The Next Level

Note from the Editor

Happy summer! What a beautiful season it is here in Colorado! The Rocky Mountains are glowing with vibrancy, the landscape is in full bloom - I just love this time of year!

We've had some serious growth within the past few months, most notably in our Yahoo! Groups The Virtual Forum, and in our new group VA Rebels. This second group created by Becki Noles, of Virtual Accuracy, and I caters specifically to seasoned VAs - and we've seen some amazing growth in its short life! Please feel free to stop by and visit our groups, and let your mind soar!

We hope you enjoy The Next Level; and please pass it on to anyone whom you think can benefit from the information herein! Together, we can achieve anything!

Warm Regards,
Erin Banister
TrinityJacobs - Your Personal Virtual Assistant

TrinityJacobs - Your Personal Virtual Assistant has room for three more clients! Please email us today at info@trinityjacobs.com, or visit our Contact Page and fill out our free consultation form!

Action Plan Marketing

In the past couple months, I've received many requests for basic marketing services - Elevator Speeches, core marketing messages, etc. etc., and I would like to pass along to you this great book I found by Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing.

This book walks you step-by-step through the basic marketing process, and gives you instructions on many topics, from your basic core message to writing effective web copy, and a plethora of other great marketing ideas! A MUST READ if you're doing your own marketing, or if you would like to understand more about the marketing process!

Ask Erin...

Question:

I am up to my eyeballs in work and have my fingers in so many things. I just don’t know what to give or how to give up my to do list to a VA. What does someone in my position do?
Andrea – Business and Executive Coach

Great question! This is one of the toughest parts of partnering with a VA, but in the long run it will help you out tremendously.

I know when you look at your to-do list, the tasks can seem overwhelming. So sit down in a nice quiet place to review this list. Then, separate this list into two separate lists:
1. Tasks that MUST be completed by you; and, 2. Tasks that don’t have to be completed by you.

Now, take the second list and separate that from the first list. Look at it independently and ask yourself “which of these tasks do I feel comfortable with delegating at this moment?” These tasks can be anything from updating your website, setting up and distributing your newsletter, research, updating your contact database, etc.

Depending on your work style, you may not prefer to send the entire list to your new VA. Sending assignments to your VA individually allows you to see the quality of the work, and decide if this is the right VA for you.

Partnering with a VA is a lesson in trust, start with the small tasks so you can get a feel for your VA, and gradually move on to more complicated tasks. Eventually, your VA will know your practice well enough to know what it is that she’ll do, and you won’t have to worry about separating your to-do list.

Have a question for Erin? Send your questions to Erin about virtual assistance, business, or marketing topics, and you may be in a future issue of The Next Level!

Have you had to inform your customers of delays? You have so many things to do just running your business. It's hard to focus on one at a time. Or maybe you're a perfectionist, so none of your projects gets completed.

ShipwreckedProject.com coaches business owners to complete projects on time. Our project management techniques help you figure out what's going wrong - and how to fix it quickly. See http://www.shipwreckedproject.com for more information. Or email info@shipwreckedproject.com .

Direct Mail Secrets!

Welcome to the world of direct mail! Chances are you’ve seen direct mail just about every day in your mailbox. This has proven to be an effective form of marketing, and one that you should seriously consider.

As with other avenues of marketing, direct mail works best when targeted. Unless you are Target®, Wal-Mart®, or Safeway®, for direct mail to be effective, it must go to your target audience. In this day and age, I am not personally happy with a 2% response rate on direct mail; and these are my personal techniques to make your direct mail get opened, and get responses. I shoot for a 15% response rate with direct mail – why don’t you?

So let’s get to it! First of all, let’s start with the pieces you are mailing. You can send anything from sales letters to brochures to catalogues or pretty much anything that will help you sell your company.

Postcards work great for an initial mailing – it gets your business name out there and visible in your target market. (TIP: Remember the Rule of 7 – your business name and logo will take roughly 7 viewings before your audience remembers it). Postcards generally don’t work to close a sale; but they seriously help get your name out there. The most effective postcards announce the grand opening of your business, a private sale (only to your best customers – one of my favorites!), a secret sale (“bring in this card by 6/16/06 and get 15% off your purchase”!), or any other notable announcement. In my experience, they work best as attention-getters, announce yourself loudly and passionately!

I use sales letters as a follow-up to the postcard mailing; and I generally send them within 1-3 months after the initial postcard mailing. Study after study show that longer sales letters work better than short sales letters. They should all include very important information about your company and your product or service – but must detail the benefits to the user. I suggest using special codes in your sales letter (i.e.: visit www.my-business-site.com and enter this code for your gift) so you can track who responded to your letter, even if they didn’t respond to your mailing personally.

The next step is to develop a good, simple brochure. Brochure mailings should be highly targeted. They can be expensive to mail out; thus you want your brochure to go to those people who have already visited your website, made a phone call, or visited your store based on your postcard or sales letter. These should be sent out 1-3 months after the sales letter, and should not be just a banner for your business. These brochures should give information – tips on how to succeed using X method, tips on how to make the most of your money – something the reader can implement immediately. The back panel of your brochure should include company information, special sales that you are highlighting, and a business reply card (postage paid!). Invite them to set up a telephone appointment with you, visit your website, or anything – as long as you invite them to do something!

Let’s talk a little about the packaging of your direct mail pieces. In my opinion, using the old method of printed labels and mass postage implies that you are Big Business and generally doesn’t help get your mail opened. Take a day to personally handwrite all of the address on the envelopes and stick real stamps on them – people have a tendency to open mail that is personally addressed to them. Sometimes I even stick the stamps upside-down – adding another human element to the equation. (TIP: People do business with people, not computers, machines, or factories – so the more you show them that you’re a real person the more likely they are to equate you with someone with whom they can do business) To make this task a little easier on yourself, I’ve found that using neighborhood teens or family members is a great way to personalize your mailings. Generally teenagers will do the job for much less than your average adult. Their spirits will remain high while stuffing and stamping; and (for US-based companies, at least) you can get a tax break for employing these kids. (TIP: Send handwritten notes inside all pieces you send – it adds yet another personal element to the mix – and use it to invite them to do something or thank them for their time. Include your contact information on this note as well, and use their name!)

Well, these are just a few of the techniques I use in direct mail marketing. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact me at info@trinityjacobs.com and mention “Direct Mail” in the subject line! Good luck, and happy marketing!

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