Whether they are aware of it or not, nearly every company relies on relationships to drive sales. People, not markets, are the ones who buy things, and without developing relationships, whether viral and long-distance or personal and across town, sales, if they happen at all, are severely depressed.
The relationship between a seller and a buyer can be purely intellectual and long distance, like the kind of relationship one develops with Mr. Peterman and his clever catalogs, or Bas Bleu and their page after page of bookish items that make you feel included in a literary community. Same goes for Levenger, nominally a seller of leather goods that has turned the shopping experience into a Sunday with the New York Times or a bungalow filled with books.
But the relationships I'm talking about can often be person to person and don't require a media fortune to nourish. Here are a few suggestions that can help build the kind of relationships that turn into sales successes.
The personal book club
Once a quarter (or more often if your budget allows), purchase 25 or 50 copies of a book you think your prospective clients would read and benefit from. Buying that many, you can often deal directly with the publisher and negotiate a wholesale price. Mail the books to your best client list with a personal note telling the recipient that you know they'll enjoy the enclosed book as much as you did. You've spent from $500 to $1,000 plus postage and you've thoroughly surprised, and hopefully delighted, 50 prospective clients who may not have thought of you in the same way before.
Personal subscription
Pick a great business magazine you think your clients would like. Have 50 copies sent to your office, then slip them into a pre-printed sleeve and mail them to your prospect list. The sleeve will tell them that you wanted them to receive this subscription. There may be room for an ad on the sleeve or, if you really want to customize the offering, have a four-color wrap printed and glued on the spine. The cover of the magazine will look the same, except that the cover copy, back copy and inside covers, front and back, will be all about your company. Again, the cost is low compared to other ways to get at important targets. Paid books and subscriptions seldom get stopped by secretaries or dumped in the trash.
Personal notes
Simple, but nearly overlooked today, is the note card, possibly with your logo, that allows you to write a few lines in longhand (if you remember how) thanking, praising, congratulating or otherwise encouraging prospects and clients. The volume of personal mail versus corporate solicitations is such that your hand-written card will stand out like an invitation to the ball. The cards you send can be simple, one-color offset, completely blank or intricately engraved, embossed, debossed or otherwise made impressive. It is the fact that you took the time to write that will make the biggest impression.
Events
Applebee's Park, a rented houseboat, a hike through a nature preserve, or a visit to the zoo can all be ways of thanking clients for their business and asking prospects to get to know you better. While a zoo visit for a business prospect may seem far-fetched, think of how many of your best prospects have children or grandchildren who would love an all-paid day at the zoo, compliments of your company. Cost a fortune? Depends on how many you invite. Their visit doesn't have to be a group event; it can be an individual experience organized and paid for by you. Simply send your client a pass to the zoo or Applebee's Park along with a gift certificate for food and drink. The whole thing shouldn't cost more than $100 per prospect and you can send out only a handful a month.
No matter how you go about it, recognize that the relationships you build with clients are more important than price, service or product quality, although all three had better be top notch in today's economy. A missed delivery between friends is more likely excused than a foul up by someone you don't know and don't care about. Find ways to deliver on the relationship and you'll see your sales continue to grow confidently and profitably. When relationships dissolve and friendships end is generally when payments slow and complaints begin to mount.
Ron Jackson is the CEO and President of The Idea Farm, an international advertising, marketing and public relations group based in Danville. You can reach him at ron@theideafarm.net.