How to use your 200 contacts

Kickstarting the UK: using your 200 contacts

There are many ways you can use your 200 contacts to promote your business:

  • Direct mail
  • Telephone
  • Mail and telephone follow-up

You are licensed to use the contacts as many times as you like during a 12 month period so you may try different approaches and find a method that suits you.

Direct mail:

Direct mail is a tried and tested method of getting your message to a prospective customer. It can be very effective in capturing attention, communicating a message and encouraging interest in your offering.

Less is more

There is a very real cost attached to mailing so it is important to ensure your mailer creates the right effect. Simple is almost always best; keep what you have to say to the point and keep it short. A well structured mail piece should grab the attention in just a few seconds, and the prospect will read more detail when you have their interest.

Establish a need or requirement

Many marketers find it is very successful to create mailers with the objective of giving 'one message to one person'. Trying to be all things to all people can lead to a confusing message. Always try to determine a need or requirement for your prospect and address that through the content of your direct mail piece.

Include a "call to action"

Always ensure your mailer contains an enticing 'call to action' .Tell the prospect what you expect them to do and the benefit they will receive in return. Discounts, bonuses or limited-time offers can be effective incentives in encouraging people to respond. Examples include: "Call 01234 567890 to receive 10% off" or "Email us to receive your free guide".

First impressions count

Presentation is important in encouraging the prospect to engage with your mailer. The best presentation can often be gained by having your mailer commercially printed, but this can be costly, especially for small quantities. This is perhaps the first interaction a prospect has had with your brand, and first impressions really do count.

If at first you don't succeed...

Be realistic, you probably won't get it right first time, be prepared to re-think, re-work and try again. Even the best mail campaigns only generate results of around 1.5% to 3% response rate.

Telephone:

Set clear objectives for each call

Plan your call, be clear about your objectives, and don't expect to close a deal with one phone call.

Example objectives include: to speak to the right person, to agree a time to call back, to agree a meeting, to send a sample. Structure your call to get to the objective that you need, and view subsequent actions as steps on a journey.

Set yourself clear and simple targets, perhaps to dial the phone 10 times before having a coffee, and stick to them. Cold calling is difficult, your short term targets will help.

Keep it safe

The TPS and CTPS lists allow people and organisations to opt-out of receiving any unsolicited marketing or sales calls. It is important to establish whether the business you're calling has elected not to receive these calls, as failure to comply could cost you a fine of up to £5000. The list you receive will have been screened and so will be safe, but people can register at any time, so you should consider re-screening your list every month. We are a responsible list owner and will contact you later about this. Don't forget that even if you become unable to telephone a contact, you can still send mail to them.

Build a rapport

Make call notes, it will help keep you on track with your prospect, and help you build rapport if you can 'remember' details you have already talked about.

Review and evaluate

Review your calls, to learn what approaches work well, build on those, and develop the others.

It's nothing personal

Prepare yourself to handle rejection and try not to take it personally. Not everyone will want or need your product, but this is not a personal matter, it's just business.

Key features of the different methods:

Direct mail
  • Relies on actions from recipient
  • The cost of the design, print and fulfilment can be high.
  • People less receptive to 'junk' mail. Careful targeting is needed to ensure message is relevant to the intended audience.
  • Careful consideration of message, images and tone used throughout the mailer.
  • Typically the lowest prospect to customer conversion rate
Telephone
  • Can be hard to get hold of the correct person
  • Low direct costs (other than your time)
  • Speak directly to the prospective customer
  • Can learn and adapt your approach
  • Very personal and not everyone finds it easy
  • More environmentally sound
Mail and telephone follow-up
  • Requires sustained effort and integrated planning to ensure followup occurs within 1-3 days of receiving mailer.
  • Prospect will already have a basic understanding of your offering from reading the mailer. This facilitates a more productive followup call with a greater chance of an appointment sale.
  • Can learn and adapt your approach.
  • Typically a higher prospect to customer conversion rate

Final Thoughts:

Many marketing professionals think the most effective method is to Call – Mail – Call although this varies from product to product.

1. Call

to introduce your company and check that the contact name you have from Kickstart UK is the correct one for your offering. Agree to send them a letter or brochure. Arrange to call them after they have received it.

2. Mail

send them enough information to actually understand your offering. Refer back to your earlier call, and remind them that you will be calling back soon to discuss it.

3. Call

refer to your earlier conversation, and your letter, then explore how your offering could be of benefit to them. If they like your offering, make sure you get a clear plan for taking things forward:

  • a meeting arranged
  • a formal quotation
  • an order