If you fold your paper just right you can turn it into a postcard sized newsletter and save a little postage.

You can also make a small postcard and call it a newsletter.

The main purpose of a newsletter is to stay-in-touch with your prospects.

Remember, there is a difference between follow-up program and stay-in-touch program.

The more steps you have in your follow-up program the better your responses.

I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with postcards and one thing I can share with you.

If doesn’t seem to matter if I send full sized letters or postcards.

They both generate responses.

But I’m beginning to really like postcards because of the simplicity, economics, and ease.

It’s a heck-of-a-lot easier to make postcards and make them cheaper.  How tough is it to fold your newsletter into a postcard?  For more on this go to the US Postal Service for the dimensions of a postcard and the cost to mail.

Try adding a postcard to your follow-up system.

It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s cheap.

The latest subscriber newsletter has postcard sample I’ve used.  To get it simply check your email.  If your aren’t a subscriber yet go to the top right of the page.  In the “welcome” email I send you’ll receive the previous and most recent edition of the newsletter.

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  There are a few Whole Enchilada Packages.  To get the special link subscribe at the top of the page and I’ll send it to you in the “welcome” email.

Only you have the power to improve your SELF.  It begins with you investing in your SELF because if you don’t do it no one will do it for you.  No body can take away your education or experience.  No body.  Top Sellers get to call the shots.

Double your sales in the next six months by becoming an expert prospector.

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Anytime you get an advocate for you and your product you’ve got an excellent opportunity to get massive referrals.

Many times an advocate will turn into a Champion Endorser®.

A Champion Endorser® can introduce you to a very large niche group of people.  You should always be searching for an individual who can introduce you to a group of people.  It can be an association, small group, any formalized group of people who meet for a common cause.  Your Champion has lots of leverage and can introduce you several ways to many Prospects.

Treat your Referrers well and you’ll get more referrals as they become advocates for you and ultimately Champion Endorsers®.

We’ve been talking about referrals all week.

We’ve talked about developing

• “referral mindset”
• a system of asking for referrals from beginning to end
• getting testimonials
• referrers becoming advocates
• referrers becoming Champion Endorsers®
• the best place to get referrals
• incorporating asking for referrals in all your correspondence, presentation, Profile

The next step is for you to internalize the referral mindset and incorporate it in all aspects of your Prospecting system and begin NOW to ask for referrals.  Don’t be shy!  Once you get used to asking it becomes easier and easier as time goes on.

An easy strategy to get you started tapping into your own spheres of influence is to Mine Your Natural Market.  Tapping into your spheres of influence is an easy system you can do to add to or launch your pre-need sales.  For more info on How To Mine Your Natural Market click here.

Happy Selling!

David…

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Imagine you were walking down the street during a sunny hot summer day.  As you passed a store you noticed ice cold lemonade.  As you thought about it being hot you decided to go into the store and purchase a cool lemonade.

There was a process to your decision.  Even though this process may have been short there were several steps.

It is the same for the Pre-Need seller and prospecting.  There is a process and you do have a system (no matter how good or bad the system might be).

A friend of mine shared with me that he likes to “deal hunt”.  Deal hunting is where you are prospecting for someone who is ready to purchase.  Ironically, most advertising, prospecting in general, appeals to someone at the end of the buying process more than the beginning or middle of the process.

The point is you need to sketch out the process and develop a system that works for you (and ultimately make the system automatic) to prospect.

In fact, I’d argue systems are important for your selling survival.  Once again, we all have a system (and a process we go through) for everything in life.

Try sketching out your process.  What is it you do from beginning to the end to get a sale?  Spend some time working through your own selling process and either streamline it or improve it so it works for you.

Next, automate as much of the process as you can.  This is another reason why I recommend sending more than one piece of correspondence to Prospects.  People are bombarded with “pitches” from everywhere and cannot remember all of it.  The tend to tune a lot of it out.

This is why using the Post Office through repetition can overcome Prospects ignoring you.

I heard once that a person has to see a commercial 7 times before it registers.

It isn’t much difference for the Pre-Need Seller and Prospects.  If your Prospect is at the tail end of the purchasing process one correspondence might do the trick….BUT, if all you ever do is “deal hunt” you’ll leave out a lot of people at the beginning or middle of the purchasing process.

Happy Selling!

David…

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The fear of rejection leads the seller of pre-arrangements to do nothing.  Most sellers rely on walk-in, slam-dunk, lay-down, easy business.

The problem is there isn’t a ton of walk-in slam-dunk business out there.  You’ve got to augment the easy stuff with your own outside prospecting.

This is another reason to prospect/present at the same time and have a referral generating program in place.  Follow-up and stay-in-touch programs are critical to your success.

But, we’re talking about fear.

Without getting into a lot of psychology one thing you can do is to confront your fear with the attitude of “what can that prospect really do to me?”

Yell?  Scream?  Tell you to get lost?  Delay meeting with you?  No show you with appointment times?

The reality is your FEARS are in your head.  Every “NO” you get brings you  closer to a yes.  In fact, I encourage you to get your prospects to tell you “no” as fast as you can.

Your Prospect is doing you a favor by telling you “no” as soon as possible in the process.

Confront your fears head-on, develop a thick skin, and realize that your reward for selling is way more positive than any amount of “no(s)” you might receive along the way.

Every yes you receive will make it beneficial to your bank account.

The difference between a mediocre producer and a Top Achiever is just a little bit.

For the Top  Producer that little bit is a little thicker skin and an attitude of getting the “No(s)” out of the way to get closer to a “yes”.

Happy Selling!

David…

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Its interesting how the average Pre-Need Seller can put together a fantastic month once a year but cannot put together a string of excellent performances month after month.

Why is this?

I think the answer is synergy.  The dictionary defines synergy as the working of two (or more) things together to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual parts.

Another way of saying it is to use the team concept.

This is similar to a football team.  The running back or wide receiver or quarterback get all the accolades but without the front line blocking they’d be on the ground.  For the Seller of Pre-Arrangements it is important to understand that it isn’t one thing you do but the culmination of several things.

The foundation is your core.  Do you have three distinctive forms of prospecting?  Do you rely on company leads?  Are you working the grounds, mailing mail, door-knocking, researching the files to name just a few?

Synergy is combining more than one prospecting technique.  I like three distinct prospecting methods and markets because like a three legged stool if you take away a leg the stool falls over.  For the seller of pre-arrangements it is important to gather some steam (or synergy).

If your prospecting is built on three legs you’ll always succeed because your foundation of three methods of prospecting keep the stool from falling down.  The worst thing you can do is stop because it is so hard to get back in the swing of things.

Once you’ve established momentum you keep the successful going by continuing to prospect even after writing lots of business.

Once you’ve got some synergy good things will happen.  It will seem like luck but luck is nothing more than being prepared when the opportunity arises.

Happy Selling!

David…

P.S.  Synergy and the Pre-Need seller go hand-in-hand

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A fellow pre-need seller (who will remain nameless) really aggravated me the other day when he said he “can’t get things done”.

We’ve been talking about goals and
dreams and how to achieve more in 6 months
than you achieved all last year.

Sometimes I refer to it as “execution” other times “get-r-done” and still other times, “just do it“.

My fellow pre-need seller was complaining that he can’t get out all the correspondence he wants by January 4th.  Mind you, he told me this on December 1st.

Why?  I asked.

There isn’t enough time, he replied.

One of the biggest problems I see with Pre-Need Sellers is a lack of disciplined.  You don’t have to be super organized just disciplined to do something every day that’ll get you where you want to go.

So, I said to him.  Diagram, or flow chart, or list the things you’d have to do to get your mailing out.  Heck, he had maybe 7 items on the list.  Once or twice a week he took care of one of the items no matter how long it took.

Well, within 3 weeks he had done it all and hardly noticed.

Now, he’ll get the mailing out with plenty of time to spare.

Here’s the lesson: 

Do something every day that gets
you closer to a sale. 
OR,
do something every day that gets
you closer to your goal.

Think of it like you were eating an elephant.  Elephants are huge.  How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

Happy Selling!

David…

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