Targeting Companies

[evej13]

Hi Bizal

Agreed there are many that are dull, but my point is simply that they don't have to be.

I see what their company is offering and while I'm not sure sales letters by themselves will necessarily be enough (they should do follow-up letters and/or phone calls) I still think a good sales letter could get a good response.

Eve

[emmab]

hiya
having been a PA and Admin Assistant for various different companies, I can tell you on good authority that most mail-shots unfortunately do end up in the bin. of the post that is received each day by a company i'd guess at least 70% of it is going to be the sort of mail that you're trying to send. you need to make sure your letter gets through past the busy PA / or a new admin assistant / or a lazy temp to get to the desired contact. often the person in authority won't open their own post, so it's a good idea to target lower on the ladder of authority first, then hopefully if you get this person on board, they can scale up your offer to the person who makes the decisions.

BEST ADVICE i can give would be:

- don't address anything direct to a Managing Director - it's a wasted letter
- don't be too wordy with your letter
- don't aim too high - in terms of the size of the targeted company - target the ones in your local area, who are smaller sorts of companies to begin with
- find out the best contact to send a letter of introduction to BEFORE you send it, make calls / research on the internet
- a lot of companies prefer EMAILS to letters. make a call first (to an assistant of the manager), introduce yourself, say can you send them some info about your services, would they prefer it on email (if you do this make sure it's well presented) and then follow-up with a call afterwards
- KEEP RECORDS of responses you get / don't get as this will be useful for future marketing

ABOVE ALL REMEMBER:
It's better to take time on a well-targeted campaign. It's not the size of the mail-out/the number of letters you send that will get you the positive responses you need, it's making sure that you've got an attractive offer, that's going to the right person.

PRESENTATION:
Bold colour is great on a mailout. But stick to two or three colours as anything more makes it hard to read. Steer clear of fancy fonts, or the dreaded Times Roman - as this looks a bit amateur. Good quality paper is great on a mail-out, as is personally handwriting the name of the contact, or signing it in pen - time consuming - but adds more of a personal touch. Don't provide too much information. Make it easy to read. And only include statements that PROMOTE the reasons why it would be great if they used your service. Remain professional, don't ever be too personal - even though you may have developed a rapport with someone on the phone. AND make sure you provide numerous ways they can get back in touch with you. It's always good to conclude a letter with an offer, to motivate them to get in touch with you. But ALWAYS steer clear of RHETORICAL questions!! Inevitably, you will achieve a negative response from the reader.

I hope my waffling has been of some help to you - this is a subject close to my heart! (Having worked in PR and Marketing, as well as working for companies that sell company data exactly for this type of thing, as well as of course, now facing doing the same thing myself to promote my own business!)

I wish you the very best of luck in your business

[peterjhale]

that is exceptional advice - thankyou

[JamesMBE]

My 2 pennies worth - which is probably over valued and not very new.

In your letters have a sales process. Try a series with a defined Sales step. Refer back to the other steps. Ensure you capture and move each response to the next stage.

Always have a clear and compelling reason for the prospect to take action. A deadline is usual but you could be creative maybe a special "Caribbean" event which only those who respond in x days are invited to; and you get to showcase your skills (probably its also good for press exposure).

Have very clear and precise instructions for your customers on how to take action. For example don't just give a telephone number also say "Call" amazingly I've had increased response purely from adding this word to a letter.

As mentioned before you need to stand out and not bore people this could be done in many ways but always play to your strengths.

How did you qualify your list? Do all 2000 business have catering needs?
Do your prospects know what Caribbean food is like? or do you need to educate them?

James

[profitxchange]

Expecting a response from one mailshot is naive. The is so much evidence that you must build a "bridge of trust" with the prospect. Remember the old Awareness, Interest, Decision, Action process? you take the prospect along a journey building up confidence that you can deliver something better than they are getting currently. (You are almost certainly having to displace an existing supplier) You need to actually speak to the prospect a number of times so create a marketing/selling process that increasingly engages the client and confidence in you! It takes time.

I would have sent out fewer letters, and followed up every one with a phone call, follwed with a letter confirming your responses to their questions, followed by a phone call etc etc.