Other
Why We'll Beat the Fast-Rising, Tech-Savvy Underdeveloped CountriesIf you are like me you may have been stuck on how we were ever going to take back the lead in business from those countries that are producing tech-savvy engineers now creating companies that seem to be taking over every industry. This change has caused me a lot of concern; I couldn’t see how we were ever going to become number one again.I finally realized what was happening and now I am no longer worried.The advantage those other guys have and the problem we have to over come are really one and the same; like opposite sides of the same coin.Those fast-rising countries are starting out with nothing in place. There are very few successful business, very few experienced executives and managers, hardly any proven systems, techniques or practices in place, and scores of eager workers willing to apply whatever works best. These businesses are working on a blank sheet of white paper; they are applying new ways of handling data, digesting information, analyzing problems and designing solutions. They have no past to replace, no investment in old systems to consider salvaging, no employees who are fighting change and no management stuck on yesterday’s fast-fading success.We have all of the old stuff to get around, over, through, or under. We have to prove every change as better and by how much (what’s the annualized ROI?) We have thousands of experienced employees, managers and executives sitting in place convinced that the old way is best.Not only do these characteristics frustrate the older companies in their quest to join the new millennium, they also keep the young folks coming up from really ge
"Print & Mail is a type of service that is
popular among small mail order operators.
It is an inexpensive way to get your ad
material printed and mailed to people.
The following is a brief article on how you
can effectively select a reliable dealer."
A direct-mail campaign is EXPENSIVE! There are many ways to cut the cost
of your mailings. Bulk mail, SASE's, and many other ways. One of the best
ways to lower your mailing costs, though, is by using a PRINT & MAIL DEALER.
Print & mail dealers do exactly what their name describes. They can take
your ads, usually 8 1/2 x 11 flyers, print them and mail them to names drawn
from a mailing list. Their services are quite inexpensive, sometimes
costing close to what your local printer would charge for printing alone.
How is this?
A print & mail business runs something like this. When the dealer receives
an order from a customer, for example, 1000 8 1/2 x 11 flyers, printed &
mailed, he will print the flyers on one side of the paper, with HIS flyer
on the back.
Thus, anyone who receives the customer's flyer will also get the dealer's
flyer. This cuts his advertising costs. Then, he will assemble a group of
different orders together into one mailing. This could as little as two
pages, to as large as 50 pages. These are bulk mailed to names drawn from
a mailing list, usually of opportunity seekers or mail order enthusiasts.
They could also be mailed out to those who have responded to ads the print
& mail dealer has placed.
How can you be sure a print & mail dealer will do a good job for you? There
are four things you should do when dealing with a print & mail dealer for
the first time. The first two should be done when shopping for a dealer,
the other two are done after your first order is placed.
First, send the dealer a request to be added to his mailing list. You
should then receive his next mailing. If you don't want to wait for a
bulk mail, send a few first-class stamps, and you'll probably receive it
quicker. Look through the mailing and observe the printing quality. Is
it smudgy, smeary and hard to read, or is it crisp and clear? If the
printing straight, or crooked? Keep in mind, the quality of the mailing
you receive will probably be the quality of YOUR flyer if you use this
dealer. Do this for a number of dealers and you will quickly be able to
determine which will give you the best print quality.
Second, find out what type of names the dealer is mailing to, and where
they come from. For best results, make sure the dealers name are fresh.
The best mailing lists in mail order are made up of people who have bought
within the past 30 days. Anything over 90 days old shouldn't be used.
Reputable print & mail dealers shouldn't have a problem with providing
this information.
Third, when you place your printing order, request a checking copy. This
is a copy of the bulk mailing, sent to you. You can then see exactly how
your printing came out, the other offers surrounding yours, and your
position in the mailing.
Finally, you should also request proof of mailing. When you mail a bulk
mailing at the post office, they will provide you with a receipt listing
the date and the number mailed. Request that a photocopy of this be mailed
to you with your checking copy. Not all dealers will do this, but the
reputable ones should have no problem with it.
If everything looks good, and you sent a good offer to be distributed, you
should get favorable results. This report is not meant to say that a lot
of print & mail dealers are disreputable. Most use high quality lists and
produce top notch printing. Otherwise, they'd never get return customers.
Just be sure that you "look before you leap."
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
Other
What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked Multi-level marketing is really a partnership. You go into business with someone that has the same interests and goals you have. You make a commitment to each other. You work with the same people. Working multi-level marketing correctly not only makes success easier, it eliminates many problems.
The hardest thing is to find the person you want to work with (your sponsor). You want someone who is willing to work and assist you when needed. You should join programs under the same person all the time. This makes for a solid downline. If your sponsor isn't interested in a particular program, contact his sponsor. By doing this, you will strengthen you group.
Many people complain about others stealing their people. They seem to think that just because they signed someone up once, they should always have them. If someone gives their downline the help and assistance they should, there would be no need for them to worry about someone stealing them away. They should want to continue with you because they know you will help them. Why should someone stick with you if all you do is collected commissions from them? Can you really blame them for not following you into other programs?
Take a look at the other side of the "coin". Having the right people in your downline is just as important as having the right sponsor. If someone sponsored you into a program and helped you, don't expect them to sign you in another program if you haven't tried to do anything on you own. Granted, they make money for those they sponsor for you, but why should they make you money if you don't do anything?
Mai
with HIS flyer
on the back.
Thus, anyone who receives the customer's flyer will also get the dealer's
flyer. This cuts his advertising costs. Then, he will assemble a group of
different orders together into one mailing. This could as little as two
pages, to as large as 50 pages. These are bulk mailed to names drawn from
a mailing list, usually of opportunity seekers or mail order enthusiasts.
They could also be mailed out to those who have responded to ads the print
& mail dealer has placed.
How can you be sure a print & mail dealer will do a good job for you? There
are four things you should do when dealing with a print & mail dealer for
the first time. The first two should be done when shopping for a dealer,
the other two are done after your first order is placed.
First, send the dealer a request to be added to his mailing list. You
should then receive his next mailing. If you don't want to wait for a
bulk mail, send a few first-class stamps, and you'll probably receive it
quicker. Look through the mailing and observe the printing quality. Is
it smudgy, smeary and hard to read, or is it crisp and clear? If the
printing straight, or crooked? Keep in mind, the quality of the mailing
you receive will probably be the quality of YOUR flyer if you use this
dealer. Do this for a number of dealers and you will quickly be able to
determine which will give you the best print quality.
Second, find out what type of names the dealer is mailing to, and where
they come from. For best results, make sure the dealers name are fresh.
The best mailing lists in mail order are made up of people who have bought
within the past 30 days. Anything over 90 days old shouldn't be used.
Reputable print & mail dealers shouldn't have a problem with providing
this information.
Third, when you place your printing order, request a checking copy. This
is a copy of the bulk mailing, sent to you. You can then see exactly how
your printing came out, the other offers surrounding yours, and your
position in the mailing.
Finally, you should also request proof of mailing. When you mail a bulk
mailing at the post office, they will provide you with a receipt listing
the date and the number mailed. Request that a photocopy of this be mailed
to you with your checking copy. Not all dealers will do this, but the
reputable ones should have no problem with it.
If everything looks good, and you sent a good offer to be distributed, you
should get favorable results. This report is not meant to say that a lot
of print & mail dealers are disreputable. Most use high quality lists and
produce top notch printing. Otherwise, they'd never get return customers.
Just be sure that you "look before you leap."
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
Other
How Successful Are You in Selecting the Right PeopleWe probably all remember our Grandpa telling us about the ‘good old days’. When it comes to employing people, your Grandpa’s memory was probably not playing tricks on him. It was not too many years ago that employees could be expected to show up to work, on time, every day. But today, finding people to reliably show up on time and then put in a full day’s effort is increasingly difficult in many areas of the country. Many employers are finding good people who will show up when scheduled and work hard when they are at work is one of their major management concerns.How much are these employee problems really costing businesses? John W. Howard, Ph.D., of Performance Resources LLC, reports one large equipment manufacturer clearly explained the impact of absenteeism and tardiness in the typical organization. When a person who was supposed to be performing a certain specific task is not present, they normally have to be replaced by someone else. Because in today’s competitive environment, organizations typically do not have extra workers on staff, the average labor cost of the process was increased by 23% during this period of time. In most cases, the worker who is substituting for a missing worker is probably not as well trained in that particular task or the additional duties have to be absorbed along with much of his normal assignments. Not surprising, it was also found that warranty claims attributable to the process increased by about 25% when a normal worker was absent. The revelation in the study came when it was shown that process and warranty costs of the nearest downstream and upstream process also incr
R>printing straight, or crooked? Keep in mind, the quality of the mailing
you receive will probably be the quality of YOUR flyer if you use this
dealer. Do this for a number of dealers and you will quickly be able to
determine which will give you the best print quality.
Second, find out what type of names the dealer is mailing to, and where
they come from. For best results, make sure the dealers name are fresh.
The best mailing lists in mail order are made up of people who have bought
within the past 30 days. Anything over 90 days old shouldn't be used.
Reputable print & mail dealers shouldn't have a problem with providing
this information.
Third, when you place your printing order, request a checking copy. This
is a copy of the bulk mailing, sent to you. You can then see exactly how
your printing came out, the other offers surrounding yours, and your
position in the mailing.
Finally, you should also request proof of mailing. When you mail a bulk
mailing at the post office, they will provide you with a receipt listing
the date and the number mailed. Request that a photocopy of this be mailed
to you with your checking copy. Not all dealers will do this, but the
reputable ones should have no problem with it.
If everything looks good, and you sent a good offer to be distributed, you
should get favorable results. This report is not meant to say that a lot
of print & mail dealers are disreputable. Most use high quality lists and
produce top notch printing. Otherwise, they'd never get return customers.
Just be sure that you "look before you leap."
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
Other
Align eCommerce ExpectationsLauren Freedman compared two sets of surveys and found some "surprising variances" and striking differences between what e-tailers and their best customers want. Given the huge run up in holiday sales, it is remarkable that buyers' and sellers' expectations are so out of synch.
Lauren, my old friend and colleague, is the premiere e-tailing consultant on the planet. She surveyed 2472 online shoppers of which 2000 bought an average of $488 in merchandise ( 2-10 items) during the last six months; clearly the heavy user segment. She compared her results from customers with data from the 5th annual merchant study that she conducted in Q4 of 2005 and wrote it all up in the January edition of Internet Retailer.Free shipping still reigns as customers' favorite incentive, though far fewer merchants can figure out how to make this strong incentive pay-off without eating into margins. The same holds true for product discounts. They motivate customers while eroding profits. Striking the right balance is a continuing challenge for merchants.Most merchants think that shoppers have a herd instinct and that they can be given cues to catalyse collective action. Many display "What's New", "Top Sellers" and "Gift Suggestions" in the hope of provoking monkey-see monkey-do behavior. According to the surveys, merchants care about these things on average almost 30 percent more than customers do.
On the flip side many merchants don't think about hybrid online and off-line shopping patterns so they don't list their store locations and haven't spend time or money to figure out how shoppers use or link purchasing venues. Yet 2/3rds
copy. Not all dealers will do this, but the
reputable ones should have no problem with it.
If everything looks good, and you sent a good offer to be distributed, you
should get favorable results. This report is not meant to say that a lot
of print & mail dealers are disreputable. Most use high quality lists and
produce top notch printing. Otherwise, they'd never get return customers.
Just be sure that you "look before you leap."
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
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Article Submitted On: September 29, 2004
