Power of pen and phone!

Building a strong customer database is a key factor in achieving business success. Because email communication seems to rule our lives, outbound teleselling is an often forgotten strategy. But it is used successfully by many businesses to attract new customers or clients. It means initiating an outbound call to a prospective customer or client in order to sell a product or service.

And notice here that I am using snail mail to get the right sort of bang; please fight the temptation to use email!

To use this strategy effectively though, it’s imperative that you always send your prospect a letter in advance of any phone call. Having prepared them in advance, you can then call them to follow up your correspondence.

To illustrate how to go about successfully teleselling your product or service, let’s take the following hypothetical situation:

Imagine you’re a builder and you’re going to do some renovations at the Jones’ house. When you’re finalising the details of the Jones’ extensions, ask them for the names of the people that live either side and across the road from them. Once you have obtained this information write each of those people a letter which reads something like this:

Dear Mr Smith,
Just a note to say sorry!

Shortly we’ll be starting work on some new alterations and additions at the Jones’ house next door to you and we want to apologise in advance for any inconvenience our tradesmen or equipment might cause you while we’re working there for about 3 weeks. We’ll try not to create any problems but if we do please accept our apologies.

Of course there may be a real advantage to you if you want any work done at your place… building, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting, landscaping, maintenance or improvements for example. Our tradesmen will be working at the Jones’ and we could, if you’ll let us know soon, arrange for them to do your work at the same time.

Because we can do it at the same time, you’ll make huge savings and you’ll get it done really quickly and efficiently.

Now, I don’t know whether you need any jobs, large or small, done around your home, but on the chance that you do, I’ll have Lisa, our scheduler call you soon.

If there is anything at all that you’d like us to take a look at, we’ll arrange it with our site foreman when he’s next at the Jones’.

Yours sincerely,

Fred Jones,
ABC Building Company

The key here is to follow the letter up with a phone call a few days later. It’ll improve your response enormously. Remember you need to have huge enthusiasm, confidence and a script when you make that phone call.

If you’re not sure what to put in your script, it should always contain a reference to the letter you sent out and it should basically reiterate in a conversational manner the body copy contained in the letter.

Based on the example above, your script would involve asking your prospect if they received your correspondence, it would reiterate your apology for any inconvenience the renovations may cause and it would offer your services should they be required.

99% of the time this strategy works. People appreciate the follow up call and in most cases another sale will result.

Whatever your situation, when you mail a letter always follow it up with a well planned phone call. Make sure you’ve got a great script that people will respond to. Because when they respond to it, you’ll get more business.