We've had some questions about the vinyl holder for the CD and literature so we thought we'd look at that here. These are also called Audio CD Albums, Clamshells, Audio CD Holder, or Audio Business Cards. This impressive, convenient marketing tool keeps your CD and literature together. Just the fact that it is so nicely packaged gives the perception of value and people are less likely to throw it away than just a letter or a CD by itself.

The outside of the holder has a see-through sleeve. You create a cover with your company information, logo, and so forth then slip the cover into the sleeve.

On the inside of the holder on one side is an indentation that holds your CD securely in place and under that is a slot for your business card.

The other side is a book well that holds several pages of information. The book well is about 8 1/2 inches x 5 1/2 inches. We create our literature on a regular 8 1/2 x 11 page, landscaped and folded in half to make a booklet.

We hand these out at luncheons and they can also be conveniently mailed to lenders who are not able to attend.

They are also impressive marketing tools to hand to lenders at one-on-one meetings.

You can use a white or black holder. We prefer the white holder because of the crisp, clean look.

This is one of those marketing items that can be created well in advance of your luncheon. And, you don't have to be concerned about having more than needed for a scheduled luncheon. In fact, it's a good idea to have several on hand at all times to use anytime you meet someone new who might want to take advantage of your awesome program.

Let's look a little closer at each piece of the audio CD holder.

• Cover

• CD

• Business card

• Literature

• Cover

You can create this yourself or you might choose to have something professionally created for your company. When I started out, I created this in Microsoft Word by going to Page Setup and selecting legal sized paper (8 1/2 x 14) with landscape orientation. Keeping in mind that this would be slipped into the audio CD holder clear cover sleeve, I put the back cover information on the left side of the paper and front cover information on the right side. I used our company colors, my photo, a little biographical information, a little background about the company, and brief highlights of my program.

The focus of the cover is to make it visually attractive and the text intriguing enough for the lender to want to open it and learn more. Don't try to put the entire program on the cover and fill every inch. Leave open space. This will draw their eyes to the specific points you want them to see like:

"Tired of earning 2% interest on your CDs?"

"Learn how you can earn 15% interest on your

investment dollars!"

The purpose of the attractive cover is to get them to open it. Clearly stating your program's major features will cause the lender to want to learn more and open the holder.

Initially, I printed these out on my color laser printer and slipped them into the cover myself so I know you can do this too if you care to. Now I have the office staff take care of this task. Of course, you are welcome to use my cover included in the course as a template and insert your own information. That would be a great time saver.

• CD

You can make your own CD about your program; however, we use a pre-recorded CD that we purchased from Ron LeGrand's organization. It clearly explains the program in an entertaining manner. Lenders can listen to this at their leisure at home, in their car, or while exercising and using headphones. People like CDs and almost everyone has access to a CD player. CDs are fun and interesting and this one is packed with information about the benefits of private lending.

Like with everything else in life, you can make more money if you leverage your efforts. If you have the skills and equipment to create your own CD, that is your choice. I just find that it is more cost-effective for me to use something that is already available in this area and I spend my time buying, rehabbing, and selling houses, talking to private lenders, and making money.

• Business card

The audio CD holders we use also have a slot for your business card. If you are one of those "I BUY HOUSES" entrepreneurs, you may have wild, bright orange or lime green cards or the card that looks like a $100 bill or something else equally jazzy. These are for the buying/selling side of your business. They are NOT the kind of card to use for the private lender side of your business!

You are reaching people who are used to dealing with bankers and are usually professional and conservative. If you give them a wild business card, it will have the opposite effect of what you want. Frankly, it will look a little "flaky" to them. Don't try to be cute. These people are serious about their money and expect you to be too. If you don't have one already, get a professional business card made and use it in all instances with your lenders.

• Literature

If you use my cover template and Ron's CD, here is where you will be spending a little more time and effort because this is specific information about you, your company, and your program. Again, you are welcome to use my examples in your course as a template but insert your particular company information.

I started with a regular 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper and turned to landscape orientation. I searched my other marketing information and found things that I could shrink to half a page. For instance, I have a one-page information sheet that lists the documents that protect the lender. I shrank this to fit on one side of page. I then shrank a copy of the promissory note and put that on one side of the page. I then turned the page over.

I took my introductory letter and shrank it for one side of the page and then did the same with a one-page information sheet about my company.

So, I've just squeezed four pages of information onto one sheet that folds neatly in half and can be placed in the information book well.

I insert my newspaper article regular sized but folded.

It will be easier if you already have marketing pieces. If not, you will have to create them.

This generous sized book well can hold as much or as little as you like. Just remember, the more you tell, the more you sell. Which means, tell them a lot about your company history, your established presence in the community (office location and years in business), the teams you have sponsored, the professional organizations you belong to, family information, before and after photos of properties you have rehabbed, courses you have completed, etc. You get the idea. All this information lets them know you are not a fly-by-night operation. You are a serious businessperson and a company that plans to be in business for many years.

If you are uncomfortable with or unfamiliar with putting together this type of marketing piece, just gather all the information you can, including photos, and hire a writer to create something that you can be proud of.

(Hint: No professional writers in your neighborhood? Since you have Internet access, search for a writer on elance.com. You put a job out there, someone bids on it, and when both of you agree on a price, they create the product you want!)

There, you've created an Audio Business Card, a powerful marketing product that you can use repeatedly in a variety of situations. You can hand this to a lender with confidence. You are a step closer to realizing your goals! Go find some lenders!