Selling, in its purest form, is the ability to reach out to prospects in a manner that, though it may be uncomplicated in its mechanics, has a tendency to resonate with people. A campaign need not be so elaborate and complicated to capture attention, for sometimes the smallest, seemingly insignificant gestures can take root in the mind of the audience.
Call it human nature, but people love to be treated and fawned upon. It’s amazing how something as simple as a thank you card, a box of chocolates or a trinket of appreciation can win over a prospect. But as sales and marketing tactics go, the successful campaign or initiative is the right one.
Sam Burtnick,
Nauticon Office Solutions
Standing out from a sea of competitors can be challenging, but to the creative goes the spoils. That is certainly the case for Nauticon Office Solutions of Gaithersburg, MD, which uses subtle forget-me-not gifts to catch the attention of its clients and prospects, notes Sam Burtnick, vice president of major accounts. The dealer employs custom scratch-off tickets and creatively packages small gifts in Chinese food carryout boxes to leave a lasting impression.
Hosted events also serve as an effective tool for cultivating leads. Nauticon, along with one of its manufacturer partners, invited more than 50 local business leaders to a formal party that proved to be a rousing success.
“This event was top-class with pipe and drape treatment, an open bar, passed cocktail hors-d’oeuvres and presentations from each department, along with one of our manufacturers,” Burtnick said. “Music was provided by a DJ and door prizes were given away by our emcee. Each guest was encouraged to provide three referrals before leaving the event. We followed up with phone calls and scheduled many appointments.”
Certainly, this kind of investment yields potential leads, but the good will it fosters while growing Nauticon’s reputation in the community helps set the stage for future engagements.
“We do things in very unique ways,” Burtnick observed. “Nauticon does what others do not, and that is what differentiates us from the competition.”
Eakes Office Solutions certainly knows how to make a manufacturer feel welcomed. The Grand Island, NE, dealership did a red carpet treatment back in the spring in conjunction with the addition of Ricoh products to its copier division, according to Sandy Faber, corporate marketing manager for Eakes.
Sandy Faber, Eakes
To trumpet the news, Eakes developed a marketing campaign complete with business cards, customer flyers, car magnets, showroom posters, product brochures and press releases. To further spread the word, Eakes also produced web banners, an online product catalog, email blasts, digital billboards and purchased Google AdWords. The marketing push coincided with a kickoff meeting between Eakes’ sales and management teams and Ricoh.
The campaign proved to be a success and yielded some early (and in one case, somewhat unexpected) sales results.
“It created excitement within our sales team and also our customer base,” Faber remarked. “Plus, we received a lead from the company that produced the car magnets before we even launched the new line.”
