I thought I’d address these issues once again and I hope you get the bigger point here.

For two years I sent three sequenced letters to previous customers.  The goal was to get more business.  I did.

Every six months I’d send the same three letters two weeks a part and would get a response in the upper 20% and a conversion in the low 20%.

Each time I’d send the letter several customers would call me and tell me I had an incorrectly spelled word in one of the subheads.

Finally, I’m not sure why exactly, I corrected the misspelled word in the subhead.

Immediately after sending out my three sequenced letters I had a drop in response and conversion (remember it is the conversion number that matters most..responses are great but it is conversions—money you get that matters most).

The next time I mailed (six months later) the response declined again.

It was sheer luck when I went back to check the letter from a previous (I just happened to have the previous letter with the incorrectly spelled word) that I noticed and remembered the misspelled word in the subhead.

You guessed it!

I put the misspelled word back into the sales letter and my responses immediately went up to the upper 20% and conversions the low 20%.

If you’re wondering why I mention this story it has to do with confusing the message with perfect English.

If I wanted perfect English I’d submit all my articles to a former English teacher for grammar review.

This lesson can be carried over to speeches.  Do you find yourself watching the delivery or the clothes worn more than the speech?

Are you side tracked by grammar, or punctuation, or spelling?

If you are, get over it!

We speak English improperly.  The lesson is to get the MESSAGE and don’t worry about the spelling or delivery or anything else.

My simple follow-up letters always get a phone call or two about the misspelled word in the subhead.  Those prospects purchase.

Do you think I care if the word is misspelled?

I’d much rather misspell a word and make more money than to spell it perfectly and make less money.

There’s another lesson here for you.

If you’re sending out a newsletter or regular correspondence don’t get stuck on making it perfect.  Especially if you delay sending it out until it is perfect.

Just get it done and get it out!

The world is full of perfectionists who don’t make any money.

Something is better than nothing.

My final lesson for today is to understand what the messenger is trying to say and to get over YOUR little hang-ups.

These hang-ups translate into you not making money because you’re stuck on misspelled words (incorrectly pronounced words), grammar (pronunciation), good looking clothes/out of style clothes that keep you from learning and ultimately making money selling pre-arrangements.

For your sales letters and newsletters, Madison Avenue looks are out.  If you are attending conferences get over what he/she’s wearing (it doesn’t matter) but see if you can get the message.  Everyone has some little or big point that you can take with you.  Find the point, get the main idea! 

Finally, concerning your correspondence sent to prospects/customers.  People appreciate it more when it looks like you did it (sales letters, correspondence, newsletters, notes).  In other words; imperfection is ok.

But no matter what get something out because something is better than nothing no matter how pretty, or ugly, or grammatically correct it is.

Happy Selling!

David…

QUESTION:
How do you use sales letters when door-knocking?  Do you use sales letters first, door knock second?

ANSWER:
I would use a sequenced mailing for LG’s.  (An LG is a “looks good” home you couldn’t door knock or no one answered)  Be sure you send your letters spread 2 weeks apart.  Send at least 3 letters.

QUESTION:
What type of homes are you looking for when door-knocking?

ANSWER:
Good question.  During my door-knocking test I tried both cherry-picking homes and knocking the entire block.  I  prefer cherry-picking.  The percentages were in my favor.  (I’ll be describing how to door-knock, the best type of homes, how to niche it, etc, in the Door-Knocking Kit.  To get your FREE Bonus Door-Knocking Kit head over to the Ultimate Package).

QUESTION:
Do you recommend door-knocking full time, part time, in addition to other forms of prospecting?

ANSWER:
Yes.  Door-knocking can be full time, part time, and at a minimum a nice addition to your other prospecting.  Always utilize 3 forms of separate and distinct prospecting methods.  There’ll be more on this in the Door-Knocking Kit.  See Ultimate Package

QUESTION:
What should you put in a sales letter?

ANSWER:
Sales letters are made up of several components including; headline, subheads, P.S., call to action, and testimonials to name a few.  See my previous posts on Sales Letters.  I’ve also added some sample sales letters and “how to write sales letters” as a FREE bonus when you  invest in the Ultimate Package.  Click here to order the Ultimate Package and get FREE Bonus Sales Letters.

QUESTION:
Why do I send multiple sales letters to the same prospect?

ANSWER:
Most sellers of pre-need only send one piece of correspondence to prospects.  Big mistake.  Big, big, mistake.  We are bombarded by hundreds of commercials, distractions, and people trying to “pitch” us with an offer for something.  Several sales letters mailed to the same prospect linked together get noticed.  You’ve got to break through the clutter.

QUESTION:
What one thing can I do that will generate quick sales?

ANSWER:
Cash-flow surge.  But, there isn’t one silver bullet that’ll do it all for you.  It’s the combination of several things including 3 distinct niche markets and a 2-step approach to prospecting.  Heck, it’s really all the above.  But, for a quick buck send a series of letters to previous customers for cemetery completion or un-funded pre-arranged funerals.

QUESTION:
Do you have more info on sales letters?

ANSWER:
Go to the archive section of the website and look for anything with ”sales letters” in the title.  Also, I’ll be adding audio on sales letters to the membership area (FREE Bonus Sales Letter samples when you invest in the Ultimate Package).   Hint, hint.

QUESTION:
How do I get to be an expert at selling pre-need?

ANSWER:
You are an expert.  You know way more than anyone.  Even if you’ve been selling pre-need for one day you  know more than any prospect you’ll meet.  I’ve suggested publishing an article.  Just announce you are an expert.  Get testimonials to prove you’re an expert.  Write an article, get published.  Make your article like a special report.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Prospect-Through-a-2-Step-Approach&id=2879263

You can be published through your local newspaper (a story by you, quotes by you, a regular or occasional article).  Or, click the link above and and get published like I did.  It’s free and it adds a lot of credibility to you as an expert. 

Happy Selling!

David…

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He had no approach.

I said, “why not just ask for a referral?”

He had no answer.

I said, “you can’t get what you don’t ask for.”

The other day I dropped by on a sale I had made through door-knocking because she had mentioned her parents were interested in pre-planning.

She told me that her parents were not interested but her sister and cousin expressed an interest.

I ended up with two names and two phone numbers.  Ironically, both leads had a spouse.  One sale brought me 4 possible sales through an endorsed referral.

She had spoken to several family members about pre-planning.  Now, interesting enough, she did not phone me with the leads but when I dropped in and made it easy for her I picked up the leads and also asked if she knew of anyone else.

She said she’d make a few phone calls.

Now, I’ve got an excuse to drop in at a future date for other referrals.

The point is you should ask for referrals.  If you don’t ask you don’t get.

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  Another way to get referrals is through an advocate.  I call advocates “Champion Endorser”.  A champion endorser can inroduce you to a lot of prospects in one shot or through an endorsed mailing.  For more on Champion Endorser get the Ultimate Package.  For a limited time you can get a FREE Bonus of Life Time Membership to the website when you invest in your SELF.  Do it today and get instant access to the materials and info.

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At the bottom of the page is a pdf file with some additional thoughts on the subject.

The Ultimate Package contains more on sales letters.  For a limited time you can get Life Time Free Membership as a bonus if you invest in your SELF and get the Ultimate Package.  Click here for more info.

Anything you send your Prospect is a sales letter.  It can be cards, personal notes, sales letters, any communication.

The interesting thing about the Christmas holidays is how some don’t celebrate, some do, some travel and visit relatives, and some exchange presents more out of habit than anything else.

Religious or not the idea behind sending a card to a Prospect is to get noticed.  Christmas (Happy Holiday cards) compete with lots of people.

But almost nobody sends Thanksgiving cards.

There are three rules of thumb regarding sales letters:

Rule One

Your card, sales letter, communication needs to get opened.  If it doesn’t get opened it won’t get read.

Rule Two

The communication needs to be read by the Prospect.  If it doesn’t get read it’s a complete waste of time.  This is why you must have a headline or something else that stands out.

Rule Three

Your correspondence must be sent with a purpose.  There must be a call to action.

Final Thoughts

Make your correspondence look like you wrote it.  Madison Avenue looks are out.

If I had sent you a letter and the envelope had the address written in crayon would you open it?

A question about at-need follow-up.

Yes, you can send out Thanksgiving cards for at-need follow-ups.  You can also send them as part of your stay-in-touch program or some other purpose. 

When should you mail Thanksgiving cards?  I’ve mailed them a week before, during, and after.  It doesn’t matter because almost nobody send them and they’ll get opened because it’s to early for Christmas cards.

Remember the goal is to be different and stand out from all the rest of the noise and junk Prospects are confronted with each and every day.  And, yes, you could send a Thanksgiving Card in place of your monthly newsletter.

Below is an 8 page sample/further thoughts on the subject.  It’s FREE from me to you.  Happy Thanksgiving!

UsingCardsSellPreNeed 
Click the above link or right click and save.

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  Hurry before the FREE life time membership bonus ends and head over to the Ultimate Package.  If you don’t invest in your SELF no one else will.  They can’t take away your education and experience.  Really great pre-need sellers call the shots.  Click here for the Ultimate Package

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Before you spend to much time thinking about the up and coming holidays my first suggestion is to determine how many work days are left (for you) this year.

If you haven’t successful hit your goals yet it’s time to figure out how much time you have left to hit those numbers.

When determining goals for the year I always recommend a 10 month schedule.  Always plan on achieving your goals in the first ten months of the year.  This way you can relax and take it easy for the remaining few months.

But, if you aren’t where you want to be it’s time to make an END OF YEAR PUSH!

If you’re mailing I recommend sending letters the Monday after Thanksgiving.  Your last mailing for the year should be December 7th.

If you want to send Christmas cards send Thanksgiving cards instead.  Your Christmas cards will get lost with all the others while almost nobody sends thanksgiving cards.  A thanksgiving card will stand out.  You still have time to do business with potential Prospects if you send a thanksgiving card.

If you cannot get your mailing out by December 7th give it up for the year.  Your earliest mailing for January 2010 should be the 4th.

If you’re working on several Prospects before year end get to it.  Go, go, go!

Most sellers of Pre-Need give up after thanksgiving.  Don’t give up.  You can still make your goals with a big push.  Get the calendar out and execute the game plan!

So, start pushing!

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  We’re almost done with the Door-Knocking series.  Once it ends the FREE BONUS Life Time Membership ends.  Get over to the catalog page now and invest in yourself because if you don’t do it NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT FOR YOU.

Call it your Turkey present, your Christmas Present, your Hanukkah Present.  Call it your first step to successful pre-need selling and do it today.  Quit dilly dallying around and get to it.

No one can take away your education and experience.  Start producing today and get-r-done!

www.HowToSellPreNeed.com/catalog

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No changes to report.

People are basically the same as they always have been.

For those of you who aren’t aware we’ve been in a test on Door-Knocking in the year 2009.

So far there have been two slam-dunk sales plus three more from unannounced drop-bys a week later after the initial door knock contact.

The original goal was two solid weeks of door knocking but that soon changed.  I added Two more weeks of door knocking half the time resulting in lots more leads (78 total).

The goal soon changed to burn as many leads as possible to whittle down the non-interested while warming up the interested.

A lead is someone who doesn’t own arrangements but open to discussing it.

What part of town did I door knock?

Great question. 

I door knocked on the north side, south side, west side, and east side.  I door knocked in some pretty ugly neighborhoods, some swanky places and all parts in between.  I managed to sell all parts of town so it’s tough to say one economic area is better than another.  Also, the higher dollar neighborhoods tended to pay cash verse the poorer areas who financed.  But, the poorer areas were just as concerned about the idea of pre-planning as the rich folks.

Next time I’ll update on the following 2 weeks. 

In case you’ve lost count:

2 Weeks solid door-knocking

2 Weeks partial door-knocking and follow up with the leads from the first two/second two weeks

NEXT TIME:

2 more weeks of follow-up. 

When following up on initial door knock leads the goal is to run 15 leads.  If you drop by on 15 leads you’ll get into 3 homes and sell at least 1.

I’ll let you know if the above still works next time.

Click here for part one of this series:  Does Door Knocking Work In The Year 2009?

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  Many of you have taken advantage of the FREE Life Time Membership if you invest in the Ultimate Package before we end the door-knocking series.  For those new members I’ll be adding a quick start guide for the Sales Letter Samples and Sales Letter Headlines/Subheads.  Those files have been added to the membership area.

If you are a member with the Starter Package I’ll be updating a short version of sales letters & sample headlines (and yes, Ultimate Package Members will get the short summary as well on Monday).  And, yes, I’ll be offering a special deal upgrade from the starter Package to the Ultimate Package.  I’ll send details soon.

P.P.S.  I’ll be adding the Door-Knocking Kit to the Ultimate Package as soon as we end the series.

P.P.P.S.  Keep the questions about Door-knocking coming.  I’ll address some through posts and in the Door-Knocking Kit.  Click here for more on the Ultimate Package.

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