Masonry Magazine June 1969 Page. 18
SMOOTH SELLING
By George N. Kahn, Marketing Consultant
THE UNEXPECTED LETTER
Ed Arlen and his wife, Helen, spent a pleasant weekend at the home of friends in Connecticut.
On their return, Helen dashed off a warm note to their hosts, thanking them for their hospitality and telling them how much they enjoyed the visit.
Ed, an electronic equipment salesman, read the letter, nodded his approval and was about to turn back to his newspaper when a thought struck him.
Helen's message was a thoughtful gesture and one which their hosts would no doubt appreciate. Perhaps they would be invited back sometime. "Maybe," Ed mused, "there is a lesson here for me in my business. I should maintain contact with my customers after the interview."
The next week Ed began a regular practice of correspondence with his customers, particularly after getting an order. Sometimes it was just a brief thank you note, other times a full length letter.
The idea was a good one. Sales picked up and his relationship with customers became closer. The latter appreciated the letters.
Thirty Minutes a Day
Many salesmen believe that their relationship with the buyer ends with the order or the interview. Actually, it's only the start.
If you want the initial contact to grow and develop, you must do something about it. Between-call activity is important in raising earnings.
You should allocate at least thirty minutes a day to writing letters to your customers. I don't mean normal business correspondence but friendly, informal notes. Tell them how much you enjoyed their courtesy on your recent call. Let them know you look forward to seeing them again.
Send the letters whether you are at home or on the road.
The Information Letter
As important as the thank-you note is the information letter. This missive employs the same friendly, chatty note as the aforementioned letter, but it also contains facts or data useful to the buyer. It may be something you read in the paper or picked up from industry sources. It could be good news or bad but it is of interest to your customer.
Tips For the Buyer
If you are a service salesman, you might make a regular analysis of a customer's position and send it to him. This will enable him to make any needed adjustments in his investment or insurance program.
Or suppose you work with retail dealers. You might spot bright merchandising ideas in another town and pass along the tip to your customers.
At times the correspondence can be purely personal. A buyer has told you he likes a certain kind of cigar he finds difficult to get these days. A few days later you discover the brand in another town. You send him a box of the cigars along with a note telling him where he can buy them regularly.
Prospecting by Mail
A postage stamp could get you a $50,000 customer. Prospecting is a vital job for a salesman and a demanding one. Send a short, cordial note to a prospect before you call.
This could be an "ice breaker." I've used this approach many times and always found that it smoothed the way for me. In most cases the buyer thanked me for the notice of my arrival. It gave him a chance to make room for me on his schedule.
Polish Your Style
Good letter writing is an art. The more you write them the more your style will improve. Strive for personal words like "you," "I" and "we." Avoid, if you can, the stilted type of business letter. Be relaxed and informal.
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Get to the point quickly without sidetracking. Shun flowery or elegant phrases.
You should also keep a file of the first-rate letters you receive. Ask yourself what was good about the letter? What held your interest? Why didn't you throw it away as you did the others? Pay special attention to the opening paragraph.
Don't throw a complex mass of figures at the reader, especially at the beginning of the letter. In fact, be sparing of figures throughout the message. A lot of numbers quickly create boredom -and doom for your letter. Some executives won't read more than a three-paragraph letter. So try and boil down what you have to say. Work on this. Bat out a practice letter and then see how much you can cut out of it and still leave its basic meaning. In short, chop out the dead wood.
Most letters say too much. Even the friendly "thank you" notes should not ramble on.
Reminder of You
Buyers see a lot of salesmen in the course of a month. Yours is a face that may be quickly forgotten unless you keep reminding the customer of your existence. The fact that you got an order is not a guarantee that it will be repeated on your next call. Getting the business may have been a bit of luck or the result of circumstance. Don't walk out feeling you have a customer all wrapped up because you closed a deal.
Keep your personality in his mind by frequent communications. Send him letters, reminders, mailing pieces-anything that carries your name and your company's name.
Well, we've gone around the track on the subject of letter writing. Do you make customers through your correspondence? Try this quiz and see. A score of seven "yes" answers indicates you are using your epistolary skills to good advantage.
1. Do you usually write a letter of thanks to a customer who has given you an order?
Yes No
2. Do you often send your customers bits of information they can use?
Yes No
3. Are your letters readable in terms of penmanship or type?
Yes No
4. Do you practice letter writing to perfect your writing style? YesNo
5. Are your letters written in a warm, friendly style?
Yes No
6. Are they brief and to the point?
Yes No
7. Can you say that each of your customers has heard from you by letter at least once in the past three months? Yes
No
8. Are you on the lookout for tips or ideas that you might send to your customers?
Yes No
9. Do you prospect by mail?
Yes No
10. Are your letters paying off?
Yes No