Targeted Marketing: How To Do It

Here's a detailed description of how to carry out a low-cost targeted marketing campaign, using telephone selling and direct mail. The end result is to get sales appointments to gain new customers.

In Part 1 of this Targeted Marketing series of articles, I presented an overview of a highly successful way of getting new customers.In Part 2 I cover in practical detail how to carry out each stage of the process.

When can this targeted marketing approach be used?

This particular approach works when:

* You are selling into one market sector or into a wide number of sectors (a 'market sector' is best defined here as a particular industry or type of business).

* You are selling to businesses rather than to retail consumers.

* You are prepared to experiment a little, trying different approaches.

* Your expected average order size is at least GBP 200 (USD 300)

* You don't mind using the telephone (or have got a volunteer to phone for you!) and you have got some way of sending out 20 - 50 letters per week (say, a simple mailmerge program on a word processor).

* You need new customers!
If all of these apply to you, then read on...

The seven stages of targeted marketing

The 7 stages, involving a mixture of tele-research, direct mail and telesales, are listed below. Each stage is described in more detail on this web page:

http://www.marketing-magic.biz/targeted-marketing.htm

In the meantime, here's a summary of the steps you need to take:

* Selection of key target market sectors: identifying what types of customers you want to do business with.

* List research: compiling lists of potential customers.

* Telephone research: to ensure that the information gained from the lists is accurate, and to get any supplementary information not included in the mailing lists.

* Prospect selection: based on the lists and telephone research, to eliminate any inappropriate prospects and / or to produce a smaller, manageable sub-list for this particular mailing.

* Mailshot: sending out a letter and appropriate sales literature to the selected prospects.

* Telephone follow-up: this is where you really go for whatever it is you are wanting - a sales meeting, a trial order, the opportunity to quote... whatever is your objective.

* Recording, measuring, monitoring: so that you know what has worked, what has not, what actions you need to take next.

Ian Traynor has been building and running websites since 1996. His "Marketing Magic" website provides tons of free advice and help on all aspects of online and offline selling and marketing. Sign up on "Marketing Update" newsletter - and get access to his subscribers' free Download Library. Ian is also the Principal of the Newbies School of Internet Marketing.

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