Graham McGregor: How to get appointments with high value clients and customers

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Opinion

Marketing consultant Graham McGregor on how to get appointments with high value clients and customers.

I recently interviewed copy writing legend Ivan Levison for my 'Unfair Business Advantage Report.'

Ivan is one of my favourite copywriters and he has produced amazing increases in sales for his clients. (He also writes a free monthly marketing ezine called 'The Levison Letter' which I highly recommend.)

In our interview Ivan shared some simple strategies on how to use direct mail to help you get appointments or meetings with high value clients.

(High value clients are people that can potentially be worth substantial amounts of revenue if they decide to spend money with your business.)

As Ivan explained; there are times when you want to get a personal interview or
face to face meeting with a high value client.

And a great way to do this is to use a direct mail letter designed solely to help you get
an appointment.

Here are three of the keys to doing this well.

1: Send your introductory letter to a potential high value client by using an overnight courier service. This is a simple way to make sure your letter reaches the right person and is actually read. (When you have a high value new client you want to meet it is often worth spending a little bit more money when you approach them.)

2: Consider making your letter a multi dimensional package. This just means there is something in the package or with the letter that gives it a look and feel that is slightly out of the ordinary.

Here is a simple example:

Ivan used to work with a graphic designer called Chris in Silicon Valley, California.

Chris wanted Ivan to create an appointment letter for him to say (to the technology companies around where he worked) that he was really just a stone's throw away from them and that they should use his graphic services.

Ivan created this appointment letter and had Chris send it out to each prospect. At the same time he had Chris include a pebble (or small rock) with each letter.

And this tied into the appointment letter as well.

At the top of the letter Ivan put the headline:

'Profit Building Art Direction and Design just a stone's throw away'.

Ivan told me that a lot of people might think that something like this is a bit corny.

And yes it is.

But at the same time it worked well and the graphic designer got dozens of appointments. And some excellent new high value clients for his design services.

3: The letter itself has its core purpose to set up a personal meeting.

This means it should not be boring. So you don't want to send a letter that says, allow me to introduce myself. I'm so and so from so and so. (That would be a mistake.)

Instead your letter has to outline the specific benefits that the meeting will provide for
the prospect. So tell potential clients that 'when we get together for a personal short
meeting here's exactly what you will learn and how you will benefit.'

You can read my complete interview with Ivan on pages 241-251 of my 'Unfair
Business Advantage Report'. Ivan discussed some great examples of using
interesting and unusual letters to get appointments with high value clients.

And he generously shared a link where you can read the exact introductory letter
that he wrote for his graphic designer client in Silicon Valley.

Action Step:

How could you use some of these ideas when approaching potential high value clients for your own business?

'You have to think anyway, so why not think big?'
Donald Trump

Graham McGregor is a marketing consultant and the creator of the 396 page 'Unfair Business Advantage Report.' www.theunfairbusinessadvantage.com (This is free and has now been read by business owners from 11 countries.) You can email Graham on graham@twomac.co.nz