written by john c ashworth
How great letters help you form ‘something’ bonds with your customers and prospects
People don’t write enough letters anymore…
According to the United States Postal Service, on average, American households now receive only one personal letter every ten weeks. This about half what it was 10 years ago. Americans also mailed 42 percent fewer holiday cards in 2018 than they did in 2008. (The Art of Imperfection: Peopler are Turning to Robots to write their 'handwritten' cards. The Washington Post, December 21st, 2019)
I sense BIG opportunity for YOU here.
You’ll NEVER convince me there’s a better way to connect with someone when you’re not there. Yes. This is coming from a guy who has produced a lot of videos over the years. Someone who believes this is extremely important too. But letters? Letters are incredibly more powerful in so many ways.
There are essentially two ways to sell stuff.
One, you focus on the all the benefits of your product or service and show your prospects how these benefits will solve their problems.
Second, YOU create focus on the ultimate benefit of your product or service. The benefit of becoming familiar and then personally connected with You, the seller. Because YOU have a lot to offer your prospects and customers; and their lives are destined to improve significantly once this intimate relationship is established.
There is no better way to do this than through direct-mail.
Yes. Letters, newsletters, postcards, catalogues, and just about anything you can think of that you can fit inside my mailbox and that touches mer personally in some way. Regularly.
When you can get intimate with your prospects and customers, and you do it the right way, the right ones will find you, buy from you, and stay hungry for MORE.
If you’ve ever bought something you didn’t really need from a salesperson who you really liked, you have experienced the power of intimacy first-hand. What happens is that through a careful blend of communication, charisma, and connection, a great salesperson gains influence with you and this makes it easier and easier to influence your opinion or behavior.
I’ve mentioned before that all sales are manipulative in some manner or another. That’s the nature of the game. But this is not a seditious pursuit. Or, it shouldn’t be. Because if I’m a salesperson with a great product that I know can help you immensely and I fail to persuade you to buy my product or service, I’ve failed you.
There is no better way to gain this kind of intimacy and opportunity with your prospects and customers than through the mail - by sending letters. Especially in today’s world where we receive so few personal pieces of mail, you can literally ‘own’ someone’s mailbox and create a powerful situation where they begin anticipating the things you send each month and consuming them with a ravenous hunger driven by your immensely powerful skills of communication, connection, and influence in which your people also find great value, entertainment, and benefit.
I have people that I follow in this manner and many of them have had important and powerful impacts on my life in many ways.
You need to work to become this kind of influence on your prospects and customers and you’re not going to do it through facebook, instagram, your website, or anywhere else online where people are telling you you need to spend money and time. Yes! Some of those things are important as part of your overall marketing and communication strategy, but none of them will compare to what you can accomplish through the mail.
If you want to begin receiving examples of this kind of communication and marketing strategy, I encourage you to subscribe to my mailing list.
I hope to ben sending you cool stuff very soon 🙂
-John
