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Cash in on Neighbors

by Allyn Cutts

What could be more welcoming than the spicy smell of hot apple pie to receive you into a brand new neighborhood full of people you've never met? Hopefully you life has been full of warm, hospitable neighbors wherever you've lived. Perhaps not…

If you've ever had a bad experience with a neighbor, you know just how much those invisible people really know about you. Maybe they peer through the curtains every time you leave the house, or have a secret spy chain… who knows how they gather their ill-gotten knowledge? Fortunately, nosy neighbors aren't all bad news - for the marketer anyway.

The facts are that regardless of whether we trust them to watch over our possessions or are afraid to leave our possessions unattended in our absences, neighbors seem to know a lot about us. They know when we are usually home, and when we've been out past our normal bedtime. They've probably received mail meant for us, and know which catalogs we read. Hey, this knowledge is a goldmine in the hands of a savvy marketer.

Name dropping takes on new meaning when used in the context of the "keep up with the Jones" or "keep tabs on the Jones" philosophy - whichever the case may be. All you have to do is casually mention that Sally Jones across the street uses your product or service, and you can watch calculating interest immediately spring into the eyes of your prospect.

Imagine the success this could add to your next direct mail campaign! Heck, when your prospective customers know some one, intimately or casually, who's on your customer list it adds credibility to your claims. They can simply step next door to find out more about you. You supply a link that connects them to you, and increases the odds enticing them to give your product or service a try.


3 Steps to Converting Neighbors Into Loyal Customers

1. Make a List
Print a detailed list of your current customers and their addresses.
2. Do your Homework
Research a local criss-cross street directory online or at your local library, and create a list of the neighbors on each side and directly across the street from your current customer.
3. Put it in the Mail
Send out simple form letters that allow you to include the name of the neighbor you count as a loyal customer.

The formula for successfully turning neighbors is pretty simple. You do the math…

1 Customer + 4 Neighbors = Double Your Current Customer List

It's a sure-fire way to win credibility and cash in on natural instincts. I've never met a marketer who wasn't ready to jump at the chance to double their customer list and convert it into profits.

You may have a filing cabinet full of the dynamite that will blast your business into a brand new level of success this year. It's a good reason to dust the cobwebs of the files that have been laying around and not doing their fair share for years.

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