Lessson Four: Sometimes, There is
No Substitute for Personal Contact
A store whose newsletter I’ve produced for the past 16 years has had particularly good luck this year in filling all of their trips — with one exception. Earlier this year, one of the owners told me, “We really need to push this particular trip; there are still several spaces remaining open.” Imagine my surprise, then, when two months later I learned that the stored had the trip completely filled.
“What happened?” I asked. The store owner explained:
- First, they switched group leaders. Her husband (someone well known to all the store’s customers) took over the trip.
- Second, they hit the phones and let every customer on their “A” list know that he’d be the one leading it.
That was all it took. The trip filled in short order.
Again, in an ideal world, you’d never need to promote anything at the last moment. Unfortunately, none of us are perfect. As a result, we sometimes need to advertise effectively on short notice — or suffer the consequences. When those times arise, there are several tools we can choose from:
- E-mail is fast and cheap — but will only reach a small (but important) percentage of your customers.
- Postcards will reach a greater number of people, but cost money to print and mail — and are easily discarded with other perceived “junk” mail. (Note: Postcards are most effective when they contain some kind of money-saving coupon.)
- Sometimes, there is simply no substitute for personal contact. You need to hit the phones, call your best customers, and make your case in person.
The most effective last-minute promotions may employ two or all three of these methods. We may not like having to do business this way (and shouldn’t get in the habit of it). Nevertheless, it’s nice to know, however, that when the need arises, we can.
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