June 2001 ISSUE
Swimming With Sharks
By Ann Barr

With more and more competitors appearing nearly every day, how do customers decide which company to buy from?

When customers can buy exactly the same products from your competitors, how can you differentiate yourself?

The only difference in many businesses today is how they treat their customers. A customer base treated well - a loyal customer base - can be the foundation of your own gold mine. Creating a loyal customer base begins with letting your customers know how important they are to you. Customer loyalty is a fragile resource, well worth preserving.

In addition to providing top-quality products and world-class service, there is one specific method you can use to begin building valuable customer relationships beginning today. I saw how well this worked in our telephone sales department and it was interesting to learn that the author of "Swim with the Sharks without being Eaten Alive" did the same thing in his business.

What is Important to You? 
When you stop to think about it, what is important to you? What makes you feel good? How do you feel on your birthday? Doesn't it make you feel good when someone remembers it's your birthday?

We all get those impersonal, pre-printed postcards from our dentist or eye doctor on our birthday. I usually toss them away. There is a much better way to remember your customers' birthdays in a special way: You can offer a "birthday discount" to customers. This won't work with large accounts that are already getting very low prices but it works amazingly well with smaller and medium size accounts who could be buying a variety of products from you on a regular, consistent basis.

During the time I managed a supply sales department, the champion "birthday record-keeper" in our department was Louise Adams Jones. She kept meticulous records of each customer's birthday and nearly every weekend took home a dozen or so names and addresses of customers who had birthdays in the next few weeks. Monday morning she arrived at the office with birthday cards, signed, with personal notes, addressed and ready to mail.

Consistent Sales Success 
Louise mailed her birthday cards five or six days before each person's birthday and called on the day of her customers' birthday to wish her/him "happy birthday." After explaining that the customer was entitled to a "birthday discount," Louise asked what they needed or might need in the next few weeks or month so they could take advantage of this special discount. Customers were surprised and delighted at being remembered and a significant percentage of customers placed orders on their birthday. As a result, Louise's customers felt unusually loyal to her and she was consistently an outstanding sales producer during her six years with our company.

Coincidence? 
Harvey Mackay in his book "Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive," asks if there is any coincidence the Mackay Envelope Company (Harvey's company) gets some of their biggest orders from customers when sales reps call on the day of their birthday.

Just the fact that you remember means a lot to your customers. Start actively asking for birthday information. Just the month and day is all you need. Most people are happy to give this information to you. You will be surprised at the level of loyalty you will maintain with this extra personal touch. And your sales will grow and grow and grow.u

Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer with 19 years’ experience in Sales and marketing. ENX readers can get a complimentary e-mailed copy of her report: "64 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to Ann’s free e-mailed newsletter "Weekly Sales Tips."E-mail your request to: annbarr@sellingsupplies.com with "Sales Tips" in the subject line, or visit Ann’s web site: www.sellingsupplies.com

From time to time I come across a marketing letter that is probably written with the best of intentions, but something is missing. Something important. This is the letter where the writer uses the first (critical) paragraph to describe his business and his products without letting the reader know how they - the customer -will benefit. This is an all about the writer letter and is a waste of paper, postage and time.

Example

Here is a typical "all about the writer" letter:

"We are the area's largest widget dealer and as a 20-year old corporation and one of the leading suppliers of widgets in this state, we take great pride in the quality of the widgets we manufacture. We are members of the Chamber of Commerce, and we have won the Small Business of the Year Award for the past three years. We offer complete service contracts on widget machines. For information and pricing please contact me."

What's Wrong With This Letter?
The statement above (which is the first paragraph of the letter) is all about "WE," and uses the word "WE" six times. But the words "you" or "your" were not used even once in this first paragraph.

If the customer is still reading after the words "We take great pride. . ." it's only because they are actively looking for a new widget supplier.

What in it For Me?
Where are the benefits to the customer? The words in the example above are okay, but could be reworded in a way that would state the facts plus answer the customer's mental questions: "What's in it for me?" and "Why should I keep reading this letter?"

Sales Letters with Benefits
Here is a sales letter that starts off immediately with benefits for the customer. And look at the number of times the words "you" and "your" appear in this letter.

"Trade in your old fax machine today for a powerful new high-performance laser fax! You can maximize your productivity with fast dual 33.6K bps modems. And when

you have a maintenance agreement, our factory-trained technicians provide you with a guaranteed two-hour response time plus preventive maintenance - two inspections per year. You get a professional level of service that goes the extra mile - Plus: You get a free loaner if repairs can't be made on-site.

The what's in it for me question is answered in the first three sentences of this letter.

Count "We's" and "You's"
The next time you write a sales letter, count the number of "we's" and "you's" in the first paragraph. "You," "Your" and "Yours" should outnumber "we," "I" and "me" if you want the prospect to continue reading your letter.u