Show Me The Love, Show Me The Money!
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Show Me The Love, Show Me The Money
Actual Article with Graphics can be located at:
http://www.chuckbauer.com/article.asp?ID=143
?Top Of Mind Awareness? (T.O.M.A.) is the guiding principle of my unconventional ideas for ?follow up?, and encouraging your clients to do business with you and your company. My innovative methods guarantee your clients will WANT to do business with you!
Creating T.O.M.A. with your clients introduces fun and personalized ?client touches? in unique ways that enhance your relationship with your clients and advocates. Pull ahead of your competitors and get your clients? attention with original, thoughtful reminders of who you are and what you do. And the more fun you have giving it, the more fun they will have receiving it. What cool follow up ideas are you using that will cause your clients to THINK OF YOU when they are ready to enter or renter the marketplace?
Valentines Day is a perfect holiday to implement a T.O.M.A. sales procedure. First, the rush of holiday cards is over, meaning much less competition in your clients? mail box. Secondly, I guarantee that 99% of all salespeople will miss this timely opportunity to be noticed and appreciated. Valentine?s Day provides a perfect time to ?touch? your client with an entertaining follow up technique.
Your Valentine?s Day T.O.M.A. Campaign:
1. Resist stopping before you start, tuck away your pre-conceived notions about follow up ideas. Watch out for that little voice in the back of your head saying ?I would never do this? or ?This won?t work.? If you buy into that frame of mind, you become just like all the other salespeople who exist rather than succeed. In my SalesMastery courses, I say: ?You had better become distinct or you will become extinct!
2. Find and invest in Kiddy Valentine?s Day Cards just like the ones you used in 2nd Grade when your were growing up. You know the little goofy ones that you exchanged at school when you were a kid? These are the cards your children still exchange on this holiday. Find them in Hallmark stores, Wal-Mart?s, Targets and most neighborhood groceries. The choices are plentiful and colorful with many different messages. The dorkier they are the better.
3. Find some ?fun? stickers to use on the outside of the envelopes. The stickers need to be small because the kiddy Valentine?s Day cards are smaller than most standard card sizes. Place one or two stickers on the outside of the envelope.
4. Personalize the envelope by HAND WRITING the recipient?s name and address on the envelope. Better yet, use a calligraphy pen for a unique and professional touch. DO NOT use a return address on the outside of envelope. This creates curiosity on the part of the receiving client. When the mail is delivered, your T.O.M.A. Card will be the first envelope opened and your message the first message read. All priority clients should receive a card, regardless of gender. Guys & Gals, get over the fact of sending a Valentine?s Day Card to your same gender, this is a ?FUN? follow up piece for crying out loud!
5. Poem Time! Yes, you need to create a fun poem to add to the envelope and card. You should keep the poem short, crisp and fun. Now, I know none of you are professional writers. Writing a ?dorky? poem is not something you may want to do so I will help you write one right now.
Roses Are Red . . .
Violets Are Blue . . .
Those who send referrals Chuck?s way . . .
Will be blessed, too!
Happy Valentines Day from Chuck at
www.chuckbauer.com
Special Note:
Send Coach Chuck your poem and I will post it here in this article for others to view and maybe inspire some additional ideas for other readers.
Simple, easy and fun. Brainstorm with your family or associates. Check out the verses in the cards in the stores or the ones your children bring home from school. Write a few different rhymes, play with them, and then pick the best one for your sales process.
As soon as your verse is polished to perfection, copy it for as many cards as you need to cover your client base. The following procedure creates multiple copies without much hassle.
Open up MS Word.
On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Envelopes and Labels.
Click the Labels tab.
Click Options.
In the Product number box, click Name Badge #5883. This is a perfect label size for your poems.
Click New Document
A new page opens with 8 boxes, room for 8 poems on one page.
Save and title your document.
Great so far, now let?s easily create a nice border around the eight squares and then add your poem to the boxes.
Click on format, then select Borders and Shading.
With the Border tab selected, click on All.
Pick your style, color and width. Click ?ok? when finished.
Highlight your poem. Make sure your website or e-mail address is included with the poem, just in case your client shows the poem to someone. It may lead them to your website. What, no website? Ya gotta be kidding me. Call me at once, we have to chat!
Right click and select copy
Go back to the document with your boxes. Place your cursor in the box in the upper left hand corner of the page.
Right click, select ?paste? and presto, your poem has now been imported into the box.
Clean it up graphically. Make sure the text is either centered or aligned left. Check your spelling and then add some different colors: like the Roses are Red line could be red for roses and the ?Violets Are Blue? line could be done in blue. Duh!
Once you have that box the way you want it, then cut and paste into the remaining seven boxes.
Remember to save your document and save often.
Other things you can consider if you have above average computer skills ? maybe add your logo, some other type of graphic, etc. Regardless, try to keep it simple.
Now you are ready to print your pages. Once printed, separate your poems with scissors. Consider using colorful paper to print your poems on.
Consider adding a gift card, a tea bag, your business card or anything slim and thin or add something else to get your clients attention.
For postage, a first class stamp at .39 cents should do the trick. But not just any .39 cent stamp. Never miss an opportunity to attract positive attention to yourself. Visit your local post office or go to www.usps.com to purchase your stamps. Don?t use the regular type of stamps, find something different and unique. There are various types of .39 cent Valentine?s Days stamps, or select something relevant to your or your business.
Last but not least, plan on having the cards arrive around 3-5 days BEFORE the actual holiday.
For those of you with a large database of clients, here is a solution to give you the maximum bang for your buck. Implement an 80/20 rule for these follow ups. If you have 100 clients in your database: take the top 20%, those you value the most (your VIP?s), and send your T.O.M.A. cards to them. For the other 80%, send them an e-card or a nice Valentine?s Day message via e-mail. This method works for 1000 or 10,000 in your database, and maintains your high level of sales efficiency.
A rule of thumb to follow: ?Reach the people who count versus counting the people you reach.? In other words, you should not treat all clients the same way. You must place more personal time and significance on those clients who advocate you and your business. Spend less time on those who may be prospects or suspects. When they become VIP?s, move them over to your T.O.M.A. list. Remember, return business and referral business is good business.
T.O.M.A. touches are unique and your VIP type clients will certainly appreciate the value of such a personal touch and an indirect method of follow up. Pass-thru marketing usually occurs when your clients pass along your unique follow up ideas and T.O.M.A. pieces to others. This small effort will foster referrals and place you on a pathway of sales distinction.
Next major T.O.M.A. Holiday ? April Fools Day!
About the Author
Sales Consultant Chuck Bauer helps Executives and Sales People make their sales organizations more efficient and profitable. With over two decades of sales experience, Chuck consults with a large number of sales organizations and salespeople nationwide, and he is a member of the National Speakers Association. His information is widely published in many print and internet based publications. He is a committed private pilot and body builder. Find out more about Chuck at http://www.chuckbauer.com
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