How I'm getting more clients than I can handle from dollar bill letters

13 years ago

Brilliant idea,

another method i also heard of was to include 2 dice (die?) in the letter, first of all because mail is more likely to be of interest if it is bulkier, and contains something other than the letter, and also to intrigue the reader, as with your dollar bill idea.

-Michael

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mikelukjaniec 13 years ago

I've used a similar system in the UK. What I use are printed flyers with a slightly enlarged (legal) picture of a £20 note on one side and a pre-printed sales message and contact details on the reverse side. with my photo. What I do is fold the 'note, so the £20 part is visible and use a paper clip to keep everything in place. It works like a dream!
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kenmichaels

13 years ago

So is this the windup ?

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David Miller 13 years ago

Originally Posted by kenmichaels

So is this the windup ?

I think it was the pitch...The WSO shows what a 10 dollar bill can accomplish I guess.
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- Andrew Kryzak 13 years ago
  
  Hey guys,
  
  I don't quite know what you mean when you say "is this the windup?"
  
  Could you elaborate?
  
  Andrew
  
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  iAmNameLess 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Andrew Kryzak
  
  Hey guys,
  
  I don't quite know what you mean when you say "is this the windup?"
  
  Could you elaborate?
  
  Andrew
  
  wind up.. pitch.. strike...out
  
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  Andrew Kryzak 13 years ago
  
  Oh I see... no there's no pitch coming.
  
  Try this method and check back with your results. I think you'll like it.
  
  Andrew
  
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  ShayB 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Andrew Kryzak
  
  Hey guys,
  
  I don't quite know what you mean when you say "is this the windup?"
  
  Could you elaborate?
  
  Andrew
  
  I'd imagine it's referring to the windup for the upcoming WSO. :rolleyes:
  
  BTW - nice post. It's not a new system. Been around for a while. But it's a nice reminder of it.
  
  http://www.copywriting1.com/2007/10/...ll-letter.html (Not an aff link)
  
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ramohr

13 years ago

nice post do you have a copy of the letter you sent ... it would be nice to get a look see
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ramohr

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jacquic 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Michael_Lee

Brilliant idea,

another method i also heard of was to include 2 dice (die?) in the letter,

-Michael

1 die, 2 dice

Yes, bulky other than a $1 mail is good, not least because the smallest note in England is a fiver, which is $7.95. Postal rates have just gone up here again, making one really get the letter right!

Originally Posted by Andrew Kryzak

Hey guys,

I don't quite know what you mean when you say "is this the windup?"

Andrew

Lol, I didn't either. If we're 'winding up' in the UK, it means either we're teasing someone, or we're finishing something, not having a prelude to a pitch.
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- Muhammad Iqbal 13 years ago
  
  waw nic share bro
  
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agonce

13 years ago

I know that this type of DM campaign works, one other reputable member of the forum has done it and shared it about 4-7 months ago. Congrats on your success btw

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swilliams09

13 years ago

I got a mail package from the nielsen ratings people (for those who live outside the US nielsen caculates what people are watching on tv and it helps advertisers and networks set budgets for commercials. They used to put Nielsen boxes in people's homes to track their viewing habits and would sell the information). In the package was 2 bucks and information about their survey they wanted me to take. Since I had a few minutes I went ahead and took it online. I won't lie, the two bucks got my attention because otherwise I would have trashed it.

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RedShifted

13 years ago

I've been dying to try out the dice method myself I like how the dice kind of imply to "take a chance".

Just need to find somewhere to get a ton of them cheap.. maybe the dollar store.

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luane 13 years ago

I have to say that most people DO pay attention to real money! Ingenius really, if you have lots of dollar bills to spare .
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ShayB

13 years ago

Originally Posted by RedShifted

I've been dying to try out the dice method myself I like how the dice kind of imply to "take a chance".

Just need to find somewhere to get a ton of them cheap.. maybe the dollar store.

Dollar stores are good. Gaming stores are good, too. You can order them wholesale online.

Gaming stores have really unique dice, too, if you want something eye-catching.

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agonce

13 years ago

Originally Posted by RedShifted

I've been dying to try out the dice method myself I like how the dice kind of imply to "take a chance".

Just need to find somewhere to get a ton of them cheap.. maybe the dollar store.

I have purchased these and they are okay for our purpose:

Amazon.com: 100 (One Hundred) 19mm 6 Sided Red...

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AussieT

13 years ago

Yes, that method has been around for longer than I have!

But its good to know that it is still working even today when a dollar is worth a lot less.

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John Durham

13 years ago

I dont have any problem imagining 100 one dollar bills going out, and returning in the form of a maybe a couple of $1500 customers or maybe even more.

never did this, but have thought it. Makes sense. It would probably cost $200 to get a 2k or more return just theorizing based off what seems like common sense here.

The problem with conversion ratios with diorect mail is largely that no one opens them...

So if you have a 1/10 call in ratio from the ones who open it and read, and then a 30% closing ratio with the live prospects, then that means you can close 3 out of that hundred as long as all hundred are opened and read, which usually I would think is less than half that (again based on my own guesses).

So I can see how the dollar would work because virtually EVERYONE would give you the time to at least open and give a moment of consideration.

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agonce 13 years ago

Obviously, the key with direct mailing is following up with a phone call. That would basically mean: I want to see who's interested first(ie the ones that call you), and then, those that don't call, follow up with them and see "if they got your mailing piece" .
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ShayB 13 years ago

Originally Posted by John Durham

The problem with conversion ratios with diorect mail is largely that no one opens them...

This is where I think a combination of chunky mail with the dollar bill would come into play and covert nicely.
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Brandon Tanner

13 years ago

Originally Posted by John Durham

never did this, but have thought it. Makes sense. It would probably cost $200 to get a 2k or more return just theorizing based off what seems like common sense here.

The problem with conversion ratios with diorect mail is largely that no one opens them...

How about if you put the dollar bill in a clear envelope, where it can be seen from the outside?

That would definitely get opened!

(but hopefully not by the postman)

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ronr

13 years ago

I agree the dollar bill could get taken if it was too visable. But I just received a clear envelope with other lumpy mail inside and even though I knew what it was had to open it.

Originally Posted by Brandon Tanner

How about if you put the dollar bill in a clear envelope, where it can be seen from the outside?

That would definitely get opened!

(but hopefully not by the postman)

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Eddie Spangler

13 years ago

Here is one idea, use dice and dollar bill. Attach dollar to letter and fold into three, like you normally fold a letter.
Then on outside use a sticky note and say "Roll the dice before opening this letter"
Some will roll, most wont but they will be curious.

Then they open, dollar appears or falls out, and letter starts something like congratulations, no matter what you roll you will come up a winner with one of our campaigns....

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agonce

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler

Here is one idea, use dice and dollar bill. Attach dollar to letter and fold into three, like you normally fold a letter.
Then on outside use a sticky note and say "Roll the dice before opening this letter"
Some will roll, most wont but they will be curious.

Then they open, dollar appears or falls out, and letter starts something like congratulations, no matter what you roll you will come up a winner with one of our campaigns....

now if someone did this to me and i had a business, i would surely call them

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sweetcrabhoney18

13 years ago

Okay.. maybe I'm just a junk mail hater.. what if they don't open the mail at all? Do you put something on the envelope that says there is money inside? Because I own a non profit and I get so much mail most is just trashed without being opened.. I wonder if I missed any money from them??

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Jerry McGough 13 years ago

Put it in one of those imitation FedEx envelopes if you want to make sure it gets open....
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ShayB

13 years ago

Originally Posted by sweetcrabhoney18

Okay.. maybe I'm just a junk mail hater.. what if they don't open the mail at all? Do you put something on the envelope that says there is money inside? Because I own a non profit and I get so much mail most is just trashed without being opened.. I wonder if I missed any money from them??

This would be my concern, too, if it's just in a plain envelope. I think having a "chunky" piece of mail would do better.

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beeswarn

13 years ago

Nice story, but I don't believe any of it.

However, if you can show some actual numbers and facts, I'll try to believe it. How many did you mail? When did you mail them? What was the offer? How many conversions? How long does a conversion take? How did you track? How many came back in the mail unopened? Did you run a control campaign with no dollar bill enclosed? How did that compare? How many times have you repeated this campaign? What were those results? If they don't convert during the first campaign, do you step up with a $2 or $5 bill?

I really want to know more about this. But I can't just take your word for it.

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agonce

13 years ago

Handwriting the address and their name is very important to get them to open your mail piece, it almost guarantees that they will open it.

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beeswarn

13 years ago

Originally Posted by agonce

Handwriting the address and their name is very important to get them to open your mail piece, it almost guarantees that they will open it.

It does, or you just say it does? What is your source?

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agonce

13 years ago

Originally Posted by beeswarn

It does, or you just say it does? What is your source?

I said almost guarantees. There isn't really a way to track how many people opened your mail piece(unless you will call everyone that you sent the piece to and ask them), so I wouldn't think there is any statistics on this.

However, when you see a hand written address and name on it, you will at least OPEN it for few reasons. One of them is that, handwritten means it can be someone that you know is sending it to you(maybe a bill,costumer etc). Another reason is that it is clearly not computer generated, ie some generic 'current resident/owner', so you won't throw it away just as easy as you would throw a 'not-so-personalized' card.

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beeswarn

13 years ago

Originally Posted by agonce

I said almost guarantees. There isn't really a way to track how many people opened your mail piece(unless you will call everyone that you sent the piece to and ask them), so I wouldn't think there is any statistics on this.

However, when you see a hand written address and name on it, you will at least OPEN it for few reasons. One of them is that, handwritten means it can be someone that you know is sending it to you(maybe a bill,costumer etc). Another reason is that it is clearly not computer generated, ie some generic 'current resident/owner', so you won't throw it away just as easy as you would throw a 'not-so-personalized' card.

I'm still not sold and I've heard people tell me a hundred other times that hand writing addresses on envelopes produces higher open rates than otherwise.

Other than those you made up for your make-believe example, what facts do you use to justify making your manly assertion that you can "almost guarantee" it will be opened by the addressee?

Do you not put return addresses on your envelopes? Do you have to hand write those too? Whether or not you hand write them, does placing an unfamiliar return address on the envelope tend to affect whether people will still think it's from a friend? What kind of friend or relative sends valuable content through the mail without a return address?

If you think I'm unfairly challenging you to use logic, you're right. People who come to the Warrior Forum for marketing help shouldn't have to wade through old wives' tales like this (and the original post.)

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ShayB 13 years ago

I honestly don't doubt that a hand-addressed envelope will get a higher open rate.

However, if your offer sucks, it won't make a difference in your response rate. And the response rate (i.e. sales) is what makes you money.
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ShayB 13 years ago

Originally Posted by beeswarn

What kind of friend or relative sends valuable content through the mail without a return address?

Mine. About 80% of them do. *shrugs*
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agonce

13 years ago

Originally Posted by beeswarn

I'm still not sold and I've heard people tell me a hundred other times that hand writing addresses on envelopes produces higher open rates than otherwise.

Other than those you made up for your make-believe example, what facts do you use to justify making your manly assertion that you can "almost guarantee" it will be opened by the addressee?

Do you not put return addresses on your envelopes? Do you have to hand write those too? Whether or not you hand write them, does placing an unfamiliar return address on the envelope tend to affect whether people will still think it's from a friend? What kind of friend or relative sends valuable content through the mail without a return address?

If you think I'm unfairly challenging you to use logic, you're right. People who come to the Warrior Forum for marketing help shouldn't have to wade through old wives' tales like this (and the original post.)

woah, calm down buddy. I did my first direct mailing campaign 5 days ago but with a VERY small sample(30), so I did not want to say "I've tested it". I got two responses so far and hopefully I will get some more in the upcoming days.
I've used the dice + handwritten the address and name of the owner, and a color stamp which says 'confidential'.

Besides, there are many many businesses who use direct mail successfully as a marketing tool. I've learned from 'bob ross' that it's not about the quantity, but its about how targeted your receivers are and how good the offer is.

p.s. I am not saying that the envelope got opened just because it was hand written, but I don't really care as long as I get this kind of response rate.

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rugman

13 years ago

Fed ex them a box with a shoe in at - headline "now that i have my foot in the door....."

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beeswarn

13 years ago

I did my first direct mailing campaign 5 days ago but with a VERY small sample(30), so I did not want to say "I've tested it".

So your "almost guarantee" is more like a guess?

... its about how targeted your receivers are and how good the offer is.

Well, what about marketing isn't?

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agonce

13 years ago

Originally Posted by beeswarn

I did my first direct mailing campaign 5 days ago but with a VERY small sample(30), so I did not want to say "I've tested it".

So your "almost guarantee" is more like a guess?

... its about how targeted your receivers are and how good the offer is.

Well, what about marketing isn't?

lol if you just want to argue for no reason, thanks but I am not in the mood for that and its time consuming. You sound like one of those prospects who don't plan to buy but they just want to give you a hard time and waste your time( and theirs).

How about you try it yourself and then come back and tell us whether you had any success.
What worked for me, might not work for you. What I can guarantee for myself, I can't guarantee the same for you. Simple as that.
I know for a fact, that handwriting the address will make the envelope look more personal, you can disagree with it all day long but other posters in this thread agree with it. So if I were to send an envelope of this type to you, you will maybe throw it out, but most of the other people I've sent it to will open it.

And yes, marketing is all about that, but most of the people in this board think that they can just send 100 mail pieces and get 2 clients, w/o making a targeted list to market. Or send 1000 emails and get 2 clients.

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beeswarn

13 years ago

Originally Posted by agonce

lol if you just want to argue for no reason, thanks but I am not in the mood for that and its time consuming. You sound like one of those prospects who don't plan to buy but they just want to give you a hard time and waste your time( and theirs).

How about you try it yourself and then come back and tell us whether you had any success.
What worked for me, might not work for you. What I can guarantee for myself, I can't guarantee the same for you. Simple as that.
I know for a fact, that handwriting the address will make the envelope look more personal, you can disagree with it all day long but other posters in this thread agree with it. So if I were to send an envelope of this type to you, you will maybe throw it out, but most of the other people I've sent it to will open it.

And yes, marketing is all about that, but most of the people in this board think that they can just send 100 mail pieces and get 2 clients, w/o making a targeted list to market. Or send 1000 emails and get 2 clients.

You think I'm arguing for no reason? I thought I'd made it clear that I'm arguing to hijack this thread so that people looking for actual marketing help here don't waste their time with this old wives' tale and the uninformed me-too replies you're all posting to it.

I have tried hand-addressing envelopes. I did it for years. You've sent 30 in your entire life. For nine years it was my job to generate 10 leads a day and hand write the envelope I had to mail out the PR material in.

There is no reliable evidence in this thread that hand writing an address on an envelope addressed to a stranger makes a meaningful difference in the open rate.

You can think it does, you can hope it does, you can tell each other that you believe it does, and you can take flying leaps to all sorts of unjustifiable conclusions drawn from insignificant sampling. But, you cannot present any evidence that it does.

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candres79

13 years ago

Anyone even remotely involved in direct marketing has probably heard of The
Dollar Bill Letter. It was originally created in the 1920’s by Robert Collier, a legendary advertising copywriter.

Gary Halbert an accomplished copywriter, actually popularized the Dollar Bill Letter in the 1970's through the 90's

Gary Halbert also did other interesting things like... attached pennies, dimes, twenty dollar bills and even one hundred dollar bills to his sales letters!

Here is a copy of the Dollar Bill Letter That I use!

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Voasi

13 years ago

I actually talked about this in a thread 6months ago. It definitely works... I've actually taken an additional 5 steps to make the conversions skyrocket further.

Steps are:

1. Call prospect - let them know that you're going to send them a letter (with a cash prize) and an analysis of their company's performance online.

This first step is CRUCIAL, has it does 2 important things. First, it makes the person who GETS THE MAIL (gatekeeper) and let's them know that money is coming in the mail. MORE IMPORTANTLY though, we verify the data. Verifying your data is such an important step. We buy data and a bulk of the time, the business owner's have changed or they've deceased or something else has happened.

2. We take our new segmented list and write a kick-a$$ salesletter directed to the actual business owner (now that they've been verified through step 1).

3. We attached $1 bill to it, add 2 dice and a nice little competitor analysis.

4. We stick this all in a nice large, manila envelope and add a few rubber stamp graphics.

...c'mon, let's add a little sense of urgency to open!

5. Sales team follows-up with them 2 days after the day they should've got it to schedule a face-to-face meeting to close the deal. (that's of course if they haven't called us first)

6. Close minimum $1k-$5k/mo. SEO deals. And we usually will close an additional $2k-$10k web design deals about 30% of the time.

It's all about targeting, segmenting and nurturing your list. You shouldn't take a shotgun approach to direct mail, or else you'll end up spending a bunch of money.

PS - we're going to start playing around with $5 attached depending on how much gross revenue the company did the last year (again, verifying the data helps with this). In my mind, I'm more then happy to drop $500 on 100 pieces of mail (leads) that are verified - just to get ONE CLIENT back at $2k/mo. (but that doesn't happen... conversion rates are much better then that).

It's out there... go get it! I always tell students of mine - these business owner's know the internet is the way to go, the media and everyone tells these people that. They just want to be sold on something that is going to work - BE THAT DIFFERENCE and provide that VALUE!

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Eddie Spangler

13 years ago

Here is another way to do the dollar bill thing. I just thought of this and it is based on something that Readers Digest used to do way back when. They would send out a check to people in the amount of 10 cents, yes 10 cents.

It came along with a letter that said you can either cash this check OR use it to buy this awesome book, the first in a series. The idea that people would think it was a way better idea to spend the 10 cents on this valuable book and would then commit to sampling other books in the series at a special price, cancel anytime thing.

So with that in mind, send the dollar with a note that states they could spend the dollar how they like OR trade it in on a one hour consultation with you valued at xxx where you will show them how to make lots of loot with your super internet marketing plan.

I think that people getting such a proposition are more likely to take you up on it (and for Beeswarn, I have not tested this, its purely speculation based on what RD did and what I know about psychology) than if you had just offered a free consultation because it feels like they are losing out on such a great proposition if they dont.

Back to Readers Digest , why would I cash this lousy 10 cent check when I can get a book valued at $10 with it-Why would I want to keep this measly dollar when I can trade it in for a $xxx consultation.

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Mobile Tactics

13 years ago

I would think hand addressing or printed address would make a difference if you are mailing B2C, but with B2B, not so much. Businesses get important letters and checks in the mail all the time, so the chances of them throwing something into the junk pile just because it has a printed address is less. Of course with B2B mail you have the problem of a secretary trashing your letter before the boss you are trying to reach even sees it.

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ShayB 13 years ago

Totally planning on trying this, but not with dice. I think a pair of sunglasses would be a better insert for what I offer. Hmmmm....
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- Eddie Spangler 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by ShayRockhold
  
  Totally planning on trying this, but not with dice. I think a pair of sunglasses would be a better insert for what I offer. Hmmmm....
  
  You gonna play the future is so bright gotta wear shades angle
  
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  Andrew Kryzak 13 years ago
  
  Great comments everybody! I didn't realize this thread would gain so much momentum. I can't wait to hear about your results!
  
  I love some of the tweaks you guys have come up with. I'll test them for sure.
  
  Andrew
  
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  ShayB 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler
  
  You gonna play the future is so bright gotta wear shades angle
  
  LOL No, but that isn't a bad idea!
  
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jrobconsult

13 years ago

I have sent out over 600,000 direct mail letters and postcards since 2003 for various small businesses in the United States. I will say that the response is better with a handwritten address, but in some of the larger campaigns ( Hallmark store 1,500 letters weekly) due to time constraints we used labels. Other consultants using the same approach share the same results with me.

I have heard about different color ink making a difference, but I never saw it. Also, having a female with nice handwriting will definitely get you a higher open response. Some of my info is based on talking to the customers who would visit the store and I would ask lots of questions including about our direct mail piece.

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Aussieguy

13 years ago

I'm going to have to look into direct mail stats, as it blows my mind that some people love this stuff. I can't stand to get a piece of mail with some piece of plastic or other rubbish. Send me a dollar and I'll keep it, but I may or may not even read your letter.
Obviously I may not be the target market though!

Someone was asking the other day about how to help a local grocery store. If they put a watermelon in the envelope, that could classify as lumpy mail and free sample at the same time.

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David Miller

13 years ago

Here's how I do it:

I take a crisp dollar bill and place it on my desk. I then hand write the number of the business I want to send it to.

Then I pick up the phone and call the business.

It works pretty well because I can use the same dollar bill all week until I decide to spend it.

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ryanmckinney

13 years ago

Originally Posted by David Miller

Here's how I do it:

I take a crisp dollar bill and place it on my desk. I then hand write the number of the business I want to send it to.

Then I pick up the phone and call the business.

It works pretty well because I can use the same dollar bill all week until I decide to spend it.

Depends on how big you are writing the numbers.. you must have tiny handwriting.

I hadn't really put in my two cents here, and I just found two pennies in my pocket, take it or leave it.

I have heard of the dollar bill method. I have heard and read many things. I have ready Dan Kennedy's stuff, where he talks about all the different mailing methods, I have seen this and that.

I have mailed numerous fed ex'ed envelopes (about 30 all together), that I feel I did a pretty good job qualifying the prospects, and I had a pretty good return call rate, and not an overall bad close rate for how "Fresh" I was. I didn't just go willy nilly dropping $15 per piece and not take my time in targeting and research.

I have mailed brown manila folders as well, with no return addresses, and no sales letter inside just my number and the person's advertisement (or google reviews that are bad or picture of their website, something personal - ) with a simple message "saw this thought of something, call to discuss" , and it worked well, again this is nothing I pioneered, this information is in books, on the net, it is everywhere.

I just took different bits of information and tried different things. The coolest thing ever though from manila envelope method, that I wasn't sure of when I implemented:

I received numerous calls back, most I missed. My google voice number transcribes the voice mail to my e-mail, and the word "curious" showed up in most of them.

The second coolest thing ever: learning to do what David suggest (like a broken record) pick up the phone and call someone.

I am still partial to direct mailing, as I started seeing success with that, and it feels sweet when the phone rings and it "worked", BUT I will actually call people now as well, and when they pay me.. it feels just as sweet.

Ryan

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wally247

13 years ago

Originally Posted by ryanmckinney

Depends on how big you are writing the numbers.. you must have tiny handwriting.

I hadn't really put in my two cents here, and I just found two pennies in my pocket, take it or leave it.

I have heard of the dollar bill method. I have heard and read many things. I have ready Dan Kennedy's stuff, where he talks about all the different mailing methods, I have seen this and that.

I have mailed numerous fed ex'ed envelopes (about 30 all together), that I feel I did a pretty good job qualifying the prospects, and I had a pretty good return call rate, and not an overall bad close rate for how "Fresh" I was. I didn't just go willy nilly dropping $15 per piece and not take my time in targeting and research.

I have mailed brown manila folders as well, with no return addresses, and no sales letter inside just my number and the person's advertisement (or google reviews that are bad or picture of their website, something personal - ) with a simple message "saw this thought of something, call to discuss" , and it worked well, again this is nothing I pioneered, this information is in books, on the net, it is everywhere.

I just took different bits of information and tried different things. The coolest thing ever though from manila envelope method, that I wasn't sure of when I implemented:

I received numerous calls back, most I missed. My google voice number transcribes the voice mail to my e-mail, and the word "curious" showed up in most of them.

The second coolest thing ever: learning to do what David suggest (like a broken record) pick up the phone and call someone.

I am still partial to direct mailing, as I started seeing success with that, and it feels sweet when the phone rings and it "worked", BUT I will actually call people now as well, and when they pay me.. it feels just as sweet.

Ryan

This is great, and simple.

I'm sitting here with a phone near me, and I know what I am going to say...and it STILL freaks me out.

But the thought of mailing out a bunch of $1's randomly or some trick seems like a losing deal to me.

The phone may be a scary thing to get used to...but at least it's free to learn on.

Thanks
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David Miller

13 years ago

Originally Posted by wally247

This is great, and simple.

I'm sitting here with a phone near me, and I know what I am going to say...and it STILL freaks me out.

But the thought of mailing out a bunch of $1's randomly or some trick seems like a losing deal to me.

The phone may be a scary thing to get used to...but at least it's free to learn on.

Wally, what's the very worst thing that can happen if you pick up the phone? I can promise the following scenarios are not likely:

They will hunt you down and hurt you or any family members.
They will press a secret prospect button that makes your phone blow up
They will call the Do Not Call police department
They will laugh at you and call you names to make you feel silly

So why not go ahead and see if I'm right?

Thanks

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electronik69

13 years ago

Originally Posted by wally247

This is great, and simple.

I'm sitting here with a phone near me, and I know what I am going to say...and it STILL freaks me out.

But the thought of mailing out a bunch of $1's randomly or some trick seems like a losing deal to me.

The phone may be a scary thing to get used to...but at least it's free to learn on.

How is the phone free?

And your trying to tell me that using an attention grabber in mass mailers which very people do is worse than telemarketing ...

You need to listen / watch some Dan Kennedy

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ShayB

13 years ago

Originally Posted by David Miller

Here's how I do it:

I take a crisp dollar bill and place it on my desk. I then hand write the number of the business I want to send it to.

Then I pick up the phone and call the business.

It works pretty well because I can use the same dollar bill all week until I decide to spend it.

Best. Post. Ever.

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RRG

13 years ago

Originally Posted by ShayRockhold

Best. Post. Ever.

Not. Even. Close.

It's an attempt to denigrate the use of direct mail. It implies that it's a waste of money.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

It depends.

Return on Investment is all that matters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a spin on using an actual dollar bill as a "grabber":

Use a fake "million dollar bill." You can order these from 3DMailResults.com or print and cut them yourself.

Then your headline can refer to the million dollar bill:

"My Whiz Bank SEO Service Might Not Make You A Millionaire . . . But 107 Of My Clients Have Increased The Profits From Their Websites by 229% Or More!"

Thanks
2 replies

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Illini Marketer

13 years ago

Love this idea! It should decrease overall costs because the cost of
printing these milliion dollar bills would be less than $1 a piece. I think this would create even more impact than a dollar bill too.

Illini Marketer

Originally Posted by RRG

Not. Even. Close.

It's an attempt to denigrate the use of direct mail. It implies that it's a waste of money.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

It depends.

Return on Investment is all that matters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a spin on using an actual dollar bill as a "grabber":

Use a fake "million dollar bill." You can order these from 3DMailResults.com or print and cut them yourself.

Then your headline can refer to the million dollar bill:

"My Whiz Bank SEO Service Might Not Make You A Millionaire . . . But 107 Of My Clients Have Increased The Profits From Their Websites by 229% Or More!"

Thanks

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ShayB

13 years ago

Originally Posted by RRG

Not. Even. Close.

It's an attempt to denigrate the use of direct mail. It implies that it's a waste of money.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

It depends.

Return on Investment is all that matters.

I was commenting more on the tone of the post, actually. It made me chuckle.

If you read further, you would have seen I'm considering using the OP's method.

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RRG

13 years ago

Originally Posted by ShayRockhold

I was commenting more on the tone of the post, actually. It made me chuckle.

If you read further, you would have seen I'm considering using the OP's method.

No worries, Shay.

I know you're open to trying different methods, testing and tweaking, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't remember who the marketer was, but there was a guy who would send highly targeted prospects a small, portable DVD player loaded with his video sales message.

Now, that's crazy, right? Send every prospect a piece of direct mail that costs up to $100 each?

Well, if the LTV of that client is $10,000, for example, you could afford to send out a whole lot of DVD players.

Thanks
1 reply

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ShayB

13 years ago

Originally Posted by RRG

I can't remember who the marketer was, but there was a guy who would send highly targeted prospects a small, portable DVD player loaded with his video sales message.

Now, that's crazy, right? Send every prospect a piece of direct mail that costs up to $100 each?

Well, if the LTV of that client is $10,000, for example, you could afford to send out a whole lot of DVD players.

I've seen this. Can't remember the site, though. I'll see if I can dig up a link.

Thanks

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YellowGreenMedia

13 years ago

Originally Posted by David Miller

Here's how I do it:

I take a crisp dollar bill and place it on my desk. I then hand write the number of the business I want to send it to.

Then I pick up the phone and call the business.

It works pretty well because I can use the same dollar bill all week until I decide to spend it.

Yes we all know by now that you think (cold) calling is the only way to gain clients.

Jeeezzz every damn prospect topic the same "i call the business" response... we know it ok? you like cold calling, cold calling is your way of life, its the best damn thing after sliced bread jada jada jada

Understand that other people prospect in different ways that doesn't involve cold calling, i know it is hard to grasp for you, but it is what it is....

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David Miller

13 years ago

Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia

Yes we all know by now that you think (cold) calling is the only way to gain clients.

Jeeezzz every damn prospect topic the same "i call the business" response... we know it ok? you like cold calling, cold calling is your way of life, its the best damn thing after sliced bread jada jada jada

Understand that other people prospect in different ways that doesn't involve cold calling, i know it is hard to grasp for you, but it is what it is....

I posted this once before and you chose to ignore it....so here it is once again:

I don't know what your issue is with me. It seems I can't make a statement without you making some comment related to how much you hate sales and cold calling.

If you have something to get off your chest, simply let me know in private. Perhaps we have more in common than you may think. Perhaps not. I have no way to know.

I have never forced what I do upon anyone. When it comes up, when people want advice about selling, I give my advice. I have NEVER said cold calling is the ONLY way to do business and I have NEVER insulted you.

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Mr. Subtle

13 years ago

I've probably sent out more dollar bill letters than anyone here.

The link below tells the story of one of them (actually two now that I skim over it). My post is number 4:

Has anyone retested nearly identical Robert Collier letters?

Imagine telling people here to attach $15 to a letter (the worth of a $1 in 1940). LOL

After reading this thread someone needs to run with a WSO along these lines:

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ShayB

13 years ago

I'm actually going to use a variation of this tomorrow at my local biz meeting. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks
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rushindo

13 years ago

Originally Posted by ShayRockhold

I'm actually going to use a variation of this tomorrow at my local biz meeting. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

How did it go?

Thanks
2 replies

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Andrew Kryzak

13 years ago

Hey guys,

So I just tested a mailing which included both the dice (as discussed before) and a dollar bill.

Surprisingly the addition of the dice actually dropped my conversion rate by 21% compared with past mailings using only the dollar. I cant explain it but it's the fact. So now I'm going back to just the $1 bill.

Thought you'd like to know!

Andrew

Thanks
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RedShifted

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Andrew Kryzak

Hey guys,

So I just tested a mailing which included both the dice (as discussed before) and a dollar bill.

Surprisingly the addition of the dice actually dropped my conversion rate by 21% compared with past mailings using only the dollar. I cant explain it but it's the fact. So now I'm going back to just the $1 bill.

Thought you'd like to know!

Andrew

Did you change the copy to suit the addition of the dice?

If not, I'm assuming people might have felt a little too "pushed" or manipulated into opening the letters.

Thanks for posting this though as I was planning on doing this some point in the near future.

-Red

Thanks

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ShayB 13 years ago

Originally Posted by rushindo

How did it go?

Honestly? It created quite a buzz (REALLY did), but I didn't see a big increase in referrals. (I average 3-4 referrals a week from the group). *shrugs*

Might try it again, but we'll see.
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marketingstatic 13 years ago

Dave I must be having a blonde moment I dont get what this is doing for you ? Motivation or what your saying here?
when you refered to the Writing on the Dollar Bill the names of the people you intend to call?
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bob ross

13 years ago

I was a direct salesperson for a remodeling company for a bunch of years and a lot of times you get BS objections like "I promise I'll call you next week, we just have to get our loan straightened out" or "I'll call you next tuesday after dad has his surgery, we really want to do it but we'll call you thursday" type of crap.

Part of the way I'd handle that objection was to take out a $100 bill that I had plastered with peoples name written in ink on it.

I'd say... "here, just sign your name on this and when you call me back to do it like you say, you can have this". These are all the people that have told me the same thing.

Now what's REALLY stopping you from doing it now, Mrs Jones?

*note: sorry for being a bit off-topic here

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David Miller 13 years ago

@Bob Ross - I don't think you're off topic at all. If anyone was off topic it was me in my last post. However, what it's really about is finding what it takes to get people to take action. In your example it's about taking action to make a buying decision, and that idea is a great motivator.
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- Illini Marketer 13 years ago
  
  I just learned a trick yesterday in regards to using Fed Ex postal envelopes. You go into a Fed Ex store and grab a handfull of their large empty envelopes. They are free. Instead of sending out each one and paying for the postage, you deliver each envelope to your prospect. If they are not in their office, you just slip it under their door or give it to the gate keeper to give to the decision maker.
  
  You could now stick your $1 letter into this Fed Ex envelope and WOW this would really add to the sense of urgency to open up and read your letter. When most people get that big Fed Ex letter in the mail they usually open it up because it looks important and think it costs a lot to send it to them. Using this add on method, you not only save on postage but you increase the likelyhood of getting your letter read. I would say this method would work great with the prospect who are not returning your calls and you want to get their attention. What do you guys think??
  
  Great Stuff on This Thread!!
  
  Illini Marketer
  
  Thanks
  
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TheCG

13 years ago

Awesome thread!

Thanks
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marketingstatic 13 years ago

Wow-thanks everyone for contributing so Much to this Thread I was just looking at trying this as I dont have 10 bucks to toss at FedEx just yet or Priority Mail so perfect timing.
i just had a guy from a Skype group tell me also maybe try sending A Poker Chip and say something like,isn't it time you stopped Gambling on your marketing methods.
Call ME
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Baadier Sydow

13 years ago

This is a brilliant approach to getting there attention, top notch, thansk for the share.

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imwarrior84

13 years ago

An old trick that still works! How many letters are you sending out? And what is the response?

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electronik69

13 years ago

I really wish Australia had $1 bills the lowest we have is 5

but really you can do this with any cheap item all you have to do is some how relate it to what ever you were talking about in the headline. There is a guy who attaches jelly beans to the end of his sales letter thanking them for reading all of the sales letter.

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barq

13 years ago

bob ross ... I have a remodeling client, absolutely LOVE your $100 bill idea! LOL

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aaronblevins

13 years ago

This idea is golden. I'm going to implement it and report back.

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mjbmedia

13 years ago

Dan Kennedy mentions this dollar bill strategy in a number of his pieces , it works for him (of course else he wouldnt say about it ;-)) .

Lovers of cold calling will poo poo DM, and vice versa, heres the thing, put it all together and you get even better results , DM followed by phoning, or phoning followed by DM, different people respond to different approaches so give them different communications to increase the conversion chances

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bob ross

13 years ago

Originally Posted by barq

bob ross ... I have a remodeling client, absolutely LOVE your $100 bill idea! LOL

It definitely hammers home the point!

Originally Posted by JMB Marketing Group

WOW, Bob you got guts.

Why do I say that?

Did you know that it's a criminal offence to deface currency?

Meaning, tearing up, or writing on US or Canadian currency is illegal!

Just thought I should throw that out for others, in case they didn't know!

JMB

P.S. Don't worry Bob, I still wuv ya! No Offense against you, just let'n ya in on da laws!

Hah, thanks for the info, I'm such a renegade I guess!

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YellowGreenMedia

13 years ago

So for being on topic, the way to get the best responses for me is a white envelope with a hand written address on it and a normal stamp. for return address use your own name...

Or if you want to spend some money, sent them a report, it could be reputation report or a SEO report whatever and sent it in a A4 envelope (i don't know if you guys us the same format in the US, you guys seem to do everything different) but sent it in a plastic map, the kind of map that have to pierce two holes in the paper and on the envelope ad a sticker with confidential, handwritten address and normal stamps.

This has always work great for me, it cost a bit of money, per piece you should be thinking of $5- a piece.

And the last one is personalized postcards, you can use a service like Heyello.com, you can sent these postcards via them, it is expensive though, i used a similar service for me mobile sites, it works really great.

That is how i do my prospecting....

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simtex

13 years ago

OP, I sent you a pm concerning one of your WSO please I need your reply.

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beeswarn

13 years ago

The only thing I believe in this thread is the OP's original assertion that he's getting more clients than he can handle. That number might be 1 or possibly 2, but it's a real number I'm sure.

In a year of using this forum, I've never seen David Miller state or imply that telephone prospecting is the only way to generate business. But I've seen him give lots of examples of how and why it's the most efficient way to start that has ever been devised . The way you're browbeating that man, while he's offering experienced advice to beginners, is despicable.

Of course there are hundreds of ways to market your offers. But this one is fundamentally retarded and beneath the consideration of any professional.

Thanks

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bhuff85

13 years ago

While I've heard of this concept before, I like some of the other ideas that everyone has bounced around. You've all just filled my head with an enourmous number of possible angles to work should I decide to implement some direct mail into my new directory that I'm building

Never a disappointment in the Offline forum!

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electronik69

13 years ago

This thread just turned into the battle of the ages:

Strategic Marketers VERSUS Soulless Cold Callers

cold callers I only rip on you cause you have thick skin

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DoWhatWorks

13 years ago

Hi Andrew,

That's a neat idea! It reminds me of the time I got a salesletter letter in the mail and the marketer put a metal key in with the letter. When I was going through my mail, that one stuck out before I even opened it, because I could tell, just by holding the envelope, that there was some object inside the envelope, which forced me to open it, to see what it was. I did end up reading the whole letter.

Their "tie-in" with the key was something along the lines of, "We'll show you the key to better marketing" or something like that. At any rate, I thought you might like this idea too, because the recipient will notice the envelope even before they open it and it grabs their attention as soon as they just pick up the sealed envelope. I'm sure you could probably get a whole bunch of uncut keys at your local hardware store for a couple of bucks. :-)

-Terry

Originally Posted by Andrew Kryzak

Hey fellow Warriors,

I've been getting some absolutely amazing results using an innovative two step selling system and thought you'd like to know about it.

What I do is rent lists containing names and addresses of my target prospects (ie dentists, chiropractors, doctors, restaurants, etc) and send them a dollar bill letter.

What's a dollar bill letter you ask? It's a letter pitching your service that uses a real live dollar bill attached where the headline would normally be.

I use plain white envelopes and live stamp to make letter look personal so it gets opened. Once opened you instantly grab their attention because instead of some hype filled headline staring at them you have a crisp dollar bill. (Whens the last time you got a letter with a dollar bill attached to the top?)

Because of this you've already slid right past the main hurdle to making sales which is a lack of attention on the part of the prospect. They receive dozens of pitches and they all look the same and have the same general promises.

This sticks out like a sore thumb and basically grabs them by the eyeballs. They can't help but want to find out why on earth you sent them a dollar bill. It literally forces them to read your letter!

Now it's just a matter of telling them the reason you sent them the dollar. The reason of course is because you wanted to jumpstart your profit improving relationship with them by giving them the first dollar of the large windfalls to come just to show them you're serious about helping them. Then you go on with explaining what you have to offer and why it's good.

The results of this are like an atom bomb! I've never seen anything like it before.

But I go a step further and wait about 9 days and then I send everybody who didn't respond a simple postcard asking if they got my letter... the one that had a dollar bill attached to the top. If they opened it they'll most certainly remember. Then I ask them to please contact me in regards to it. Simple and gets even more sales.

I'm going to keep this post short but I wanted to let you in on this little secret of mine. The results have been mind blowing and I wish I had come upon this system sooner. It's that good! It brings absolutely targeted leads directly into your funnel who are already very intrigued just by the way you contacted them. You stand out from the crowd like a sore thumb.

Trust me, once you try this you'll never go back to other methods for getting business.

I hope you got value from this!

Best,
Andrew

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offline master

13 years ago

Originally Posted by DoWhatWorks

Hi Andrew,

That's a neat idea! It reminds me of the time I got a salesletter letter in the mail and the marketer put a metal key in with the letter. When I was going through my mail, that one stuck out before I even opened it, because I could tell, just by holding the envelope, that there was some object inside the envelope, which forced me to open it, to see what it was. I did end up reading the whole letter.

Their "tie-in" with the key was something along the lines of, "We'll show you the key to better marketing" or something like that. At any rate, I thought you might like this idea too, because the recipient will notice the envelope even before they open it and it grabs their attention as soon as they just pick up the sealed envelope. I'm sure you could probably get a whole bunch of uncut keys at your local hardware store for a couple of bucks. :-)

-Terry

A quick google search shows keys as low as $.14 here:

Key Blanks

Thanks

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Nabeelmajeed

13 years ago

do some more work for him ,,,, i think he is not satisfied with your work !

Thanks

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offline master

13 years ago

For someone who has used 1 or 2 dice in their letter, how much was shipping?
If someone has used a key in their letter, how much was shipping?

Thanks!

edit:

I was thinking you could potentially buy this, and then sort it into smaller bags and attach it, rather than a dollar bill. Add a description like "This is the money you are throwing away by not giving me a call."

http://www.moneyfactorystore.gov/5lb...scurrency.aspx

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StrategicMarketingTN

13 years ago

Originally Posted by offline master

I was thinking you could potentially buy this, and then sort it into smaller bags and attach it, rather than a dollar bill. Add a description like "This is the money you are throwing away by not giving me a call.

5lb Bag of Shredded U.S. Currency

Love it!!! Thanks for sharing this link. I absolutely love lumpy mail and haven't seen this one, but I'm definitely going to use it.

Thanks

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MalBryc

13 years ago

Good concept. Shame the lowest denomination in the UK is £5.

I do like the sound of a pair of dice or a blank key...

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ShayB

13 years ago

Speaking of dice, you can get "double dice" for a more interesting effect:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6X3Ol4VXt_...ouble-dice.jpg (Not an aff link)

I've used them before (not with this idea, but in other mailings), and they are very eye-catching, plus they rattle when you shake the package.

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Amber Jalink

13 years ago

I have two thoughts/questions on this idea - it's not bad, I've seen it before years ago.

First - unfortunately in Canada, we no longer have a $1 bill... it's a loonie LOL. We don't even have a $2 bill, it's a "toonie".

(And if we SENT a real dollar or 2 dollar bill from some we saved, well, we'd definitely be losing it LOL).

So I guess it would either have to be one of those taped, or a $5 bill...

but if it was a coin, wouldn't it be stolen in the postal mail?

Second - on the concept of getting the mail opened, what about putting on the envelope something like, "payment enclosed"? I know some magazine subscriptions stamp that on some reply envelopes. (At least I've seen them).

Oh - and third, kind of an idea that came to my mind, what about simply hand delivering the envelopes *If* they're local? Particularly if you have to use coins

to make sure they get to them?

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aaallday2010

13 years ago

What's up with all these countries doing away with the $1 bill? Is the U.S. next to implement something like this? I hope not. I'd rather have paper than a bunch of coins in my pocket.

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Amber Jalink

13 years ago

Originally Posted by aaallday2010

What's up with all these countries doing away with the $1 bill? Is the U.S. next to implement something like this? I hope not. I'd rather have paper than a bunch of coins in my pocket.

lol - yeah, I know, it's quite annoying really.

And they just announced a few weeks ago they're now doing away with the penny shortly here in Canada as well.

Guess coins are more expensive to produce than they're worth, but the dollar bill was sooo much better than the loonie.

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JMB Marketing Group

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Amber Jalink

lol - yeah, I know, it's quite annoying really.

And they just announced a few weeks ago they're now doing away with the penny shortly here in Canada as well.

Guess coins are more expensive to produce than they're worth, but the dollar bill was sooo much better than the loonie.

YUP!

It's OFFICIAL!

TODAY, May 4, 2012, was the LAST day that the Canadian Mint produced the VERY LAST PENNY in Canada!

May the Penny Rest in Peace!

Hell No! Not according to my marketing plans!

Onwards and Upwards (the penny included)!

JMB

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David Miller 13 years ago

Now the penny, at least in Canada, can be considered a future collector's item. If this is the kind of thing you like, the Canadian mint just handed you a gift.
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mrtall74

13 years ago

Thanks candres79 for the letter you use.

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josephjabawaba

13 years ago

I really like some of the ideas here. Attention grabbers are really useful to get the person concentrated on the message and benefits.

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offline master

13 years ago

Once I get my business running during the summer, I am going to split test this. Here are the inexpensive items I will be attaching to my letters (if you have suggestions for what I should say corresponding to each item, I am all ears. I have included some rough draft examples of what could be said)

2 cents "here is my 2 cents"
$1 dollar bill "let me give you a jump start on the profit I can make you"
$1 coin (same as above)
Shredded money "You are literally throwing away your money"
key "key to your success"
dice "why take the risk with other companies, when my method is proven!"

here are some more items that I am considering, which will really stick out:

sunglasses "
nuts "you're nuts to pass up this opportunity
eraser "erase away your troubles"
pencil sharpener "sharpen your advantage"
lego block "I've been around the block"
mini magnifying glass "Potential clients can't find you, let me help with that!"
batteries
poker chip

and I just found more here: 3DMail

For people who have done this, do you suggest to ship in a regular envelope, fed ex envelope, etc..? What do you use, how much is shipping, etc..?

*
did this thread die?

Thanks

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Brian Maroevich

13 years ago

Try a million dollar bill letter to test, and if it works it'll save you a little bit of money.

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