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Mailshot for Architects of High End Clients

by FreshFireOne
7 replies
Hi,

I am currently working for a company who specialises in high home automation systems and was looking to do a mailshot to interior designers and architect.

I know I do not want to just send a letter and a flyer. I am nervous about cold calling or even calling after a letter has been sent... maybe just not got the balls to do it yet.... I just think I hate cold calls and assume it annoys people more than wins business (OK negative thoughts I know) anyway back to my main point....

Not quite sure what I want to send the interior designers yet so going to start off with the architects. I was planning on sending them so sort of white paper explaining why things need to be thought of in the early days. i.e. centralised control room/hub. My client is of the opinion they will not read them and put them in the bin....

Curious to get other peoples views and suggestions...
#architects #clients #end #high #mailshot
  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    Originally Posted by digijoltman View Post

    Hi,

    I am currently working for a company who specialises in high home automation systems and was looking to do a mailshot to interior designers and architect.

    I know I do not want to just send a letter and a flyer. I am nervous about cold calling or even calling after a letter has been sent... maybe just not got the balls to do it yet.... I just think I hate cold calls and assume it annoys people more than wins business (OK negative thoughts I know) anyway back to my main point....

    Not quite sure what I want to send the interior designers yet so going to start off with the architects. I was planning on sending them so sort of white paper explaining why things need to be thought of in the early days. i.e. centralised control room/hub. My client is of the opinion they will not read them and put them in the bin....

    Curious to get other peoples views and suggestions...
    Yes... pieces of paper that are sent to them and left for them to throw away are much less intrusive than a simple call.

    You and your client both have bad outlooks on marketing. Yes when you cold call people are going to be bothered at times. Yes, when you send mail they are going to throw it away. Yes if you have a radio ad people will change the station because it isn't music they want to hear. Yes, television ads are only good for when friends are together drinking, to make fun of you.

    So... lets just assume all marketing doesn't work...

    What are we left with? Nothing?

    Yes cold calling works, if you want success enough you will do it and stop being a sissy. Direct mail can work...

    I don't know what you're wanting to figure out? If your client doesn't want to do any marketing, then what does he want you to do? Chances are he wasn't doing his marketing RIGHT.
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    • Profile picture of the author FreshFireOne
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      Yes... pieces of paper that are sent to them and left for them to throw away are much less intrusive than a simple call.

      You and your client both have bad outlooks on marketing. Yes when you cold call people are going to be bothered at times. Yes, when you send mail they are going to throw it away. Yes if you have a radio ad people will change the station because it isn't music they want to hear. Yes, television ads are only good for when friends are together drinking, to make fun of you.

      So... lets just assume all marketing doesn't work...

      What are we left with? Nothing?
      Damn logical thought processes.... and yes these are facts we all know...

      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      Yes cold calling works, if you want success enough you will do it and stop being a sissy. Direct mail can work...
      This is true, you wouldn't of thought I used to work sales (and was good at it!). I kind of knew this but was curious for some out of the box thinking.... I was considering visiting offices of places too :-)


      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      I don't know what you're wanting to figure out? If your client doesn't want to do any marketing, then what does he want you to do? Chances are he wasn't doing his marketing RIGHT.
      I am working to drag him into the 21st Century with his outlook on marketing! Slowly winning it's taken ages but I got the company brand updated, overhauled the website now just working on a press release and contacts and party for the launch of his demo premises.
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      • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
        Originally Posted by digijoltman View Post

        Damn logical thought processes.... and yes these are facts we all know...



        This is true, you wouldn't of thought I used to work sales (and was good at it!). I kind of knew this but was curious for some out of the box thinking.... I was considering visiting offices of places too :-)




        I am working to drag him into the 21st Century with his outlook on marketing! Slowly winning it's taken ages but I got the company brand updated, overhauled the website now just working on a press release and contacts and party for the launch of his demo premises.
        Since you're a good sport, I'll give a better response.

        A targeted list for direct mail can be very important, just like the call to action, and copywriting.

        Are you ranking for keywords that are relevant to his company? A press release can be cool but doesn't always bring the expected results.

        If you're targeting interior designers, and architects, then I would suggest using a combination of cold calling, direct mail, face to face, email, etc. If those are the people you want to get in touch with, if you want something outside the box, then find these people and go there. Where do they hang out? What do they read? What do they search for? Be in those places.

        Know your market, where they are, what they do, what they like...
        What do they need?
        Is what you have, something they can benefit from? Does it solve a problem?

        Simple questions that can get you far ahead in marketing.

        There is nothing outside the box you need to do. The brilliant companies around are not brilliant because of out of the box marketing. They are brilliant because of the simple things they do in perfection.
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  • Profile picture of the author FreshFireOne
    It's nice to have my initial thoughts/plans re-enforced ie. cold calling/mailing/face to face/email.

    Also seeing as I've been working with him for about 6 months I have been to close to his way of thinking and not stepped back to consider other things.

    Website is doing great :-) from no keywords ranking (to be fair it was an excuse of a site) to general terms in the top 10 and the local ones number 1! (again not hard not much competition...) Looking to expand to other more general terms now to increase traffic.

    Going to sit back tonight and do my who, what, where and why analysis and go for a trail run.... i.e. jump in and stop putting it off!!! :-)

    BTW:- Nice website like your Web411! Nice idea...

    Do you do much UI testing? I just tendered for a job where the initial UI testing consisted and me asking a simple question... What do you think the company does.... and not one user went to the same place to find the answer (i.e. the logical place is an about us page)... mainly because the current site is so bad it has no about us page.... and this from a site getting 500 visitors a day and still making money!! lol
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by digijoltman View Post


      BTW:- Nice website like your Web411! Nice idea...

      Do you do much UI testing? I just tendered for a job where the initial UI testing consisted and me asking a simple question... What do you think the company does.... and not one user went to the same place to find the answer (i.e. the logical place is an about us page)... mainly because the current site is so bad it has no about us page.... and this from a site getting 500 visitors a day and still making money!! lol
      Just one of many.. that site is actually one of my least profitable but still brings in quite a bit of money. Brings roughly 6k/mo in new business.

      I do a TON of UI and UX testing. User experience is probably more important than any other factor with a website, even over SEO.

      Funny you ask, because the site you went to I've done quite a bit of testing there. I've had that for over a year now and it gets the same traffic each month but the testing has done so well it went from around $1,200/mo about 8 months ago to now pulling in 6K+/mo.

      I had another site, same type of design just yellow and orange and everything else is the same. It brings in 4K/mo... its kind of weird how colors can make that much of a difference LOL.

      Anyway, good luck to ya.. Best way to get more business is get in front of them, whether it is by calling, dropping into their office, or mailing them. Go where they are and you'll get results!
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  • Profile picture of the author FreshFireOne
    It says you are a press release expert.... You might be handy to know :-)

    What sort of costs are there for brain storming/creating a PR?
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