| Yes, it's cold calling! | | | | Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for themselves, and |
| As is often the case, the shortest way to success is | | | | then contact only those companies that strongly relate |
| the most distasteful. But I can tell you from personal | | | | to that USP. The phone conversation might go |
| experience that making that call (until you get enough | | | | something like this: |
| clients), can shave months off your start-up marketing | | | | Copywriter: "I've been looking at your Web site for |
| efforts. | | | | some time now and have been planning to call to |
| When I first began freelancing, I combined direct mail | | | | check the spelling of your name and make sure you're |
| with follow-up phone calls, so I wasn't "hard core" cold | | | | at the |
| calling. But even then I remember mailing 100 letters | | | | Houston office so I can send you a letter..." |
| and getting no response. However, I always followed | | | | Potential Client (who is flattered and curious): "Why |
| up those letters with a call until I got so busy fulfilling | | | | have you been looking at our site?" |
| requests for my background materials, that I couldn't | | | | Copywriter: "Because you direct market Corvette |
| make any more calls. | | | | parts and accessories and I am the world's only |
| I always kept track of who I mailed to and who I | | | | copywriter specializing solely in exotic cars. I felt that |
| followed up with. (At the time, I kept track of my | | | | we were well matched." |
| campaigns with ACT contact management software). | | | | Potential Client: "Yes, it would seem so. We have to |
| To understand how powerful it is to make those | | | | write most of our copy in house because we can't |
| follow-up phone calls, I recall that my most successful | | | | find anyone who can talk 'corvette' or handle the |
| campaign mailed out 100 names with no responses | | | | technical aspect of the writing..." |
| from the letter call to action. | | | | A "master salesman" knows that the highest |
| However, after making some follow-up calls, I had 12 | | | | conversion rates come from face-to-face selling. For |
| viable potential new clients on my list! And with the | | | | the master copywriter, the corollary is one-to-one |
| statistical rule of thumb that one in 10 will convert, I | | | | communication. |
| knew that one of them would become a new client. | | | | Marketing directors and agency creative directors |
| Conducting a direct mail campaign and then following | | | | understand the sales process and have heightened |
| up the names you most want to work for is a very | | | | respect for the copywriter who follows its tenets...as |
| effective way to gain clients, as long as you have | | | | long as the message is relevant. |
| unique positioning, a very strong offer, and a very good | | | | So if you've got the gift of aggressiveness, try cold |
| list. (Some of my students get about 10 responses | | | | calling. I promise that it will evolve from awkward and |
| from their very first mailing!) | | | | intimidating to fun and exciting in about 10 calls. (In fact, |
| However, cold calling a good list will yield faster results | | | | the last time I cold called I got a "live one" on call |
| at less cost, as long as you do it right. | | | | number 10.) |
| In today's world, direct marketing is a person-to-person | | | | If you think like a salesman and view it as a numbers |
| activity. You need to have a good reason for | | | | game ("I must get nine "no's" so I can get to the one |
| contacting someone...a reason that offers them an | | | | "yes"), you can become so engrossed in the process |
| immediate promise of benefit. | | | | that getting a copy job feels like an interruption. |
| For instance, I teach my coaching students to create a | | | | |