Good morning!
It came like clockwork.
Every Friday an envelope would arrive addressed to me and written in familiar handwriting. It was from my mom. Inside could be everything from a comic strip to an article, carefully cut out and lovingly mailed.
We used to tease mom and dad about this habit and it even came up in my dad’s eulogy. Both of them were givers. Both of them spent their 92 years giving to others. This sales tip will be released just after the one-year anniversary of my moms passing. Naturally, I miss her terribly. But never is that more apparent than when I go and get the Friday mail.
Recently, I saw a funny comic strip in the Wall Street Journal. I took a picture of it and texted it to each one of my girls adding, “I am my parents’ son.” Ribbing responses ensued.
As you’ve heard me say before, everyone needs to have a prospecting process. This step one, step two, step three, step four plan for repeated contact can include a number of different activities. But no matter what you include in yours, the most important aspect is the first impression. As they say, you only get one chance.
You could email.
You could stop by.
You could call.
You could send an introductory letter or even samples.
Or, you could take a lesson from Priscilla Farquharson.
The stuff that mom sent me, my siblings, the priest at our church, and countless friends and family was by no means random. She’d see something that she knew we were interested in and snip, snip, snip, fold, insert, seal, and mail. Off it went. For us, it was a reminder that we were on her mind.
But what a great first impression to make on someone! Are you making a sales call on a college or university? Find an article in the Wall Street Journal. Send the link or pull out your scissors. Are you in the label business? This plenty of information about the growth of craft breweries. Healthcare? There is an abundance of content out there that would serve as a great introduction.
I could do worse than to emulate the caring and serving nature of John and Priscilla Farquharson. You, too, can learn from their sales techniques.
