If you work in marketing communications, you’ve probably seen this scenario a dozen times: a harassed salesperson, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, storms into your cubicle. “I got a hot sales call in Toledo in three weeks. I have to have a flyer to drop off,” he says, slamming his fist into his open palm.
you sigh So it begins: another brochure. And you know how it will end: thousands of dollars and several hours of the night against deadlines later, you will have your brochure. But the company will not have the sale. And you’ll have a coat closet filled with bulging boxes of forgotten warranties.
Is there a better way to support sales? Something you can leave with prospects that’s a little more memorable—and more effective—than the standard brochure with its forced march through “visions,” product descriptions, and corporate biographies? Yes actually. I offer eight suggestions, not as comprehensive answers to every sales communications situation, but as inspiration and provocation for creating material that is less likely to collect dust and more likely to move your company closer to a sale.
1) Make it a magazine. David Ogilvy once asked why print ads have to look like print ads, why not make them look like articles? I mean, why not go a step further and make your brochures look like magazines? Instead of the usual boring content, create articles that position your company, products, or services as ways to solve problems or achieve desired customer goals.
For about a decade, Baystate Health Systems in Massachusetts has published a beautiful four-color glossy magazine, AlphaSights, which they distribute to leading medical professionals in central Massachusetts. Distributed three times a year, AlphaSights is packed with articles on new procedures, protocols and initiatives at its flagship hospital, Baystate Medical Center. It has been a phenomenal success: the first issue alone attracted an increase in referrals that more than made up for the production costs of the entire year.
2) Make it useful. Here’s another health care lesson. Every day, legions of pharmaceutical and medical device reps drop tons of samples, coffee mugs, and brochures at doctors’ offices across the country: mess, mess, and more mess. In a competitive field, how do you stand out?
A manufacturer of medical products took notice. They developed a pad of forms, 8.5″ x 11″, with pre-assigned checkboxes and quick and easy order fields that a physician can complete in seconds. All you have to do is fill out a few boxes, sign for it, and send it via fax machine to order the product. In a field packed with competitors, this manufacturer got the most orders, not because it had the prettiest mug or the prettiest brochure, but because it left something behind that made its product the easiest to obtain.
3) Make it educational. Give your prospects a taste of your expertise. Professional services firms have been doing this for years with the ubiquitous white paper, a kind of monograph on a relevant topic of business interest.
Why not apply the “report” idea to consumer products and services as well? For years, the Wall Street Journal has been offering personal finance guides as subscription lures. Anything complex could benefit from an educational report that simplifies: imagine a countertop selection guide for a kitchen remodeling company or a home value explanation for real estate agencies. With a little research and imagination, these companies and others like them can distinguish themselves as authorities, not just other brokers in the group.
4) Make it practical. Two of my current clients are getting a lot out of packaging advice: practical advice and/or ideas that are long enough to be useful, but short enough to be easily digested. It’s a format that people love; in fact, you’re reading a tip-based article right now!
The key is to break your knowledge into bite-sized pieces that busy people can consume on the go. Of my two “tip” clients, one targets the multi-billion dollar M&A market with a “top ten tips” guide; the other runs a website based on advice on a variety of topics that interest consumers and attracts enthusiastic patrons who want to reach out to them. High or low level tips attract favorable attention either way.
5) Make it “maintainable”. When I was a kid, a mechanic’s shop wasn’t real if it didn’t have at least one “girly” calendar, sponsored by “Joe’s Auto Parts” or “Cranwick’s Plumbing Supply” on its walls. Cheesy? Maybe. But you can be sure that the target audience saw the name and phone number of the sponsor every day, often long after the calendars had expired!
In addition to calendars, consider attractive posters, playing cards, puzzles, and entertaining cubby toys. Of course, you want to select options that are as closely associated with your business, proposal, or message as possible. I know of a company that creates custom decks of cards for authors (especially consultants or motivational authors), with each card serving as a summary of a chapter or topic. Playing cards are much more memorable than business cards or brochures, but less cumbersome and expensive than giving away copies of books.
6) Do it from the customer’s point of view. If the familiar brochure format is still your best option, at least consider changing your perspective. Too Much Warranty is narcissistic, full of empty chest-thumping trying to surprise the reader with the supposed greatness of the company.
Instead, write from the customer’s point of view. Forget the boring company history and honor-earned stuff, and talk about the real issues your customers are facing. Then tell them how you solve these problems with precise and specific evidence that makes your claims credible. By embracing this shift in perspective, you demonstrate empathy with the customer (you’re on their side) and show an understanding of real-world circumstances that prospects can recognize and respect.
7) Make it mailable. Or, if it’s going to be shared by hand, easy to ship or transport. In either case, consider how you’re going to distribute your new collateral before you commit to creating it.
Years ago, I worked on a spiral-bound brochure that the client loved. Unfortunately, the spiral binding bulged inside his envelope and jammed the machines at the post office. Worse still, the book was an odd size, small enough to rattle in an ordinary “express” cardboard envelope. While the design was lovely, the project was impractical and ultimately failed of its intended purpose. Don’t make the same mistake: if you’re distributing in bulk, make it easy to mail.
8) Make it work for you. One final thought: You are not in the business of publishing collateral yourself; You should always have a specific business or marketing goal in mind for each piece you create. Everything you do should play a dynamic role in your sales process, a goal that moves the prospect one step closer to buying. What do you want the customer to do as a result of obtaining or receiving your part? Whatever it is, make it explicit.
If nothing else, at least end your collateral copy with a “call to action,” a directive to phone, write, or otherwise respond to you. If you can offer an incentive (a discount, a premium, a free analysis), so much the better. But at the very least, ASK for the answer and tell readers exactly how to reach you.