TWENTY-ONE ENVELOPE TRICKS!

When your envelopes aren't opened, you can't make money! Before

you can get an order, the recipient of your mailing package must

first open the envelope. Unfortunately, many recipients of

direct mail simply discard the material without opening the

envelope.

Because of the high costs of printing, envelopes, and postage,

your mailing package represents a sizable investment. You

simply can't afford to make this investment, and then have your

sales material discarded in unopened envelopes.

With the following methods, you will have a substantial

reduction in the number of unopened envelopes and a pleasantly

profitable increase in sales.

1. If you envelope looks like junk mail, it will be treated like

junk mail (in other words, thrown in the trash without being

opened). The solution is simple - don't mail your material in

envelopes that look like junk mail.

2. Avoid using mailing labels, because they make your envelopes

look like junk mail.

3. Type the addresses on your envelopes.

4. Neatly write or print the addresses on your envelopes.

5. If you don't have time to use method three or four, then pay

someone to address the envelopes for you. Pay them for each

envelope they address; do not pay them by the hour.

6. If you must use labels, then use colored labels.

7. If colored labels are too expensive, you can color white

labels with a marking pen. Fluorescent marking pens are

especially good for this purpose. You can find these in office

supply stores, discount variety stores, discount pharmacies, etc.

8. Use colored envelopes.

( * The Post Office will not appreciate your colored labels and

envelopes. These items create problems for their optical

scanning equipment.)

9. Use first class postage and print FIRST CLASS in several

places on the envelope. An inexpensive rubber stamp, with red

ink, makes an "official" looking impression.

10. Do not rubber stamp the return address on your envelopes.

This looks extremely unprofessional.

11. Avoid using labels for the return address - this also looks

unprofessional.

12. Pay a print shop to print your return address on your

outgoing envelopes. This isn't expensive, and it creates a more

professional image.

13. Use a colored typewriter ribbon to address envelopes.

14. Use a colored pen to address envelopes. For example, I like

red ink.

15. Address your envelopes on the back side.

16. Print or rubber stamp a short message on your envelopes.

This is a very effective with material that is mailed to persons

who inquire in response to magazine ads. For example, we

advertise a Free Mailing List Dealership. When we receive

inquiries about our dealership, we rubber stamp this message on

all outgoing envelopes - "You requested this FREE Dealership".

17. Commemorative stamps are more attractive than standard issue

stamps, and they are the same price. Use them. That's an easy

way to get your envelopes opened.

18. Use marking pens to draw designs on your envelopes. even a

series of straight lines, in a variety of colors, will draw

attention.

19. You can buy paste-on dots, stars, smiley faces, and so forth,

from an office supply store. Place these on your envelopes.

20. Instead of buying one first class stamp, buy several stamps

in smaller denominations that add up to the same price. This

catches attention because it looks more expensive.

21. Large mail order companies occasionally place some type of

solid object inside their envelopes. For example, specialty

advertising companies use inexpensive pencils, pens, plastic

pocket calendars, etc. You can also use this idea. For best

results, try to tie the object in to your offer.

22. Tape a penny to your sales letter. Then, in the sales

letter, offer to give your prospective customer a discount -

perhaps $5 or $10 - in exchange for the penny.

23. Use envelopes with windows.

24. With window envelopes, the recipient's address must be inside

the envelope and placed so it shows through the window. Take

advantage of this. Place the address on some type of Cash

Coupon that looks like a check.

25. Use large envelopes, such as 6 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches, or even 9

by 12 inches. This is expensive, but the envelope will be

opened.

26. "The more you tell, the more you sell." Use a large envelope

and include plenty of sales material. This is very effective

with higher price offers.

A few of these methods are a little eccentric, and a few are

more expensive than normal methods, but they will all help to

get your envelopes opened and increase your sales.

We promised you twenty-one methods, and we have actually given

you twenty six! That's because we believe in giving our

customers more than their money's worth. I recommend that you

try this with your own business - you'll find that it pays big

Stupid Credit Card Tricks

There has been an ongoing skit on the David Letterman Show called “Stupid Pet Tricks”. It was an aptly named bit because the things people teach their pets to do are truly silly. Letterman did so well with that skit, he followed it up with another series called “Stupid People Tricks.” Well, when it comes to the dozens of credit card offers that you get in your mailbox every week, you might think that some of these credit card companies would like to be on the next series called “Stupid Credit Card Tricks”.

These promotions that you get for credit cards seem to be playing on just about every tactic they can find to get you to take out yet one more credit card. You would think that the fact that credit card debt is a virtual epidemic in this country would let the credit card companies know that its time to get on the side of the consumer to learn responsible use of credit. Instead they do all they can to get you to have more, not less, credit cards and use them as much as you can.

We need to be smart consumers because as much as credit card companies try to make credit cards seem fun and happy and like big toys in your wallet, they are not toys. We should never forget that a credit card is nothing more than a way for the credit company to extend to you dozens of small unsecured loans that they will create credit payments on the fly to enforce through your credit card bill that will include high interest rates and additional fees as they see fit.

This is not to say that having a credit card is not a good thing. Good credit is one of the real assets any responsible adult will use to help make life easier and to make the necessary purchases in life. And more and more credit is becoming the currency of choice replacing cash and checks as the preferred method for paying for gas, at restaurants and any more even at retail outlets and grocery stores.

While the spread of credit as actual currency is a fact of life for us, it is also a major move by the credit card companies to take over the economy and to make you even more dependent on them. So the best defense is to take charge of your credit card life and make sure that you are the boss of your credit cards, not the other way around.

The stupid credit card tricks can be really fun to look at and sometimes enticing. They will appeal to your sense of school pride by giving you a credit card in your college school colors. You can get credit cards that give donations to save the environment, help the poor or create a college fund for your kids. There are all kinds of premiums, cash back concepts, frequent flier miles and gifts and toys that credit card companies will fork over just to lure you into getting more credit cards and using them a lot.

To put it bluntly, you and I need to learn not to be suckers for these deals. We can laugh at the stupid tricks they try to use. But if a credit card company is going to try to trick you into getting a card or using one, they are not doing business honestly with you. You want a credit card company that deals straight with you. They should offer fair rates that don’t change at the drop of a hat. They should sustain a reasonable credit limit and not always be jacking it up to try to get you to buy more stuff on the card. And they should have good customer service and be ready to renegotiate your relationship with them so you are getting good value from their service, not just paying for a bunch of toys and frills that do you no good whatsoever.

By keeping in mind what a credit card company actually does and that credit cards are mature adult tools, not games or toys, we can keep in perspective how to use our credit cards and how to keep from abusing credit which will lead to the nightmare of credit card debt.