posted
I would like to know what others are doing and what they have learned about prospecting thru the mail.
I send out weekly, various letters to prospective clients, pitching my window painting services and get results. Over the past eleven years I have developed a hunch what works and what does not. It always amazes me when one customer receives a letter and waits a year or two before contacting me, but persistent follow-thru is usually my norm.
I have seen that a professional envelope, hand addressed and hand stamped, does seem to yield better results. I also try to not lick all of the adhesive on the back, so it can be easily opened. I address them to whom I believe is the decision maker or head person in charge, however I am constantly bewildered when someone else there calls up and seems completely unaware I ever sent anything.
I have found a photo of the front of their location with a corel designed image dropped in, over the glass works best. I propose a cost in the letter and not the drawing page, to try to eliminate the page getting rebid by someone else, however it is not that much of an issue with not having alot of competition. The "Here's what it will look like, Boss" pitch seems to get most at least thinking about the prospects.
I also aak some repeat customers if I can use their endorsement in my future pitches, especially after asking them how it worked for them and getting glowing responses. These endorsements seem to build a case that window painting really is a terribly effective tool and an affordable ad medium.
I enclose a couple of business cards, as it seems one always gets passed to some person to get the thing done. I have the cell number on the card and somehow many think this means they are special enough to get it that they will actually keep it on file.
Yesterday, I sent out another twenty various pitches in my effort to constantly be drumming up new business. I find just waiting for the phone to ring is not enough to sustain the workload I like. Being a solo operation, I find having a full schedule really does create a sense of urgency in my attitude to transfer some of it onto the customer when he or she calls, to garnish some sense of 'let's get it on!'.
I also believe in followthru. The return calls and the 'go see thems' does fortify my efforts, considerably. They usually comment that they did receive something in the mail and always act like they vaguely remember it, although rarely do they have it immediately available, so a copy with me at the sales call does help.
What else have we all learned about selling that we can share here, beyond yellow page advertising and having other advertising?
-------------------- Preston McCall 10305 Eby st. Overland Park, KS 66212 text: 5056607370
Posts: 1562 | From: Overland Park, KS | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've tried post cards and that doesn't seem to work. They probably didn't get past the mail clerk. It like going to make your cold call and have the receptionist say, "I don't think we need any of that kind of work." Huh? I won't go there. But I kind of question, who makes the decision on mail not addressed to a specific person. Yet at the same time, does that person control the buying and contracting processes? I used a list from a Economic Committee. Each entry had a contact name. I used that contact for the addresss. When I found someone I knew, I called and asked if they handled procurement. That particular person was a general manager and, said he kept out of the buying as much as possible.
posted
Don't know what it's like in Kansas, but here in PA if you file for a fictitious name (any co. name that doesn't have all the owener's last names in it) you have to then advertise that in the local paper, same as incorporating a business. Our state also has a website where you can check to see if a name is in use or can search by filings for last x days. If you're going to mail out stuff, it would probably be a good idea to target these groups.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Good point about fictitous names. I use my own: "Preston McCall Advertising Design" with a tag line on the envelope expressing "Professional Window Painting and Advertising Design Services" I think most of my client figure it out when they get the envelope and no one has ever complained that I should have a registered name with the state (which it actually is). The trick is how to get them to actually open the envelope and respond to the pitch.
-------------------- Preston McCall 10305 Eby st. Overland Park, KS 66212 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1562 | From: Overland Park, KS | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Let me clarify myself on the fictitious name thing. In PA, if your business name does not incorporate all of the owner's last names, you must file a fictitious name registration. (Milles's stereo is not a fictitious name, but Bob's stereo is) If you don't file for a fictitious name, someone else can use it and you can't take any action against them for using it. Also, if you have a fictitious name and didn't register it and you need to sue someone in court for a contract they entered into with your business, you can't. So, what I'm saying is it would help to target these new businesses by checking your local paper for their publishing or the webstie for registering them, if your state is like this. May be worth a few minutes of your time to research this in Kansas. And, these new businesses probably don't already have a sign shop they use.
BTW, here in Pa, you wouldn't need to register because your business name has your last name it in.
[ October 19, 2001: Message edited by: Kissymatina ]
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic