Modern marketing is a modern technological marvel. They’ve got analytics, data analysis, statistics and statistics on their statistics. Despite these terabytes of analytical output, there is still no magic bullet that will give you a sure fire sale in every instance, every time. “If we just had more data” say the data analytical geeks…. then we’d have more useless monikers with units we don’t understand or can’t even wrap our heads around.
“Will someone please tell me what it is a customer actually wants?“ Don’t Google “what it is a customer actually wants?“. Sincerity. Heartfelt sentiment. I mean what I say. Here’s a shocker: “ I’ll actually stand behind what I say”. Carl Little, the oldest copier salesman in Kansas City Missouri is so honest and will actually stand behind what he says that he’s willing to take a loss if one of his copiers screws up too many times. The unbelievable Carl Little has actually driven out to an irate customers’ business with a check in his hand willing to buy back the copier at the full price they paid for it rather than have an irate customer. “Life is too short…” says Carl. And Carl will tell you, that people are so taken aback by this upfront honesty that they’ll quit being mad, get down to the heart of the matter and discuss with Carl the actual issues that are really causing problems. In this manner, Carl disarms what was thought to be a “lost cause Customer” and walks out with a $13,000 order for a brand new, even better, even bigger Copier. Plus he’s got a Customer for Life. And then Carl sends them a card.
Willy Nelson sends his customers a Send Out Card, too. I know this to be true because I personally signed him up. No, not Willie Nelson the country singer, but Willy Nelson the realtor in Lees Summit Missouri. Then Willy is “On the Road Again…” with another Send Out Card for the next Realty customer.
Ask me about friends of mine at Send Out Cards who had a Tree Trimming Business with one truck and one chipper and only worked a few days a week. Hey husband got the idea of using his phone or tablet to take a picture of the customer’s house from high up in the tree. He thanks the Customer for their business and shows the Customer how nice their home looks from that vantage point. In 2 minutes, the picture is taken and the card is on its way. Using no other marketing techniques except send out cards, they now have six trucks, six chippers and a bunch of crews working every day of the week. What’s more, people still have those cards on their refrigerators, desks or front entryways.
Send Out Cards calls it “the one thing”. While it’s hard to define in words, everyone fundamentally understands what the one thing is. Sincerity. Heartfelt sentiment. I mean what I say. We so firmly believe in this One Thing that we rewrote and re-purposed our entire forthcoming 2019 upcoming convention to be all about how our company supports the one thing among fellow human beings. Quit trying to be something you’re not and just be the warm, wonderful really nice man or woman you are deep down. Let go of the façade, the image, the mystique and be a little more like Carl Little. At least a little.
Have a conversation with Ralph Harold, “guywithtwofirstnames.com,” be like Carl Little or Willy Nelson and “Take it to the Bank.”
Ralph Harold
ralph@guywithtwofirstnames.com
816-808-2465