[PrintOwners] Use letters as sales tool

[BeckyWh1 at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/22/08 3:04:39 AM, joe at calagaz.com writes:


> I agree with the letter concept, but how do you get to the "right" person?
> 
> I have tried my Chambers list and had little or no success (the CEO of a 
> large  corporation usually does not buy print)  How do you find the print buyer?
> 
> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.......
> 

My suggestions:

1. You have to do the research. 
     If there's a website, use it. Read about them, get contact info, lots of 
times the marketing people or HR people or office managers are listed on the 
website. 
     Call. Have something to offer the marketing person (or whoever you want 
to get to) -- call, tell the gatekeeper that you want to send the person who 
orders brochures, business cards, forms (whatever) a copy of your newsletter 
(that's what I have) and usually they will give you the name.
     Read classified ads and find the HR person or the manager -- ask for 
them, and then they will give you the right person.

2. Make calls - as many as possible.   Chamber is a good start but I would 
recommend also getting a list from a mailing list source. Classified ads are 
good, too. 

3.   Networking -- meet as many people as possible. Chamber mixers won't 
always be the best; try for specific committees, boards, groups that have lots of 
people like the ones you want to meet. Trade associations of your best 
customers are great. You aren't just finding prospects, you're also building a 
network that can help you meet the people you want to meet.

4. A personal letter WILL yield results. The best letters are not just 
mail-merged customized but real real personal letters. Refer in specifics to the 
customer and contact you are writing to. THIS is difficult. Very time-consuming. 
My trade-off: I write a generic letter, mail merge it, and then customize 
two-three sentences in the 2nd paragraph before printing it. Always use a P.S.

5. As for meeting CEOs and trying to get to them, if you have the opportunity 
to meet them, like the grouups I was talking about in #3, use it to build a 
relationship and then ask them who to contact. "I'd love to work with your 
company on xxx project, Joe -- who should I call to set up a time to talk about 
this/"

I have found this type of selling to be very successful -- it's 
time-consuming and takes awhile sometimes to yield results...but IT WILL YIELD RESULTS.
I have used these techniques for the past three years -- not as consistently 
as I would like but with deliberation -- and we have grown 18% the first year, 
15% the second year, and are on target (1st qtr of our fiscal year finished) 
to be at 15% sales growth again.

Good luck

Becky Whatley
Quality Printing
Riverside, CA


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