Associations and non-profits are a powerful resource for building and expanding networking and business opportunities. Associations hold conventions, print reports and literature, promote their cause, and use your services!

The Directory of Associations is a comprehensive source of information on associations and professional societies including business and trade associations, 501c non-profit organizations, chambers of commerce, and other charity and community associations.

Available on CD-ROM, in print, and on mailing labels -- or search online and download results using our powerful search interface.

For more information or to order, call 800-575-5369 or go to http://www.marketingsource.com/associations.

You can get more sales with your sales messages by making sure they always include the following 7 key features.

1. A Captivating Headline

Always include a captivating headline at the top of your sales letters and web pages. An enticing headline captures your reader's attention and compels them to read more of your message.

The most effective headline is a short dramatic statement promising a benefit. For example, "Easy Way to Double Your Sales".

2. Believable Claims

If the actual results you can produce for your customers sound too good to be true, they will assume it is not true and they will not buy. Understate any claims that sound exaggerated even if they are true.

3. Authentic Testimonials

Testimonials from satisfied customers prove you lived up to your promises in the past. They overcome your prospective customer's skepticism and replace it with confidence in you and the claims you make.

Develop the habit of asking your customers and clients for testimonials. Then use them in all your marketing efforts. Get permission from your customers to include their real names and addresses with their testimonials. Testimonials from real people are believable. Anonymous testimonials are not.

4. A Motivating Offer

Your offer is the only reason people respond to your advertising. They want the "deal" you are promoting (free information, special price, free bonus with order, etc.). Include an enticing offer in every sales message. A strong offer will maximize the number of responses you get.

5. A Risk-Free Transaction

Do you know the major reason why people often hesitate to buy something - even if they want or need it? They do not want to risk getting something different than they expect.

Eliminate this risk by guaranteeing your customer's satisfaction. If you sell products, offer a liberal money back guarantee. If you provide a service, offer to continue working without additional charge until your customer is satisfied with the results. Make the transaction risk-free for your customers and you will get more sales.

6. A Magnetic "P.S."

Most prospects glance at the beginning of your web page or sales letter then jump to the end before reading anything in between. Take advantage of this and put something at the end of your message to stimulate their interest. Create it like a second headline - but in the form of a "P.S."

For example, emphasize your offer, highlight a deadline or dramatize a significant benefit. An effective P.S. reinforces the attention you captured with your headline. Together they motivate prospects to read your entire message.

7. A Compelling Reason To Buy Now

People tend to procrastinate after they decide to buy something. As time passes, other things distract them and they forget about you.

You can avoid losing many of these sales by rewarding customers for taking immediate action and penalizing them if they do not. Give them a compelling reason to accept your offer within a short time - or forfeit the benefit of it. For example, offer a special discount price or a special bonus for ordering before a specific deadline.

Make sure your sales messages always include all 7 of these key features. They create the most favorable conditions for getting a sale.

---------------------
Bob Leduc is a Sales Consultant with 30 years experience in building successful businesses. He just released a totally New Edition of his best selling manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards, and several other publications to help small businesses grow and prosper. Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: "Postcards" Phone: 702-658-1707 after 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV

Concept Marketing Group, Inc. introduces a postcard product offer that, unlike any other in the market, allows your business to conduct direct mail promotions as easy as 1-2-3 (Designed - Printed - Mailed). Reach 5,000 prospects or customers today for as little as $0.33 each, including postage costs!

Our services include:
• Business and Consumer Mailing and Phone Lists
• Postcard and Brochure Design
• Print Services, including postcards, brochures, business cards, and more
• Mailing Services so you can do what you do best - sell your product and/or services

Call 800.575.5369 to learn more about our services and plan your direct mail campaign!

It's funny to me how companies spend thousands of dollars to develop a brand only to wreck it when they create their advertising campaigns. They pour over colors, fonts, logo designs, Web site creation, USPs, and target audience analyses. But then, when it's time to bring their message to the public, it all falls apart.

Case in point: a local technical college in my town has recently begun to run a television campaign. This institution previously had an image of providing cutting-edge training on technically based vocations. They have spent the last several years touting how high-tech their facilities are, and how leading edge their curriculums are. That's why I can't image what happened during the production of this ad.

The background music is slow and rather classical. The pictures are of smiling students carrying books, and of one of the oldest buildings on the campus. The copy did do its job. The copy mentioned how the workplace was changing and becoming more advanced day-by-day. It talked about how even the simplest of jobs now require at least some technological "know-how." But the clash between the copy and the imagery was painfully obvious.

What would I have done differently? I would have chosen each element with the express purpose of supporting the brand. The music would have been more upbeat and modern. The images would have been of students working at computers, or in engineering labs. The closing shot would not have been one of the oldest, stodgiest building on campus, but of the new stucco and glass building they added 2 years ago.

The end result *could* have been an ad that completely portrayed the innovative and advanced curriculums offered by this technology-based school. The copy, the visuals, and the music all working in harmony would bring about a much larger response, and would also reinforce the brand this institution has worked so hard to create.

When you create advertising pieces for your company, look for the branding aspects of each, individual element. As you work through the process, ask yourself these questions:

· What identity am I attempting to portray?
· Do the graphics reinforce that identity?
· Does the music support my brand?
· Is the copy descriptive of aspects related to the brand?
· Do the colors fall in line with how I want to be viewed?
· Is the medium itself appropriate to my brand?

When the final product (whether it be a piece for TV, radio, the Web, or print) is completed, show it to several people who are unfamiliar with your organization. Ask them to describe the "essence" of your business based on this one piece. If your combination is put together right, they'll be able to do just that.

When you pay close attention to each element you'll have a powerful end result. When everything works in concert, you will have a much more beneficial campaign that works to contribute to your branding efforts rather than destroy them.

----------------------
Copy not getting results? Visit Karon online at http://www.ktamarketing.com, or let Karon teach you to write like a pro! Boost your sales and your search engine rankings with The Step-by-Step Copywriting Course. Not just an ebook... a complete course including LIVE feedback. Get yours - and 3 FREE bonuses - today! http://www.copywritingcourse.com