"There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of a marketing piece, and that is by the number of responses you get. ? - Heidi Richards -Multi-step marketing is a simple yet extremely powerful strategy when you use it to its full potential. Multi-step marketing is selling people who have contacted you and asked for information about your product or service; a great way to build your own mailing list of prospects and customers.

You are able to send multiple mailings to those same people from which you have created your own mailing list. The key to multi-step marketing is following up with the prospects using an intensive direct mail campaign. How do you develop your multi-step marketing campaign? Follow these four simple steps. . . click here to read the entire article. Step One

Use some sort of direct response advertising to obtain your "leads.

" Your ads should have a powerful headline directed at your target audience that causes them to read the rest of the ad and respond. The purpose of your ad is to arouse the reader? or listener? curiosity, getting them to call. Always offer them something for free. Your goal in step one is to generate leads. Step TwoYour prospect reads the ad and calls - leaving her name and address or she writes to you for more information.

Using voice mail almost always generates more leads because people want things quickly and easily. Thank the prospect for calling, state a couple of major benefits, and end by asking for her name and address. The message should be between one and two minutes - no more. The goal in step two is to record your leads.

Step ThreeSend your direct response offer to the prospect. These prospects fall into one of three categories. We?l call them cold, warm and hot prospects. A Cold prospect is slightly interested; she is looking and will not buy. These prospects represent a small percentage of your inquiries. A Warm prospect is very interested, but not ready to buy. They represent the majority of your inquiries.

A Hot prospect is very interested and ready to buy. They also represent a small percentage of your inquiries. Step FourFollow up with mailings to prospects who didn? buy. Repeat this step again and again. According to "Sales and Marketing Magazine," 80% of all people who inquire about a product buy that product within one year, but not from the company that made the original contact. Why? Because the company didn? follow up.

It generally takes at least five contacts with a prospect who showed interest in the product or service you offer before they will buy from you. If you are successful with the initial mailing, you can expect 30 to 70 percent in leads turning into customers with follow up mailings. You don? have to change the entire mailing each time. Generally changing the cover letter and making minor changes to the mailing is sufficient.

Remember that one of your biggest expenses is getting the prospect. By following these four steps you can watch your sales and profits sky-rocket!Excerpted from The PMS Principles - Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business? 2005 - Heidi RichardsHeidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books.

She is also the Founder & CEO of the Women? ECommerce Association, International http://www. WECAI. org (pronounced wee-kī)? an Internet organization that? elps Women Do Business on the WEB. ?Basic Membership is FREE. Ms. Richards can be reached at http://www. HeidiRichards. com. or Heidi@wecai. org

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Heidi Richards