Carol Bentley

In my book, and in previous posts, I’ve mentioned how you can create rapport in your writing by understanding how people communicate; whether they are auditory, visual or kinesthetic. Knowing that helps with the words you use in your letters.

But how about verbal communication?

Yes, the words you use still count. But there is more to verbal communication than just the words or even the tonality I mentioned in my previous post Conversation or lecture.

People speak (and listen) at a different pace. Some people speak extremely fast, others have a slo-o-o-w drawl. It can make listening extremely frustrating if you don’t happen to match their speed of communication. But, more importantly, if you don’t recognise and take your customer’s speaking (and listening) style into account you could alienate them.

Jill describes her experience with this in her blog post and explains why it is so important to adjust so you match your prospect or customer’s conversation style. (She also shows how preparation before making an important call is also vital!)

~ Carol Bentley

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You’ve worked hard to make sure everything is working properly. Whether it’s a process in your administration, in your production, in your marketing or on your website. Now it’s time to relax, safe in the knowledge that everything is running smoothly.

Think again!

That’s what I thought - but it was a false sense of security I shouldn’t have slipped into.

Here’s what happened…

You may have noticed that in the right panel of this blog there’s an invitation to recommend this website to your colleagues and friends. When you click on the link you are taken to another web page from where you can send a message to the people you want to tell. After clicking the ‘Send Emails’ button you are supposed to go to a ‘Thank You’ web page where you collect your gift for taking the time to send those recommendations.

Now that system was working fine. So I didn’t see any need to re-check it.

More fool me!

I discovered there was a problem when one of my readers kindly rang to let me know a 404 ‘Page Not Found’ error was coming up instead of the Thank You page. And there was a pretty good chance the recommendation emails were not being sent either.

Fortunately, thanks to the great IT support I get from my supplier, the problem was quickly resolved, and it is now working as intended.

Reviewing Systems

Of course looking at our systems doesn’t just apply to making sure they are still working - although that in itself is a good enough reason to keep a close eye on them. Improvements in our procedures and techniques are just as important. And that’s where asking your staff, customers and even suppliers can reveal some extremely valuable insights.

How long is it since you reviewed your systems; the ones that run like clockwork? Are they in place because they are the most efficient and effective method? Or are they used because “we’ve always done it like that!” Is it time to dust off the cobwebs and see if there are better ways?

I Asked For Your Help

My main method of delivering information is through writing; books, articles, email messages… these blog posts.

But my previous profession was developing and delivering training courses - so I’m perfectly comfortable with talking to people and showing how things work. It makes sense to incorporate all these coaching skills into any future materials or courses I create. But is that what people really want? Would using different presentation styles be better? Maybe, maybe not.

That’s why I decided to ask your opinion in last Friday’s post.

If you haven’t yet given me your thoughts, would you do me a favour and pop over to http://copywriting4b2b.opinion.sgizmo.com? Thanks.

And in the meantime… what areas in your business need a bit of oiling to make them run more smoothly?

~ Carol Bentley

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Is there a difference between corporate businesses and SMEs or entrepreneurs? Three questions asked in my recent survey raised this issue. My answer; Yes… and No!

Am I hedging my bets here? ;¬) Maybe… but let’s look into it a bit further.

First here are the three questions posed about dealing with big companies:

Q1: How to generate more interest in my business from larger organisations.

Q2: How do you adapt your copy if your targets are senior executives and buyers in major corporates? Most of what I read about copywriting proposes big, bold headlines with “huge” specific benefits. And I must admit that when buying myself, these offers can be very seductive. Yet I know from over a decade working with senior executives in major companies that this sort of hyperbolic language and copy tends to go straight in the bin - it’s just not credible.

Corporate executives (in my experience) tend to react better to more conservative approaches. Is my experience out of touch? Obviously these people are human too - and have the same underlying psychology. Yet their experience and background (in my view) means they don’t react well to over-strong selling messages.

Q3: How to find out who makes all the purchasing decisions in a large organisation.

Don’t expect to do a bulk mailing to corporate businesses and get a great response. It’s unlikely to happen. You have to work a little harder for those lucrative contracts.

I advise selecting 10 companies to target and work on, adding others as a rolling prospect line as and when you are able to deal with them properly.

Decide and Research

• Decide which companies you want to do business with. Define exactly what you are offering and which companies benefit most from your solutions. When you contact them talk about a specific ‘niche’ area. Don’t give a smorgasbord of products and services that confuse your prospect and - in their eyes - dilutes your perceived level of expertise and ability to deliver a focused result.

• Do your research. Research the company; the department or division your product or service applies to; discover the challenges the company or that division are currently facing. Check news releases (they are often shown on the company website); is something they have announced likely to give them logistic or ‘knock-on’ effect problems you can resolve?

• Find your target buyer. Don’t go to the HR or purchasing department (unless your offer is for them); aim for the person who heads up the area you are targeting. Read the corporate website; some do give contact names in their ‘about us’ section, although this practice is dwindling. Use the phone; call and ask “who takes care of …. in the company?” (you fill in the blank).

  Careful! You are in information-gathering mode NOT selling mode. One whiff of a sales pitch and the person you are speaking to is likely to clam up.

  In her book, Selling to Big Companies, Jill Konrath describes how to make those important fact-gathering calls so you reach your prime target within the company. Steve Brewer also gives pertinent and easy to follow advice in his CD programme High Impact Cold Calling.

A Slightly Different Approach

• Write individual letters. I’d advise against using extremely large, bold headlines - it doesn’t give the right impression for corporate correspondence. But that’s the only change I would suggest to the structure of your letter. You are still writing to an individual who has challenges within his/her work life and wants a solution. So you do have to grab attention immediately.

  Start your first paragraph with a compelling statement of what you discovered about the company or department’s challenges. Then ask a question that is geared towards the problem he has - the one you identified in your research. Explain the value your offer could bring to his company; quoting case studies from other organisations rather than a general self-serving statement.

  For example, instead of writing “our QR2 system saves production costs” say “Xyz company discovered that 3 months after implementing the QR2 system, production costs had reduced by 2.8% which gave them a projected annual savings of £4.37million.“Be wary of creating a general ’sales pitch’ - it’s unlikely to work unless you are extremely lucky.

• In her book Jill strongly recommends avoiding subservient language such as ‘delighted’, ‘pleased’ or ‘honoured’ and I agree with her. All of your contact (whether letter, email or phone call) should be from a position of equality and strength. Talk as a peer-to-peer. Treat your prospect with respect but expect respect from him too. After all, you are the expert that has a solution to the problem he wants resolved.

Realistic Expectations

• Don’t expect to get an appointment with your first letter or phone call. Have a campaign of actions you will take to secure your appointment to meet. But make sure you deliver valuable information at each contact point; don’t make a self-serving push to get through the door.
  • Let your prospect know about case studies from other companies.
  • Articles from trade publications.
  • Informative reports you can supply (make sure they are informative not just a sales brochure).
  • Gift a copy of a good book you’ve read that gave some good insights to their industry or business or helps address issues they are likely to come up against. (Of course, if that book happens to be one you’ve written and published it gives you an even bigger boost in your prospect’s eyes because you are perceived as knowledgeable; assuming you’ve written good content in your book).

• If it’s practical, be prepared to secure a small contract initially. Once you are delivering great results and the company is pleased with your service you can start negotiating the larger deals.

Share Your Thoughts…

Have experience with larger companies? Either as a provider or perhaps you work (or have worked) within one of these behemoths? Use the comments link below to add your views.

~ Carol Bentley

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I’ve been taking a peak at some of the questions people have been asking in my blog survey that’s currently running. (If you haven’t seen the survey yet - it is here: www.copywriting4b2b survey)

And ‘how to find the time to do things’ whether copywriting, marketing or other things has come up a few times. So I thought I’d share just 3 effective tips I’ve discovered with you and also recommend a book that I got some good pointers from.

Change Your Mind…

We all have just 24 hours a day (yes, I know you’ve probably heard that from every time management expert) and I believe that changing how you think of ‘time management’ is probably the first step towards using that time effectively. I don’t think of ‘time-management’; no - I tend to regard it as ‘activity management’; deciding what activity you want to do and complete in any given workday.

So here’s 3 of the tips I’ve picked up over the years. I bet you’ve come across them before or you’ll say “well, that’s just common sense!” True - but does that mean you’re using them to make yourself more effective?

1) Get Rid of The 21st Century Time-Thief

Emails! Go on, be honest - how much time do you waste every day on your email? Which of these do you find yourself doing…

• Sorting & deleting spam emails - even with filtering software too many still get through
• Checking your spam-filtered emails in case anything urgent has been caught by accident
• Checking your inbox regularly throughout the day - especially when you’re expecting a reply to an email you’ve sent
• Stopping to read and reply to non-urgent emails - effectively getting distracted from what you are meant to be doing

Guilty as charged m’lud!

Yep - given the chance, I’m a confessed email junkie! And it was draining valuable hours of my time. So what did I do? Simple…

1. I decided on a timeframe when I would check incoming emails, e.g. 11a.m. for morning emails and 3p.m. for afternoon missives for just half-an-hour or less.
2. I had numerous email addresses. I redirected ALL my incoming emails, except those coming to a personal, unpublicised address, to Kelly, my P.A. (Yep, this is one of those solutions where you need someone to delegate to. If you aren’t in a position to employ a P.A. I suggest you seriously consider a virtual assistant).Kelly checks the content and forwards the emails I need to attend to personally. You wouldn’t believe how much time that has grabbed back for me.

The second action took care of the spam controlling and the distraction problem because I only see emails that are important.

2) Organise and Prioritise

Different people do this in different ways… blocking time in my diary when I intend to do something specific… like working on a particular project; write posts for this blog; work on products; studying (yes, that is continuous for me) and so on works for me.

I prioritise my tasks as I set my time blocks. By the end of the day or week I have a clear picture of what I’ve achieved and what remains.

I must admit I do get a real sense of satisfaction and achievement as each activity is completed and ‘ticked off’.

3) Stop those rude interruptions

The rudest interruption you suffer every day, without fail, is the telephone. Think about it - if you were in the middle of doing something or having a conversation and someone barged into your office and started shouting at you “Listen to me NOW!!” you’d be understandably extremely annoyed. And yet that’s exactly what we tolerate with incoming phone calls.

The phone is a rude and distracting interruption.

And it is something that, as the business owner or an entrepreneur you need to take control of. Here’s my advice…

• Don’t answer the phone yourself. If you haven’t got staff to take the calls organise a top quality, personal telephone answering service. Dependent upon your business I would suggest you do not rely on an answering machine or voicemail. It may not give the right impression to prospective clients. After all, if you call a business number and get an answering machine what do you think?
• Use gatekeepers. This is obviously part of the previous point. Make sure that whoever is answering your phone doesn’t just put callers through without checking with you first. In fact I tell my PA at the beginning of the day if I’m expecting any calls I need to take. All others are a definite “No” and she deals with them appropriately.
• Make telephone appointments with clients. If they want to speak to you set a date and time when you will take their call. You’ll find that clients are far more respectful of your time if you start your relationship this way.
• Don’t give your mobile phone number out too readily. I have the same mobile phone number that I started with back in 1995. I have never had to change it. And that is because I do not tell anyone - other than private clients, family and close friends - what the number is. And even with private clients I’m selective about who gets the number. I only ever give it to people who I trust not to abuse it by calling me at ridiculous times of the day. They respect my time and privacy, whilst knowing they can get hold of me in an emergency.
• Set a time of day when you will follow up on any incoming calls that need your attention. Perhaps, like with emails, a half hour in the morning and/or afternoon.
• Set a time of day when you will take calls, for example from your team or work colleagues, let them know when they can call you and expect to get through. Explain you are not available at other times because you are working on projects and cannot be interrupted.

I appreciate that for many people some of the pointers above may seem to be impractical - but you’d be surprised at just how readily people will accept your working method and respect your time.

Worth Spending The Time On Reading…

There are many books, courses, seminars and systems that seemingly offer a solution to this age-old problem of time management.

One of the easiest and most entertaining to read, as well as the most useful, I’ve found is Dan Kennedy’s No BS Time Management for Entrepreneurs. Dan’s thoughts on the time-wasters we all face every day are sometimes colourful - but I think you’ll probably find, like me, that you’re frequently nodding in agreement. I’m sure you’ll find some good tips in there.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: time management tips dan kennedy

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When a well respected UK business coach decides to share his knowledge and experience then taking advantage makes sound sense.

Brian James is just such a person… you may already know him. Brian has recently started his business coaching blog and I know, because I get his regular e-newsletters, his posts will be packed full of useful business tips.

If you don’t know Brian then I strongly recommend you pop over to his blog at http://www.business-coachinguk.com/ and browse his site. You can start by getting 3 chapters from his book for free; he’s gifting them just for letting him send you a notification email whenever he makes a post. Talk about something for nothing!

I’m looking forward to getting great ideas from Brian… you can too if you subscribe.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business coaching brian james marketing business advice

I’m getting withdrawal symptoms - not having written my daily blog post for a few weeks. I’m getting back into it gradually (time still being taken up sorting my Father’s estate) and I’m starting with an extract from my book that may be a reminder (if you have a copy) or a useful insight if you haven’t.

It’s taken from chapter 10 and is my unique way of looking at how to structure your sales letter. But… I’m starting to get to grips with hubpages so I’ve put the whole article on this hubpage: Outline of a Winning Sales Letter

Take a look and, would you do me a favour, give me a thumbs up rating? Cheers!

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: sales letters copywriting hubpages

Right - so you know all you need to know about your target market. You’ve got a fine-tuned understanding of your ideal prospect; you know their age; their gender; income range; whether they’re employed or retired (for consumer marketing); where they’re likely to live and what type of accommodation they have.

You know what interest’s them; hobbies; reading habits;beliefs and opinions, ethical stance and purchasing habits - maybe.

Pardon? Did you say you’re selling to business and you don’t need all this personal detail?

Ok-ay, tell me who makes the decision to buy from you? The ‘business’ or a person at the business; owner, Director, Buying Manager or other decision maker?

Whoever makes that decision in your favour does so for a variety of reasons and one of the points that can heavily influence the outcome is do they think “I like [your name]; I feel I can trust his (or her) advice and I’m confident he / she has my best interests at heart.”

I’m sure you’ve heard it dozens of times but it’s true… you have to build a relationship in order to get the sale.

But let’s say you can’t get up close & personal with your prospect. How do you create a relationship then - how do you appeal to your target audience?

By reaching out in other ways. By freely giving good advice; advice that your prospect can use. Advice such as:

• Crucial facts he needs to be aware of before making a decision; whether that decision is in your favour or not. (Free reports or case studies are good for this)
• Clearly explaining what your product or service is suitable for - describing the features and how they work
• And just as clearly stating when it is not appropriate; be honest about limitations or situations where your offer is inappropriate
• Recommending an alternative supplier you know and trust when your product or service does not quite fit the bill, rather than trying to compromise

Now don’t get upset about that last suggestion… at first glance it may look as if you’re driving business away, but that is not always the case.

Think about it; When you recommend an apparent competitor you are demonstrating you’re confident enough about what you supply to be absolutely straight and up-front about it. You’re displaying a strong ethic of ‘the customer’s interest comes first’- that gives you kudos in your prospect’s eyes. Do you think there’s a good chance your prospect will tell people they know about your honesty and trustworthiness? And recommend you to people who are looking for what you offer? I’m certain it will happen because it has for me.

Plus - if you have a canny business mind I’m sure you can see the possibilities here…

You see, there is always a certain proportion of the enquiries you get that you are not able to satisfy; you don’t match what the customer is looking for. Your ‘competitor’ does.

And your competitor will have enquirers they can’t convert into business that you could make very happy.

Agreeing to direct those unconverted enquiries to each other can create a win-win situation for you both. And, if you agree an introductory commission beforehand for any business realised, it won’t matter if there seems to be more traffic going one way.

Who in your industry or profession could you set up an arrangement like this with? Or perhaps you already have a similar understanding? Share your thoughts with other visitors to this blog.

~ Carol Bentley

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Whilst doing my usual browsing of other people’s blogs a post on Ed Rivis’ called ‘Write Press Releases That Sizzle’ caught my eye. He described how to boost your company’s visibility, with both on and offline PR… so I followed the link he included and found an interesting article on Terry Dean’s blog offering some inspiring ideas at http://www.terrydean.org/21-ideas-for-hot-press-releases-part-1/

PR is a great way to get some free publicity. But you have to stand out from all the other businesses trying to get noticed. And news editors are looking for something that is interesting for their readers; something a little different from the ‘norm’.

Some of Terry’s ideas may seem a bit wacky - but they’ve all got merit. I particularly like number 20 - it made me smile.

Help Your News Editor Make Your PR An Attention-Grabber

When I first released my book I sent a press release to my local paper’s Business Editor describing some of the tips it contained and how they help business people get a good result. I wanted to make sure I had the highest chance of the news release being printed so I sent a bit of an odd picture to catch his attention:

The editor asked if the money I was holding was real - it was!

He published the picture, and a long article about the book , on the first page of the business news section. Great result!

In fact he used the picture again when a local Ottakar’s bookstore hosted my book-signing event a few months later.

So what can you do to promote your business? Perhaps Terry’s tips have given you an idea or two?

If you have never included PR in your marketing toolkit maybe now is the time to try. See which of his 21 ideas appeals to you and give it a go. Then come back here and share your results.

~ Carol Bentley

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I mentioned at the beginning of January I would be creating a video programme to show the easiest way to get a book written and published. And, because of that, I decided to talk to other business authors to get their views on why they decided to write a book and how they went about it. I figured the more approaches I revealed the better chance there was that you’d find something that hit the mark for you.

Last week I spoke to Jill Konrath, who wrote ‘Selling to Big Companies’. We were discussing the reasons for writing a business book; one I’ve already shared with you is to position yourself as the expert in your field.

Jill told me that after publishing her book she was curious why there were very few business women authors. And she talked to successful business women, trying to encourage them to join her as an author. Their response surprised her…

You might be relieved to find you have the same thoughts.

I recorded my telephone conversation with Jill and I’ll be sharing the full content with you at a later date, but for the moment, I thought you might like to listen to this short clip - only a few minutes - in which she shares the revelation those astute business women gave her and explains why some of them changed their mind. Click on the audio bar below to listen-in.

So - has this short audio given you some food for thought?

~ Carol Bentley

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Do you export your goods or services? Do you have to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds?

John Walmsley does and he asked:

“I have a great deal of overseas clients and worry about how I word my emails and newsletters in case I offend. Is there a rule for different Countries or should I just assume they relate to the Scottish wit.”

First I’d like to say that I think it’s great that you’ve thought about this John because many business people don’t.

You see it is very easy to think everyone we speak or write to understands what we actually mean and we understand them perfectly. But do we? And are the actions we take seen as disrespectful? There are distinct cultural differences - there are even subtle differences between regions in the same country!

You build a strong relationship by knowing and respecting those differences. By conducting your business in an acceptable manner.

But how can you be sure of what you should - or should not - be doing or saying, without asking them? You want to come over as professional, as understanding your prospect or customer. If you don’t know their traditions and follow them you could come over as inexperienced or, in a worse case scenario, crass.

Now I do not know all the international differences… but I ‘know a lady who does!‘

If you are dealing with overseas - or about to - check the free articles (over 26) on Deborah Swallow’s website and consider buying her book Communicating Across Cultures, which is on her products page.

The first article link opens a global map which you can click on to get information for different regions.

And John, two articles you might find particularly useful are:

• 10 Tips on Humour

• International Email Etiquette

Her insights help you to avoid mistakes that could kill your customer relationships.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: international business cross cultural communication copywriting

In Friday’s post I shared my thoughts on when to go for outsourcing and some points to consider when appointing someone to do work for you. One aspect I didn’t cover is clearly described in a post I found on someone else’s blog.  And it is very relevant to a business person who is trying to develop a ‘work on not in your business’ culture.

The whole point is to make sure you don’t undertake tasks that are not worth your valuable time.  Hill Robertson gives a good example in his post ‘You Must Spend Your Money and Time Wisely’

~ Carol Bentley

Well the result is in. Ed, who acted as my independent judge, has now chosen the question he felt was the one that best matched his judging criteria, although all the questions submitted gave us food for thought.

Was it your question? Or was it one that makes you think “That’s a good question - I’d like to know the answer to that as well!”

Ed’s judging criteria was:

• Does the question appeal to a wide business audience?
• Is it a question many people are probably asking? If not, is it something they should be asking?
• Is it a question he might have asked?

Here’s the entry that Ed chose:

Many small businesses are started by someone technically good at what they do, but not that hot on running a business. When are they better off writing “DIY” copy, and when should they outsource with an expert? As a rider to that, how should they (in your opinion) select a copy writer to work with?

This was Ed’s comment:

“Great question – and a tick in all the boxes of my judging criteria. THIS IS MY FAVOURITE because so many businesses need to know when to DIY or outsource, (How WHO and where) outsourcing, when to pay a little or a lot, split testing different copywriters’ material versus your own etc etc. GREAT question.”

It was sent in by John Holder from Ruskin Information Services. Congratulations John, here’s what you’ve won…

The unabridged audio programme of my book on 3 high-quality CDs, plus a bonus Data CD containing additional document examples, checklists, a searchable PDF version of the book and more.

You also get an A5 workbook, with the PDF on the bonus CD so you can print out another workbook to help you with each of your writing projects.

I’m sure it will prove to be a valuable tool in your business.

Your prize will soon be rushed out to you for you to enjoy.

I’ll be posting my reply to this thought-provoking question later this week. Look out for the email announcing the post titled When is DIY writing best

Thank you for sending your questions in, even if you didn’t win the prize I trust you found my advice helpful.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: copywriters outsourcing sales letters

In a previous post ( 4 easy steps to authorship) I explained how a tips booklet can be used as a highly effective marketing tool. A comment on that post asked about PDF (e-books) and how they fared. It is a valid question, especially with so many businesses expanding their web presence.

Creating and gifting a PDF tips booklet, report, ‘how to’ manual or book containing any valuable information is a proven method of attracting subscribers and enquiries via a web site. I have done that myself with free e-business reports and e-articles in the past.

I also know, as I’m sure you do too, many people who have successfully promoted their business purely through e-books.

The only caveat to a PDF is that it is relatively easy to create and is very inexpensive to produce and put out into the market place. Nothing wrong with that… except that in some circumstances the quality of content and presentation may not be as good as in a published document.

And for some reason people’s perception of someone who has actually written and published a book - is an author - is quite different to any other sort of writer (at least that seems to be the case here in the UK).

So although the PDF allows you to get good and useful information out to your prospects, I personally don’t think it gives you quite the same kudos as being a published author.

What I do recommend is that when you print-publish a booklet or book, consider creating a PDF version too and think about how it can be used creatively to improve your market strength.

And of course, once you have got a book (or books) published you can certainly just use PDF e-books to distribute further material or new books, as Steven King has done.

Now - this is my personal view of the reasons for publishing a book. What do you think? Do you have a very different experience you would like to share?

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: copywriting business tips marketing

Within a business there are frequent occasions when a word of thanks is appropriate - and I’ll be giving you my thanks a little later in this post. But first, I want to tell you about an inspired way of saying ‘thank you’ that makes your company more memorable, whether the thanks are to customers, business colleagues or a member of staff.

Many business owners are astute enough to realise that expressing thanks for business; for referrals and recommendations; for a job well done by a supplier; for an excellent result achieved by an employee is good business practice. It is also a canny marketing activity; showing you appreciate your clients and the support they give by buying from you.

How you express your thanks gives a different perception of your company; it’s where attention to detail counts. So what are the ways you can show your appreciation - and how can you do it successfully without it becoming a burden on your budget or time?

• Send an ordinary email of thanks - this doesn’t take much time and is certainly better than not doing anything; but I don’t think it will really make you stand out

• Organise an impressive e-card (take a look at http://www.jacquielawson.com). These are beautiful animated e-cards, but if the person you are thanking has a spam filtering system in place the notification email may not reach him (or her) or he may not collect the card - it does need some effort on his part.

• Give a small gift of thanks - depending upon what you are expressing appreciation of, that may be appropriate.

• Write a personal letter of thanks. This does take more effort and for some people it can take considerable time, thinking of how to word the letter. Not everyone is comfortable about putting their thoughts into writing.

• Snail-mail a postcard. Although this is a little different, it’s not very private and may not be appropriate in certain circumstances.

• Post a ‘Thank You’ greeting card - this is the inspired method I want to tell you more about. You see, at first glance it may seem as though it takes as much effort, if not more, than some of the suggestions above. But I found a brilliant website that sends a high quality card, complete with your personal message. The cards are sent from the US but, with the current exchange rates, the postage equates to little more than it would cost to send from the UK.

There is an incredible choice of card designs and the whole process takes just a couple of minutes. Take a look at http://www.sendoutcards.com where, for those extra special occasions, they can even add a gift (but before you do that, have a look at my ‘Thank You’ message below). I tested this service myself and can definitely confirm the high quality of the card that is supplied.

Marketing Thought: if you decide to use these cards as an alternative way of delivering your marketing message then the foreign postage frank may act in your favour if you are sending to UK addresses. It may intrigue your prospect enough to open the envelope - which is the first step we are aiming to achieve. It is something that might be worth testing.

My Thanks to You

I have two Thank You’s to say:

First: I’d like to say Thank You for the questions that have been sent in. There have been some very interesting topics brought up. Some of the questions have already been posted with answers, others - that are available for ‘public view’ - will be added over the next week or so.

The questions have now been sent over to Ed for his independent selection of the best one submitted. Whoever sent in the winning question gets the prize I offered in Monday’s post.

If you sent a question in, look out for the judge’s choice in a post later this week.

Second: Even if you didn’t have a question you wanted answering, the support you show by visiting, reading and recommending my blog is really appreciated. Which is why I’m always looking out for more information or resources that will help you in your business. That’s why I suggested visiting the SendOutCards website.

And whilst looking, one of the distinct advantages of interacting on the web is you come across some very nice people. And Martin Russell is one of those (check out his Word of Mouth Magic blog, it’s listed in the blog roll).

Martin has very generously said that visitors from this blog can test out 3 cards from his SendOutCards service at his expense. This gives you the opportunity to experience the service and test the quality for yourself. Simply go to Martin’s Offer (http://www.WordofMouthMagic.com/card)

What other ways of saying ‘Thank You’ have you used or experienced? Will you use the comment (it may show as No Comments to start) link below to share ideas with other readers? Thanks.

~ Carol Bentley

Breaking into larger organisations can be extremely frustrating as the question sent in by Tony Clarke, Fuel Dynamics Ltd indicated:

“I want to do business with every Housing Association in the UK. I somehow or other have to ‘get to’ their chief purchasing officers.

My experience is that because I’m only a small business they will not work with me. They will, it appears, only deal with ‘big’ companies who they know and have a strong market presence.

Letters do not work even to the right man. Phone calls are never put through. Faxes, which I’ve found effective in some situations, don’t get a response.

Maybe you have some tips for me and some of your other readers on how to deal with these very powerful people. They rule the roost and even their MD’s give them a free hand in terms of control.

It’s an interesting dilemma for me.”

A: Changing the perception your target prospect has of you is key to getting that door open. And it takes more than letters, emails or faxes that introduce your company and the service or products you offer.

Sometimes you have to approach it from a completely different angle. So let me start by asking you some questions; see if they give you any ideas…

• Do you give the impression of being a small company? Check your image, both in terms of presentation - from your business card up - and what happens if anyone does attempt to contact you. Do you have an answer phone or are calls always answered personally?

For example; many years ago when I was the sole representative of my company I made absolutely sure that anyone contacting me got a very favourable impression. I engaged a telephone answering service that offered a good personalised service; they didn’t have a lot of other calls being answered in the background and knew that they must never, under any circumstances let on that they were a telephone answering service.

It worked, because one of my clients who I had worked with for some years, expressed surprise when he discovered that I didn’t have an army of people behind me.

Now, the important thing is I did not deceive my client; he never asked about the size of my company - he just assumed that my company was large because the phone was always answered by a variety of different people whenever he rang; there was no voice mail or answerphone. And of course, he received superb service so had no reason to doubt my company’s ability to look after him.

• Who, in the organisation, uses what you offer? Does the person (or people) who would benefit most from your product or service have any influence on the CPO? Could you recruit them as ambassadors for you and your company?

• What challenges are the CPO’s facing that your product or service could help with?

• Do you have expert knowledge that would help him in his job, without actually selling him anything? Advice freely given makes you more memorable than competitors who are only looking for the sale.

• Do you have a valuable, content-rich report, booklet (or book) you can send as a gift. It would have to deliver exceptional value; not just mundane ‘facts & figures’ he can get from anywhere.

• Have you thought about writing and publishing a book? Doing so positions you as the expert. It adds gravitas to your reputation and when you send it as a gift it raises the barrier for you; makes you stand out from the competition. And crafting a book is not as difficult as it may first seem.

• Do you have case-studies from other organisations that demonstrate innovative approaches to solving the problems the Housing Associations CPO’s face? Collate them into a report; make sure you get permission to use the stories and check exactly how much detail your customers are happy for you to reveal.

• Do any of your present or past satisfied customers know the people you are trying to reach. Would they be prepared to recommend you, or write a letter of endorsement?

• Are you well known within your industry? If your prospect recognises your name as an industry expert he is more likely to give you time to talk.  Apart from publishing a book you can achieve this by getting articles printed in the trade publications he is likely to read.  Send letters to the editor with interesting ‘industry specific’ points.  Do not make even the slightest attempt to advertise or sell your product or company.  The editor is highly unlikely to print your letter if you do, which defeats the whole purpose of writing.

Enhancing your reputation within your industry works in your favour, even if you don’t own the company you work for.

If any of the writing activities phases you then hire a ghost writer to create the material for you.

Like any large organisation, selling to a Housing Association needs a different approach. Don’t ’sell’ - offer powerful advice that the CPO appreciates and looks forward to receiving. Demonstrate your expertise; demonstrate the higher level of personal contact and customer service he (or she) gets from you compared to a larger organisation where he may not always be able to deal with the same person continuously.

But most of all, remember you are still selling to a person who has his own problems; his own challenges, his own stressful situations. Eliminate some of that stress for him, make life easier and you have a better chance of getting his attention.

I have recommended it before… and it is worth mentioning again because I think it would help you in this situation - Jill Konrath’s book Selling To Big Companies is worth getting. You can take a look at 2 chapters for free if you visit: http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.com

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: marketing business tips selling to big companies Jill Konrath