The direct mail order form has often been called “the moment of truth.” That’s because no matter how persuasive you have been in your letter, brochure, lift note, and other pieces, it is your order form where your prospect actually says “yes” or “no” to your offer.

So if you have a couple minutes, here are some quick and easy ideas to make your order form work harder:

• Make sure it gets noticed. First, make it a separate piece whenever possible. Second, use visual cues that indicate it’s the order piece, such as a different color, eye-catching graphic, certificate border, or headline. You can coordinate your order form with other pieces, but if it looks too similar, it could get lost. Everything should lead the eye to the order form.

• Make it easy to fill out and mail. By the time your prospect gets to the order form, a decision has been made. And if the decision is “yes,” you don’t want any barriers preventing response. So keep your order form as simple as possible, one-sided, and with as few fill-ins as you can get away with while still being complete. A well-designed order form is visually intuitive, making it obvious at a glance how it should be filled out.

• Include a statement of acceptance. You can just summarize the offer, but a complete statement of acceptance is better. It may include an affirmation, benefit statement, request for the item, summary of the offer, sweeteners, and guarantee. For example: “Yes! I want to cut my taxes in half. Please send my copy of How to Instantly Cut Your Income Tax for just $29.95. And if I respond by January 12, I’ll also get the TaxSlash computer program FREE (a $39.00 value). I understand that if I’m not completely satisfied, I can return the book for a full refund, but I’ll keep the computer program as my gift.”

• Highlight your toll-free number. That way, people who prefer calling can do so immediately. This may also increase your credit card orders. Include the hours during which you take calls and what time zone you’re referring to. If phone orders are faster (faster ordering or faster shipment), say so.

• Highlight your guarantee. Even if it’s already in your statement of acceptance, you want to put to rest any doubts. So feature it prominently. Use a seal or certificate border to make it stand out.

• Include complete information. In addition to the offer and toll-free number, give the company name and logo, mailing address, total price, applicable sales tax, shipping and handling charges, premiums, offer expiration date, minimum orders, delivery time, the payment methods you accept, Canadian and international extra charges, exactly how the order should be placed, etc. Your order form should be simple, but it must leave no detail to chance.

• Offer fax response for businesses. Make sure your order form gives your fax number, easily goes through a fax machine, and prints legibly on your end. Some statistics show that half or more of all business orders arrive via fax, so this could be a big response booster.

• Rename your order form. Sometimes “Order Form” is fine, but consider words that are significant to your prospect, add value to the offer, or reduce the feeling of commitment: Trial Subscription Certificate, Free Trial Copy, Savings Coupon, Sample Offer, Request for Free Information, Free Examination Offer, Enrollment Application, Order Coupons, Privilege Invitations, Bonus Vouchers, etc.

• Leave room to write. Those fill-in lines are where designers often look to steal a few extra points of real estate. However, if your prospect doesn’t have enough writing space, you get no order.

• Add the words “Please Print.” This helps you avoid scrambled addresses, misspelled names, and wrong orders. Place these words by the fill-in lines in plain view. Better still: “Please Print in Ink.”

• Make it look valuable. You can do this with certificate borders, gold seals, serial numbers, safety paper, special backgrounds or watermarks, rubber stamps, eagles, receipt stubs, etc. People don’t like to throw away valuable items. Caveat: Sometimes increasing perceived value also increases the feeling of commitment. To reduce this feeling, use a simpler look.

• Create a sense of urgency. Use directive language: “Call now,” “Order today,” or “Complete and mail this trial certificate today.” Remind your prospect of your deadline: use specifics such as “Offer ends March 15″ or generics such as “Offer good while supplies last” or “Hurry! This is a limited-time offer.”

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About the author:

Dean Rieck is a direct mail copywriter, designer, and consultant who has helped over 200 leading direct marketing companies increase sales, generate leads, and raise funds with winning direct mail, ads, e-mail, sales letters, brochures, postcards, radio spots, and more. Learn more about Dean’s direct mail copywriting and design services and sign up for his free monthly newsletter at www.directcreative.com.

Copyright © Dean Rieck. You may reprint this article online provided that you keep the links live and keep all the content “as is,” including title, author byline, article text, and “about the author” information.

No matter what type of plant or container you use in your garden, adequate drainage is a must. Waterlogged soil is one of the major culprits of damaged and dying plants and it is essential for every container you use to have enough drainage holes to avoid potential problems. Even having too many drainage holes is far better than not having enough.

If the container or pot you would like to use does not have a drainage hole in it already, drilling one using a handheld drill with a large bore drill bit is the easiest way to make one. Usually, drainage holes at least ½ inch to 1 inch in diameter are best. Make one drainage hole per square foot of container space, but if you’re not sure how many square feet your pot or container is, err on the side of caution and drill several holes, evenly spaced around the bottom of the container.

If you are drilling in a clay or terra cotta pot, place masking tape in an X-shaped design where you plan to drill in order to prevent cracking or shattering. For best results, use a masonry bit for stone or cement planters and boxes. It’s better to use a smaller bore bit to start, and then increase diameter if you’re concerned about breaking or shattering your pot. For wooden boxes and containers, you may use a hammer and a nail, though using a drill is preferable to prevent cracking or splitting of wood.

Testing potential objects for use as suitable potting containers is also a good idea before you plant anything inside them. To test, pour water into the object and make sure water drains freely, without puddling or pooling. If it does pool, drill.

Different types of containers will absorb and drain water at different rates and speeds. To allow for adequate absorption and drainage, add good quality potting soils, sphagnum peat moss or composted pine bark to your planters that will help with water and nutrient holding capabilities.

Many types of unique containers don’t allow adequate drainage. These may include, but are not limited to, items you find in a garage or tool shed, and can be made of substances ranging from wood to plastic to metal. Unique containers might be an old pair of Army boots or your son’s old wagon or your daughter’s discarded baby buggy. Literally anything that will hold dirt is acceptable as a plant container. However, no matter what you use, take the time to drill if necessary. Drilling holes in clay, fiberglass, resin and wood products is easy and won’t take much time.

Copyright © Larry Gildea, All Rights Reserved.

Dr.Larry Gildea has authored several articles on gardening. Dr. Gildea has created these gardening websites, http://www.gardeningbonanza.com, Gardening Bonanza.com covers many types of gardening, including, bonsai design and cultivation, container gardening, flower gardening, rose gardening, hydroponics gardening and several others. http://www.organicgardensystems.com - Organic Garden Systems .com is dedicated exclusively to organic gardening. And in his blog, http://larryseasygardening.com - Dr. Gildea discusses all types of gardening.

When in the process of looking for a new job, you will need a well-written resume, which sometimes can seem like a daunting task. The truth is that while resumes do require some special attention, they are not necessarily difficult to create. One option is to hire a professional to write your resume, which would cost between $75 and $500 depending on what you need. However, another, more affordable option is to locate free resume templates online, tweaking them to serve your needs.

We recommend you start by making a list of your past employers, not going back further than 10 years unless the jobs are in the same industry and show career advancement. Then, for each of those companies, you will need the following:

–Month/year you started and left the job
–Job title
–List of accomplishments

In addition, you need to draft information pertaining to your education, community involvement in the form of organizational involvement, licenses, certifications, and computer skills. Finally, your resume should include three to four relevant references. Once you have listed this information, you can begin to put it into the proper resume format. Keep in mind that a number of different resume formats exist, covering:

–Functional - This type of resume is geared more toward the presentation of skills. Typically, you would use a functional resume if you have held a number of jobs, giving you the opportunity to list your knowledge and skills associated with each.

–Chronological - This is a popular choice in that you can list your past employers and responsibilities chronologically. The benefit to using this particular format is that you can highlight employment duration, which shows a prospective client your strength of commitment.

–Combination - With this resume format, you use a combination of both functional and chronological. The combination resume format works quite well for all types of industries and positions.

Once you have written a draft, using your experience and the right template, you need to sit back and take an objective look at it. Use words that get the point across without being too wordy. Of course, always triple check your grammar and spelling. Actually, we recommend you have another individual look over your resume with you.

Building a perfect resume does not just happen. This process takes a little time but this is time well spent. Always be truthful with the information, providing just enough to make the resume compelling without being boring. The best advice when it comes to writing a resume is to research the business in which you are interested. Knowing the product and/or service the company provides and more specifically, what they are looking for in an employee definitely gives you the edge.

In Just 10 Minutes Flat, You Can Quickly And Easily Crank Out An Amazing Resume That Is Guaranteed To Have Your Telephone Ring Off The Hook With Hot Job Interviews And Top Job Offers.. www.Amazing-Resumes.com