While there are several ingredients that make up a successful sales letter or marketing campaign, you can significantly improve the results of your efforts by presenting your prospects or customers with valuable offers. The whole goal of direct marketing is to get your target market off their collective couch and take action on the message you?ve sent. If the offer isn?t valuable and appealing, the chances of that happening are severely handicapped.

Now, there are basically 5 essential ingredients to crafting successful offers. Ideally you would want to include every one of these ingredients in your message or campaign, but you should still see positive results if you can incorporate at least 2 or more of the following:

Here are the 5 essential ingredients for any successful offer:

1. Present something new.

This could be a new product, new service, new bonuses, or even new prices. In fact, it doesn?t really matter what the new ?thing? is, just as long as you?re putting something new in front of your prospects. Doing so gives you the opportunity to craft an exciting ?package? of products or services to incite your prospects to action.

2. Have a sale or offer specially discounted prices.

Now, I?m not normally one to recommend discounts because of all the negative implications it can have, but there?s no denying the fact people respond to discounts. A decent discount on a starter package can help motivate your prospects to give you a try, while a discount for existing customers can help reactivate those that have been inactive for a period of time.

3. Provide bonuses or premiums.

When compared to offering discounts, this method is infinitely more appropriate for motivating your prospects simply because it doesn?t cheapen your services. Plus, it gives them the impression they?re getting significantly more value for the price they?re paying.

There are many things that can be offered as a bonus or premium, such as:

- A low cost, high margin product or service

- Closeout or excess inventory items

- A free report or white paper sharing information your prospect considers valuable

4. Present your prospects or customers a gift for responding.

Much like providing a bonus or premium, offering your prospects a gift for responding to your offer often provide enough incentive to get them to take action. Again, it doesn?t need to be something expensive just as long as it has a high perceived value for your prospects.

There are many services that provide gifts with a high perceived value for a relatively low cost. Additionally, there are many wholesale sources available where you can purchase small lots of items that you could include in your offers.

5. Put a time limit on the offer.

As any smart marketer knows, you should ALWAYS include some type of mechanism for creating urgency. One of the best ways to do this is to put a deadline or time limit on the offer.

Many times, when most people receive an offer, even though it?s something they?d like to take advantage of, t for one reason or another they procrastinate taking action. Limiting the amount of time your prospect has to take advantage of the offer is an excellent way to get them up on the couch and on the phone.

Again, while it?s not necessary to include each of these five ingredients in all your marketing materials and campaigns, every time you?re able to do so, you?ll create a powerful message that motivates your prospects to take the action you want them to take.

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It is wise to lay a sound legal foundation for your business in your planning stage. This ensures compliance with the commonly accepted business practices, which will save you a lot of headaches in the future. Here are five things that you want to take into consideration when planning the legal aspect of your business.

1. Your Company Name

This is actually a very important aspect of your business. You want to choose a name that is easy for other people to remember, pronounce and associate with. You can use your name combined with a business description like ‘John Campbell Lawn Care Service’. This can boost your credibility and create a brand for yourself. However, there is a drawback on using your name. You may face difficulties finding a buyer for your business when you want to put it up for sale.

2. Register your company name

Most states have laws that require all businesses to register their name. You will have to pay a nominal fee for the registration. It is also wise to brainstorm for a few other alternative names. This ensures that you have some other names to choose from if another company had registered the name you want.

3. Decide on the type of business entity

There are primarily four types of business entities. They are sole proprietorship, partners, limited liability company (LLC) and corporation.

Many small lawn care businesses registered themselves under the sole proprietorship category, as it is the easiest way to set up a business. You can use your own credit card to fund your business and still enjoy tax benefits such as business expense deduction. The biggest drawback of sole proprietorship is that you are personally liable for any losses, legal actions, bankruptcy and so on. It is possible for you to lose all your personal and business assets if you ever get into legal troubles.

If you are roping in a friend to joint start the business, then you can register your business as a partnership. If this is the route you intend to take, make sure you have a lawyer draft out an agreement that detailed the exact responsibility of each partner.

A LLC is a hybrid between a partnership and a corporation. It offers the benefits of a partnership as well as protection from personal liability.

A corporation is a business entity that is separate and distinct from its owners. There are more administrative works involved in setting up a corporation and the associated cost may be a bit high for new business. However, as an owner of a corporation, you are not liable for the company debts and it is usually easier to get financing from banks for business expansion.

You may want to discuss with a lawyer who is experience in handling small business issues before deciding the type of business entity to operate in.

4. Local government regulations

Your local government (cities, counties or townships) may have established its own set of regulations for new businesses. You have to check with you local government office to see if you need some special permit before conducting any business.

5. Other licenses

If you intend to offer chemical treatment or pesticides in your business, you will most likely require a special license as well as certification. These requirements vary from state to state so check with the local government office before you start offering them.

Do not rush into starting and advertising your business before you get all the five things done. They may be time consuming but they are very important for your business survival. It is better to lay a proper foundation now than to fix any legal blunders after your business go into full swing.

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