9 by 12 EDDM - Offering a gurantee

The only guarantee you need is that you will guarantee that you actually do what you promise to do, print and mail out x number of cards.

Be careful with that word! Its hard to offer a guarantee for anything thats out of your control. Like Eddie said, you can guarantee that you will perform the service and mail out a certain amount of mailers. Anything beyond that is out of your control. You can't control how many sales they will get our what their sales abilities even are.

One thing that does come to mind is you might say something like this:

"Unlike most or all of the advertising methods you're using now or have used in the past, I can guarantee you that we'll be able to track exactly how many customers you'll receive from each mailing and how we can improve your conversion rates in the future, so that you can earn even more"! Fair enough? (Then stop talking. Next person who speaks loses.)

You'd simply add a discount code to their ad so the new customer saves 10%, 20%, etc on their first order. By keeping track of the codes used you'd be able to determine exactly how many customers were generated.

Next, you can improve their conversion rates in the future by split testing ads. You might try a different headline or a small change to the headline and do a mailing that's equal to the original. Use a unique code for each.

Once you've determined which one converts best you'll now have a "control" ad to test against. Each time you do a mailing simply test a new ad with one small change and send it to an equal amount of people. Whichever ad gets the most response is the winner again. The winner is your "control". Over time the ads will gradually get better and better.

Make sense?

This isn't something I've tried with the 9x12 method. I haven't done that at all, but it's pretty standard marketing tactics to gradually increase your conversion rates.

HTH

Does Dan Kennedy sell ad space on a 9 x 12 postcard?

If not, why would his advice about guarantees, whatever it is, apply to the the person selling this kind of ad space?

Just curious.

I agree with Eddie Spangler. Guarantee what you promise you'll do. No marketer can guarantee a number of responses.

I just started selling spots on a 9x12 a couple weeks ago. My sales skills are a joke, but so far I'm making sales (only have a few spots left to close) and in no uncertain terms, I did not need a guarantee to sell these spots. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. It's never even come up.

I tell my clients that there are two factors to the response rate. The first is view rate. How many people actually see your ad? Unlike the Val-Pak, coupon books, or even spots in a magazine or newspaper, you have to hope that your prospect actually turns to the page where your ad is. Then you have to hope they see it and pay attention to it.

The 9x12 card solves that. Bam. This thing is huge. It's a billboard in your mailbox. They can't help but see it. Blah, blah, we know all that noise.

The second factor in the response rate is the strength of the offer. If you only offered them 50 cents off an entree, how many would respond? You need to make your offer the best you can afford.

I'm doing my part, now the business owner has to do theirs. If they don't think they have a good enough offer, then they're probably not right for the card, and they can't afford it. Fine, I'll move on. I don't do the hard sell. Shoot, I can barely soft sell these people!

There's my 2 cents. I like guarantees. I use one in my consulting business with my clients, but this doesn't need a guarantee.

Look at the big picture. You are offering to get their name directly in front of 5000 or 10,000 sets of eyeballs. 100 percent of those eyeballs belong to decision makers.

What's more...you are able to achieve all that simultaneously, and at will.

There is no other medium in existence that can do what direct mail does.

You are offering exposure...massive exposure.

Aside from whatever carrot your clients dangle in front of potential customers, there is also the ability to influence...or "nudge" the thinking process of these consumers closer to the eventual sale much faster than had they would have bumbling along on their own.

So, a good ad not only has an offer, but also educates.

I have a saying " Never let a customer move at his own pace....motivate him, and do it often....or your competition will do it for you"

You can offer a guarantee by increasing your involvement with the client. I approach it as an "insurance" upsell.

"Our standard package is X (what you're already selling).

"For an additional $Y I will personally work with you to construct an offer that ensures you get a maximum return on your investment.

"If you're unable to recoup the investment I will gladly offer you a full refund."

In these situations you just interview them over the phone or in person. Create a better marketing message than the standard stuff they already do. Additional copywriting skills will be required but you can do some research there, if needed.

In some bizarre cases the promotion might not work out and you have to refund. But if you're able to sell "insurance" with a couple other clients you should at least break even. And you don't have to offer this to everyone - so if they don't have any tracking in place, don't bother, unless you want to help them get that started too.

I've done a lot of Postcards.

No one has ever asked for a guarantee but sometimes I do offer one*

Normally all clients need are reassurances that the distribution volumes and areas will be as stated. And all the cards will be delivered by a certain date. Usually with an agreement that they'll be no competing ads.

As mentioned by everybody else above - clients realise all the benefits and the extraordinary power of Postcard advertising.

Clients and me believe no other medium can match it for cost effective, targeted fast results.


Steve


P.S. * Once a client asked for a guarantee on extra revenue. A half joked that I would do this for the initial ad rate plus a % of the profits.

Anyway we struck a deal.

I did a "solus" Ad on a Postcard. With good copywriting and a truly irresistible offer. We handed them out very close to the store and could see the customers walking in clutching their Postcards. And walking out with carrier bags.

At closing time the client had the biggest smile and an envelope with a check for the agreed "cut" of the profits.

Please, only ever do this if you trust the client and have a fail safe system to monitor the results.

And most importantly the offer really is a great one.

Hi Neison,

It was a clothing store.

The "offer" used Steve's secret formula (you've all got to promise never to reveal it)

Here goes...

A good discount preferably off everything PLUS something FREE * = A great response.

And yes, I've done lots more Postcards for the client. Her advertising is now almost exclusively Postcards.


Steve


P.S. The FREE thing needs to have some intrinsic or fun value. It can be something from the store.

Doesn't need to be expensive but people feel it is worth having.

It could be a "mascot" related to the advertiser (key rings, mugs etc... you name it...)

It can be a free coffee or a donut.

Or a home baked biscuit.

A soft drink if the weather is hot.

The list is endless and it works a treat.

Another thing when someone walks in with the Postcard ask the owner to get the name and address of the customer (offer a prize if their name is picked). You can print the owner special "address and contact" cards build into the ad package. Maybe with a tear off slip giving a discount off the customers next purchase.

They build up a list and can send out promo's.

And of course you do the copywriting.

If you're not controlling the content of the ads filling the spots your selling, there is no guarantee you can offer besides the non-competition and that you will send the quantity you promise to the locations you say you will.

Without designing and writing the ads themselves, you have zero control over conversions. And this is a talk you need to have with your prospects before they buy. Otherwise expectations may be wrong. All you are selling is the space on the platform and the delivery method. What happens after that is totally out of your control.

You can see the opportunity to work with a copywriter and designer here, and make some big upsells. But with more responsibility comes more accountability.

dominodivine - are your prospects asking for a guarantee? if so, what % of prospects have asked for this?

or do you just feel that you should have one?

Adding to Jasons comments...it's best not to use a clients ad (unless it's a proven winner) and translates well onto a Postcard.

Now... often clients love their Ads (particularly if they wrote it).

Even if the response was low, they rarely if ever see this as their "fault"* - even though the Ad isn't saying anything worth hearing, no offer, bad copy, poor design etc. But they do like seeing their name in print always expecting that everybody else does.

So don't knock it. just say "It's good but lets make it even better"

And tell them how you'll do it.


Steve


P.S. * Sometimes it wasn't their fault because the ad was written by the newspaper or magazine they advertised in.

Don't spend ages slagging off other media. Just diplomatically point out all the key points an Ad must have to get a great response. And tell them that's what you'll be doing for them.

They always appreciate this.

And makes them very, very keen to book their space.