GKIC Style 3 Letter Sequence

TakenAction

9 years ago

Can you attach the letters?

Thanks
1 reply

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longrobnc

9 years ago

Originally Posted by TakenAction

Can you attach the letters?

I'm not asking for a critique of my letters. They were written from a template of other GKIC published letters. I actually consulted with a GKIC award winner before sending my 1st sequence. I was just wondering about the results of others. Like I said, we have pulled lots of customers out of this market with cold calling using the same offer. I even tried to spice up my second attempt with faux express envelopes and some dimensional mail items. No dice.

Thanks for the reply.

Thanks
1 reply

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savidge4

9 years ago

Going Social would be another avenue, Particularly LinkedIn. If its the same vertical you are going after have you looked at trade mags?

I have been looking at magzter.com as of late. if you target is in the list you can subscribe to the entire catalog for $10.00 a month to look at what your competitors ads might look like.

And anyone else reading this... talk about a resource to keeping up with a niche!!! Seriously like content on tap.

PS if anyone finds an affiliate program for them please oh please let me know!

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longrobnc

9 years ago

I've run PPC ads on LinkedIn and Facebook that did pretty much nothing. Google and Yahoo PPC have done great for me, but social has done little. I have gotten clients that were my old friends and classmates, but not a client outside of that.

I don't think that there is an applicable trade mag for my local area that would apply.

Thanks for the help.

Thanks
1 reply

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savidge4

9 years ago

Originally Posted by longrobnc

I've run PPC ads on LinkedIn and Facebook that did pretty much nothing. Google and Yahoo PPC have done great for me, but social has done little. I have gotten clients that were my old friends and classmates, but not a client outside of that.

I don't think that there is an applicable trade mag for my local area that would apply.

Thanks for the help.

you cant PPC linkedIn (well I suppose you can because you did ) you have to work it.. you have to develop and reach out to those you want to reach. it is called "Social" right?

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longrobnc

9 years ago

Originally Posted by savidge4

you cant PPC linkedIn (well I suppose you can because you did ) you have to work it.. you have to develop and reach out to those you want to reach. it is called "Social" right?

Well, I never said that I had no presence there. I have made lots of connections, but it has never resulted in any appreciable amount of business . Many of my customers go there and reveiw my company and endorse me. I've found contacts there, but once I get their info it's just much easier just to call them up. I have sent messages through LinkedIn, but for the most part they get ignored. I've seen lots of people that "work" LinkedIn. Looks spammy to me. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks

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eccj

9 years ago

Originally Posted by savidge4

Going Social would be another avenue, Particularly LinkedIn. If its the same vertical you are going after have you looked at trade mags?

I have been looking at magzter.com as of late. if you target is in the list you can subscribe to the entire catalog for $10.00 a month to look at what your competitors ads might look like.

And anyone else reading this... talk about a resource to keeping up with a niche!!! Seriously like content on tap.

PS if anyone finds an affiliate program for them please oh please let me know!

Do you know of a resource for advertising in a lot of trade mags? I have found companies that allow you to advertise in 400+ newspapers but not for trade mags.

Thanks

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AmericanMuscleTA

9 years ago

What were your offers?

I'm a GKIC Member, but have never used the exact templates from their mailings. I swipe ideas and apply it to my own designs.

When I was in real estate, I was getting just over 6% response with a 3-step mailing campaign mailed to expired listings.

First step was a postcard letting the prospects know they will be receiving a home seller's guide.

Then, I mailed the home seller's guide. First it was in a 9x12 brown envelope with a mini Rubik's cube. Never got a response from this second step until I switch to a fake "Rush Priority Express" envelope (without the mini Rubik's Cube).

**TIP: When sending out mailings. Be sure to send them to yourself first! I got one of the brown envelopes back, because the USPS said unable to forward, with the Rubik's cube inside, but the envelope was torn... possibly because of the Rubik's Cube. Which made it look really bad. So that could have been a reason for no responses.**

Third step was a mini trash can.

All in all, I was getting just over 6% response (mostly from the mini trash can).

Next time you do mailings, send them to yourself so you know what they look like when your prospects get them. And, be sure to always test-Test-TEST.

Maybe you should have tried 1,000 letters first. Then, after not getting a response figure out why, change your letter, and mail another 1,000.

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longrobnc

9 years ago

Originally Posted by AmericanMuscleTA

What were your offers?

I'm a GKIC Member, but have never used the exact templates from their mailings. I swipe ideas and apply it to my own designs.

When I was in real estate, I was getting just over 6% response with a 3-step mailing campaign mailed to expired listings.

First step was a postcard letting the prospects know they will be receiving a home seller's guide.

Then, I mailed the home seller's guide. First it was in a 9x12 brown envelope with a mini Rubik's cube. Never got a response from this second step until I switch to a fake "Rush Priority Express" envelope (without the mini Rubik's Cube).

**TIP: When sending out mailings. Be sure to send them to yourself first! I got one of the brown envelopes back, because the USPS said unable to forward, with the Rubik's cube inside, but the envelope was torn... possibly because of the Rubik's Cube. Which made it look really bad. So that could have been a reason for no responses.**

Third step was a mini trash can.

All in all, I was getting just over 6% response (mostly from the mini trash can).

Next time you do mailings, send them to yourself so you know what they look like when your prospects get them. And, be sure to always test-Test-TEST.

Maybe you should have tried 1,000 letters first. Then, after not getting a response figure out why, change your letter, and mail another 1,000.

Thanks for your response. Just to note, I didn't just send out 6k letters. It was 2 separate 3 letter chains. 1,000 is what I sent x 3, and then changed things up and did it again. I didn't want to send less than 1,000 because I was expecting a response of -1%. Sending less did not seem like enough to gauge response.

The 1st time around, I offered a free service that I know they already use. It's worth $250. I was not asking for a contract. I never ask for agreements. They can move along anytime they like. The 2nd time around, the offer was a gift certificate. Very nicely printed in color by Bob Ross. I sent part of the list a cert for $250 and the other half $500. I hand signed every cert and placed them in a faux express envelope. I did mail one to myself as someone else had advised me. I heard crickets. I even offered to give them another cert free of charge if they were unhappy with any part of my service.

I have tested direct mail extensively for the past 3 years. My response rate is generally a little over a tenth of 1%. Not sure what the issue is. B2B it has been nothing. EDDM to homeowners has been 1.2 leads every 1,000 pieces. It has perplexed the hell out of me.

The offers I run produce lots of leads in shared mail. It just has to be an absurd amount of impressions to keep my staff moving. In shared mail, it's about 1 lead per 5k impressions.

Thanks
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ewenmack

9 years ago

Originally Posted by longrobnc

The 1st time around, I offered a free service that I know they already use. It's worth $250. I was not asking for a contract. I never ask for agreements. They can move along anytime they like. The 2nd time around, the offer was a gift certificate. Very nicely printed in color by Bob Ross. I sent part of the list a cert for $250 and the other half $500. I hand signed every cert and placed them in a faux express envelope. I did mail one to myself as someone else had advised me. I heard crickets. I even offered to give them another cert free of charge if they were unhappy with any part of my service.

I have tested direct mail extensively for the past 3 years. My response rate is generally a little over a tenth of 1%. Not sure what the issue is. B2B it has been nothing. EDDM to homeowners has been 1.2 leads every 1,000 pieces. It has perplexed the hell out of me.

In some markets, trying to get the people to change
to another relationship is near impossible using
'normal' messages.

For example, giving a better deal won't budge them.

Telling them they are being ripped off, won't budge them.

You may be in that type of market,
I don't know.

If you are, then it takes some stealth messaging so
that they come to their own conclusion that they are
being taken advantage of, in a big way.

All in all, what you've described and what others have focused on,
is the delivery of the message.

The messenger may of died on arrival.

Best,
Doctor E. Vile

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1 reply

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longrobnc

9 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

In some markets, trying to get the people to change
to another relationship is near impossible using
'normal' messages.

For example, giving a better deal won't budge them.

Telling them they are being ripped off, won't budge them.

You may be in that type of market,
I don't know.

If you are, then it takes some stealth messaging so
that they come to their own conclusion that they are
being taken advantage of, in a big way.

All in all, what you've described and what others have focused on,
is the delivery of the message.

The messenger may of died on arrival.

Best,
Doctor E. Vile

Oddly, your message hits home to something that happened recently. Last month, I bought out one of my competitors. The business had been open for 52 years. The customers loved the previous owners. One of the customers had a custom order placed before I took the helm. When my office called the customer to let him know that his order was ready he laid in to my office staff for no apparent reason. I had to have the previous owner call him to console him. So, in essence, you are right. Relationships in my niche sometimes run very deep. I've had people that I know personally refuse to switch from their previous vendor to me.

Btw, not sure what you mean by stealth messaging.

Thanks
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ronr

9 years ago

I've created several DK style direct mail sequences that have done quite well. One is still being used after 5 years and has generated millions. I kick myself that I didn't get a royalty agreement

None were offline marketing however.

Both were direct to niche consumer markets selling expensive training courses

Ron

Thanks
1 reply

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longrobnc

9 years ago

Originally Posted by ronr

I've created several DK style direct mail sequences that have done quite well. One is still being used after 5 years and has generated millions. I kick myself that I didn't get a royalty agreement

None were offline marketing however.

Both were direct to niche consumer markets selling expensive training courses

Ron

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the reply. Glad that you had some success.

This is a very different scenario because I'm selling a physical product that is a bit of a commodity. It is difficult to make huge claims that will motivate a person to action. When selling certain services, it is much easier to sell while making big claims that grab the prospects attention. I have found that when people have sold me SEO, sales training and stocks, the salespeople sell a lot of pie in the sky ideas based on potential. I'd love to be able to pitch this way, but it's just not possible. To the segment I have targeted with these campaigns, my product is a bit of an afterthought, but it must be done.

Thanks
1 reply

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ronr

9 years ago

Yes it is always harder selling a commodity.

Another huge difference I just realized is that sequences I used went to people who raised their hands by requesting a lead magnet not sent to cold lists. Also I was able to craft a great story letters that really connected with audience.

Your goal is to make your item that is a commodity unique in some way like DK says by putting together packages, etc. But you know that if you follow him.

Have you tried a lead magnet and then sending your sequence to the ones who requested it?

Originally Posted by longrobnc

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the reply. Glad that you had some success.

This is a very different scenario because I'm selling a physical product that is a bit of a commodity. It is difficult to make huge claims that will motivate a person to action. When selling certain services, it is much easier to sell while making big claims that grab the prospects attention. I have found that when people have sold me SEO, sales training and stocks, the salespeople sell a lot of pie in the sky ideas based on potential. I'd love to be able to pitch this way, but it's just not possible. To the segment I have targeted with these campaigns, my product is a bit of an afterthought, but it must be done.

Thanks
1 reply

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longrobnc 9 years ago

I get about 350-400 new leads a month. However, the B2B market that I am targeting is hard to generate leads in the same way that I do with others. For instance, I do a lot of local magazines to reach homeowners. I don't know of a publication that I could do the same with the businesses that I target. Shared mail can attract a lot of eyeballs for a low cost. I've tried the same with EDDM and the leads were too pricey.

SEM works in several of my segments, but the list that I have targeted with direct mail is not easy to single out with this method.

Other than cold calls, I have found no way to reach them. If I had a way to generate warm leads I would never send them a mail piece for what I'm selling. I would pick up the phone and ask for an appointment. This mail sequence is supposed to be the method to get them to raise their hand.

In my niche, I've placed several lead gen magnets on my site that never got a single opt in. Many things such as lead magnets and webforms have been tested on my sites and they only lowered conversion. When I did have webforms and followed up with email the email sequences seemed to annoy many of my customers and our closing ratio didn't go up at all. People complained constantly. The way that our sales process works makes it difficult to automate stopping the follow ups as soon as the sale is made. I still email as follow up, but it's not part of an email marketing system. Many things that others advocate have never worked for me.
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- Ron Lafuddy 9 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by longrobnc
  
  Other than cold calls, I have found no way to reach them.
  
  I don't know what you sell, but I do
  know there are some things you can't
  automate, no matter how hard you try.
  
  You can't automate relationships
  
  Sounds like, from what you've described
  relationships play an important part in your
  business.
  
  If it were me, I'd put on some comfortable walking
  shoes and knock on doors in neighborhoods and at
  businesses that I'd like to sell to.
  
  In the end, it's the customer who decides how they want
  to be sold to.
  
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ewenmack

9 years ago

Originally Posted by longrobnc

Btw, not sure what you mean by stealth messaging.

It's the steps you take them through
so by the end, they can't leave fast enough.

Very advanced tactic that works in the money
management field.

It came about after the realization that the one's that replied
to ads giving out helpful information were those that self managed.

Those that used money managers would not change
their managers.

So a 21 step system was born.

Once people who have money in management
have gone through those 21 steps they can't get all their
money out of the hands of their managers fast enough.

That's what I mean by stealth.

Once again, I don't now if is the right approach
for your situation. Your prospects do look as though
they are very loyal like the people who entrust those
that manage money.

Best,
Doctor E. Vile

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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Oziboomer

9 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

It's the steps you take them through
so by the end, they can't leave fast enough.

Very advanced tactic that works in the money
management field.

It came about after the realization that the one's that replied
to ads giving out helpful information were those that self managed.

Those that used money managers would not change
their managers.

So a 21 step system was born.

Once people who have money in management
have gone through those 21 steps they can't get all their
money out of the hands of their managers fast enough.

That's what I mean by stealth.

That is pretty Ninja.. thanks Ewen....

From my perspective the mailing we do is always to warm or hot prospects.

Usually a "one-timer" as Claude alluded to

If the first letter gets no response, making it a three step won't help. Nearly always, the bulk of the response is in the first letter. For example, if you get 100 orders total, from the three steps...it will be 50 from the first letter and 25 from each of the next two attempts.

I mostly use "Bounce back" type offers.

Sending handwritten Cheques (checks for y'all US readers) and I put a post-it note on the cheque that looks handwritten. - we use printed post-its- you can buy then - not in OZ but I got this thing called amazon...it's new you know...

I use...again ...maybe kennedy inspired...Copy Doodle Font...sometimes a cartoon...maybe Mike Capuzzi (great guy) inspired...but often just drawn with a sharpie and scanned....and put that post it right over the "Value" my cheque is worth.

I don't use this for lead gen...

..although...

...I have run with a lucky dip type promo where I got a crowd of group on-type purchasers to write their friend's or family's name on the envelope and then we mailed ...

- entered into our database first -

then posted a check to friends of group-on redeemer in their own hand-writing - "GOLDEN TIP - there"

People love handwritten....and better if written by "FRIEND"

Super response rates.

For some of these type campaigns I get little old ladies bringing in a check I sent 7 years ago and asking "will we honour it"...

...you bet.

Thanks

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MichaelWinicki

9 years ago

Like everything else it needs to be tested.

I used a multiple letter sequence before and have had it bomb too. And what I've learned is that if the first piece underwhelms the 2nd and 3rd pieces aren't going to pull either. In other words stop and reformulate.

And of course sprinkled throughout many of the GKIC (and prior) recordings and books put out by DK & Co. the word TEST is used. You gotta test like DK says.

Unfortunately when you do listen to their stuff (and I've listened to literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of DK's information) almost everything is a roaring success with everyone making craploads of cash.

I don't think they're being disingenuous, they just trying to sell more stuff and if it appears that everything they suggest works then it's easier to sell the next seminar or info product.

Personally I'd love to see/hear more about the failures, but I'm an odd-ball when it comes to that sort of thing.

Also many of the successes that are often used as examples are pieces or sequences that are going out to folks that have purchased previously– and as we know it's always easier reselling a previous customer than it is selling to a prospect.

When it comes to lead generation everything is 10X harder.

I'm not sure how much letter sequence mailings DK did to build his original list (if any). It seems that he generated most of his leads either through the sales of his books or through his speaking, especially at the Peter Lowe events. Not that I blame him for that, it was a brilliant strategy, but it's a difficult one for most of us to duplicate.

After Bill G. took things over and exploded the growth of GKIC, it seems that affiliate marketing was a big part of the process and not so much doing lead generation through display ads or using a letter sequence of some sort.

Again it's all about testing.

I've heard DK mention that he chose the "3 letter sequence" just because that number sounded good to him. LOL. 4 sounded like too much work and 2 sounded like not enough!

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Claude Whitacre

9 years ago

Originally Posted by longrobnc

Hello all,

In the past, I was a member of GKIC and I've bought several of their products. To be honest, I'm not sure that I've taken anything away that I ever put to good use. On two separate occasions, I have run three letter sequences with very strong offers. I've sent these to local businesses that already use my service, but with other vendors. Sadly, I have never gotten a lead from nearly 6k letters sent.

Has anyone else tried this method or any others from GKIC and had success?

Thanks

Right now, I'm doing well on google with B2B sales as well as cold calling. Trying to find other methods.

If the first letter gets no response, making it a three step won't help. Nearly always, the bulk of the response is in the first letter. For example, if you get 100 orders total, from the three steps...it will be 50 from the first letter and 25 from each of the next two attempts.

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AmericanMuscleTA

9 years ago

What are you selling??????

To go along with ronr, about lead generation... DK says there are two kinds of offers:

Direct Purchase Offers and Lead Generation Offers

Looks like you made a Direct Purchase Offer, which has a higher resistance threshold. For someone to get the certificate, they have to buy from you. Heck, to get the FREE service, they still have to "buy" from you ("Oh no. I call up to schedule my free service, are they going to try to hard sell me?!").

The Lead Generation Offer is what ronr said... offer a free information kit and DVD. It has a low-resistance threshold. People may not buy right away, but they show interest in what you're offering.

Again, what is the commodity you're selling??

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GKIC Style 3 Letter Sequence

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