How To Get Past C-Level Gatekeepers With Your B2B Direct Mail Lead Generation Sales Letters
If your business uses direct mail to reach C-level
prospects, you face a unique challenge: getting past
the gatekeeper.
Gatekeepers are usually found in Fortune 1000 firms,
where the CEO, CFO, CIO and other chief executive
officers are too busy to open their own mail.
Gatekeepers are usually the C-level executives
personal assistant, and sometimes the
mailroom.
A gatekeeper will generally do everything in her
power (depending on the express wishes of her boss)
to screen all mail for sales pitches. And since the
gatekeeper does not appreciate the value of your
unique value proposition, the odds are against your
sales letter ever reaching the desk of her C-level
executive. So here are some tactics you can employ
to get past the gatekeeper with your direct
mail.
1. Use an invitation
Send your sales pitch in a wedding-style invitation
envelope, with a typical invitation card inside that
invites the executive to respond to what you are
offering (usually a sales meeting, but maybe a white
paper or other information).
2. Sell to the gatekeeper
Address a letter to the gatekeeper by name. State
your value proposition, explain why it is of value to
her boss, and ask her to pass along the sales letter
that you enclose. Be sure to thank her in writing for
her help.
3. Make a sweet offer
Send a box of chocolates or flowers to the
gatekeeper, wishing her a great day and asking her
to pass along your sales letter, which you send as a
separate package.
4. Reason with the gatekeeper
Phone the gatekeeper, treat her as a peer, and ask
her if she can help you get your message to her
boss. Ask for her advice. Ask her to recommend the
best method (mail or phone or something else) for
you to reach her boss.
5. Use an unusual tactic
Commission a white paper. Write directly to the C-
level executive, but instead of giving a sales pitch on
paper, ask the executive if you may interview her (or
him) for your white paper (or article or special
report). Ask for an appointment.
Be sure to make your interview topic one that
appeals to the business challenges that the
executive faces every day, and one that helps you
present your credentials simply in the way you
present your questions and explain the thesis of your
writing project.
6. Use a dimensional mailer
Dimensional mail is effective because it stands out. It
doesnt look like everything else that the executive is
receiving that day. Dimensional mail is also effective
because it always gets opened.
No one who receives a box three feet long, 9 inches
wide and 5 inches deep, bearing the prospects name
and job title on the top and an intriguing headline, is
going to pitch the box in the trash unopened (I have
a client who mailed a canoe paddle to prospects; it
worked). Innate human curiosity is too powerful for
that. Just make sure that whats in the box ties in
with what you are selling.
One rule to keep in mind throughout this lead
generation exercise is The Golden Rule that Jesus
Christ taught and practiced. If you always do unto
others as you would have them do unto you, you will
succeed in reaching more C-level executives than
you ever will using less-than-honest
practices.
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com
2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the \"About the author\" message).
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