Newsletters Made For You- Exceptional Living

I was talking yesterday with Jeff . He’s the guy that built WebToPrintIQ.com… from blank sheet of paper.

Saying Jeff is good with computers is like saying Leonardo was an OK painter.

Anyway, he was telling me that some of our clients don’t know what VDP is all about.

So here’s the scoop:

VDP isn’t quite a miracle. But it does have magical powers. Plus… it’s just plain cool.

It stands for Variable Data Printing. It’s a fancy phrase to say we can personalize everything we print and mail for you with the first name (and/or last name) of your customer somewhere on the marketing piece.

It allows you to get very personal with your customers.

Personalization has power!

Research shows that VDP does amazing things to response rates for direct mailings. In fact, VDP mailings response rates are four to six times higher than direct mailings without this technology.

And the more you customize direct mail to your recipient, the more likely the response rate will be higher.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you send out 500 Exceptional Living client newsletters next month. Each one will have each customer’s name four times throughout the 6 pages.

Imagine the power a personalized company newsletter like that will have with your customers.

Yep, VDP is very cool.

It’s also something most of the other guys (that attempt to ‘do’ newsletters) cannot offer you.

Just one more reason why you want your company newsletter to be from me and Brett.

BTW: The sample pack has three newsletters with examples of VDP on each of them.

Click here to have me send them to you.

Taking action just feel right.

-  David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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Mastermind #4: Rising From The Ashes

I just spent two very full days (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) with 15 extremely sharp and savvy entrepreneurs in the Andrew Lock Magical Mastermind group.

As promised, this is the 4th of 5 marketing strategies you can use in your own business.

Who knew the doc was selling Oxycontin on the side?

The owners of the Multi-Specialty Clinic where he worked sure didn’t know.

But that didn’t stop the insurance company from withholding $4.5 million from them… which was NEVER paid even when they were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Poof… $4.5 million gone. Money they expected. Money they needed. Money they never saw.

That’s the story of one of the members in my mastermind group.

Of course, they went bankrupt.

What would you do at that point? Here’s what they did.

First, they vowed never to be at the mercy of an insurance company again. Then they started over. They also began teaching other doctors how to shift their practice to a cash-only business.

Now they hold seminars that people pay $4000 a pop to attend.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Our greatest glory is NOT in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”

In their case, they were burned to the ground… but rose up from the ashes.

BIG TAKE AWAY:  Sometimes it ain’t easy being an entrepreneur. But that’s what makes YOU so special.

Honestly, who else will do what you do? Most people are content to work for a paycheck. And that’s cool… for them.

But you and me are cut from a different cloth. We work without a net We are risk-takers.

So, the next time your back is to the wall; and it looks like it’s all crashing down around you; remember this story.

Also remember Winston Churchill’s words: “Never, never, never give up!”

And never forget that you are my hero.

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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To review…

The Law of Leadership says two bodies can’t take up the same space.  So if you become the first one, it’s your spot forever.

Having your own category is a powerful thing.  And being FIRST in your own  category makes it impossible for anyone to copy you.

If there’s not a category for you to be the first, fashion one.  And if you’re not already the first one in that category, then create a spot.

How can you do this ethically… without LYING?

It easy and ethical.  Here are 7 ways:

1. Be the first to accommodate a specific area of business

2. Take existing products or services and create another option that’s new

3. Be the first to cater to a market in a brand new way – offer the same product or service but put a new spin on it.

4. Customize a product or service for a specific market.  If you’re a carpet cleaner, say your customer base is residential homeowners. You could become the first to offer a special dust mite treatment exclusively for your customers.

5. Even if you’re not the first, you can market yourself as ‘the leader in carpet care for asthma sufferers’ or ‘the first cleaning service for the smart homeowner.’

6. Can you add a brand new service or product to your business no one else has?

7. Can you sell the same service but in a brand new market – using carpet cleaners again – specialize in working with pet owners.

It’s not hard to do – but it does require some deep thinking.  And once you come up with your strategy, market the hell out of it.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Don’t worry about being the best.  If you’re an ethical entrepreneur, you already have great products or services.

Being first is a heck of a lot more important.  When you do this, you will automatically receive status and ranking – and YOU never even have to bring it up.

Whatever you come up with  it doesn’t need to be exclusive. It just needs to be perceived that way.

Your next step? Create a USP (Universal Selling Proposition) and plaster it all over your monthly client newsletter.

Hey, did you know I have one you can use?  (I had to put that in there, right?)

Anyway, check out the December issue of Exceptional Living.  It’s a great print newsletter. Click here to see the December issue.

Let’s get to work!

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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1.   It’s NOT all about you. Never think for a minute what we do is fascinating to our clients. This is difficult for most business owners to wrap their minds around.  Accepting this fact is the first step toward sending our customers something they actually want to read.

2.   It should be a ‘must read’ for your clients. They should look forward to it every month. If the articles are mind-numbingly boring – people will stop reading. By including involvement features such as puzzles, trivia, contests, etc., you assure it gets read and (most importantly) is acted upon.

3.   Make it look professional. You pride yourself on providing professional service. Your newsletter must match your reputation. Watch out for typos. Write engaging articles. Have an attractive layout design. Print your newsletter on high-quality paper. The last thing you want is your newsletter to look like it was published by your 6th grader.

4.  Get Personal. Continue the initial connection you made with your client.  A personal touch will get your newsletter remembered. Share a bit of yourself with your clients – perhaps tidbits about your family vacation, your hobbies or your pet’s latest antics.

5.  Include offers and a call to action. Give people a reason to act NOW. If they wait, they’ll probably do nothing. So make a special offer available only for your clients. And place a deadline on it, for example, for one month only.

6.   Be consistent. Don’t get cheap by sending your newsletters quarterly.  If that’s you, don’t bother sending anything – you’ll be wasting your money.  Also: If you tell your customers to expect a newsletter from you every month, you better do it. If you fail to follow though as promised – your reputation will take a hit.

7.   Print it. Yeah, yeah, yeah… printed newsletters are more expensive. But think about this: How many companies are willing to do this? Your clients aren’t stupid. They understand the time and money you spend to send them a great newsletter every month – and they appreciate it and will reward you with their business and referrals.

If your client newsletter contains each of these key components – you’ll have to beat your customers off with a stick.

This is take-it-to-the-bank stuff. And yes, it really does work!

Let’s make it happen,

- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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Making a sale is a happy event. But magazine publisher have known for decades the true celebrating begins when you get the second order from your customer.

Here’s why:

Magazine publishers have known for decades that their renewal rate goes up dramatically after the first renewal. 65 out of 100 new subscribers will re-subscribe. And after that, 85 percent of subscribers will renew. Those numbers are similar for any business that has a customer, client or patient.

Magazine publishers also know regular and frequent communication will increase first time renewals to around 80 percent and other renewals to over 90 percent.

Imagine what this kind of client retention would do for YOUR business!

So enjoy that new sale of your product or service.  But the true reason to feast and make merry is not until your customer purchases for the second time. Only then do you have the beginning of a buying habit (i.e. clients for life).

That, my friend, is called customer retention.

And nothing works as effectively at generating more repeat business as a monthly customer newsletter.

My Exceptional Living Newsletter makes sending a monthly client newsletter quick, easy, painless, and profitable. Our newsletter template is online and 95% Done For You.

So, start regular communication with your customer or patient… and get that second sale. It will not only be easier than the first, it will also be more profitable because you have the beginnings of a relationship.

If producing a full blown newsletter on your own is just too daunting, head over and check out my hot new customer relationship, business building tool, WebtoPrintIQ.

Just sign up for your FREE account – We do all of the heavy lifting for you.

Let’s make it happen.

-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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Ask any MBA (MBA stands for More Bad Advice, by the way) what they think is your most important business asset and you’ll get all kinds of goofy answers:

- Intellectual property
- Employees
- Cash in the bank
- Inventory

No doubt… these are important. But they’re not your MOST IMPORTANT ASSET.

Every now and then you find one who’s close, but still doesn’t quite get it — he’ll say “your customers.”

But even this isn’t quite right. I know lots of businesses who have huge lists of customers that are just plain worthless.

The real asset in any business is the strength of your relationship with your customers.

That and that alone is the real asset in any business. Why? Because the better your relationship, the more they buy from you. It really is that simple.

It costs a lot of money to get a customer — but if you treat them right, if you build a PERSONAL relationship with them, they will buy from you for years and years, almost like an annuity. That’s where the real profit is in any business… and a client newsletter will make that happen.

Exceptional Living client newsletter has proven for years it is the ultimate personal relationship building tool for your clients — and the August issue is now ready for viewing and editing.

Sign in and get started now:  Click Here

Let’s make it happen,

-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”

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So… you have concluded you need to a send out a monthly print customer newsletter.

Congratulations! You’ve just rocketed past 95% of other businesses by implementing a marketing program that guarantees you will get and keep clients for life.

As with some other aspects of life… size matters when it comes to print newsletters.

The size and format you select for your print newsletters speaks volumes about your publication. It sets the tone how your clients perceive your newsletter and more importantly, how they view YOU.

One the basic decisions you will need to make is what format will you use.

Letter-sized customer newsletters: One page, 8 ½ x 11 printed on both sides.

This is the easiest size of newsletter that people can produce. It is also the cheapest. But this really isn’t a newsletter… it’s just a fancy letter.

Here’s the big problem with little newsletters:

1. It rarely gets read because it has no substance or importance associated with it because it appears insignificant.
2. It screams:  “I’m too cheap and you’re too unimportant for me spend any time and money on you.”

Avoid this newsletter size like the plague.

Legal-sized customer newsletters: One page, 8 ½ x 14 printed on both sides.

This format is a bit larger than the letter sized newsletter, but still smaller than the 11 x 17.

Everything that was said about letter-sized newsletters applies to legal-sized;  it pretends to have substance, style and value for your clients, but it is sadly lacking in all of these areas.

11 x 17 customer newsletter format: Printed on both sides.

This size is essentially the equivalent of four letter sized pages.

This newsletter size tells your clients you take them seriously and you want to really communicate with them.  Most people expect a certain kind of professionalism and formality when it comes to newsletters in this size. With its capacity for large amounts of information, people also expect a four page newsletter to offer valuable information that is relevant to them.

Add an insert – which is really pages 3 and 4 – and now you have much more than a newsletter. You have a piece of literature for your customers to enjoy.

Print it in full, edge-to-edge color (like Exceptional Living) and now you have elevated your print customer newsletter to magazine status – something that gets passed on to others after it’s read by your client.

Dull boring content is all about you.

Of course, no matter how polished and professional your newsletter looks, the content (articles) must match the formatting.  Boring content cannot be fixed by a newsletter even if it has the proper ‘fit and finish.’

As pointed out many times in this blog and other articles, content is king.  Make your client or patient newsletter personal, interesting, engaging and fun.

If you can win your customer’s hearts… their wallets will follow.

To skyrocketing your profits,

David Gruttadaurio

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