60 Million Dollars in Sales!
Most one-person business owners who I've associated with over the years know that I'm a big believer in investing "creativity" rather than investing hard-earned dollars into marketing efforts.
Here's how a one-person business owner who sells life insurance structured his sales prospecting and sold more than 60 million dollars worth of life insurance in just several months.
First, he researched and made a list of the names of 100 CEOs working in large companies located in and around his city.
Secondly, he contacted 3 semi-famous former baseball players and told them that he was creating a special gift consisting of 3 autographed baseballs to be given to only 100 CEOs in his city. He invited each player to sign 100 baseballs and he would pay them one dollar per signed baseball. The former players accepted his offer and each signed 100 baseballs.
Thirdly, he contacted a small local one-person woodworking business owner and ordered a simple but attractive wooden display each to hold 3 baseballs. Essentially, it was just a block of wood with 3 indentations across the top that the baseballs "nested" in. Each display cost $3.50
Next he ordered 300 baseballs @ .50 cents.
And then he had 100 NAMEPLATES - engraved with the name of each CEO - attached by the woodworker to each wooden display. Each engraved nameplate cost .75 cents
Let's calculate his investment:
300 baseballs @ .50 cents ($150.)
300 autographed baseballs @ $1.00 ($300.)
100 wooden displays @ $3.50 ($350.)
100 engraved nameplates @ .75 cents ($75.)
His total investment = $ 875.00 ($8.75 per completed display)
When he received the signed baseballs and the 100 wooden displays (with the nameplates already attached), he put ONLY ONE baseball into each wooden display.
Using his computer software, he created 100 letters each personally addressed to the 100 CEOs. The letter stated that enclosed was a FREE monogrammed gift consisting of ONE autographed baseball. Should the CEO be willing to meet with the sender to review his/her life insurance needs then he (the insurance rep) would bring a SECOND signed baseball to their meeting. And, then when the insurance rep returned later with the insurance proposal he would bring the THIRD signed baseball, thereby, completing the CEOs monogrammed display.
After the letter was printed off his computer, the insurance rep hand-delivered the letter and one wooden display (containing the first baseball) to the CEOs personal receptionist and waited for a response from the CEOs. It's important to mention that direct mail marketing usually pulls a response of only 1 to 2 percent. This pulled an amazing 92% response. Only 8 CEOs passed on his offer to meet. And, when it was all said and done, our guy had SOLD MORE THAN $60 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF LIFE INSURANCE, all within a few short months.
Does this give you any creative marketing ideas?
