If you work in marketing communications, you’ve probably seen this scenario a dozen times: A harried sales guy, shirts-sleeves rolled up to the elbow, storms into your cubicle˳ “I got a hot sales call in Toledo in three weeks˳ I got to have a brochure to leave behind,” he says, smacking his fist into his open palm˳
You sigh˳ So it begins — yet another brochure˳ And you know how it’ll end: Thousands of dollars and multiple late-nights-against-deadlines later, he’ll have his brochure˳ But the company won’t have the sale˳ And you’ll have a coat closet stacked with bulging boxes of forgotten collateral˳
Is there a better way to support sales? Something you can leave with prospects that’s just a bit more memorable — and more effective — than the standard brochure with its forced march through company “visions,” product descriptions, and corporate bios? Yes, indeed˳ I offer eight suggestions, not as comprehensive answers to every sales-communications situation, but as inspiration and provocation for creating material less likely to gather dust — and more likely to draw your company closer to a sale˳
1) Make it a magazine˳ David Ogilvy once asked why print ads had to look like print ads — why not make them look like articles? I say, why not go one step further and make your brochures look like magazines? Instead of the usual ho-hum content, create articles that position your company, products or services as ways to solve problems or achieve customer-desired goals˳
For about a decade, Baystate Health Systems in Massachusetts has published a beautiful four-color glossy magazine, AlphaSights, that they distribute to referring medical professionals in central Massachusetts˳ Distributed three times a year, AlphaSights is loaded with articles about new procedures, protocols and initiatives at its flagship hospital, Baystate Medical Center˳ It’s been a phenomenal success: The first issue alone attracted an increase in referrals that more than offset the entire year’s production costs˳
2) Make it useful˳ Here’s another lesson from healthcare˳ Every day, legions of pharma and medical device representatives leave tons of samples, coffee mugs and brochures in physician offices across the country — clutter, clutter and more clutter˳ In a competitive field, how do you stand out?
One medical products manufacturer got wise˳ They developed a pad of forms, 8˳5″ x 11″, with pre-assigned check boxes and fast, no-brainer ordering fields a physician can complete in seconds˳ All she has to do is fill a few boxes, sign it, and run it through a fax machine to order the product˳ In a crowded field of competitors, this manufacturer got the most orders — not because it had the nicest mug or the most beautiful brochure, but because they left something behind that made their product the easiest to get˳
3) Make it educational˳ Give your prospects a taste of your expertise˳ Professional services companies have been doing this for your years with the ubiquitous white paper, a kind of extended essay about a relevant topic of business interest˳
Why not apply the “report” idea to products and consumer services as well? For years, the Wall Street Journal has been offering personal finance guides as subscription lures˳ Anything complex could benefit by an educational report that simplifies: Imagine a guide to countertop selection for a kitchen remodeling firm, or an explanation of housing values for real estate agencies˳ With a little research and imagination, these businesses and others like them can distinguish themselves as authorities, not just other runners in the pack˳
4) Make it handy˳ Two of my current clients are getting lots of mileage by packaging tips — handy advice and/or insights that are just long enough to be helpful, but short enough to be easily digested˳ It’s a format people love — in fact, you’re reading a tips-based article right now!
The key is to break your know-how into bite-sized bits busy people can consume on the fly˳ Of my two “tips” clients, one is targeting the multi-billion dollar mergers and acquisitions market with a “top ten tips” guide; the other runs a tips-based website on a variety of subjects that interest consumers — and draws eager sponsors who want to reach them˳ Upscale or down-market, tips attract favorable attention either way˳
5) Make it “keepable˳” When I was a kid, a mechanic’s garage just wasn’t real if it didn’t have at least one “girly” calendar, sponsored by a “Joe’s Auto Parts” or “Cranwick’s Plumbing Supply” on its walls˳ Cheesy? Perhaps˳ But you can be sure that the target audience saw the sponsor’s name and phone number every day — often long after the calendars expired!
In addition to calendars, consider attractive posters, playing cards, puzzles and entertaining cubicle toys˳ Of course, you want to select options that are as closely associated to your business, proposition or message as possible˳ I know of one enterprise that creates decks of custom cards for authors (especially consultant or motivational authors), with each card serving as a chapter or topic summary˳ The decks are much more memorable than business cards or brochures, yet are less cumbersome and expensive than giving away free copies of books themselves˳
6) Make it from the customer’s point of view˳ If the familiar brochure format still remains as your best option, then at least consider changing the perspective˳ Too much collateral is narcissistic, packed with empty chest-beating that attempts to wow the reader with the company’s alleged greatness˳
Instead, write from the customer’s point of view˳ Skip the boring company history and honor’s won stuff, and talk about the real problems or issues your customers face˳ Then tell them how you solve these problems with precise, specific evidence that makes your claims credible˳ By adopting this shift in perspective, you demonstrate empathy with the customer — you’re on their side — and you show a grasp of real-world circumstances prospects can recognize and respect˳
7) Make it mailable˳ Or, if it’s going to be shared by hand, easy to ship or transport˳ In any event, consider how you’re going to distribute your new collateral before you commit to creating it˳
Years ago, I worked on a spiral-bound booklet that the client adored˳ Unfortunately, the spiral binding bulged within its envelope and jammed the post office’s machines˳ Worse, the book was an awkward size — just small enough to rattle around in an ordinary cardboard “express” envelope˳ While the design was lovely, the project was impractical and ultimately failed its intended purpose˳ Don’t make the same mistake: If you’re distributing in large quantities, make it easy to mail˳
8) Make it work for you˳ A final thought: You’re not in the business of publishing collateral for its own sake; you should always have a specific marketing or business goal in mind for each piece you create˳ Everything you make must serve a dynamic role in your sales process, an objective that moves the prospect one step closer to buying˳ What do you want the customer to do as a consequence of getting or receiving your piece? Whatever that is, make it explicit˳
If nothing else, at least end your collateral copy with a “call to action,” a directive to phone, write or otherwise respond to you˳ If you can provide an incentive — a discount, a premium, a free analysis — all the better˳ But at the very least, ASK for the response and tell readers exactly how to reach you˳
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