Credit and Debt Counseling Service!

The Credit and Debt Counseling Service started at the "Guest Coolest Corner" in Biz Marketing 49. So, it is necessary to read that page first, before you continue at the credit and debt counseling services here.

A good place to check for help in writing your advertising is your area colleges. The students will generally help you in exchange for the opportunity to build a portfolio. There's never a need to pay the "out-of-sight" high prices demanded for professional copywriting and advertising design by some agencies, even if you have the money.

All finished ads are unproven, and you have no guarantee that one is better than another until you begin testing or using it.

The important element is that your ad says what you want it to say, that it looks good and makes you feel that it will appeal to your potential customers, that it instills a confidence within you, that it will bring in the customers.

Use the "AIDA" formula: ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE, ACTION!

An attention-grabbing headline (or first line)
a line or paragraph that definitely appeals to or arouses the self-interest of your potential customer;
a "hooker," or image-building description that causes the prospect to picture how much better his life will be as a result of availing himself of your services;
a line that relieves the prospect's fear of making the wrong decision (such as "Satisfaction Guaranteed"); and
a demand that he take immediate action such as "CALL NOW!"

Do not approve, and do not run any ad that does not contain all these ingredients. Here's an example of an ad that should work very well for you:

ARE BILL COLLECTORS HOUNDING YOU?

Now there's a way to stop those dunning letters and embarrassing phone calls. Get out of debt completely - without bankruptcy! Preserve your good credit rating; maintain your present lifestyle; worry no more about bill collectors! Just an hour or so of your time, and your money problems can be solved! Your satisfaction is guaranteed! Phone 123-4567 right now for an appointment.

Nationwide Credit Counselors
123 Tenth St.
City, State.

A classified ad might read:

Solve all your money problems with this easy and completely legal solution. 100% guaranteed anywhere in the U.S. Call Consumer Credit Solutions at 123-4567.

At the same time your newspaper ads begin to appear, be sure to get a press release about your business to the business editors and consumer advocates at all the newspapers, radio and television stations in your area. Of help to you in this area will be our report #3504, The Inside Secrets of Getting Free Publicity For Your Business.

It's generally not worthwhile to advertise this particular kind of business on radio and TV, unless you do so on a "per inquiry" basis. For more details on this approach, see Report #3406, How To Get Free Radio Advertising For Your Company.

After any free radio and TV talk shows, and newspaper feature stories about your business, the next best method of spreading the word about your business will be via the guest speaker route at civic club meetings. And don't forget the women' s clubs.

Your talk to these groups should be "scripted," simply explaining the alarming number of bankruptcies, the great losses suffered by business because of bankruptcies; the exasperatingly poor record of the American people with money management responsibilities; and urging for support to get "back to the basics" and teach practical money management courses in the schools, and be example in the home. Such a talk should bring you a big round of applause and a continuing source of referrals.

To carry this effort just a little further, set up Credit and Debt Counseling Seminars or Workshops. You can arrange to hold them in the banquet rooms of well-known restaurants in your area, meeting rooms at your local community college, fraternal club meeting halls, motels, or even churches - because of the suspicion that you are setting up to sell something when you don't charge an attendance fee.

Most people are aware of the bottom line - that you are trying to sell them something when you invite them to a seminar or workshop. However, most feel that when there is a cover charge, the basic information you will be giving will be more useful than that given when there is no charge to attend.

And if they have paid some kind of fee, they will be more at ease in listening and evaluating, without the pressure when they have come "for free."

Personal Improvement Seminars are one of the most lucrative (and fastest) ways of getting a new business of to a running start. When you stage seminars, it is imperative that you flood the area with advertising, being sure to promote the seminar, not the product that you are really selling.

Your seminar script should be basically the same that I have outlined for your as a guest speaker, the difference being that instead of closing with a call for more education in money management, you briefly outline the simplicity of the "envelope deposit" system.

You then close with an open invitation for those with particular problems or needing special help to call you office and set up an appointment for personalized counseling service.

Even before you officially open for business, you will want have a tentative list of people you can possibly train as employees to handle the workload as your business grows. Rather than pay these people a salary, simply give them a commission for each client they handle.

In other words, you can sign a client for $100 over 10 months, sell the account to a factoring company for 80% of the total, collect $80 in cash immediately, pay your commission counselor $30, and bank $50 in prof it with no real work involved on your part. And if you have hired a good counselor, you can rest assured that your client has been well served.

Basically, that is how easy it is to put this kind of business together and make it start paying off immediately. Remember, you must be constantly soliciting new customers, and building the number of customers you or your counselors talk to each day. You should strive for an average of three counseling sessions per day, five days per week, before seriously considering additional help.

At $10 per month from each account, this will give you $150 per week or a total account billing of $1,500 per week. By factoring your accounts at 20% of their total value, you will have an immediate cash income of $1,200 for the week. The factoring company will handle all the billing and bookkeeping, eliminating your need for those services.

The way to success in this business is, however, to keep this happening every week. It will depend upon your advertising, the service you give, and the reputation you build.

The prime requisite will be work and perseverance on your part, but once you are established, with a few commission counselors working for you, the business can easily gross $150,000 per year in even small to medium size cities. You now have the knowledge; the rest - the action part - is up to you. Best of luck!

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