CUSTOMER RESPONSE CARD

We all do it. If we get good service or order a product we like — we order from the company again. However, if there is something we don’t like or are dissatisfied with the service in any way, shape or form, we never bring it to the attention of the company. We simply don’t use their services again and think that solves the problem.

Let me share with you something that happened here locally to me. A new pizza shop moved into the neighborhood and I decided to try them out. When I placed my order I informed them that they had been highly recommended and this was my first order. When I picked up the pizza and brought it home it was HORRIBLE! I couldn’t believe I actually paid $14 for the thing. It wasn’t even worth $2 in my opinion.

Naturally, I had made up my mind never to order from this particular pizza shop again — but a few days later the owner called me to ask my opinion on what I thought of the pizza. (He had got my phone number off the check I paid my order with.)

Feeling a little embarrassed and reluctant to tell him how horrible it was, I said, “It was okay but not something I would order again.” The owner became very interested and asked me to give him more specifics. I explained that the sauce was too tangy and there was not enough cheese or pepperoni on the pizza — even though I ordered double of both items. He asked me to give his pizza one more try, but this time it would be free of charge. I accepted.

And guess what? The quality was greatly improved and I am now a steady customer.

You can use the same situation for your mail order business. Only you can’t afford to call everyone that orders from you. That is where the “Customer Response Card” is vital to your growing business. You hardly ever see them in mail order because people don’t think they really work. That’s because they have never put them to use. That’s where you can be different and innovative — and profitable — all at the same time.

“Customer Response Cards” can easily be typeset by any competent typesetter. They should ask such questions of the customer, as:

• How do you rate our service?
• Was the quality of our product or service excellent, good, fair or poor?
• What would you suggest for us to do in order to improve our services?
• Would you order from us again?
• Any additional comments?

Lines should be left for the customers’ name, address and telephone number. In addition, the “Customer Response Card” should be pre-addressed with your address and preferably pre-stamped for their convenience.

If you decide to use “Customer Response Cards” they will serve a very important function in your daily business. First of all, when customers receive them they will know you are concerned about them and their order. They will feel important that you have asked for their opinion and will feel free to make helpful suggestions, complain or brag about your company.

However, you must keep in mind that a complaint is NOT a reflection on you personally. A complaint should be an indication that there is some unfinished business to take care of. Almost 90% of the time, if you listen and try to understand a customer complaint — the customer is more than satisfied.

Then, if you offer to make up for the difference or offer them free services or a money-saving coupon on their next order, they will be much more than satisfied. Not only have you kept a customer but built a trust with them at the same time.

Solve complaints from “Customer Response Cards” as quickly as possible. Customers may make a complaint on a postcard more readily than calling you or writing you a letter. This helps draw your attention to problems before they get out of hand — problems you might not even know existed!

And never forget to thank your customers for providing you with their opinion. You could send them back a discount coupon to use on items you sell on their next order or simply send them a “Thank You” card. Remember that a customer’s opinion is worth its weight in gold. There are professional marketing firms that are paid $1,000′s of dollars per year by companies to find out what people really think of their products. A “Customer Response Card” is a very low-cost way of determining trends and interests that your customer market has. If you keep on top of things, you will never have to hire these high-paid professionals. You’ll know more than they do!

BE A PRIME SOURCE

I am not complaining, but one of the main problems I see within the “inner circle” mail order market is everyone selling everyone else’s products. I haven’t picked up a publication recently where the pages weren’t crammed full with commission dealerships. Now, don’t get me wrong. We sell commission circulars ourselves, so I’m certainly not putting down the idea — however, a good thing can get out of hand.

It’s been said over and over again, but newcomers to our industry should realize that they need to develop their OWN products and services. Commission dealerships are fine to compliment your business if the product is relative to your main product, but everyone should strive for developing their OWN product too. No one will ever get rich dealing in just commission dealerships. And people who think this way will give up over a period of time because they go broke. Let’s stop this madness and spread the word about becoming a Prime Source.

How do you develop your OWN specialized product or service? It may take a few months to get your “feet wet” in mail order to determine your particular “niche.” However, you should already know the talents you possess inside yourself and what your own capabilities are. There has to be more to your business than making money!

What are your hobbies and interests? What would you like to do more than anything else and would you do it if you were not getting paid? For instance, I personally enjoy publishing newsletters. I get a surge of electricity when I am working on them and wish my body would last 24-hours a day so I could work on them all the time. This is loving what you do.

On the other hand, this may sound really crazy to you. Perhaps you would rather write, edit, paste-up or seal envelopes. I remember Dorothy Christian (Shells 345) once explaining to me the “high” she used to get when doing a mass mailing. She loved peeling off labels, sticking them on envelopes and folding the materials to insert. She said that every envelope she stuffed, she felt it would generate a big customer order. This is enthusiasm!

Therefore, Dorothy could have developed a specialized or confidential mailing service. Unlike big mail, she would be mailing circulars in envelopes, but a targeted-mailing for different programs and products. (Example: A circular selling books and reports would be marketed only to book buyers from lists Dorothy would purchase and use for these types of mailings. She also would be careful not to put any conflicting information in this special mailing she was preparing for specific customers.)

You can take anything you sell and creatively turn it into your own prime source product. A good friend of mine, Helen VanAllen loved to prepare big mails so she created the “Design-Your-Own-Big-Mail-Package.” Customers were presented with a list of the circulars Helen had on hand and they checked off the ones that interested them. (This is one example of how an old concept can be turned into something new with a twist that makes it YOUR OWN product.)

Another friend, Max Ross, created a new product called “Business-In-A-Box.” He took 4 or 5 good commission circulars that he knew worked well and pulled orders. When people ordered his “Business-In-A-Box” they would receive the 4 camera-ready circulars along with 100 copies of them, 100 names from his own mailing list, 100 envelopes and an instruction sheet that gave the customer ideas and tips about direct mailing.

Another gal I know created a “Complete-Business-Start-Up-Kit.” She was a typesetter and went in 50% with a mail order printer. When the customer ordered this kit they would receive 100 letterheads, 100 envelopes, 100 memo sheets, 100 address labels and 100 business cards. Everything was personalized for the customer and included information on how they could order more as their supply ran out.

These are just a few ideas that other mail order folks used to create their own product. You can use the same concept locally also. If you sell vitamins, for instance, you could sell them in individual packets and label them for each day of the week. Use the vitamins from the company you are working with but the individual packets and labels would be your own product. You can also charge more for this personal touch.

You are unique! You are an individual who has special talents and interests. Your business should be a reflection of YOU and your own contribution to mail order. Mail order is a wonderful business, filled with some of the best people in the world. But it’s up to every one of us to keep it that way.

ARE COMMISSION CIRCULARS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Everyone that starts out learning the mail order business is normally introduced to Commission Circulars very early in the game. Commission Circulars are ads that are already typeset. You stamp YOUR name and address in the “order from” box, then you print and mail them. It’s a very simple process and serves an excellent purpose for many people.

Commission Circulars allow a person to make money without handling the product. Orders normally will come directly from the customer to YOU. You keep 50% or more of the money and send the rest, with the customer’s order to the dealer. The dealer will process the customer’s order and ship it directly to them. Your only function is to take your money out of envelopes and re-mail the rest of the order and money to the dealer who is the prime source of the product. Some people base their business on Commission Circulars alone. Some people really love separating copies, stamping their name with a rubber stamp, collating and stuffing envelopes and mailing them at the post office. Some businesses get their families involved because children can help in most phases of this business process. It’s really a fun hobby for some people.

However, what happens if you are not right for Commission Circulars? What if you are just getting started in the mail order business and don’t mail more than 10 letters per week? What if you don’t know anybody to send the circulars to? Some people will tell you to buy a mailing list — but can you really afford to spend $290.00 for first-class postage to mail to 1,000 people at this time? Besides, 1,000 people probably wouldn’t bring in more than 2 or 3 orders. If you are only getting $2 or $3 commission from the circular — you’d go broke quick!

You need to ask yourself several questions before ordering Commission Circulars. First and foremost, you need to determine how much you are mailing per month. If your postage costs are less than $200 every 30 days, it probably won’t pay you to order Commission Circulars. However, if the Commission Circular can become a part of your mailing without causing you an extra postage expense, you might consider them. Commission circulars bring in good profits only when they are mailed to a lot of people — 1,000 won’t cut it. Big mail dealers who process tons of mail per week and mail to thousands every month benefit the most from Commission Circulars. They have the volume it takes to participate in this type of business and will generate enough orders to make them pay for themselves.

Now, a lot of people may disagree with me about Commission Circulars. Some people feel if you only mail 10 per month, it will bring in money. I agree — it will, but it will take many months (possibly years) at this pace to make it worth your time. A commission mailer who mails Commission Circulars is normally responsible for his/her own printing (some people provide pre-printed circulars at a cost) as well as their own time in mailing and postage. Depending on the amount of money (or stamps) the Commission Circular pays, you may not re-coup enough expenses unless you receive several orders. In other words, don’t expect to mail 1,000 circulars and get 500 orders REGARDLESS of what anyone tells you. There are so many variances in mailing lists and human beings it is really impossible to determine response rates.

There are a number of ways though for the new beginner to take part in Commission Circular mailings and receive a response that is sufficient. One way is to take part in Co-Op Printing deals. Read and study the mail order publications and you will find several good co-op printing deals. This is where you send a circular to a printer. He or she will print a certain number of copies. Your ad will be printed on 1-side and the printer’s ad will be printed on the other. They will send all the copies back to you and you are responsible for mailing them. This immediately cuts your printing costs in half! A lot of people use this method if they do monthly bulk mailings or mail a lot. (Just be sure the ad the printer puts on the back of your ad is something that doesn’t conflict with items you are selling also.)

If you don’t do a lot of mailings and/or you don’t want the hassle of stuffing and mailing a lot of envelopes, you can advertise your circular in a mail order publication. At a standard rate of $25 per 1,000 — you can get your circular printed and mailed without any additional work on your part. This is the least expensive way to take part in Commission Circulars because you save on postage, envelopes, mailing list of names, folding, stapling and the time spent carting everything to the post office. Purchase a few Big Mails and keep up to date on publications and prices.

The third way of getting your Commission Circulars out is by printing them yourself and having someone else mail them for you. Most bulk mailers (people who process large volumes of mail) will normally include your 8 1/2×11 circulars in with their own mail for 2c to 4c each. You benefit from the mailers own mailing list plus you are saved the time of mailing and processing them. If you have a office copier or other printing equipment that will make copies from a camera-ready master, you’re in business. Just print as many copies as you want, box them up and send to the mailer you select.

Commission Circulars are really a great way to help others promote their products and bring in an income also for you. I myself participate in 3 different commission programs, however I co-publish publications. The only difference between them and Commission Circulars is the fact that they are publications. You make money on any advertising ordered through you as well as subscriptions. Advertising, printing and mailing are the 3 MOST sought after products in mail order. So naturally, I take part in the promotion of advertising.

Before participating in any Commission Circular or Co-Publishing effort, you should always take the time to inspect the product you are promoting. If it’s low in cost, order it before promoting it. This way you will be able to answer questions if potential customers call or write you about it. If the product is more than you can afford or you don’t want to buy it — ask the dealer to send you a brochure or other information. You need to be aware of any product or service you are promoting because it is a direct reflection on YOUR company. Your company name is on the circular and people will think you are the Prime Source.

Think about it this way. Suppose a shoe salesperson came to the door without any shoes to show you. They had no brochures, no information about their product and no knowledge of what shoes were available. Would you make a purchase simply from a price list? Probably not! And your customer probably won’t either. If they do happen to take the time to request more information — get it for them. Don’t toss their letter in the trash and not answer it because you don’t know the answer. You could be throwing away a $100 order. Wouldn’t it be worth the 29c investment?

Direct Mail Mailing Tips

If you do decide to mail your own circulars yourself because you want to be sure they are mailed — here are some tips to cut costs:

• Be sure ALL the circulars are printed on BOTH sides of the paper. This way — you can get 8 circulars (4 sheets of paper printed on both sides) in a standard business-size envelope for 29c.
• Never, never, never put only one sheet of paper in an envelope and mail it. The person receiving it will be confused and you will automatically be recognized as a newcomer who loves to waste money!
• If you choose to include a cover letter with your direct mail, put a coupon or bonus offer at the bottom of the letter to encourage the customer to look through your offers and consider them.
• Fold your circulars in a “Z-fold” when placing them in the envelope itself. This way, as soon as the envelope is opened the customer does not have to unfold it. Your best offer or “eye-catcher” is looking directly at them.
• When printing circulars on the back of other circulars, turn one of them upside down. This way, the order coupons for the flyers are not back-to-back and customers can place two orders from one circular.
• Place similar or complementing offers in each envelope. Don’t put a hodge-podge of all kinds of different items as this will tend to confuse the customer. A good combination is:
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    • (a) Mailing List
    • (b) Stamp Program
    • (c) Printing or Typesetting
    • (d) Money-Making Program

Continually try different ideas to market your products properly. Work on it. Make a game out of it. Eventually you will hit upon the right combination that will literally stuff your mailbox with orders!