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| - Quick Tips Departments - |
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| Remember the Telephone? |
| By Bart Jackson |
For Certain Advertising,
The Phone Still Rings Just the Right Note
The other day, I received a personal telephone call from Surinder Sangh, owner of the Crown of India Restaurant in Plainsboro. Now my wife and I are scarcely what you would term live-wire patrons.
We drop by, probably monthly, always greet Surinder as he warmly shakes our hands, and push away from the table marvelously well fed - usually just the two of us.
Mr. Sangh had never phoned my home before, but this time he wanted to make sure that we were aware of his restaurant’s upcoming Diwali celebration. Diwali means several things to India’s Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist believers. It is the festival of lights, the triumph of good over evil in the new year, the homecoming of legendary King Rama, and more. But one vital ingredient in every Diwali celebration is feasting. Mountains of absolutely superb morsels are laid out in an endless array of tempting dishes.
Beyond making your mouth water, my point is that restaurateur Sangh took the time to phone me personally. He could have e-mailed me (where it would have landed in “junk” and gotten deleted, most likely.) He could have mailed a flyer (Like I do not get enough junk mail already?) He could have texted me from whatever handheld communicator he currently carries. (In turn, I could have the first three words of it appear on my handheld and probably not scrolled down to the full text.) You get the idea. For this situation, a phone call from the owner supplied the perfect marketing tactic. And by the way, it worked. We went and loved it.
Making the Short Call
When first, second, and perhaps even third tier clients need a person-to-person reminder of an upcoming event, or news of a new service.
- Call should be placed by Company owner or someone in senior management.
- Assemble a list, divide it up, and each senior staff member develops the discipline of making e.g. three calls a day.
- Script your announcement for brevity’s sake. Practice it in front of others, and listen to criticism.
- If you merely want to inform the client about one event, and want to avoid long chatter, call during busy midday at either business or home, and leave a message.
- If you do want some brief conversation, try the old Fuller Brush trick: note some personal attribute about this client (he likes sailing - his children ride horses) and note it beside his contact information to bring up appropriately.
The FYI Call
A call that gives back to customers. You don’t want your clients to associate your telephone calls only with sales pitches and spending money.
- Develop the discipline of calling three clients per week merely to offer a bit of information targeted toward their interest.
- Keep the tone informal and warm. “Sam, I just read about this and instantly thought of you and your firm.”
- Don’t get too specific as to how your client should use this news. He knows his company best. Odds are your detailing too exactly the benefits of this information will only betray your ignorance of his operations.
- Limit the entire substance of this call to the news you are imparting. Never mention your company or its products. Keep the favor unblemished.
The New Product Call
When the company owner calls a client personally, it had better be distinct from the regular phone pitch from the usual salesperson.
- Keep the tone informal, but be sure to include your position as company head in the introductory sentences.
- Much as the FYI call, the goal is to make the client feel he has been singled out for a special “heads up” notice by the company owner himself.
- Let another staff member do the actual selling. Merely mention the new product to the client and then finish off with “If you like, I can have Sandra over in our sales department give you a demonstration if you’d like.”
Biz4
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