Business Correspondence - Anonymous (best classic books of all time .TXT) 📗

is still upon him. Here are Eighteen Schemes for making it easy for the prospect to reply—and to reply NOW

 

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There are few propositions so good that they will sell themselves. A man may walk into a store with the deliberate intention of buying a shirt, and if the clerk who waits on him is not a good salesman the customer may just as deliberately walk out of the store and go to the place across the street. Lack of attention, over-anxiety to make a quick sale, want of tact on the part of the salesman—any one of a dozen things may switch off the prospective customer although he wants what you have for sale.

Even more likely is this to happen when you are trying to sell him by mail. He probably cares little or nothing about your offer; it is necessary to interest him in the limits of a page or two and convince him that he should have the article described.

And even after his interest has been aroused and he is in a mood to reply, either with an order or a request for further information, he will be lost unless it is made easy for him to answer; unless it is almost as easy to answer as it is not to answer. A man’s interest cools off rapidly; you must get his request for further information or his order before he picks up the next piece of mail.

It is a daily experience to receive a letter or a circular that interests you a little—just enough so you put the letter aside for attention “until you have more time.” Instead of being taken up later, it is engulfed in the current of routine and quickly forgotten. Had the offer riveted your attention strongly enough; had the inducements to act been forceful; had the means for answering been easy, you would probably have replied at once.

Make it so easy to answer that the prospect has no good reason for delaying. Make him feel that it is to his interest in every way to act AT ONCE. Do the hard work at your end of the line; exert yourself to overcome his natural inertia and have the order blank, or the coupon or the post card already for his signature. Don’t rely upon his enthusing himself over the proposition and then hunt up paper, pencil and envelope; lay everything before him and follow the argument and the persuasion with a clincher that is likely to get the order.

In making it easy to answer, there are three important elements to be observed. You must create the right mental attitude, following argument and reason with a “do it now” appeal that the reader will find it hard to get away from. Then the cost must be kept in the background, centering attention on the goods, the guarantee, and the free trial offer rather than upon the price. And finally, it is desirable to simplify the actual process—the physical effort of replying.

The whole effort is wasted if there is lacking that final appeal that convinces a man he must act immediately. Your opening may attract his attention; your arguments may convince him that he ought to have your goods; reason may be backed by persuasion that actually creates in him a desire for them, but unless there is a “do it this very minute” hook, and an “easy to accept” offer, the effort of interesting the prospect is wasted.

 

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SCHEME 1—A SPECIAL PRICE FOR A LIMITED PERIOD

The most familiar form of inducement is a special price for a limited period, but this must be handled skillfully or it closes the gate against an effective follow-up. The time may be extended once, but even that weakens the proposition unless very cleverly worded; and to make a further cut in price prompts the prospect to wait for a still further reduction.

 

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BETTER LOOK AGAIN AND SEE IF YOU HAVE SIGNED YOUT NAME AND WRITTEN YOUR TOWN AND STATE PLAINLY. WE GET LOTS OF ORDERS EVERY YEAR THAT WE CAN’T FILL BECAUSE THE ADDRESS IS INCOMPLETE OR ILLEGIBLE. IT IS BEST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE AND WRITE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS SO PLAINLY THAT THERE CAN BE NO POSSIBLE MISTAKE. DID YOU?

YOU DON’T HAVE TO USE BETTER KEEP AN THIS ORDER SHEET. YOU O R D E R S H E E T EXACT COPY OF THIS CAN ORDER ANY OLD WAY ORDER FOR FUTURE YOU LIKE. BUT USING THIS REFERENCE. WILL SAVE US BOTH SOME BOTHER

 

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BE SURE TO ALWAYS SIGN THE MORE CAREFUL YOU ARE KEEP A COPY OF YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. TO FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING THE ORDER AND IF WE GET LOTS OF ORDERS BLANKS CAREFULLY AND YOU DO NOT HEAR WITH NO SIGN OF NAME CLEARLY, THE MORE CERTAIN FROM US IN A OR ADDRESS. IF YOUR WE ARE TO GET YOUR ORDER REASONABLE SHIPPING STATION IS FILLED PROMPTLY AND LENGTH OF TIME, DIFFERENT FROM YOUR CORRECTLY. WE’RE ALL LONG WRITE US AND POST OFFICE BE SURE RANGE MIND READERS AND TELL US JUST TO GIVE BOTH CAN GENERALLY PUZZLE OUT WHAT YOU ORDERED HOW AN ORDER IS MEANT TO AND WHEN YOU BE BUT IT TAKES LOTS OF ORDERED IT GUESS WORK

VALUE OF ORDER $ |cents DATE_______ –––––––––|– NAME____________________________ PAID BY P.O. MONEY ORDER | STREET OR RURAL ROUTE___________ PAID BY EXP. MONEY ORDER | POST OFFICE_____________________ PAID BY DRAFT | COUNTY__________________________ PAID By CHECK | SHIPPING STATION________________ PAID IN CURRENCY | WHAT RAILROAD PREFERRED_________ PAID IN SILVER | WHAT EXPRESS CO PREFERRED_______ PAID IN STAMPS | TOTAL AMOUNT PAID | MARK IN SQUARE WHICH WAY YOU WANT ––––––––––- THIS ORDER SENT___MAIL__EXPRESS PLEASE DON’T WRITE IN THIS SPACE __FREIGHT OPENED BY_____BOOKED BY_____ O’K’D BY______TAGGED BY_____ SHALL WE USE OUR BEST JUDGMENT AS ROUTING_____________________ TO MANNER OF SHIPPING AND ROUTING?____

IF OUT OF VARIETY ORDERED HAVE WE YOUR PERMISSION TO SUBSTITUTE EQUAL OR BETTER ______ IN NEAREST VARIETY

––––––––––––––––––––––

BU|QTS|LBS|PTS|OZ|PKTS|NO|ARTICLES WANTED |VALUE

––––––––––––––––––––––

_________________________________________________|$______|cents___ _________________________________________________|$______|cents___ _________________________________________________|$______|cents___ _________________________________________________|$______|cents___

 

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This order sheet simplifies ordering and assures accuracy. On the reverse side are printed several special offers, to which reference may readily be made. The sheet is made to fold up like an envelope and when the gummed edges are pasted down enclosures are perfectly safe

 

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On some propositions the time limit can be worked over and over again on different occasions like special store sales. A large publishing house selling an encyclopedia never varies the price but it gets out special “Christmas” offers, “Withdrawal” sale offers, “Special Summer” offers—anything for a reason to send out some new advertising matter making a different appeal. And each proposition is good only up to a certain time. The letters must be mailed and postmarked before midnight of the last day, and this time limit pulls the prospect over the dead center of indecision and gets his order. The last day usually brings in more orders than any previous week.

 

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FILL OUT AND MAIL THIS COUPON TO CHICAGO SUPPLY CO.

I AM INTERESTED IN ___________________________________

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

SEND ME FREE OF COST

MAMMOTH ILLUSTRATED CATALOG __

BOOK OF HOUSE AND BARN PLANTS __ STRUCTURAL STEEL NEWS __ HEATING AND PLUMBING GUIDE __ LINOLEUM BOOKLET __ BOOK ON ROOFING, SIDING, ETC. __ GASOLINE ENGINES __ CLOTHING FOR MEN AND BOYS __ LADIES’ WEARING APPAREL__ SEWING MACHINE BOOK __ HARNESS AND VEHICLES __ PUT CROSS IN SQUARE OPPOSITE BOOKS YOU WISH

MY NAME__________________________________________ TOWN__________________________ STATE ____________ R.F.D.___________ BOX NO.________ ST. NO.________

 

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This coupon, used in advertisements and in printed matter, make it extremely easy to send for information on special subjects

 

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SCHEME 2—THE LAST CHANCE TO BUY

If it is desired to come right back at a prospect, some such paragraph as this is written:

 

“Only 46 sets left! The success of our special offer surpassed all expectations. It will be necessary to issue another edition at once. The style of binding will be changed but otherwise the two editions will be the same. As we do not carry two styles on hand, we are willing to let you have one of the 46 remaining sets at the SAME TERMS although our special offer expired Saturday night.”

 

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And this appeal may pull even better than the first one—provided the proposition is “on the square.” It is hard to put sincerity into a letter that is not based on an absolute truth. If “Only 46 sets left” is merely a salesman’s bluff when in fact there are hundreds of sets on hand, the letter will have a hollow ring.

 

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MAKING IT EASY TO ANSWER CREATING DESIRE TIME LIMIT LIMITED NO. OF ARTICLES CUT PRICE SPECIAL TERMS RESERVATION OF STOCK OR MACHINE EVADING THE COST FREE TRIAL OFFER GUARANTEE DEFERRED PAYMENTS “SEND BILL” NOT AN EXPENSE—AN INVESTMENT ENCLOSURES ORDER BLANKS POST CARDS MONEY ORDER APPLICATIONS COIN CARDS ADDRESSED ENVELOPE

 

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Sincerity is the hardest thing in the world to imitate in a letter and absolute confidence is the key-stone to all mailorder selling.

There are plenty of plausible reasons for making a time limit or a special offer. A large publishing house, selling both magazines and books by mail occasionally turns the trick by a human interest appeal:

 

“I told the business manager that I believed I could bring our August sales up to equal those of the other months.

“He laughed at me. Always before they have fallen off about twenty per cent.

“But I am going to do it—if you’ll help me.”

 

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Then the sales manager went on with a special offer; it was a legitimate offer which made a real inducement that proved one of the most successful the firm ever put out.

 

SCHEME 3—LOW PRICES DURING DULL SEASONS

In making a special price the prospect must be given some plausible reason and sincere explanation for the reduction. A special arrangement with the manufacturer, cleaning out of stock, an introductory offer—some valid reason; and then state this reason in a frank, business-like way, making the story interesting and showing where it is to the advantage of both the prospect and yourself.

 

“Just to keep my men busy during the dull season I will make an extra pair of trousers at the same price ordinarily charged for a suit, on orders placed during July and August.”

 

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This offer sent out by a merchant tailor brought results, for he had a good reason for doing an extra service—he wanted to keep his help busied during the quiet months and the customer took advantage of the inducement.

 

SCHEME 4—CUT PRICES IN EXCHANGE FOR NAMES

“If you will send us the names of your friends who might be interested” and “if you will show it to your friends” are familiar devices for they present a plausible excuse for cutting a price and serve the double purpose of giving the manufacturer or merchant new names for his mailing list. “A free sample if you send us your dealer’s name” is reasonably certain to call for an immediate reply from most women, for they are always interested in samples.

Making a special introductory offer on some new device or appliance is certainly a legitimate reason for cutting the price. It is