults, not to mention the over all trends of society.
The think tank member then stated, “Many crimes are totally selfish acts, and committed by narcissistic and shallow persons, or by those with no skills, and no hope and who see no other way other than criminal enterprise.”
Indeed and many crimes are committed by self-righteous, wimps with no personal integrity and not an ounce of self-confidence, inner will or personal character. So, I would wish to take such categorization off the table, as well as point out your flawed comment, which just about encompasses most everyone.
Re-read that sentence. You are basically saying all people commit crimes, except people with no ego who are well to do. Which is also not true at all, but then again you did say many and thus leaves the rest of the crimes unaccounted for doesn’t it? Was that a trick statement? It did not say anything and it offered no new information or relevance? It seems that maybe this issue needs a further look as there seems to be something to it. Yet it is so hard to define? Perhaps you will consider this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
You men need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day,
especially if you’re trying to lose weight. There’s no secret,
you’ve heard it already, Everyone has heard this one. Every
health source will tell you that. So, do you drink that much
water?
I didn’t think so. But this is the single most important
nutrient you ingest every day, and the single easiest way to
cleanse your body, flush toxins, make you feel great, and speed
weight loss.
The Liver
The function of your kidneys is to filter your blood (which is
mostly water). And one of the functions of your liver is to
metabolize fat. If you don’t consume enough water, your kidneys
can’t function properly, so your liver starts to help perform
kidney functions. So, if your liver is busy helping your ailing
kidneys, you can’t burn as much fat. Let me repeat that: No
matter how much you exercise, if you don’t drink enough water,
your liver will not metabolize fat for you, because it is trying
to help your kidneys.
Boost Your Liver’s Performance to Lose
Weight Fast
Too Much Water?
Being hyper-hydrated (consuming too much water) is not in any
way harmful, and actually helps your body metabolize fat. The
greatest ill effect of excess water consumption is that you will
visit the washroom more often. Consider it a chance to fit in a
little more exercise.
There have been a few cases of long distance runners who have
died from drinking water to toxic levels, but this is extremely
rare, and their situation is very unique, so it is nothing for a
normal person to worry about.
Retaining Water
You may have a medical condition that causes you to retain
water, probably because of excess salt (sodium) in your system.
The solution is simple: drink more water. Your body retains
water for the same reason it retains fat: your body thinks that
it’s hard to come by. If you teach your body that food is
abundant, it will stop storing it. If you teach your body that
water is abundant by drinking more of it, your body will stop
storing it. For more on human adaptation, read my articles on Adaptation for weight loss.
Other Benefits
The more water you drink the healthier your skin becomes,
because it has to be moisturized from the inside and out. It
also contributes to joint lubrication, reducing the risk of
injury in any activity. Water is the best cure for constipation,
and should be your first choice, even before fiber.
When you are active, you should drink even more water,
especially on hot days, to replace what you lose in sweat. Do
not wait until you’re thirsty, because that is your body telling
you that it is already under-hydrated. Try to keep yourself
over-hydrated for best health. Here’s an extra tip: cold water
is more easily absorbed into your system, plus it slightly
lowers your body temperature, so you have to burn a few extra
calories to bring your body temperature back up.
I Drink Plenty of Coffee, That’s Mostly Water, Right?
What counts as water? Some say “only water”, but some research
has found that fruit juices that are mostly water can be counted
towards your daily quota. However, you simply can’t drink as
much juice as you can water. Juice will fill you up, and
contains sugar which you should try to minimize in your diet.
So, it’s really not a substitute for simple, clear water. And
even though coffee is made with mostly water, it does not count
since it is a diuretic and actually strips water from your
system. Colas are also full of that diuretic caffeine, besides
their ultra-high sugar content, so soft drinks should be the
first item to stop consuming if you’re trying to lose weight.
Replace those “alternatives” with a glass of water, and you’ll
feel better and start losing pounds and inches.
I hope it goes without saying that alcohol, even when mixed with
water, is a diuretic and my advice is to minimize your
consumption of alcoholic drinks.
Final Tip
You don’t have to drink a huge glass or two all at once, either.
I have a large glass of water at my desk all day. As soon as it
is empty, I refill it. I naturally sip it whenever I like, and I
end up drinking more than my quota of water every day.
In fact, I’m getting thirsty…
Article originally printed: Water Weight Loss
