It is very stressful if you are new in business and just starting to plan to advertise your product through direct mail. This is especially true if you don’t have enough resources to spend on advertising.

In creating your mailing list, you may do it yourself or you may use the services of list brokers.

Mailing lists are lists of your targeted customers with significant information and details about them.

When you plan to use the services of a list broker, just make sure that you are choosing a reputable, experienced, and transparent service. By transparent, I mean you should be able to call them and speak with an expert. If you consistently get voicemail, move on and look for another list provider.

These list brokers will be the ones to gather list of your targeted clients with their complete names, addresses, phone numbers, preferences, if there are any, and other important details that can be useful for your direct mailing campaign.

In other words these list brokers are the ones who will do all the hard work in compiling all the data and you will just buy the information from them. There are options that you can choose from in doing direct marketing. You can do it through e-mail, phone, or by envelope mails or postcards.

If you are planning to do it by phone, be sure that your telemarketer is well-trained and well equipped with all the information needed. They should also be polite and should act professionally during the whole process.

Specialized Mailing Lists

All data in the mailing lists are gathered from business or phone directories, government records, auto registrations, etc. Consumer lists are more general in nature like all people in a particular village, city, or zip code. It can also be a little specific like all physicians in a particular town. Brokers have a lot of lists for sale depending on your needs.

You can buy lists of accountants, lawyers, people with homes for sale, etc. There are also some other information that can be included in a consumer mailing list such as, age ethnicity, number of children, and others. Business lists on the other hand includes information like annual sales and profit, number of employees working, branches, among others.

Mailing List Brokers

In choosing a list broker you should choose a broker that is very much familiar with the kind of industry you are in.

Find a broker that can give you fresh information and a mailing list that has high deliverability, that is, a high number of targeted clients receiving your mails.

The people in the list given to you should be consumers who have already purchased or has an intention of purchasing products similar to what you are selling.

The mailing list should have very recent, accurate and legitimate information. Of course you don’t want to buy a list that contains names of individuals who no longer exist or are not residing in the addresses stated. Many of the brokers just actually get the list from mailing list owners.

The mailing list owners are the ones who are doing all the hard work in gathering all the necessary data. It’s up to the brokers to actually check the accuracy of all the data given to them so that their reputation won’t be stained once they sell those lists to merchants.

E-mail Lists

You have to be extra careful when you buy e-mail lists. Some of these lists are just gathered from Web sites so they are usually considered junk lists. Just try to get legitimate lists.

The ones compiled by people or businesses so that you will be assured that your advertisement is really sent to real people who really exist and can read and respond to your e-mail.

Pricing

The mailing list’s pricing depends on the demographic information that you need, how detailed are the data that you want, and the services that you ask.

But in general, brokers ask for a minimum charge of $500 for the list that you want. There are also other brokers who give extra services like direct mail designing and other mailing services.

To take hold of the right mailing lists can lead you to success. But the success of your direct marketing campaign still depends in your resources, effort, strategies and techniques. NO broker, however expensive, can assure you of that.

Relationship Marketing is a process that’s put in place so that through time, clients feel appreciated and remain clients for the long-term. There are numerous strategies and actions to be taken in order to successfully maintain a client base for years.

When it comes to business networking, an initial encounter marks the beginning of the Relationship Marketing process. As the initial positive impression is set into place, it makes way for years of positive reinforcement. It is important to gather relevant information that will help you to serve your clients progressively through time.

As clients remain loyal, there are several variables taking place and many people affected. These effects on people contribute to the overall process of Relationship Marketing. Below, is the basic rundown;

1. Your clients/customers

Your clients, being the direct recipients of your services, are showing their loyalty by hanging in there for so long. This is a direct effect of your services being top notch or at the very least, satisfactory. They continue to stay because of the Relationship Marketing tactics you have in place.

2. Friends and associates of your clients/customers.

Even though your customers/clients are directly affected by your great services, their friends and associates indirectly receive word. Now, through word-of-mouth they are affected to the extent of taking action themselves.

They may get involved with your services sometime in the near future. They may also, refer you to someone who will. This is amazing, especially if they have not tried your services personally.

3. You.

You are affected through your own Relationship Marketing. As you continue intricate communication with your clients/customers, you are receiving information that causes you to make the necessary changes for client retention. This input also enables you to create new products or services that may even be directed towards a completely different target.

4. Your friends, colleagues, associates, etc..

As a result of the above, your own friends and colleagues, through observation and word-of-mouth, are now affected and contribute by referring clients and or making recommendations themselves.

5. Spectators.

As a business becomes successful through Relationship Marketing practices, it is difficult to keep it out of the view of the public. As spectators view all the positive things that are happening with the current customers and clients, they are affected and motivated to become involved with the product or service. When this happens, the process begins again and can multiply like a virus but as far as business is concerned, this is a very healthy virus.

Do you want to learn more business and networking advice? I have just completed my brand new guide for Professional Networking Success:

Your direct mail efforts can be increased by simply changing the design on your envelope. A powerful envelope can mean the difference between mediocre response and a response rate that is beyond normal. So in this article, we will take a look at how you can improve the response rate from your direct mail by simply changing the design of your envelope. Here’s the first tips for direct mail envelope success.

1) Order envelopes first

You should order your envelopes first before any other aspect of your direct mail campaign. Manufacturers can require a long wait time before they delivery your envelopes, so be sure to keep this in mind.

2) Consider eye flow pattern

There’s usually a typical pattern to how someone opens your envelope. They will start with the front of the envelope, then move to their name and address, then any teaser copy you have, then the corner of the envelope, the postage, and last – the recipient will turn the envelope over to see if anything is written on the back. With this information, you can do a few things to your advantage.

The first thing that you can do is use a real live stamp. Even if they don’t recognize who you are, they will more than likely open it due to the live stamp on the envelope. The live stamp makes the envelope seem personal, so this is why you should use it. The next thing you can do is hand address the envelope in blue ink.

When you hand address the envelope in blue ink, you take personalization to a new level. Your prospect will view this as a personal message and will open your letter right away. If you’re thinking it takes this much work to open an envelope, then you have no idea. Getting a prospect to open up your envelope is tough, which is why you have to pay careful attention to how you design it.

3) Use teaser copy

It may work to your advantage to use teaser copy on the envelope. Teaser copy is usually just a short blurb that will entice a reader to open up your envelope. Your teaser copy can be as general as “first class mail” or as specific as “open for your free gift today!” You will want to test which one is better for you when creating the teaser copy of your envelope.

You will also want to test multiple locations for the teaser copy of the envelope. Going back to tip number 2 above, you may find it useful to include teaser copy on the back of the envelope.

One last thing that you should know is that teaser copy works best for prospects at their home address rather than businesses. Secretaries usually will take your envelope and through it in the trash if they perceived it as advertising.

All 3 of these tips will allow you to have the direct mail success that you dream of. Direct mail doesn’t have to be hard and with the increased cost of postage today, it’s becoming more difficult for marketers to really market effectively with direct mail. But these tips will allow you to gain the upper hand that you need to have success. Good luck with your direct mail efforts.

Anyone who is contemplating the opening of a small home business should consider a direct sales business. Many people earn a great income by simply selling one line of products. Some great examples of this type of business are Avon, Mary Kay, and Tupperware. However, before you choose an opportunity, you have to consider the plus and minuses of direct sales.

When considering the plus and minuses of direct sales, the first thing you should consider is the earning potential. Truthfully, an opportunity like this is only limited by your own motivation. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Of course, another advantages is that you will get to be in complete control of your business.

Along with the above advantages, you will also find it allows you many opportunities to meet people, it has a low start up cost, and you can market your products on the Internet. Truthfully, you do not have to be an expert to be successful with your sales. It is simply about how much effort you make in improving your marketing skills.

Unfortunately, there are downsides to every business and this is no different. First and foremost, you will find you have a lot of competition and the income really is unpredictable. Whereas most of your business will be conducted online, it is a must to spend some time on increasing your knowledge about marketing. The fact is this type of business really requires a lot of time spent on it for it to even stand a chance for success.

Is this type of business right for you? After you carefully review the plus and minuses of direct sales, evaluate your feelings about each one. This type of business will require you to work on your own, keep your motivation going, and deal directly with a wide variety of types of people. It may not be for everyone, but the truth is, this type of business could help you to discover what it is like to be financially free.