Search CompleteMarkets

... lives, talked about the home we had provided for him, and confirmed the fact that we had made the right decision. He then went on to offer his heart and his ear if we needed to talk about anything related to our grief. I have never experienced that level of compassion and human connectivity from a human medical provider or any other professional service provider. As a young man selling automobiles in an Oldsmobile dealership, I still remember my most effective marketing campaign. Olds had a special Cutlass pricing promotion where a $3 ,682 sticker Cutlass was selling for $3 ,288. Using names and addresses from the service department files, I began handwriting and addressing 20 postcards per day. The message was simple: "Imagine an Oldsmobile for only $3 ,288!" ... then signed the postcard, which also contained our dealership name, address, and phone number. None of the other sale people did anything like this. For the next three months, I was the top salesperson at the dealership — despite my inexperience and youth. Jim Cecil of Nurture Marketing traveled around the world talking to CEOs on behalf of Microsoft Corporation. The purpose was to find out how a sales professional could get the attention of a busy CEO. The nearly unanimous answer was by sending a "well-written, respectful letter." The top level of business leaders considered a simple handwritten letter to be the most effective marketing tool! Two weeks ago, I unfortunately had to attend the funeral of a young man. This 44-year-old police officer died of a lung infection before donor tissue for ...

... a single customer as they arrive. This salesperson only greets them as they leave. In fact, he's affectionately known as Gateman. As people pull up to the exit gate to leave this establishment, Gateman walks up to their vehicle and says, Thanks for visiting us today; we really do appreciate your business. What model did you buy? ' If the exiting customers say they bought a new automobile, he congratulates them, wishes them well, and opens the gate. But if they say they didn't buy anything, Gateman goes to work with a simple question: Why not? ' After intently listening to their objections, Gateman begins a process of slowly overcoming whatever purchase obstacles the prospect encountered. Slowly, but surely, Gateman gets them back into the dealership and in most cases sells ... Accounting Risk Management Human Resources Selling Legal and E&O Technology Life/Financial Services Glossaries Management Resources & Links Categories Popular Recent All Back Getting Clients Or Prospects Back 4/30/2013 10:38:40 PM by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. GETTING CLIENTS OR PROSPECTS BACK In a suburb of Philadelphia-Langhorne, to be precise-is an unusual retail operation. It's a car dealership, but the difference is the firm's philosophy that no one enters the premises without a desire or need to buy a car. And there's a moral in this story. The salesperson with the highest commission checks every month doesn't greet a single customer as they arrive. This salesperson only greets them as they leave. In fact, he's affectionately known as Gateman. As people pull up to the exit ...

...customers say they bought a new automobile, he congratulates them, wishes them...

...new mode of transportation: the automobile. Because people go past signs relat...

...went to a Beverly Hills classic automobile dealer and took two Polaroid photog...

... its vehicle identification number. This regulation is an effective weapon against fraudulent auto-theft claims. But in one case, an insured managed to purchase Physical Damage insurance on a Rolls-Royce before the regulation was fully effective. His planning was flawless. He was thwarted in his efforts only because of the actions of a dedicated, thorough investigator. To start his plan, the insured went to a Beverly Hills classic automobile dealer and took two Polaroid photographs (slightly out of focus) of a 1946 Rolls Royce. Unlike modern cars, the Rolls did not have its vehicle-identification number beneath its windshield. It was written on the specification sheet provided to him by the dealer. The insured began to create an artificial 1946 Rolls-Royce. First, he visited the Department of Motor Vehicles and obtained forms from the department for ... that 1946 Rolls-Royces in fair condition were selling for approximately $100,000. He also learned that the Classic Car Insurance Co. was willing to insure seldom-used classic cars by mail. He photocopied the application for insurance at the library photocopy machine and applied for a $100,000 policy on his phantom Rolls-Royce, and attached to the application one of the Polaroid photographs he had taken at the dealership. Classic Car Insurance Co., taking his application on face value, issued the policy. Since the car was to be driven only 1,000 or fewer miles per year, the premium on the policy, including third-party Liability coverage, was less than $1 ,000. The insured financed the premium with a local insurance financing company and had to make a down payment of only ...

... want Health insurance, they'll tend to think of AFLAC. What GEICO and AFLAC do on a national level, you can do in your community. Some 70 years ago a company president found that his product wasn't catching on because he couldn't get the public to ask for it at local stores. He decided to post signs where people could see them from a relatively new mode of transportation: the automobile. Because people go past signs relatively quickly, he felt that they couldn't absorb the message he wanted to convey on a single sign. So he placed sets of staggered signs along roadways in Middle America — and the Burma Shave signs were born. When he started rhyming the lines and making them entertaining, drivers actually looked for the signs and slowed to read his stanzas. Suddenly thousands of ... mug bearing your agency logo and filled with the flowers of the season. However, a single delivery won't accomplish much. To make these firms comfortable with you and your agency, re-visit them every few weeks. Deliver a box designed with two sections: one for agency brochures, the other for candy or lollipops. This gives you an excuse to visit and become friends with the staffers at each dealership or real estate office as you re-fill both sections. Your goal is to establish relationships that will lead them to provide you with referrals. Although flowers and candy also work well for accounting and legal firms, these professionals need more than a drop-in. Be prepared to develop mutual referral programs with them. Present your agency as a center of influence that insures the types of individuals and businesses to ...