So Help Me, This is the Truth!
Some times as I write these articles I might embellish the facts to make a point a little stronger. I will always tell the truth as I run a company called INTEGRITY. The following actually happened without embellishment!
Happy to say that Lynne and I are still getting older and I hope that continues for many years into the future. Some even think that some day we will retire. I am in this for the long haul anticipating being carried away in a horizontal position from INTEGRITY Institute at 135 years young. Lynne may decide at some point to do something else and retire from teaching. This story below is about an offer she received offering retirement benefits.
Last Saturday two offers from two different investment advisors came in the mail. Both were four color gloss pieces inviting Lynne to attend a presentation. They were both targeting teachers who are getting ready to retire. Each offered three locations on different days for those interested in attending. One was smaller and my guess is that it was probably less expensive to produce and mail. The smaller offered lunch meetings on days when the teachers would be unavailable to attend. These lunch meetings were scheduled when teachers are scheduled to be in class. The larger mail offer offered dinner meetings. This offer was at restaurants that teachers would normally go to and consider the experience of dining in any of them as good to exceptional. The offering was at a time that was easily accessible to the market match, teachers.
Much of my client time is invested in being clear on market matches. Knowing our market matches’ traffic patterns and knowing where our market matches hangout is important. How someone can miss this amazes me. Teachers typically make up a large segment of a financial planner’s portfolio. Entry level training should teach a financial planner the times a teacher is in school. The cost for mailing, printing, and reserving restaurant dates must have exceeded a few thousand dollars. Besides the cost of preparation is the cost of the missed opportunity.
The larger more expensive piece was perfectly matched to the market. By selecting the right restaurants and the right times created an opportunity for the financial planner to develop an interaction with his market matches which have a greater potential for making a sale.
Having these two marketing pieces arrive on the same day was odd enough. Having them be so opposite in terms of effective marketing makes this unbelievable. Having Lynne bring this to my attention is priceless! (I must be talking about this stuff too much.)
There is also a hidden message in these two communications. The need to be clear on your message delivers two opportunities for creating success. The obvious message is that your market matches will be clear on your offer. The hidden message is that you will be clear on how to connect with your market matches. If the offer from the financial planner offering the smaller piece had a clear definition/message for his market matches they would have known that teachers are in class week days during lunch. Had they scheduled the presentations for summer break, a lunch meeting could have worked. There would also be a cost savings incurred by offering lunch versus dinner.
In summary, when creating marketing communications:
- Be sure of your market matches:
- Where they work
- What their ages are
- Where they hang out
- Know the hours they work
- Discover where they live
Gerry Rose runs INTEGRITY Networking Solutions in Oceanside, CA. He works with people in business who want to attract the right prospects and generate more referrals. More than 10,000 businesses have been presented the INTEGRITY Networking Solutions system in San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange Counties.
Gerry’s stimulating presentation Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals is ideally suited for small business owners, home-based businesses, and independent professionals who want clearer direction and want to attract more prospects, develop dynamic systems, and strengthen their companies’ accountability. Gerry does one on one consulting, conducts a range of keynote speeches from thirty minutes to full-day education workshops. His book series, Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals, are available on the website, www.integritysd.com.
Gerry has more than 20 years’ experience directing business owners how to grow their businesses. He is a networking dynamo. Those who know him will assure you that he does a great job of bringing people together—which is why he started INTEGRITY.
Involved with networking organizations since 1984, Gerry is a Distinguished Toastmaster, a member of Toastmaster International, and has chaired numerous chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations.
Are you truly committed to attracting the right prospects and generate more referrals? If so then contact INTEGRITY Networking Solutions for availability and information. You can contact Gerry by mail at 1610 Quiet Hills Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056. Direct dial (760) 439-4623; e-mail to gerry@integritysd.com. For more information, go to www.integritysd.com
