Comparison Shopping

Sometimes providence just hands you one... I received two emails back-to-back in my inbox. One from a chamber of commerce, the other from a trade association. I have been involved, or at least attended events, at each organization. (See the two emails below.)

I happened upon the first email, saw it was from an organization I know and clicked it open. It began “Good Afternoon Valued Friend,”. “Really?”, I’m your valued friend? Funny, I don’t recall your name or ever meeting you! Next came four Yes/No questions about potential problems in my business. (An aside...don’t ask Yes/No questions unless your goal is to eliminate prospects from reading on. You see, if you give them the opportunity to say, “No,” some will, and stop reading.) From there, the email tried to convince me that all my woes as a business owner could be solved by attending their upcoming event. The email was signed by the Business Development and Marketing title at the organization. It couldn’t have screamed louder, “I JUST WANT TO SELL YOU SOMETHING.” And what was the call to action? Come to a 90 minute sales pitch for our organization. Are you kidding me? Wow, I couldn’t wait to get out of that email.

The next email I clicked on was also a sales pitch (I’m not naive, afterall), but the tone and content were so different from the first that I ended up reading the whole thing and considering reconnecting with the organization. “Dear Stephen,” it began, “We’ve missed you!...” Now I know that they only miss me because I’m not a paying customer/member, but still, at least they bothered to use variable data to drop my name into the salutation! The email went on to say they understand the economic difficulties small business are facing and suggested coming to their next event (a networking event). And to come free of charge. The email was signed by the president of the organization, under his handwritten signature (HTML email, compared to text name and title in the first email).

What a difference! A free networking event at which I might meet some prospects and experience how valuable this organization is, versus a sales pitch where I hear the staff tell me how important their organization is. Hmmm... Which one is the better offer?

Here’s the punchline: sometimes we can get so excited about what we have that we forget the other side of the transaction...the buyer. We just tell and tell and tell and don’t realize that what we’re supposed to be doing is building a value proposition to entice a skeptical audience. Our messaging must reflect how great it feels to be a customer and entice us to take the first step to becoming a customer.

Maybe I’ll see you soon at an event...guess which one?

SLE

Email 1:

Good Afternoon Valued Friend,

Are you continually struggling to grow your client base?

Have you found yourself "out of the loop" on the latest information impacting your business?

Is your overhead soaring & your bottom line shrinking?

Have you wanted to make a difference as a business leader in your community?

If any of these challenges sound familiar to you, then here is one opportunity you can't afford to miss!

The NAME HIDDEN invite you to join us for a "FREE Informational Meeting" to learn how your business can gain the "competitive edge!"

WHEN: HIDDEN

WHERE: HIDDEN

TIME: 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. * Complimentary Continental Breakfast will be provided

RSVP to: HIDDEN

Once again, thank you for your interest in our organization! We hope to see you this Thursday! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at HIDDEN.

NAME HIDDEN

Vice President, Business Development & Marketing

Email 2:

Hi Stephen,

We've missed you! During these tough economic times we understand the difficulties that small and medium size businesses are facing. Here at HIDDEN we are making strides towards helping companies thrive. As someone with prior relationship with HIDDEN I encourage you to take another look - you can't afford not to!

Start by attending our next networking event at HIDDEN - free of charge! Where there will be a pig roast and bike show. It's a great opportunity to see what's new at HIDDEN, meet the staff, and network with HIDDEN Members. Click here for more information. (in order to attend as a guest, send an email to HIDDEN)

Visit our website HIDDEN and see what's new or call us toll free at HIDDEN. We would very much like to welcome you back as a HIDDEN Member.

Sincerely,

(handwritten signature here)

President