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