2. Deliver value. In last month’s column, we explained how the letter we wrote to a senior executive was not only personal but also delivered value directly. We gave the executive current, new information that addressed an important problem he articulated in a newspaper interview. He responded by asking us to meet with him, and that eventually resulted in a long-term engagement. We developed a customized sales process for the company and trained its sales reps in consultative selling skills for several years. Learn more about sales training here.
3. Be creative. Easier said than done, right? Yes, but “creative” doesn’t have to mean over the top. After another trip to Russia, Terry Jones followed up his “Greetings from Moscow” postcards with another targeted mailing piece to key executives. “Passport to Russia” was emblazoned on the front along with the recipient’s name, and it looked very much like a passport. Inside were realistic-looking country stamps and information about Jones’ travel agency. He sealed it with a gold sticker and mailed it without an envelope. That got attention, and meetings, too.
4. Be memorable. Several years ago when the Sarbanes Oxley legislation passed, one of our clients, a major accounting firm, mailed stuffed toy monkeys to prospects with the provocative phrase: “Have you got that Sarbanes Monkey Off Your Back Yet?” When our call center followed up to set appointments, we invariably heard from the gatekeepers something like “Yes, we received it, and my boss took it home to give to his grandson.” Or it’s on the boss’s desk or even on the gatekeeper’s desk (after the boss saw it, we’re sure). The monkey grabbed attention the first time around and still had a good grip the second time, when we called to set an appointment. And you can bet when our accountant client’s partners stepped through a prospect’s door, monkey business was the icebreaker and an entertaining transition into what our client’s firm could do about it.
5. What else? Let us hear from you at [email protected]. How have you or your reps gotten in the door with imagination, skill, perseverance, or even luck? And, yes, we do believe in luck, especially the kind described by actor Denzel Washington: “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.”
Philip S. Krone is the founder and president of Productive Strategies, Inc., a 17-year-old Northfield, Illinois-based management and marketing consulting firm. Productive Strategies provides clients with particular expertise in sales process development, lead generation and appointment setting, marketing, and marketing communications. Phil can be reached at (847) 446-0008 ext.1 or [email protected].
