Such a postcard will offer recipients a free incentive, or invite them to send for more information. This inexpensive first step qualifies prospects for the next, more expensive, step of the sales effort. We have seen two-step selling with postcards work for products and services as varied as computer software, bookkeeping and tax services, marketing services, and computers to name only a handful. Reselling current customers - We often quote a study by Fortune Magazine which found it is five times easier to sell to current customers than to acquire new ones. To reap the benefits of your investment in current customers, you should be continually soliciting business from them.
Postcards are one of the most cost-effective ways of doing so.
Franklin Quest illustrates this use with a postcard notice of upcoming seminars for customers who use their Franklin Day Planner. A jazz band in our area uses postcards to notify fans of their schedule of appearances. A shoe store sends postcards to its customers with a color photo of a new line of shoes they're selling. A carpet store notifies preferred customers of a private sale event with a postcard. Maintaining customer contact - It has been estimated that you should contact each customer at least eight times a year to retain them as active customers.