Us sales reps use different channels to communicate with prospects. Knowing which ones are actually most effective can be a struggle, right? Then there’s the challenge of juggling your tasks: getting new people in to sequence, hitting the phones, attending events and managing that bleedin’ admin.
There are ways I use Direct Mail to increase the effectiveness of each of my other channels, making the juggling easier and bumping my output right up! This blog outlines a few ways I use gifting, with hope of inspiring any other reps pushing for target out there…
Emails
Email sequences are something we’re all familiar with by now. Call, email, call, call, email, call, email… you know the rest. I add ‘Send Direct Mail’ as a step within my sequences for Key Contacts at my top tier accounts. I’ll send through a handwritten note alongside a personal & thoughtful gift, which arrives in a branded box with an A5 one pager, explaining the value of our service.
I’m always sure to include a clear call-to-action within my handwritten note. ‘Drop me a call to hear more’ or ‘Check your email to learn how this works’! It’s a lot harder for someone to ignore a nicely presented gift on their desk, compared with yet another SDR’s email in their inbox - trust me!
Calls
Use gifting to turn those cold calls in to, at worst, Lukewarm, but at best, piping hot! When you call through to a prospect who is sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte that you paid for, it makes the intro that bit sweeter! Timings are essential with this, otherwise they may have finished and binned their drink 2 days prior and forgotten all about you again.
LinkedIn
Sales reps are ALWAYS on LinkedIn. I like to send a message through to more junior reps, offering the chance for a voucher of their choice in return for a response to my message. These lot are by no means decision makers, but if I can deliver value to the end users and get them on board, it certainly won’t do me any harm. Once in a while, I’ll get a direct introduction to my key contact as a result, too.
E-gift cards
Don’t underestimate the power of e-gift cards. Met someone great at an event? Pay for their Uber back to the station so they don’t get soaked in the miserable London rain. Want to thank attendees of your latest webinar? Swing through a JustEat voucher with a link to your next one. Fed up of rescheduling cancelled meetings? Send them a coffee voucher the night before so they can drink it on the call with you. Our demo attendance still sits at 100% thanks to this!
Triggered responses
Responding to triggers is an essential part of sales. When I’ve spotted a company in my territory has just announced its latest round of VC funding, guess what’s coming their way! New job hires is another great one for this, say congratulations and deliver the message in a meaningful way. A bottle of bubbly and a note to say ‘Once you’ve got the feet under the table, I think we can really help your cause’.
Direct Mail is no smoking gun or silver bullet - it’s a power tool that should be used alongside the Digital channels (omni-channel selling, if we’re getting technical!). Give a little thought to including it within your sales function…
