Yes, I sent her a check. I now consider it tuition for my marketing classes. Here’s the story: About four years ago I received a letter from a girl named Marcia (not her real name, but I’m still embarrassed how well she out-marketed me). Marcia said she just finished high school early, and was getting ready to start school at her community college. She excelled academically, but was a bit worried about her maturity and taking the big step towards college. So far, fair enough. I didn’t know Marcia. She lived 1,800 miles from Houston, and I certainly didn’t know how she got my name. I kept reading her nice handwritten letter. She explained how she planned to finance her college education. She didn’t need much money. She only planned to take six hours in the coming semester, and tuition was quite cheap. She was too young to work, so this is what she suggested. NULL “The tuition is only $12 for each college credit at our community college. I was hoping I could get six different people to underwrite a single college credit for me.” I wrote her a check for $12 and dropped it in the mail. Okay, I’m a soft touch, but at least she was doing something instead of waiting for a government handout. She was sincere.
Now, this got me to thinking: “Isn’t this a great way to finance a college education? Couldn’t you get your relatives, friends, business associates, church members, local business leaders and others to each underwrite just a single college credit? Wow! You could underwrite almost anything with this method of multiple financing.” About two months later I get another letter from Marcia. Enclosed was a photocopy of her grades for the first quarter. She was taking physical education and a literature class. She didn’t ask for money. She just wanted to thank me for the $12 and to give me an update on her school progress. Good salesperson, don’t you think? Anyway, I was primed for a repeat sale. I received a copy of her end-of-the-semester grades. Good grades. I felt good about helping her. Her letter told me what courses she planned to take the next semester, as she was feeling confident she could do more. I sent another $12. Two months later, I got a progress report of her grades and a short personal letter of her life at school. At the end of the semester, I again received a thank-you letter and a copy of her grades. Marcia takes summer school. I send money. And the story goes on. Now, it’s four years later. Every semester I’ve sent between $12 and $50 to help Marcia with tuition and books. Why? Because I feel good about helping a student get ahead. Have I ever met Marcia? No. Have I ever talked to her? No. I just liked her innovative marketing. And now, for the update… This is Marcia’s fifth year at college. She’s continuing on with her education. This time I receive a picture of her receiving her diploma. Lovely smile. It’s nice to know that there is a real person behind all those handwritten letters. With her picture I receive . . . a full page Marcia Newsletter! I won’t reproduce it here, but let me quote the first paragraph: From the desk of Marcia Simpson Sunday, October 1, 1995 “This is to be my very first Marcia Update Newsletter, or whatever you want to call it. It didn’t take too long to realize that writing each individual person on my ever-growing list was going to be impossible if I wanted more frequent contact than just an annual Christmas card!” The next paragraph and the rest of the newsletter talked about her roommate, the weather, the homework, the boys, etc. And, I noticed her signature was even photocopied on her newsletter. Talk about marketing to the masses! Marcia could teach us all a thing or two. (And yes, I sent another check. I now consider it tuition for my marketing classes.) I don’t think Marcia should bother herself with any marketing classes. How can we use Marcia’s financing technique in network marketing? Let’s take a look.
1. A new distributor can write a letter to every friend and relative announcing that he (or she) is going into business for himself. Instead of asking them to join, he can ask each friend and relative to purchase just one product to help his starting inventory. 2. A distributor can ask uplines, downlines, and anyone else to help share in an advertising campaign. Instead of asking for a co-op share payment, break it down to easy-to-picture pieces. Say you’d like each of them to buy just one classified ad in your 250 newspaper campaign. 3. You want to make the Star Trek Commander level in your marketing plan. Ask each distributor to just sponsor one person in the next nine days and you’ll qualify.
The possibilities are huge. Many other people use this marketing technique, why can’t we? For example, many churches have building funds. They estimate the cost of the church and how many bricks it will take to build the church. By dividing the total cost by the number of bricks, they arrive at a “cost-per-brick” figure. Let’s say the church construction cost was $300,000 and the exterior needed 30,000 bricks. Each brick would have a value of $10. The marketing of the building fund would be that everyone should buy a brick for $10. Get your friends to each buy a brick. Get the local businesses to buy a brick. And soon, the church would be fully funded, brick by brick. My experience with Marcia occurred about seven years ago. Just two months ago she got married. And guess who was solicited for a wedding gift? Me. And the gift was promptly mailed. I still haven’t met Marcia, but I hope she doesn’t have too many children. I won’t be able to afford their birthday gifts. Learn the inside secrets of network marketing. Download them free at www.BIGALREPORT.COM and start using them right away. Tom “Big Al” Schreiter writes the “The Big Al Report” and his professional networker site is: http://www.FortuneNow.com
Downloads
36 years of experience of testing exactly what to say and do to get prospects to join.
Download seven free mini-reports on the magic words and phrases of network marketing at: http://www.BigAlReport.com
- When prospects have a problem, all we have to do is these two things… by Tom “Big Al” Schreiter - November 16, 2023
- How to handle objections such as …Leaving the house unclothed … with a donut. by Tom “Big Al” Schreiter - October 25, 2023
- Know our new team member by Tom “Big Al” Schreiter - September 24, 2023
