Letter of introduction

[GuerrillaIM]

Hey Guys,

I am currently writing a letter of introduction that I am going to send out to all the small businesses in my area.

The condensed blurb of my service is that I use IT to increase profits while reducing costs and workload. I do this by creating pursuasive websites, online marketing campaigns and custom software.

I thought I would stop by here to get some advice from the pro's. Shall I keep it short and sweet? One page, friendly greeting and brief blurb about what I can do for them. Or should I pad it out a bit with examples and some testimonials?

I will get someone from my office to follow up on the letter with a call to see if they are interested or not. Anyone have any good ideas to point me in the right direction?

Many thanks,

G

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

I will get someone from my office to follow up on the letter with a call to see if they are interested or not.

For myself, I would do that the other way round. I would spend some time on the phone first trying to create a smaller list of named individuals to whom I can send the letter with some expectation that it will actually be read rather than discarded. (And if doing it that way round, I'd certainly err on the side of putting more in the letter, rather than less).

Once actually speaking to the appropriate person, it would take no more than a 1-minute conversation to serve my purpose and significantly increase the chances of the letter getting some attention. I'd keep my initial telephone-pitch really succinct. "Hello, I'm so-and-so, I provide a service to local businesses offering x, y and z" ... (those parts being very carefully worded and universally appealing!) ... "is this something that you'd be interested in?". I'd plan my "mini-script" very carefully, rehearse it extensively and find a way to get it into an absolute maximum of 50 words.

[Bill Jeffels]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Hey Guys,

I am currently writing a letter of introduction that I am going to send out to all the small businesses in my area.

The condensed blurb of my service is that I use IT to increase profits while reducing costs and workload. I do this by creating pursuasive websites, online marketing campaigns and custom software.

I thought I would stop by here to get some advice from the pro's. Shall I keep it short and sweet? One page, friendly greeting and brief blurb about what I can do for them. Or should I pad it out a bit with examples and some testimonials?

I will get someone from my office to follow up on the letter with a call to see if they are interested or not. Anyone have any good ideas to point me in the right direction?

Many thanks,

G

You should definitely do a letter. And you immediately need to get your prospects attention.

Business people are very busy and what you should do is what has worked time and time again. You should get a $1 bill or I would assume a $1 pound note. And paper clip it to the top of your letter, that will get their attention and their interest to keep reading.

Your opening... "Why have I sent you this pound note?, there are actually two reasons, one is I wanted to get your attention and two since this is about you making more money I thought a financial eye catcher was appropriate. Here's why I'm writing to you".

Then go into all the ways your service will benefit them. How their going to make more money, etc. How long should the letter be?.

As long as it takes you to sell them your service.

Take care,

Bill Jeffels

[rickstooker]

Who's got time for introductions?

I suggest you put together some type of free report or white paper
on some aspect of the services you sell (I'm not clear on your business)
and then send the letter to businesses offering it to them as a free
download. Capture their email addresses and send them autoresponder
emails.

DON'T try to sell them. Just offer useful but incomplete info, so you look
like the expert they need to implement your info.

And follow up by phone.

Rick

[Collette]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Hey Guys,

The condensed blurb of my service is that I use IT to increase profits while reducing costs and workload. I do this by creating pursuasive websites, online marketing campaigns and custom software.

...Shall I keep it short and sweet? One page, friendly greeting and brief blurb about what I can do for them. Or should I pad it out a bit with examples and some testimonials?

G

What's your irresistible offer? The one that's going to make these contacts come to you?

Where's the honey-covered carrot?

My suggestion: Grab the Yellow Pages. Pick a niche (plumbers, realtors, toy stores, whatever). Grab the names of 20 companies that DON'T have a web site listed. Double check on Google (in case they got one up after the YP was printed).

Now walk in, or call each of your companies. Tell them that you're doing a brief survey of companies in their industry - it will take less than 60 seconds, and they'd be helping you tremendously with this favor.

Your questions:
- How long have you been in business? (i.e. if you've survived more than 6 months, you may have the $$ to hire me)
- Do you currently use the Internet for marketing? (you already know they don't)
- Do you currently have a web site (you know they don't)
- What's holding you back from marketing on the Web (This is the $$$ question)
- Thank you very much, and as a further token of thanks for your time and participation, may I send you a small gift of appreciation (you get their permission to be put on your list.)

You send them a free report outlining all the different low-cost, no-cost ways they can market on the Internet. And how you can do all the work for them and automate the process for them.

Include with a dimensional gift. Mail by the fastest mail you can afford.

Call 3 days after mailing "just to check that you received your gift".

Build relationship and proceed.

[Bill Jeffels]

Originally Posted by WordPro

With all due respect to Bill, I don't think a £1 note will get you very far mate. That is, unless you've still got a few of them knocking around still, but then they're pretty collectible these days.

The old £1 coin gimmick I just cannot see working, it's so old now that one over here, that I just don't think it's going to grab anyone's attention, I mean £1 - what does that buy you these days, a quarter of a pint of beer - big deal, do that and they'll more likely laugh at you in the SE and everywhere else for that matter in the country, besides which over here, it's insulting, it's as though you are putting a price tag on my attention - £1 just doesn't cut it.

When you come to write your letter, don't whatever you do go for something extraordinarily long, contrary to popular belief here on the WF Copywriting forum, it may well work in America but in London, errrrr no, I don't think so.

Keep it short, straight to the point and convey your main points extremely precisely and proficiently.

We're all short on time, there's nothing worse than receiving a mailshot that just goes on and on and on - when I receive them, I just feel like shoving it up the backside of the person sending it to me.

I like to be sold, if I am to be sold on anything in very precise language that gets straight down to the point - no waffle at all or repetition over and over again for emphasis.

Don't use any gimmicks to grab my attention, I personally cannot stand seeing marketing messages diluted by some attention grabbing gimmick - all I want is for you to take 20-30 seconds maximum of my time, if you can't sell me in that timeframe, in the rubbish bin it goes.

A strong headline to grab attention, a damn short paragraph explaining the main key features, followed by bullet points and a darn good design overall, that's all that's needed to grab my attention.

Do more than that and you will just as likely piss off as many business owners as convert them.

Wish you well with it.

Best of luck!

Mark

Hi Mark,

No disrespect taken. I'm not familiar with the pound note, so you'll have to forgive me there.

My point was a 1 dollar bill. What ever currency it maybe.

And yes it still works, in Canada and America I know for sure. And yes it has been around for a long time... and that is because it works. It definitely would not be insulting for someone to receive the equivalent of a dollar where ever you are.

I just received a "Dollar Bill Letter" from Joe Polish last week. It works. Joe Polish knows what he's doing.

Anyway, sorry to take away from the original post.

All the best,

Bill jeffels

[GuerrillaIM]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for getting back to me.

I like the idea of a free report. I do this on my websites but it didn't occur to do it on the introduction letter.

When I worked on my own I used to look in newspapers and the yellow pages for companies without websites and then call them up to sell to them. That still works for newspapers but the yellow pages now offer web design and their telesales team is pretty agressive so when calling through the yellow pages these days for design and development work its hard going as everyone else has the same idea.

Reason I wanted to send the letter first was because the cold caller will just be a guy on minimum wage reading a script trying to discover interested parties. Once he finds someone he will ask some qualifying questions and then pass it across to me as a lead.

I have been asking myself what I can give as an irresistable offer and I keep coming up blank as I offer multiple services and until I know about a company and how it operates I do not know what to recommend. My general service covers a lot of things so it may seem a bit vague. When I talk to a company i see if custom software can save them admin costs and speed their work up. I also look at ways to increase sales through contacting existing customers and improving their website and online marketing.

length wise I think I can say what I need to say and give an example with a testimonial in 2-3 pages.

I really appreciate everyones input, I'm going to sleep on it now and write it tomorrow. I will also post it here, woul be great to get some further pointers.

[Collette]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Hey Guys,

Reason I wanted to send the letter first was because the cold caller will just be a guy on minimum wage reading a script trying to discover interested parties.

Send me your money. I'll burn it.

Either give your guy a stake in the outcome (commission) or save your cash.

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

...until I know about a company and how it operates I do not know what to recommend. My general service covers a lot of things so it may seem a bit vague. When I talk to a company i see if custom software can save them admin costs and speed their work up. I also look at ways to increase sales through contacting existing customers and improving their website and online marketing.

Which is exactly why I suggested you approach a short list of targets. You get a chance to open a conversation about their needs in a totally non-pressure and non-threatening way.

Then you go back and create a special report tailored to THEIR concerns. Badaboom baddabing. Interested contact produced.

Sending a cold mailing with a generalized appeal to a cold list is going to yield you very little for your efforts.

Why waste your time (and your money) contacting people who don't want to be contacted?

Think about it:

You can mail and follow up with 100 disinterested prospects, and maybe make 1 sale.

Or you can tweak your approach, target 20 prospects who you already know need your services (and who already know who you are), tailor your pitch to their needs - not yours - and close 20 sales.

From a business perspective - which gives you the better ROI?

As for writing 2 -3 pages of letter... long copy isn't going to help you unless you're saying the right things = "what the prospect wants to hear".

And you've already admitted that you don't know what those things are - because you don't really know who you're talking to.

Spend a little more time laying the groundwork. It will save you hours of time and frustration. And ultimately make you more money, faster, and with less effort.