Why can’t we be friends?

A graphic designer friend of mine sent me this email the other day with the header “Awesome Marketing Strategy”:

When we got home there was a 9"x12"x4" box with the mail. The return address was a printer in Cranston, RI that I had heard about but never used. I opened the box and under a top layer of crinkled paper was a piece of their letterhead with this message:

“It's a safe bet that a passion for knitting may not be the only thing we have in common...”

Attached to the note was a pair of 9", #10 bamboo knitting needles. A business card was tied to the needles. I teach knitting and have a couple of students with the same first name, but a quick visit to the printer's web site showed me an unfamiliar face. So I sent her an e-mail.

Long story short: this relatively new sales rep got my name, probably from their database, cruised my website and saw links to knitting websites.

I met her this past Wednesday and we had a wonderful conversation about knitting. She's really great and a go-getter. I think she will probably get my business when I have a printing job.

This was an “Awesome Marketing Strategy” for many reasons. First, the message delivery method was different which made her stand out in a pile of mail. Rather than send the typical envelope or a postcard, this sales rep sent a box, something that would stand out and would not be thrown away. This is a technique I have used myself and I often encouraged clients to “think inside the box” when it come to direct mail.

Why? Because a box guarantees your direct mail piece will be opened. Boxes, big or small, always end up on top of a stack of mail. Gatekeepers would never open a box addressed to someone else and the “little kid at Christmas” in all of us ensures that the intended recipient will be compelled to open a box to see what it is.

The second reason this was an “Awesome Marketing Strategy” was that her message was creative, compelling, and left the recipient wanting more. The rep wetted my friend’s appetite and did not overwhelm her with capabilities brochures, samples or special offers. This marketing piece didn’t try to do too much. It did what it was supposed to do; it introduced the company, the rep and extended an offer to begin a dialog. But more importantly, this piece made an offer to begin a relationship based on something other than doing business together.

This is great example of how to begin a true relationship with a prospect. Instead of just marketing at my friend, the rep marketed to her, while setting the stage for a potential friendship. By doing her homework, this rep found a basis for a friendship and who wouldn't want to do business with a friend? They now have something in common besides a potential order and when my friend needs a printer, she will call this rep.

So this rep has taught us how to stand out and catch a prospect’s attention, but more importantly the lesson from this story is that instead of looking at a prospect in terms of just a sale, we should ask ourselves “Why can’t we be friends?”

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