Everon does quite bit of marketing to try to keep our managed services sales engine running at a high speed. We use internet marketing tools to market on the internet, we do direct mail, we hold events, we speak for associations – we try to do it all, and we are continuously working to refine our approach and increase our volume.
But sometimes the best marketing tactics aren’t really planned in advance at all, they just come from someone in your company using their common sense. We experienced one of these situations recently, and it’s something everyone in the industry should be sure to use immediately!
The head of our Professional Services group was sick of our clients dragging their feet on projects. He felt that many of our clients had every intention of doing the work, but they were just taking their time since summer was starting and they would rather plan their vacations than plan their projects!
But this was screwing up his numbers, and he was set on hitting his goals. What did he do? He sent a simple yet effective email to all of our clients telling them to GET THEIR PROJECTS DONE or they would risk being delayed when we got a flood of projects signed at the end of summer (like we always do).
And guess what happened?
We added $20k in cash flow immediately to the month of June, and have another $20k+ booked for the early part of July.
Just from sending one email.
This illustrates a very important concept in direct marketing:
Very clearly tell your prospects exactly what you want them to do. When you do, the likelihood that they’ll actually do it increases significantly.
Now, summer isn’t the only time this email can be used. I can think of several others off the top of my head that will work with slightly different language:
- End of year
- Before tax season
- Before a major industry event (if you focus on a vertical)
Get creative. Look for opportunities, and SEND THE EMAIL! It is simple, cheap, and incredibly powerful.
MRC
PS – MSP Coach members will get full access to the email used in the membership site.
