Direct Marketing Tool: Brochures

Brochures are one of the very important tools used in direct marketing and direct selling. A brochure can be defined as a written hard material that is used to pass information about something. It is an advertising piece which is largely used to introduce a company or organization and inform about products and/or services to a target audience. The alternate names for brochures are pamphlets and leaflets. They may be considered as grey literature, meaning informally published material that is difficult to trace through channels like journals since it is not published commercially or widely accessible.

People often confuse brochures with flyers, although there are some fundamental differences between the two. While a brochure is folded, a flyer is just a sheet of paper that is used as an insert in newspapers and magazines. Brochures also often use more color on high quality or glossy paper.

Brochures are one of the tools that has been used since a long time, and have maintained their popularity even with the advancement of technology rising trend of online marketing and electronic means of advertising. There are a number of reasons for this.  For example, brochures are highly space efficient. Since they are folded into panels, they seem compact, but they can be opened up to reveal large amounts of information. Also, you can control your target market very well with brochures, since they are being delivered to people individually, whereas in other marketing tools such as billboards and television commercials, the marketer can't really control each individual watching them. Brochures are also used as a complement to direct selling, and are used in techniques such as door to door selling. These methods engage potential customers and encourage them to respond, thereby, increasing the chances of a potential customer being tuned into an actual customer.

Common Types of Brochures:
Bi-Fold: A single sheet printed on both sides and folded into halves, which results in four panels (two panels on each side).

Tri-Fold: A single sheet printed on both sides and folded into thirds, resulting in six panels (three panels on each side).

Tips For Making A Better Brochure

• Design a brochure using out of the box creativity, such that it should immediately catch a person's attention. You can also alter the shape, instead of going for the mundane A4 sized rectangular shapes. For example, you can design brochures so that they can be used as coasters or origami toys. This will encourage people to retain the brochures for future references instead of immediately throwing them away in the trash. 
• Provide contact details so that you can get back to people asking for any queries.
• Write an appropriate introduction, with subheadings.
• Use maps for directions, if you want people to know where exactly you are located.

The Struggle for Originality

All of us, at some point, had a blank moment. When nothing new, original or useful came to mind. Isn't that terrible?
In areas like Sales and Marketing, Branding and Communication originality is the key. No one will pay attention if you are talking about the gunpowder discovery. But they will listen if you point out a completely different use for it, even if it sounds crazy at first. Crazy will draw attention to you.

There are some ways of avoiding those blank moments and be able to create useful and original content for whatever your strategy is:

1. Be curious. Even Einstein needed to be curious in order to pursue his biggest achievements.
2. Let your mind wander. Daydreamers are synonym of an active and well equipped-brain. And, like J.R.R. Tolkien wrote:

Not all those who wander are lost.

    3. Pay attention to coincidences. But don't forget that if it's too much of a coincidence, it's because it's not. And, you will make surprising connections.
    4. Look closely at contradictions. Whereas curiosity makes us wonder, contradiction causes us to doubt, and this can lead to powerful insights because we spent some time thinking about it.
    5. Act on your insights. Look at things that you would otherwise ignore. Ignoring the knowledge that you somehow have achieved, is not a smart move.

And no more blank moments will occur.

Grow your Client List With a Giveaway

If you're a direct seller and you own a blog or Facebook page (or both!), one of the best ways to increase your client list and get people to know about your brand and products is to host a Giveaway.

Select one of your products, or create a bundle and start spreading the word. If you have a blog in Wordpress there are multiple of plugins that will help you, for example: "And the winner is" is one of the plugins that, once installed, will randomly select one of the comments left in your post. But there are other alternatives that work with all blogging platforms, like Random.org .

Usually the giveaway consists in a couple of rules: like the page, comment the post and share through the social media accounts. If you're giving away a bundle from Younique, for example, you will make a post explaining the contest rules, ask for the participants to like Younique's Facebook page, leave a comment in the Giveaway post's comments section and share the post's link through their Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. You should define a time span for the contest so you can gather as much as new followers and prospective clients as possible, usually one week or two is enough. And take a picture of the prize, so the clients know exactly what they are trying to win.

At the end of the giveaway, use the tools (plugin or Random.org) to select the winner, and make a post with the name of who won.

Encourage your staff to sell more and better

Some simple sales techniques are critical to the performance of the team, which is reversed in profit and growth for both parties :

Most customers do not know exactly what they need. So take the opportunity to discover the appropriate times to offer their solutions (and how to offer in order to emphasize the value they deliver to the customer);
In this sense: price is not everything. Show the customer the advantages that your product offers . Who sells makeup does not offer lip glosses, but beauty, self confidence, comfort and even social status.

Keep in touch: the customer doesn't always buy the product at first, so be courteous and leave open doors to a new opportunity .
Encourage the use of software and social media: many direct sales businesses are still in the past in this regard and do not see the importance of using the social media. This software and social media use needs to be aligned to a personalized sales routine, favoring the management of the customers , orders, and providing all the tools so that they best meet the customer and sell more.

What is on the rise today is the ability to exhibit products and issue orders on the tablet or Smartphone, since they will give more agility and value the products sold, and create a more modern impact on the client himself.

Direct sells: What not to do

In the last post we spoke about Direct Sellers To Do List, a list of tips to do with your sales parties and events.
Today, we're providing you a list of tips of what not to do for your sales events:

• Don't talk on the phone while your potential clients are browsing around your table. It is highly unprofessional to look disinterested and it will make people lose their interest as well, and eventually your sales will suffer.

• Being behind the table or the stall with your head down (reading, texting...) or staring at the floor. This will refrain your clients to feel open to ask you questions and will make them uncomfortable picking up some of your products you have for sale. 

•  If you're organizing the sale with someone else, or some other sellers, don't talk about organizational issues in front of your clients: they will think they are actually disturbing the event, or think they came to a bad sale, especially if they are new clients. Keep those issues to discuss after the sale or, if really needed, do it discretely and with a smile on your face. 

•  The previous don't also applies if you have a helper at your table or booth. Talking to each other constantly will give an idea that you are preoccupied and busy with something else and could discourage potential clients from buying. 

Direct sellers to do list:

Here are some tips to help you become an organized seller, paying attention to detail and make your business look more serious, which will reflect on trust from your clients and prospected clients as well:

• Clean your items and display them neatly, on a rack or on a table;

• Place the price tags in each product individually or collectively, so it is visible and clear to your customers;

• Sort your items by category, for example: eye shadows; pencils, foundations, mascaras...

• Advertise the sales: let the people know beforehand where the sales party will take place: Use Facebook, Craig's list, or send a personalized e-mail to your established clients, friends, co-workers, etc.  

• Don't clutter your items, find a balance between the amount of products you have for sale and the opportunity for them to be seen.

Cross selling

Cross selling is a marketing technique, in which the seller tries to sell to their established clients other products and services other than the ones the client original bought, being more effective if they are complementary products or services.
Next time your clients ask for the 3D Fiber Lashes mascara, show them the eyeshadows Minerals Pigment Powder, or when they show interest in buying the BB Cream , explain them great the BB Cream shades match with the lip glosses.