Competitive cross reference charts

Your dealers' ability to sell your product
begins with you. Here are a few tips on how to make a high-quality
promotion kit to make your dealers' job a little easier.

1.Cover Letter.
You will need to introduce your business and services somehow, and
creating a succinct and well-written cover letter is the first thing
you will want to pay attention to. If the thought of writing this
yourself makes you nervous, don't sweat it. There are many professional
copywriters out there who have done this kind of thing numerous times
and can have a project like this done in a day or so. If you decide to
tackle it yourself, just keep in mind that you will want to keep the
industry jargon to a minimum, instead focusing on describing what your
product or service intends to provide for your customers. Focus on
uniqueness, and hitting the points that you think will attract your
intended niche.

2.Price List. Make it easy for your
dealers to make it easy for their customers to buy. There are many ways
your price list can be presented, but to exert some control over the
process, one thing to keep in mind is that you'll want to keep it as
clean, clear, and permanent-looking as possible, without a lot of
scratched-out numbers, changes, and notes. So send out new lists to
your dealers as soon as they are available.

3.Selling Guide. Give
your affiliates as much information as you can. Whatever has worked for
you in the past as selling points, put them on paper, put them together
in a nicely bound booklet, and let your sales force use these same
items to increase their sales. Things you will want to include are:

• Product features and (especially) benefits.
• Tips on exactly what to say when selling and advertising your product.
• Competitive
  cross reference charts: These help your sales force see in black and
  white why your product is superior, and make great hand-outs for them
  to give to customers as well.

4. Informational CD's and DVD's
can be a big help these days, and are relatively cheap to manufacture
as well. Some things you might want to include on these discs are:

• High resolution images of your product and company logo.
• Product
  specs such as features and benefits, model and item numbers, usage
  directions, list price and discounts, and the same or similar copy as
  you might have in your catalog or website.
• Promotions such
  as Q2 and Q3 customer offers and such things as gift cards, as well as
  any dealer spiffs for specific items or sales goals.
• Editable Flyers in a commonly used program such as Indesign or Pagemaker.
• Accessory images of your product in use.
• Extra
  Copy, such as a selection guide so that you dealer can help his or her
  customers find the right product for their needs; and educational
  guides for any of your products that may need an extra bit of
  explanation.
• Editable Ads, such as any that have appeared
  in print, or that your dealer may want to print locally in the future.
  Again, try and use a publishing program that your dealers are likely to
  have, or can get relatively inexpensively.