Sales Come First

Hi there

I hope you got something out of last week’s entry from Jim Straw.

I personally think that Jim’s Direct Mail course is one of the best you can get. Actually, now I think about it I think it IS the best.
You can use google so if you want to learn how he did it, I really urge you to do it. No affiliate program here folks, just straight advice. (I think its about fifty bucks).

I’ve been going nuts over the last few weeks writing emails for a big affilate program campaign. 65 in total, but (thankfully) not all at once.

I might write an article here in the next few weeks and let you all know the process I went through to write these.
But not now, because tonight is one for the OFFLINE marketers. Hey, you internet people should listen up anyway, because its chocked full of money making ideas that will help you anyway.

Actually, this subject is so long I’m going to have to spread it out over two weeks. So here’s Part 1 of HOW TO GET YOUR MAIL OPENED.

You see, when guys like Gary Halbert and Dan Kennedy used to talk about direct mail, they’d often get up and talk for an hour on THE ENVELOPE.

That’s right. Not headlines, not ‘the hook’ or the offer. The stupid envelope.

But they’re on the ball you see. If your envelope isnt opened, then nobody’s going to read your letter.

Any many a good headline, hook or offer have ended up in the bin. Look at it this way, if you convert 50% from a letter, but 80 out of 100 throw it in the bin before they read it, you’ll make 10 sales.
But if your letter’s only half as good, but 80% of the people open it, you’ll make 20 sales.
So, you gotta get it opened. And the trick is to get past the gatekeeper.

Often you’re the gatekeeper, so lets start with a bit of psychology. Just for a moment ask yourself what letters you open FIRST when you get your mail.

Well, for most people its not the bills, you know, the ones with the Origin Energy logo (or whatever energy company you use in your part of the world). And its not the ones which have the address on the back, and you can clearly see its some company trying to sell you something. And it sure as hell isnt something from ‘Civic Compliance’ in my home state of Victoria (they’re speeding fines!)
And nobody wants to be advertised to either.

So, to get it past the gatekeeper, you can’t make it look like ANY of these things.
You’ve got to make your reader curious. Wondering who sent you this letter, and why.
In short, your letter has to stand out like a lighthouse in a heavy fog.

So, printed names are out.

So are letters with a pre-paid franked stamp (like a Postage Paid sticker).
And even your return address, if it shows your reader that you’re writing from a business. This is because it puts their ‘advertising’ antenna up and put them into a ‘resistance’ mode.

Here are the things you have to do in order to get your letter opened.
• Handwritten address
Sloppy handwriting
Stamp stuck on on an angle
No return address, or just your name and street address
Large envelope (not always necessary though, but do increase curiosity)
Its got to look like a letter from somebody’s grandmother. Your prospect’s gotta get that letter and think “Who the heck sent me this letter?” These are the letters that will get opened. Nobody can resist that curiosity.
And if you’re writing to a corporate leader, then you’ve usually got a secretary/assistant to get past. This is always hard, since they often open the mail first.

A couple of good stories of things that have worked in the past include putting a $100 note into the letter, because nobody would be stupid enough to steal it. And another one in a pink envelope sprayed with perfume (nobody wants to know what that one’s all about).

Now, here’s a BIG tip:
When most people open their mail they open it from the back of the envelope. So when they open it, the first thing you want them to see when they start pulling your letter out is your HEADLINE. Hey, they’re going to know its an ad pretty fast, so you’re relying on your headline to get them in at this point. So the way you fold and pack your envelopes is critical.
So take a look next time you get a big pile of mail. Which letter do you open first? If there’s one type of letter that always gets opened FIRST, then this is how you should be addressing your mail. And I bet if you got a hand addressed envelope that looks like it was written by a 4 year old, with the stamp stuck on upside down that’s got no return address on it, THAT’S the letter you’re opening firs.t

OK, next week I’m going to give you more on this topic. Like I say, the big tip here applies to both online and offline marketers.
And that tip is that you’ve got to use every trick in the book to get your message read!

Talk to you then!