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High technology prospects are different. They don’t respond like
consumers and they don’t respond like other businesses. What
works with them is often the opposite of what works with
consumers. Here’s a primer on how to sell high-tech products to
businesses using direct mail.

Mail to people who won’t buy High-tech buying decisions are
often made by a committee, not an individual. To win the sale,
your direct-mail program must address the needs of everyone
around the table, whether the president, purchasing agent,
technical specialist or end user. So find out who wields the
greatest influence in buying decisions (often it’s the end
users), and target these influential prospects in your mailings,
along with the people who sign the purchase orders.

Go cheap on design and printing Consumer direct-mail gimmicks
sell sweepstakes, but not servers. Don’t ask a senior
verification engineer to “AFFIX FREE BUYING GUIDE SEAL HERE.”
Don’t expect a network operations analyst to “PLACE TAB A INTO
TAB B.” The same goes for fake handwriting and fake underlining.
They’re genuine mistakes.

High-tech business readers are sophisticated. They want a
letter, a brochure and a business reply card. That’s it. The
more inserts, lift letters, coupons, free-gift slips and other
stuff you put in the envelope, the more likely the busy
executive is to fling your package in the circular file.

Here’s one caveat. Fancy folds, die cuts and 3D objects work
well when you tie them into your offer. This is especially true
of trade-show mailers, where a unique and relevant gimmick often
draws more prospects to your booth than a traditional mailer
does.

Assume your reader has a split personality Your reader is a
business person, in that order. As a business buyer, your
prospect wants to save money, raise productivity, increase
efficiency. So your mailer must address those issues. But your
business buyer is also a person. A person who is unlikely to buy
your product-however good it may be for the company-if buying
your product means more work, more stress or more grief for them
personally. Your prospect may even buy your competitor’s
inferior product instead of yours for selfish reasons alone.

Today’s rule of thumb in high-tech purchase decisions is this:
“Sure, no one ever got fired for buying IBM. But did they get
promoted?” Look after both the business interests and the
personal interests of your prospect and the sale will look after
itself.

Keep it technical Telecom professionals know what SS7, ITU-T C7
and ISUP are. You don’t. So you’re inclined to explain these
concepts in your copy, showing prospects that you don’t
understand their business.

But engineers don’t read at the Grade-9 level. They name their
dog Archimedes. They want substance, not oversimplification.
Your letter must speak their language, their jargon, their
lexicon. Learn the lingo by reading the industry journals and
technical literature that your prospects read. Watch for
acronyms, abbreviations, initialisms and jargon that are
commonplace but never defined. Write accordingly.

Lots of copy, thank you Your high-tech prospects are
information-seekers who will read a lot of copy. They hunt for
information that helps them do a better job, and knowledge that
makes them more marketable. They want facts. The more the
better.

That’s why, with this audience, self-mailers don’t pull as well
as packages with a letter, brochure and business reply device.
One exception is seminars, where innovative self-mailers still
grab attention and fill seats. Engineers welcome long copy when
your message is interesting, important and relevant.

Stress features, not benefits In consumer direct response,
features are subordinate to benefits. What a product does is
never as important as what it does for the consumer. In
high-tech direct response, the opposite is true. Semiconductor
design engineers, for example, want specs. Saving money is
beneficial to them, of course. So is saving time. But what they
want more than benefits is hard data. They want I/O word widths,
data transfer rates, frame buffer bandwidths-every relevant fact
that helps them make an informed buying decision.

Don’t ask for the order A senior vice-president of manufacturing
doesn’t order a .5-million network upgrade by dropping a
business reply card in the mail. Instead, the first step in the
process is usually a request for more information. Followed by a
sales meeting. Then a demonstration. Then a trial. Then a
contract.

That’s why direct-mail pieces to high-tech prospects must
contain multiple calls to action. Your response device, for
example, might look like this: “(Choose one) 1. Send me your
brochure by mail. 2. Have a salesperson phone me. 3. Not
interested, but add me to your mailing list.”

Writing persuasive direct-mail copy for high-tech products is
different from pitching credit cards or magazine subscriptions.
It takes a unique set of skills to translate technospeak into
hard-hitting sales copy. Enjoy the challenge.

There seems to be quite a few of us who have owned a futon frame and ended up losing the connecting hardware at one time or another. I myself bought a futon from the retail store I worked in for a number of years back in the early 1990s when futons were all the rage. Maybe you purchased your futon in college, acquired it from a friend or maybe made the purchase for a family room. If you’re lucky to live out your life in the same house or apartment there will never be a need to move your futon except perhaps to a different room or location. Obtaining replacement futon frame hardware involves several steps approached in order to locate exactly what you need.

In the first place don’t panic just yet. Without the hardware to attach everything back together you’re in some serious trouble. However there are ways to obtain what you need. At this point we could explain the many benefits of using a small bag to contain the hardware and attach it to a part of the frame with heavy packing tape so it’s easily found. Who am I kidding though? I’ve moved mine now about three times and each time I ended up missing a bolt, a barrel nut, a nylon roller here and there. Heck, I was lucky I had all the wood components show up at each new move let alone any hardware that happened to make it as well. Besides, isn’t moving your home stressful enough without having to keep track of a small bag of metal hardware among a sea of furniture, clothing, dishes, toys and appliances?

Pursuing this further we must calmly step back and think for a moment. Yes, we’re stressed out and fuming at either our spouse or the moving company for losing the futon hardware but we need to move past that now. To be sure the futon needs our help and we’re the only ones who can do it at this point. It’s time for us to go through the steps of obtaining replacement hardware and there is a specific order in which we do this to obtain the fastest results. I would suggest the following steps to start tracking down replacement hardware as soon as possible.

First – identify your futon frame.
Having worked retail, it’s quite possibly the toughest situation when a customer comes into the store needing assistance but can’t identify the product to the salesperson or service individual when requesting parts. Granted you’re going to have to do a little research by pulling your receipt when you bought the futon from the store and identify the model or name of the futon. If you inherited the futon, found it by the side of the road or bought it at a garage sale you’re in for a tough road ahead. Fear not however as the internet can be used to help you find the design and attach a name to it for use in tracking down hardware. Be aware that there are dozens of manufacturers out there using different hardware in their frames including many that have since closed their doors. Hopefully the manufacturer of your frame is still around.

Second speak to the retailer.
Of course if you purchased your futon frame through a local retail store it’s time to head down there and see if they can track down the hardware for your frame. Bring your receipt. If you don’t have a receipt, then bring an image of the futon frame with you. Hopefully the salesperson or service representative is knowledgeable about the products they’ve carried in the past. Best case scenario, they either can provide you with the name of the manufacturer with contact information or have the parts on hand to get you back up and running. Worst case scenario the store you purchased it from is out of business or if the store is still around they have no clue about the product anymore.

Third search online.
Supposing we’ve hit the worse case scenario it’s time to use the web to search for the manufacturer or the name of the style of futon you have. I’d suggest using Google, Bing or Yahoo and use the name adding the word futon to the search. If you weren’t able to locate a name you’re going to have to become a very good spotter and sift through the many images of futon frames till you find one that is very close to what you have. Identify the name of the style and the manufacturer and then proceed to locate the manufacturer of the futon frame.

Fourth speak to the manufacturer.
Assuming the retailer didn’t have parts but could identify the manufacturer for you then you at least have something to go on. Perhaps you were able to locate your frame style through the search engines. Again, search online using the websites previously discussed using the name of the manufacturer. You’ll likely get some online retail stores off of the search. Filter them out visually until you find a link for the manufacturer. Most do have websites, locate a contact phone number or email address and contact them for information on obtaining hardware. If you’re unable to locate the manufacturer’s website go ahead and contact one of the many futon stores that pop-up in the search results and email them with your issue and ask if they can either sell you hardware or point you in the right direction for finding the manufacturer in hopes of tracking down hardware.

Finally the last resort.
If you were unable to determine the name of the futon frame or the name of the manufacturer you are indeed in a tight spot. At this point your options are limited to heading down to a hardware store and seeing if you can locate some generic parts that might get you back up and running. The problem will be in the way of connecting bolts and barrel nuts and getting the right lengths if available. I would suggest taking one of the wood arms and a stretcher rail with you to the store. Begin plugging in different bolts and nuts till you find a combination that connects correctly. You’ll also need to track down connecting pins, washers and clips for the seat and back section as well as the four nylon rollers that most futon frames use on the back rest. If you’re lucky these may still be attached to the backrest deck making your job a bit easier.

In conclusion we’ve discussed the issues presented with lost futon hardware and how to go about tracking down the hardware you need. Basically identify your frame through a receipt or spotting it online. Visit the retailer store you purchased it from and obtain parts through them if they are still open. If you purchased it privately or inherited the frame track down the manufacturer using a search engine of your choice and speak to them about ordering replacements. If you aren’t able to locate the manufacturer but have found stores online contact one of them to see if they can sell you hardware. If all else fails visit the local hardware store with your wood futon sections in hand and begin trying bolts and nuts till you find some that work. I sincerely hope you’re able to obtain the needed hardware to get your futon frame back up and running. I wish you the best of luck to you and your futon.

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The sales of Virginia Tech apparel, including Virginia Tech sweatshirts, Virginia Tech t-shirts , and Virginia Tech jerseys has exploded along with it, and Saturdays (and sometimes Thursdays or other days of the week) in Blacksburg are filled with people wearing maroon and orange. Virginia Tech football tickets are in high demand.

Proper tailgating for Hokie games takes proper tools and methods. First of all, you need your tailgating spot. Location is key. This all comes down to being or knowing a Hokie Club member with significant ranking that has a good parking spot. The Hokie Club utilizes a variety of parking lots on campus close (and some not so close) to Lane Stadium to assign tailgate spots, and you want to make sure you get a good one. Buy a Virginia Tech football parking pass from an online auction site like eBay if necessary.

Next, make sure you are dressed for the occasion. It all depends on the weather, but an authentic Virginia Tech jersey (either maroon or white) works great. If its a crisp fall day, get your favorite Virginia Tech sweatshirt. If its early in the season and warm, grab a Virginia Tech t-shirt, maybe a long sleeve t-shirt if you want to stay cool. A fleece, pullover, shell, or sleek Virginia Tech golf shirt are also options. I always try to wear maroon we are a maroon school. Orange, white, and other colors dilute the stadium effect.

Hokie tailgates are all about food and beverage, so this should be top priority. I like getting there early so that the grill can be set up and given enough time to smoke some sort of meat for hours, maybe ribs, Boston butt, or marinated whole chickens. But grilling in general should be the centerpiece of your tailgate. Burgers, sausages, chicken, steaks, or fish can all make great tailgate fare. Hokie country is bar-b-que country, so choose a sauce that fits what you are grilling and will make your tailgate guest happy. Complement your meat with whatever sides and snacks you or anyone else can bring.

Food is a priority, but beverages are the backbone of your tailgate. Personally, I equate football tailgating with brown water, aka bourbon. Theres nothing like a good Kentucky bourbon or Tennessee whisky to get you ready for game day. However, this is a personal thing, and you need to have a variety of beverages, but alcoholic and non-alcoholic, to satisfy your guest (or have them bring their own).

Other important aspects of your tailgate: How are people going to find your spot? Get a tall Virginia Tech Flag , customize it some and fly it high. Also, deck you Hokie tailgate out with Virginia Tech chairs, coolers, and blankets. Everyone should be drinking out of Hokie cups and mugs too. While the Hokie matchup is obviously the most important game of the day, there will be lots of other great college football on. People at your tailgate are going to want to watch other games (or theyll go somewhere else). Do what other great tailgaters do and get a portable satellite dish you hook up to a receiver and TVs you can quickly scramble to set up in the morning. A blow up Virginia Tech sofa right in front is also a nice touch.

To me, the sign of a good tailgate is one that everyone wants to go back to after the game.