Three Tips to Get Them to Read What You Send

by Ann Barr
 

How wealthy would you be if you were paid a commission on every catalog or price list you sent out?

Imagine how many more sales you could get if more of your prospects would read and think about the information you send, instead of adding it to their in-box or tossing it away.

If you are going to call your clients and follow up after sending information, there is a great way to call attention to your mailer. 

After talking to a dozen customers and sending out a dozen price lists, how can you make it worth your time and energy and the cost of postage?

Have you ever called a prospect and asked: “Did you get the catalog I sent?” or – “Have you had a chance to look at our price list?”

If you have asked either one of these questions, you may have occasionally heard: “No, I didn’t get it,” or “I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet.” So what do you do after hearing this?

Get Them Involved

The easiest and fastest way to get a prospect mentally involved in – and reading - the information you send, is to get them physically involved. How can you do that?

How Fern Did it

One sales person I bought from – during the time I purchased office equipment supplies for the company I worked for – had a unique way of getting me to read the price lists and catalogs she sent me.  Here is how one telephone call from this sales rep (her name was “Fern”) went:

      “Hello Ann, I’m calling to follow up on the new price catalog we sent you last week.  It has a purple cover with bright yellow printing.”

She went on to say:

      “There has been a change in pricing on one of our products, so if you have a pen handy, turn to page 14 and next to item #3, cross out the printed price and write in $34.50.  That’s your new 3^rd column price on that product.”

What did this accomplish?

è  1.  Fern didn’t ask me if I received the catalog, so she didn’t get an “I haven’t had time to look at it” answer from me (which would have ended the conversation quickly.)
 
è  2.  Because she immediately described the colors on her catalog, I was able to identify it and pull it out from among all the other catalogs on my desk.

è  3.  As soon as she told me about the change in one of her prices, I wanted to listen to what she had to say.

è  4.  She got me physically involved in the conversation by asking me to “cross out” the price on a specific page and “write in” the new price.

è  5.  I was then mentally involved, looking at the new price I had written, and thinking about whether or not we should order this product from Fern.

      At this point, she reminded me of our last conversation, when I had mentioned that this was one of the products we ordered on a regular basis.  She pointed out – again – the new price, and told me about the benefits of ordering from her company.  Then she asked
for the order.  (I almost always ordered from her when she called!)  I read and thought about Fern’s products because she:

                   Got my attention,

                   Caused me to listen to what she said and

                   Got me physically and mentally involved in the conversation.

It’s easy to understand why Fern was so successful.

If you don't have time to make the follow-up telephone calls after sending a price list or catalog, there are ways you can get them to read what you send. 

      Your prospects get dozens of catalogs and price lists in the mail. How can you make your information stand out, get noticed and READ by prospects?

First - Use a yellow highlighter to highlight the information you want to call attention to.

Second - Put brightly-colored sticky notes on the pages pertaining to products you have discussed with the prospect.

Third - Staple or paper-clip your business card or Rolodex card to price/product lists.   Write a note on the back of the card.

     These techniques call attention to your catalogs or price lists and make prospects curious enough to read what you send.  Using highlighters and sticky notes also shows you have taken the time and effort to put this information together.  When you call the prospect to follow up after sending information, it will be easier for both you and the prospect to focus on the right products.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer who has written eight books on sales and marketing. You can sign up for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips e-mailed newsletter at her web site www.sellingsupplies.com or contact Ann,  e-mail to: annbarr3@cox.net