How do you generate sales leads with B2B direct mail when your
product is not only new but also changes the category?
I am talking about the challenge being faced by Steve, a
subscriber to Alan Sharpe's B2B Direct Mail Tactics newsletter.
Here is Steve's challenge, in his words, followed by my
recommendations.
"I have two B2B prospects that I would like to start marketing
to. I am a rep for Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants and I own the
www.Bestsynlubes.com website. My major obstacle is getting
prospects to start realizing that the standard 3,000 mile oil
change interval is about to become obsolete. With Amsoil you can
safely extend your drain intervals out to 25,000 miles or 1 year.
"My two prospects are Commercial Accounts (end users of the
product) and Retail Accounts (they purchase Amsoil directly from
Amsoil and re-sell it to the public). How can I come across to
potential prospects as an authority on Synthetic Lubricants? How
would I go about getting prospects to start thinking outside the
3,000-mile box? How would I go about getting prospects to see
that there is a viable business opportunity with Amsoil? And
most important how would I get prospects to take an interest in
this subject that would propel them down the road to do
extensive research on their own about Amsoil and more
importantly, why they should choose Bestsynlubes.com as their
representative. Thanks for your thoughts on this matter. I look
forward to your newsletters they have been a big help."
My recommendations:
Q. 1. How can I come across to potential prospects as an
authority on Synthetic Lubricants?A. The surest way to become an authority in any area is to
specialize in that area alone. When you write books, give talks,
teach seminars, write articles and consult on a narrow topic,
prospects and clients alike perceive you as an expert. If you
are not yet a Synthetic Lubricants Guru, I recommend that you
borrow authority status from Amsoil, your employer, by using
their industry research and savvy to your advantage. Give your
prospects and clients research and value-added information that
your competitors do not supply. The quickest path to guru status
is to write a book. The next quickest way is to publish a weekly
email newsletter or to get published regularly in the trade
press.
Q. 2. How would I go about getting prospects to start
thinking outside the 3,000-mile box?A. I do not know enough about your marketplace to give immutable
counsel, but I'd do the following. Reach early adopters with
your message and get them to try and then champion your product
to others. Offer the lubricant free for them to test. Create a
publicity stunt that demonstrates the superiority of your
product. Invite the trade media to cover your publicity stunt.
Q. 3. How would I go about getting prospects to see that
there is a viable business opportunity with Amsoil?A. Present your product to end-users as a money-saving
opportunity and to retailers as a money-making opportunity.
Concentrate all of your features, benefits, testimonials and
other proof on these two sales propositions.
Q. 4. And most important, how would I get prospects to take
an interest in this subject that would propel them down the road
to do extensive research on their own about Amsoil and more
importantly, why they should choose Bestsynlubes.com as their
representative?A. I would not do anything that encourages prospects to think
they have to do "extensive research on their own." Instead, I
would offer all of the facts and research they need to make an
informed decision. make their decision as effortless as possible.
As for the role of B2B direct mail in all of this, you could use
it to: * generate leads for your sales force * generate traffic
at your trade show booth * drive buyers to your website for free
white papers and research reports * introduce the product to
your existing customers * invite clients to your launch event,
where you drive around in a Model T Ford that is running on your
new lubricant * persuade prospects to invite you onsite to
demonstrate your value proposition * survey those who test the
new lubricant
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and
in print provided the links remain live and the content remains
unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
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