Using ‘Multi-Selling Channels’ To Get New Customers

June 29th, 2010 Tags: Commercials, Infomercials, Promotional Article, Sales Letter, Sampling, Selling Channel, Testimonials
Posted in Making Sale, Targeting Top Customers

Using ‘Multi-Selling Channels’ To Get New Customers … Even If You Have Little Or No Money!

This is the best kept secret in the mail order industry.  If you are marketing products directly through TV infomercials (half hour commercials), newspaper ads and mail order . . . you will sell 8 times more again if you also get the buyers into your retail store.

In fact, the really switched on retailers and corporations (including banks), are jumping on the direct mail and direct response marketing bandwagon like hungry fleas jumping on a dog.  All hands on deck so to speak.  

So before we can look at different ways to sell your product, we need to look at what most people in business are doing . . . and that is, in most cases, they only sell their products through one “selling channel” – a retailer will only sell in a shop, a wholesaler will only sell to retailers using agents or sales representatives, a mail order merchant will only sell using mail order, and so on.

If you compare your business to a building that is only supported by one foundation pillar (the selling channel), and the building gets bigger and bigger, that’s OK as long as that pillar remains strong.  However, if for any reason the pillar weakens, your whole building comes crashing down.

If, on the other hand, you build your business on many pillars (selling channels) and one of them weakens due to economy or whatever . . . your business still stands.

In other words, the more ways you sell or distribute your product the more solid your business.  Joseph Cossman – a self made millionaire – used this multiple selling channel technique to sell millions of dollars worth of products over 20 years!  In his opinion . . .

25% of your success is product
75% of your success is in the selling and promotion of that product

He used this procedure dozens of times and it never failed him.  So now we use the same process for selling our information products.

We’ve sold our products using direct mail, faxes, magazine and newspaper advertising.  We’ve used retail bookstores and wholesale distributors.  We have sales people selling our products and we have been to trade shows.  We’ve licensed other people to reproduce and sell our products.  So from first hand experience, I can vouch that this ‘multi selling channel’ approach really works.

We’ll take a look at the successful formula that Joseph Cossman and many other successful business owners have used, but before we do so, you’ll need to develop a couple of selling tools to promote your new product.

Tool 1:  Promotional Article

A new product is likely to be sold through several “selling channels”.  To be able to do this you’ll need a “promotional article” or a catalogue sheet, written about your product.   This sheet should have a photo of your product and a good description of what your product is and how it’s to be used, plus what benefits the customers will get by using your product.  Keep this sheet low cost – black and white will do fine.   This selling tool will be used to give to your distributors, to accompany press releases, used at trade shows and so on.

Tool 2: A Testimonial Sheet

This should be from your satisfied customers, end users, distributors and dealers.   Testimonials sell and give your product credibility.  The best way to get them is to audio-record your happy customers telling why they liked using your product or doing business with you.   That way you can use the testimonial in a transcribed form (on paper), or as an audio recording.  If your products are expensive enough to warrant it, you can even do the testimonial on video and place it on YouTube which is really effective.

Tool 3: A Good Sales Letter (Or Two)

This is what will accompany the first two selling tools.  A good sales letter will open many doors for you and your products, when you are selling to wholesalers, distributors, retail and business customers.

Now that we have the necessary “selling tools”, lets look at how we can use them to sell your products.  Obviously, not all of these will apply to every product or service, but with just a little imagination I am sure you’ll be able to make some of them fit whatever you are selling.

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