Business Marketing Plans – Small Business Marketing Strategies

Here’s the situation: a potential client asks you for a proposal for services or products in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ), but where do you start? If you have never written a business proposal before, this can be a daunting task. However, by using a logical document format, you can develop a quality proposal that will maximise the chances of it being accepted. Then you’ll discover that you can repeat the same formula for any subsequent proposals.

This article recommends and details the minimum content areas that you should address in a business proposal. In this case, we assume that there is no formal document structure requested by your client – so it is for you to decide on the form of the proposal.

Your Aim

Before you start writing any proposal, you must consider your aim – to make a sale of your goods and or services. Two of the major issues considered by your client in deciding whether to accept your proposal are whether, in their opinion, you understand their business needs; and that you can deliver what you promise. You must continually refer to these two fundamental questions when you write your proposal. Referring back to these issues also helps you with developing the content of your proposal.

Proposal Contents

Any business proposal should contain the following areas:

* Scope of Work – this requires you to provide an overview of your services or products that will meet their business needs. The client’s needs are obtained from a Brief that may range from a formal written document through to a verbal conversation. You need to provide the client with the confidence that you understand their business needs and demonstrate how your products or services meet them.
* Project Approach – in this section, you need to provide some explanation about how you are going to approach the work. This builds more confidence for your client, as they read what you are doing (Scope of Work), along with evidence that you have actually thought about and planned the work.
* Past Experience – you should provide details of previous engagements in which you have delivered similar products or services. It is also helpful to include personal references, should the client wish to verify them. The purpose of this is to give the client some measure of how mature and experienced you are in delivering the services or products you are offering.
* Project Team – you should always detail the specific people you intend to use during the engagement, along with their background, skills and experience. It is also useful to include a resumé or CV for each person. You should also mention who will be the main point of contact in your organisation for this project.
* Timeline and Milestones – this section should illustrate the tasks or products to be provided, each with a corresponding planned delivery date. For larger engagements, milestones can be used to serve as control checkpoints for the client or payment points for you (further discussed below). The timeline can be presented in tabular form, or if more complex, you can use a Gantt chart.
* Progress Reports and Meetings – to foster good communications and to maintain a healthy relationship with the client, you should suggest the forms and frequency of progress reports and meetings. Examples of this could include providing weekly email updates, formal written reports, or monthly face-to-face meetings.
* Resources and Materials Provided by the Client – if you need the client to provide you with any facilities or resources for your use or access, you need to state them here. Examples could be provision of a computer workstation or access to their computer systems whilst you are working on their site, or access to the client’s key staff at certain points of the engagement.
* Assumptions – if there are any other assumptions that you have made in preparing your proposal, you should include them here. The point of this is to minimise any misunderstandings you may have with the client after they give you the approval to proceed with the engagement.  For example, you will not be happy if your client asks for a task that you assumed was outside the scope of the project, but never stated.
* Cost and Payment Schedule – the cost of your proposal can be expressed either in a lump sum or on a time and materials basis. You will need to provide visibility of your hourly rates if you are charging on a time and materials basis. If it is appropriate, or if the client desires, you can suggest to be paid according to certain project deliverables that are stated in the Timelines and Milestones section. In this case, you can align the relevant Milestones against appropriate payment amounts. If the engagement is on a time and materials basis, then you can align payments with deliverables or request that payments be made periodically such as fortnightly or monthly.
* Terms of Agreement – if you have any contract terms that you wish to apply to the agreement, they should be included here. These could include anything from ownership of IP through to payment terms. You can use the services of a lawyer to help you develop these terms if required.

The above areas are the recommended minimum contents of any business proposal in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ). Used systematically, this can guide can help you to develop and refine the format of your proposals. It allows you to breakdown the task of proposal writing into relevant sections, allowing you to focus on the all-important technical content.

When writing a proposal, always remember that you are trying to provide a prospective client with the confidence that you know your products and services, and are experienced in delivering them.  Writing your proposals using this format will help you to develop quality proposals and maximise the chances of them being accepted.

Samantha Yee
Director
Tech Edit
http://www.techedit.com.au

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In the direct mail industry cost, response and tracking are key to closing deals and yielding return business. Cost and response are both variables but when it comes to call tracking software there is not much of a variable to it. So how much call tracking do direct mail leads need?

Mailer campaigns are geographically targeted to generate live leads from a specific area for incoming sales calls. Making the phones ring is important but knowing where the calls are coming from, their durations and having a recording for assurance are important when determining how much tracking you need. Access your needs before trying to find a technical solution.

Every system offers geographical reporting, call duration reporting and recording options. So if you only need the basics why would you choose a big player in the call tracking game? Up and coming companies do not have the expensive overhead that large businesses do so they can compete on price saving you money on your software.

When deciding on a company to use the call and recording quality need to be clear, reporting should be in real time and the overall speed of the system should be quick. Dynamic interactive call tracking should be priced right and have a solution for many needs. You can be sure that wasting time tracking with software that is not up to par is far worse than never tracking at all. Working with inaccurate or vague reporting can lead you in the wrong direction when assessing a marketing campaign done through direct mail.

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Karl Monroe sat at his computer catching up on his emails while having his first cup of coffee for the day. A friend had sent him an email linking him to an article by Marketing Powers Activate. The friend included a message that said “I saw this and chuckled. It reminded me of you.”

Karl read the article and knew his friend was right. The article was a reflection of how Karl did his marketing.

Karl Monroe Injury Lawyers is a law firm dedicated to seeking justice for injury victims throughout the state. Karl has found that uniting direct mail with database management and digital print is a winning combination for his organization. Sometimes his marketing is a call to action, other times the marketing is to keep the company name in the minds of the public. It is important to him that his marketing strategies are reaching as many people as possible. He keeps abreast of any changes in his clientele base by thorough database management. Not only does his staff keep diligent records, he uses an all inclusive mail house and marketing firm to keep up with address changes and postal regulations.

Why?

Direct mail marketing remains a valuable tool in which businesses are able to convey a message to a customer base. The visual impact of a postcard, letter or catalog delivered to someone’s doorstep makes good marketing sense. Having a physical reminder of a company’s existence in a consumer’s hand gives that company an advantage over other businesses offering the same services. The advantage is psychological. Most of us only look for help when a situation arises. When that happens we scramble to find a company that can assist us. We can ask friends and family or use the internet to locate one, but which one do we choose? By using direct mail to market your services you give potential clients the ability to remember your company and have your contact information readily at hand.

In order to use direct mail efficiently, developing and maintaining a database list is vital. In order for that customer base to remain current and effective, database management is required. A well set up and maintained database can provide many benefits. But the usefulness of a database depends entirely on what types of information you include in it. This will ensure that the people or companies on your list are deliverable. That is, the mailings you produce using your list will get where you want them to go – into the hands of the individual who is most likely to respond to your offer.

Digital printing is rapidly replacing traditional offset print for many forms of print marketing. This symbolizes more than a production change. It signifies a radical marketing move. This move is taking place because digital print tools enable marketers to produce material and manage their documents in ways not possible or cost-effective with offset. Digital print technologies are reshaping print marketing by changing cost structures, changing document management models, and driving customization and personalization.

A personalized piece of direct mail sent to the recipient’s place of business or home is one on one contact. As with any other type of relationship, speaking directly to someone is an important ingredient to that relationship. Direct mail marketing can be used to introduce yourself, offer an existing client a special offer or thank a client for their interest or business. That’s what Karl Monroe Injury Lawyers offers, a one on one experience.
Karl uses digital print in his direct mailing for three reasons: personalization, image quality and the ability to order material sized to his specifications. A gregarious man with an attention to detail, he uses these traits in his profession as an attorney and his relationship with his clients. His ads are as bold and forthright as he is. When doing business with a client he speaks with them in a friendly manner, one on one. He does the same with his direct mail postcards. Each postcard is designed so that it is not only addressed to the person by name, but on each card he can have the recipient’s name printed as a salutation or within the body of his message.

All that technology and work may not come cheaply when mailing out tens of thousands of postcards as his firm does. However, Karl believes that the cost is worth it. His ROI remains consistently high. And in his own words: “I wouldn’t use it if I didn’t see excellent results”.
Is Karl marketing “smart?”

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Direct mail marketing has been around for a long time. The idea that a company can market one on one keeps it a popular form of advertising. It is also an effective means of contact for small businesses in particular. With this being the age of “going green” it is still possible to use this marketing tool and feel good about it.

Some people think that direct mail is a complete waste of our natural resources and causes the destruction our forest and many other natural resources. Did you know that mail is made from a renewable resource? The vast majority of paper produced in America today comes from trees grown for that specific purpose. The forest industry ensures that the number of trees each year is increasing, so trees are not a depleting resource. In fact, forest land in the United States has increased by 5.3 million acres in the past three decades.

Another interesting fact: studies show more than 70% of Americans shop direct. Direct mail is therefore a green way to shop. If Americans replaced two trips to the mall each year with shopping by catalog, we’d reduce our number of miles driven by 3.3 billion–a 3 billion pound reduction in carbon dioxide and a savings of $650 million on gas alone.

The production of household advertising mail consumes only 0.19% of the energy used in the United States. That number is total energy used, from recycling materials to the cost to print. Those are some spectacular numbers.

Did you know that mail represents only 2.4% of America’s municipal waste stream?

Want an even “greener” direct marketing idea? If you use a direct mail company that recycles left over material for your direct mail marketing that can make a bigger impact on waste production. For those companies that have the ability, try incorporating web-to-print advertising. By printing material as it is needed there is zero waste involved.

When it comes to the advantages of using direct mail marketing as part of a well rounded campaign, here is a fact to remember. Direct mail is critical to the economic well-being of communities, businesses and charities throughout the United States. In 2007 it represented more than $686 billion in sales, supporting jobs at more than 300,000 small businesses across the country. With small businesses being the backbone of most local economies that says a lot.

Non-profit organizations raised nearly $200 billion from generous donors through direct mail in 2007. Even though the amount raised per person by direct mail marketing is smaller, the total amounts are higher than by any other means. Imagine how many social programs that help those in need would shutter their doors without direct mail marketing?

Finally, did you know that more than 80% of U.S. households read some or all of their advertising mail? What other type of marketing tool can reach a consumer with that kind of coverage?
Not bad for a time tested marketing method.

The next time you wonder why your business should consider direct mail marketing as part of your advertising campaign, do it. You might end up being pleasantly surprised.

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Why use direct mail? Because you as a consumer today are much more sophisticated. You are constantly bombarded with advertisements from television, newspapers, magazines, radio and the internet. So, how do you get their attention? How do you reach YOUR targeted customers effectively in such a demanding marketplace. How do you reach them, without spending your entire advertising budget, especially if it isn’t a huge one: direct mail.

The Benefits of direct mail! It is quite simple: direct mail is one of the only forms of advertising that lets you precisely pinpoint your target audience and mailing gives you gives you measurable results fast. You get clear cut information from a direct mail postcard or other printed piece, that’s easy to analyze. Unlike advertising in mass media, direct mail allows you to know precisely who you’re speaking to, so waste, with direct mail, is kept to a minimum. For example, if you have a “landscaping business” you will not, with accurate lists, be mailing to “apartment dwellers!

Take control of your budget! With it you know exactly how many pieces you sent out on your campaign. You know who received the it and how much each piece of cost you. You also know how many responses came back from your campaign. This information makes it easy to calculate the cost-per-order or the cost-per-response. You can even track how much repeat business and income a sequence of mailings has generated in your campaign over a period of time.

Why use the same source for printing and mailing? You benefit from using direct mail by controlling the printing and mailing process better. In order to avoid finger pointing by a mailhouse or printing company, should you be using two separate firms, it is in your best interest to use one company for both mailing and printing.

What happens should your printing company not include the postal permit on postcard? The answer is simple: you the customer will pick up additional charges at the mailing company. It was not the error of the mailhouse. They must now inkjet the permit, during the process, at additional cost to you. In turn you must now argue with the printing company over who was at fault. Time and again, each will blame the other.

Another reason for combining the mailing and printing process, is that you can receive guidance on the printing layout so that you are always in United States Post Office compliance with your printing materials as they are used for the mailing process. There are numerous other reasons to use one source for printing and mailing: these are just a few of the pitfalls.

How effective is it? Very effective – it has become a science. It works because it is precise and effective. Printing By Design has been in business for many years and our customers have come to rely on our extensive resources, knowledge and judgment to help simplify their campaigns. So for your next campaign, please allow Printing By Design to help you achieve your success.

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Today most people think about marketing on the internet. While there are many internet strategies, a direct mail marketing strategy may be the one thing that works best for your company. The traditional type of direct marketing strategy has been around for a hundred years. It has also been studied and tested for that long. Some of the strategies that seemed to work were simple yet unique. Things like mailed items being addressed to a person, not just “mail box holder”, promotions that expire and a call to action are all part of a direct marketing strategy.

Today’s direct marketing mail strategy in order to be successful, involves a loss leader. This is usually a free or a heavily discounted giveaway that sounds good enough for people to send away for the item. This enables the company to follow up with other products that can be sold.

In today’s economy even upscale consumers are looking to save money. So-called value pack coupons are a very effective way to target particular consumer segments and to generate meaningful results for an advertiser.

One of the better known value pack coupon mailers is Valpak. The familiar blue foil envelope typically arrives once a month and contains a mix of ads from local, regional, and national advertisers. Valpak mails to all the major markets in the Unites States and to addresses in three Canadian provinces.

Value pack advertising is a cost effective direct mail marketing strategy for businesses to reach consumers because the cost of each mailing is shared by many advertisers. In fact, it is usually possible to reach each household on a mailing list for a small fraction of the cost of a stamp. Advertisers can track their results with value pack ads too, because each redeemed coupon can be recorded so the exact return on investment for each coupon campaign is available. Feedback from each mailing tells advertisers whether the message is effective and if the targeted demographics are responding. The successful direct mail marketing strategy always involves testing and keeping track of the results to make sure you are getting the most benefit for your company.

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Advertising

If you are an internet network marketer or own a home based business, chances are you have at least wondered about how effective a direct mail campaign would cost and how successful it can be. Keep reading and I will share some direct mail marketing statistics that can help you decide if this approach is right for you and your business.

Investment Return

While the costs of a direct mail marketing campaign may seem high at first, your overall return on that investment should be considered first. For example, if you send out a thousand mailers and get twenty leads in return, what would that mean to your bottom line?

Considering that for most network marketing businesses even a single lead could potentially cover the cost, the direct mail marketing statistics begin to look a little brighter. By calculating the minimum number of leads you’ll need to make the investment worth while you’ll be able to make a more informed decision on whether to do a bulk mail campaign or not.

Marketing Costs

First you will need to purchase a targeted mailing list. These lists are available from direct mailing list brokers. For each thousand mailing addresses, you can expect to pay anywhere from US$20 to US$200. However, as with anything, you get what you pay for.

The higher quality the mailing list, the better your chances for success. This is not the place to cut corners with. Determine your specific demographic and send out requests for estimates from these list brokers. Also ask others in your business if they can recommend a list broker.

The second factor in determining costs will be in the printing of the mailer itself. To keep costs down in this area, and to ultimately save on postage also, prepare a relatively short, sleek and to-the-point mailer then get some printing costs estimates. Color, glossiness and the paper you choose will all go into determining how much you will pay.

Finally, the postage costs which will likely be the greatest expense over all. Look into the reduced price packages the postal service offers for direct mail campaigns. Postage can cost as little as thirteen cents per mailing.

Save Your Pennies

The direct mail marketing statistics may seem a little costly up front, and they can take a big bite out of your business’ budget. However this remains one of the most effective forms of marketing for small businesses today. Develop your goals and put money aside each week to save for your campaign. Ask around and find out what’s worked, and what hasn’t, for fellow business owners.

Are you considering these Direct Mail Marketing Statistics to try to save your MLM business? If so, I have some information you’ll want to read. You won’t believe how easy it can be to succeed even without Direct Mail Marketing Statistics with this amazing approach. Transform your business and start making more money today. Don’t be left behind! Get your copy of this FREE REPORT today.

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For small and large business owners and marketing professionals that are aiming to stay in the top of the competition, mailing list brokers can be a great ally. These are professional firms that specialize in compiling data for multi outlet direct marketing campaigns.

A mailing list broker has access to numerous databases that contain names and contact information on consumers and businesses that could be one of your customers soon. A nice mail broker will present you with variety of lists that are available in today’s market and will help you to customize the mailing list to suit your businesses needs the best. With the use of multitude demographics selects, these kind brokers are able to create you the most accurate and targeted mailing lists available.

An experienced list broker in the marketing industry will be able to provide your business with not only mailing lists, but telemarketing and e-mail lists, expert consultation. Lead papers and literature, and SMS and social networking marketing.

Working through lead generation options is a tiring feat for any business owner and a mailing list broker will be able to lead your business to the appropriate combination of lead generations for your needs.

In today’s internet age, mailing list brokers can be the key to a successful opt-in e-mail marketing campaign. They provide businesses with not only the e-mail list, but also creative design and deployment. With the soaring popularity of the internet and the allure of cutting the cost of postage, many brokers are being sought after to provide expert services in the field of internet and e-mail marketing.

The next great craze in direct marketing revolves around the one item that most consumers have in their possession, all the time; their cell phone. Mobile marketing lists can be purchased from a broker and can be used to reach consumers wherever and whenever you choose. One of the pluses of SMS, or text messaging, marketing is that you are reaching only consumers that have asked to receive promotional text messages, so you know that your money is not being wasted. Brokers are also able to break down the SMS list by demographics such as age, gender, income, and spending habits.

Employing the services of a experienced broker will be the success of your businesses direct marketing campaign. Using expert consultation and weighing the needs of your business, a mail list broker will be able to help you to effectively convey your message to a large pool of prospective clients.

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With the postal service making news again due to a request in rate hikes some feel that this news is putting the final nails in the coffin for direct mail marketing. It is already being seen as an expensive form of advertising that has little if any return on investment. To this statement I will respond with an expression my grandfather used to use: BALDERDASH!

The only thing that will kill off direct mail marketing as part of an overall cross media marketing campaign is not using direct mail as it should be used.

It galls me to hear and see marketers and advertisers waving their hands in the air saying the sky is falling on direct mail marketing like Henny Penny. When they do that kind of thing the masses follow along like Goosey Lucy, reiterating what they hear as being truth.

Direct mail marketing can be and is an effective means of advertising capable of bringing in a high return on investment. The failure to do so lies in the hands of marketers who do not use the proper tools along with direct mail to begin with. Why? I have been asking myself that question for a very long time.

As with any kind of marketing, if you are not directing your advertising to the people who can and will use your services, you are only throwing something against the wall to see if it will stick. It matters not if your idea will save millions of people billions of dollars if you are not getting the message out to the public that matters the most: the ones that need it. Direct mail marketing is no different in that regard. A company has to find the right niche of clientele.

And that is not only possible but it is smart marketing.

There are any number of companies that now offer data segmentation lists specifically tailored to a business’s needs. It used to be that list providers were limited to carrier route lists. A business could only hope that by flooding the market in one particular area that someone would notice and come by to see what you had to offer. That time is long gone. Now there is not only the ability to send a direct mail piece to a select area but also to send them to consumers whose lifestyle or preferences indicate that your message is an answer to their needs, wants or desires. And it is not only B2C companies that can benefit from using a data segmentation list. B2B companies have the same ability with specified business data lists. The possibilities of how specifically targeted a direct mail piece can be is almost endless in this day and age.

As with any one to one marketing strategy, if you market wisely your return on investment makes the cost worth it. Simply put would you rather spend $1,000 to advertise to 750 people hoping a handful will even bother to take you up on an offer or call to action or would you rather spend that same dollar amount and market to 200 people which will have a 10-15% response rate. Hmmm it seems simple enough to me which way to invest my marketing dollar.

For those in the marketing world who want to be Henny Penny when it comes to direct mail marketing, go ahead. I will be the one sitting in the corner counting the money made from my last direct mail marketing campaign while you struggle to figure out why your last campaign came crashing down on your head.

My marketing sky is still sunny and blue. How does yours look?

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Email marketing provides the quickest and easiest way to market to your dentist list. If you are concerned about the environment, and want to be green, then email marketing is one way to preserve precious natural resources. But email marketing alone may not be enough to get you the results that you deserve.

Email and direct mail marketing can be a powerful combination of marketing weapons. Email can be delivered quickly and frequently. This is important because it can take 20 or more marketing contacts before a purchase decision is made. A follow-up direct mail piece delivered less frequently can add credibility and sustainability to your marketing message.

Maybe you don’t have a dentist list to market to or maybe your list needs updating. If this is the case, you might consider buying or building a new dentist list.

Buying versus renting

Marketing list providers will either sell you an email marketing list or rent you a list. When you rent the list, you send your marketing message to the list provider and they will email to your list for you. This can be a convenient option if you don’t have time, systems or expertise to do your own mailing.

When you buy an email marketing dentist list, you will actually own and take possession of the list. When you buy an dentist list, you can mail to the list as often as you like. Owning your list also allows you to test your marketing message. Send out test email blasts to smaller segments of your list to see which message pulls the best results.

However, when you own your list you may still need the assistance of a third-party email service. There are several available and, often times, the marketing list provider may provide this service for a fee.

You may think that buying dentist list is cost prohibitive. Many marketers find that the lifetime value of just a few new customers can easily pay for the cost of buying a dentist list. Still, you have options.

Most States have dental licensing boards that have lists of practicing dentists in every county for your state. The lists include the dentist’s name, street and email addresses, phone, and fax numbers. The lists may be free in some states, while others charge a fee.

The lists provided may not be formatted for an email marketing campaign, and you would have to do this yourself-however, software programs are available to purchase that will help with re-formatting the data. You can then create mailing labels for a direct mail marketing campaign. Most word processing program would be sufficient in generating mailing labels.

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