williec
Spam
Killed Email - Meet The New Killer App!
Copyright 2004 By Willie Crawford
Over the past few months the sheer volume of unsolicited
commercial email has turned into such a flood that many
email users are ready to throw up their hands in defeat.
Users often can't receive newsletters and business or
personal emails that they want to receive.
Email users often can't stop the emails that they DON'T
want to receive.
With a plethora of filters in place both at my server and
on my desktop client (Pegasus), I still get around 800
emails on a typical day. Many of those are routed through
one final holding folder before they are deleted. Everyday,
as I take a quick look at this folder I see communications
from important clients and friends. That's why I check
before the final delete :-)
The question we're all asking is, what's the simple
solution... There are lots of options looming on the horizon,
none of which seem perfect. None of us really want the
imperfect intervention or poorly constructed regulations
provided by well-intentioned government organizations.
One solution I've seen, and even used, is applications that
deliver the message directly to a user's desktop. Once a
person installs a simple application on his computer, he
receives broadcasts directly to his computer - completely
bypassing email. The biggest problem I see with this
solution is that each application is generally stand-alone.
This means many users would soon have a very
cluttered "desktop." Each sender often requires you to
install a separate program.
But are you missing the perfect solution... one that is
such simple technology that practically every person on the
face of the planet feels totally at easy using it. This simple
solution can't be blocked by ISPs, requires no software to be
installed by end users, and can't get you accused of
spamming.
What is this "killer app?" It's simply your own toll free phone
number. Just adding this one tool to your marketing arsenal
is so powerful that it should be a complete no-brainer! Let's
look briefly at a few of the benefits of offering a toll-free
number for your customers...
1) Customers associate a company offering a toll-free number
with higher quality. A recent survey by the Atlanta Business
Chronicle showed that "86% of customers believe an 800
number connotes high quality products or services."
If you are an online marketer, it's a good idea to take your
cues from offline advertising. Direct mail and media advertising
can be very expensive. It has to work or the marketers loses
BIG. There's a thoroughly tested reason why 58% of magazine
ads display a toll-free number... it dramatically increases
response. Offering a toll-free order option in an ad boosts
response even if the customer mails in the order or places it
online.
A recent Bellcore study revealed that 800 number ads outperform
even local number ads by six-to-one.
2) Toll-free numbers build TRUST. Study after study have proven
that the single biggest reason your customers - who want what
you have to offer - won't buy from you is...
They don't trust you!
I know from personal experience that many customers just want
the reassurance of hearing a human voice on the other end. This
assures them that the company is legitimate, and that they can
reach someone if there's a problem.
I've had literally hundreds of customers hesitate to use my
online order forms but call and within a few seconds of reaching
my office, place the order by phone. There are still a lot of people
who don't trust online technology but will not hesitate to give their
credit card information over the phone to a complete stranger.
Hearing the voice breaks down a major barrier.
3) A customer who calls you about a product or service has
already SERIOUSLY qualified themselves. The fact that they pick
up the phone and call to ask you a question says that they're
interested in what you have to offer. These are some of the most
highly qualified prospects you could ever hope for. They're
interested enough to actually have taken some action. You just
need to make it easy for them to "raise their hands."
Whether you realize it or not, you lose serious business to your
competitors who do offer this option if you don't. The reason is
very simple - people don't generally go online to buy things,
they go online to research their purchase decisions. The
Internet is a very convenient tool for comparison-shopping.
After your prospect have finished their research they next look
for a toll-free number so that their order can go through quickly.
Once they've decided that they want an item, they want it
"yesterday." They order from those who make it real easy, and
since they use their credit cards, they place bigger orders. In
fact, the average phone order even from a catalog is a well
documented 30% to 70% higher than the average mail order.
All of these reasons are why those who spend many hours studying
trends see offering a simple toll-free number from your website
as the next killer app.
For a long-time this was a tool that many small businesses
considered too costly. However, recent industry deregulation
and changes have driven the costs WAY down. My research has
turned up numerous plans that are under $50 per month. The
single best plan that I discovered provided unlimited toll-free calls
for only $39.95 per month. That's the one I jumped on :-)
There are a few things you need to know before you sign up for a
toll-free plan. The biggest one is that even though they're
advertised as unlimited, there are limits. Every service provider
does have "reasonable use limits."
If you are on a dial-up Internet connection, your ISP has clearly
spelled-out limits. They will email you or give you a call if
you exceed these limits.
If your website is on a shared server, there are limits not only
on bandwidth, but on the amount of CPU capacity that your
website can tie up at one time. If your website runs so many
scripts and programs that they slow the server down for all users,
you WILL be invited to get a dedicated server.
With long-distance and toll-free phone service, if you exceed the
reasonable use limits consistently, you will be asked to upgrade
to a different plan. The SECRET is that many service providers
don't tell you specifically what their limits are. They are big
enough, and tricky enough, where the can sneak that one
through. The company that I use, I chose both because of their
rates and because they offer more minutes under their "normal
use" definition than any other company I researched. I can
received 1200 minutes per month before I begin to "raise
eyebrows"
As a sidenote: If your business doesn't receive this volume of
calls, give this number to family members who seldom call,
your kids away at college, your mother who calls every day from
across the country... make it an inexpensive way to just stay
in touch...
Check out the company I use now. They're at:
http://TheRealSecrets.com/toll-free-numbers.html
They can have you set up with your own permanent toll-free number
in 1 business day. This service is only available in the continental
U.S. I'm researching offerings in other areas but that's not
complete yet. It's a big job. If you do have any questions about the
service that I use, you can even give me a call (toll-free from within
the continental US at 1-877-262-3367.
Do your research and you will see that this IS the next "killer
app for online marketers.
Willie Crawford has been teaching others how to build an on-line
business since late 1996. Frequently featured in radio, magazine
and newspaper articles and interviews, Willie teaches the average
guy what the top marketers are doing but seldom talk about.
Willie provides detailed how to information in his newsletter,
through his personal coaching, and at his annual how to workshop.
Subscribe to Willie's free course at: http://williecrawford.com/
Copyright 2004 By Willie Crawford
Over the past few months the sheer volume of unsolicited
commercial email has turned into such a flood that many
email users are ready to throw up their hands in defeat.
Users often can't receive newsletters and business or
personal emails that they want to receive.
Email users often can't stop the emails that they DON'T
want to receive.
With a plethora of filters in place both at my server and
on my desktop client (Pegasus), I still get around 800
emails on a typical day. Many of those are routed through
one final holding folder before they are deleted. Everyday,
as I take a quick look at this folder I see communications
from important clients and friends. That's why I check
before the final delete :-)
The question we're all asking is, what's the simple
solution... There are lots of options looming on the horizon,
none of which seem perfect. None of us really want the
imperfect intervention or poorly constructed regulations
provided by well-intentioned government organizations.
One solution I've seen, and even used, is applications that
deliver the message directly to a user's desktop. Once a
person installs a simple application on his computer, he
receives broadcasts directly to his computer - completely
bypassing email. The biggest problem I see with this
solution is that each application is generally stand-alone.
This means many users would soon have a very
cluttered "desktop." Each sender often requires you to
install a separate program.
But are you missing the perfect solution... one that is
such simple technology that practically every person on the
face of the planet feels totally at easy using it. This simple
solution can't be blocked by ISPs, requires no software to be
installed by end users, and can't get you accused of
spamming.
What is this "killer app?" It's simply your own toll free phone
number. Just adding this one tool to your marketing arsenal
is so powerful that it should be a complete no-brainer! Let's
look briefly at a few of the benefits of offering a toll-free
number for your customers...
1) Customers associate a company offering a toll-free number
with higher quality. A recent survey by the Atlanta Business
Chronicle showed that "86% of customers believe an 800
number connotes high quality products or services."
If you are an online marketer, it's a good idea to take your
cues from offline advertising. Direct mail and media advertising
can be very expensive. It has to work or the marketers loses
BIG. There's a thoroughly tested reason why 58% of magazine
ads display a toll-free number... it dramatically increases
response. Offering a toll-free order option in an ad boosts
response even if the customer mails in the order or places it
online.
A recent Bellcore study revealed that 800 number ads outperform
even local number ads by six-to-one.
2) Toll-free numbers build TRUST. Study after study have proven
that the single biggest reason your customers - who want what
you have to offer - won't buy from you is...
They don't trust you!
I know from personal experience that many customers just want
the reassurance of hearing a human voice on the other end. This
assures them that the company is legitimate, and that they can
reach someone if there's a problem.
I've had literally hundreds of customers hesitate to use my
online order forms but call and within a few seconds of reaching
my office, place the order by phone. There are still a lot of people
who don't trust online technology but will not hesitate to give their
credit card information over the phone to a complete stranger.
Hearing the voice breaks down a major barrier.
3) A customer who calls you about a product or service has
already SERIOUSLY qualified themselves. The fact that they pick
up the phone and call to ask you a question says that they're
interested in what you have to offer. These are some of the most
highly qualified prospects you could ever hope for. They're
interested enough to actually have taken some action. You just
need to make it easy for them to "raise their hands."
Whether you realize it or not, you lose serious business to your
competitors who do offer this option if you don't. The reason is
very simple - people don't generally go online to buy things,
they go online to research their purchase decisions. The
Internet is a very convenient tool for comparison-shopping.
After your prospect have finished their research they next look
for a toll-free number so that their order can go through quickly.
Once they've decided that they want an item, they want it
"yesterday." They order from those who make it real easy, and
since they use their credit cards, they place bigger orders. In
fact, the average phone order even from a catalog is a well
documented 30% to 70% higher than the average mail order.
All of these reasons are why those who spend many hours studying
trends see offering a simple toll-free number from your website
as the next killer app.
For a long-time this was a tool that many small businesses
considered too costly. However, recent industry deregulation
and changes have driven the costs WAY down. My research has
turned up numerous plans that are under $50 per month. The
single best plan that I discovered provided unlimited toll-free calls
for only $39.95 per month. That's the one I jumped on :-)
There are a few things you need to know before you sign up for a
toll-free plan. The biggest one is that even though they're
advertised as unlimited, there are limits. Every service provider
does have "reasonable use limits."
If you are on a dial-up Internet connection, your ISP has clearly
spelled-out limits. They will email you or give you a call if
you exceed these limits.
If your website is on a shared server, there are limits not only
on bandwidth, but on the amount of CPU capacity that your
website can tie up at one time. If your website runs so many
scripts and programs that they slow the server down for all users,
you WILL be invited to get a dedicated server.
With long-distance and toll-free phone service, if you exceed the
reasonable use limits consistently, you will be asked to upgrade
to a different plan. The SECRET is that many service providers
don't tell you specifically what their limits are. They are big
enough, and tricky enough, where the can sneak that one
through. The company that I use, I chose both because of their
rates and because they offer more minutes under their "normal
use" definition than any other company I researched. I can
received 1200 minutes per month before I begin to "raise
eyebrows"
As a sidenote: If your business doesn't receive this volume of
calls, give this number to family members who seldom call,
your kids away at college, your mother who calls every day from
across the country... make it an inexpensive way to just stay
in touch...
Check out the company I use now. They're at:
http://TheRealSecrets.com/toll-free-numbers.html
They can have you set up with your own permanent toll-free number
in 1 business day. This service is only available in the continental
U.S. I'm researching offerings in other areas but that's not
complete yet. It's a big job. If you do have any questions about the
service that I use, you can even give me a call (toll-free from within
the continental US at 1-877-262-3367.
Do your research and you will see that this IS the next "killer
app for online marketers.
Willie Crawford has been teaching others how to build an on-line
business since late 1996. Frequently featured in radio, magazine
and newspaper articles and interviews, Willie teaches the average
guy what the top marketers are doing but seldom talk about.
Willie provides detailed how to information in his newsletter,
through his personal coaching, and at his annual how to workshop.
Subscribe to Willie's free course at: http://williecrawford.com/