02 Feb The Power of Executive Door Openers!
Your tradeshows have been cancelled for 2021 and yet you need to fill your pipeline for at least the next quarter… what do you do? Well an EDO (Executive Door Opener) of course!
What the heck is an EDO?
An Executive Door Opener is a clever and strategically selected branded gift, typically sent to C-level executives to cut through the clutter and capture their attention. It is sent to warm and cold prospects to showcase the sender’s business and often the messaging ties in to the sender’s USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and has a call to action to learn more or book a call.
These are extremely hot right now because companies need to fill their pipelines and this is a natural alternative to tradeshows, conference and events!
Why are they powerful?
Unlike mass marketing, EDO’s are very targeted to a specific audience. There’s also a manageable amount of follow up calls and tracking involved to keep the process clean and tidy. Your sales people will love you for it!
So where do you start?
First you need to know about 12-25 of your ideal prospects. If you’re totally lost on that, we can’t help you! Just kidding. Think about your very best clients. What makes them amazing? Are they typically in the same position in an organization eg. CMO (Chief Marketing Officers) or are they typically in the same industry, such as agriculture or software? Once you’ve defined what your very best client looks like, you’ll want to find more just like them! Makes sense!
We can help you develop this list and find some fabulous prospects but chances are your sales team has some great insight into their “dream list” of clients and you’ll soon discover a wealth of contacts that they’ve been trying to reach but perhaps cold-calling wasn’t quite working.
Next, you want to reach out to the Sigma team to set up a brainstorming session with us!
The Sigma Process
1.
Discuss goals, objectives and your USP
2.
Determine core messaging and a prospect list (we can help!)
3.
Choose from a handful of creative options and provide feedback on copy & design
4.
We order the product and printed materials. We will handle all the logistics and ship them out!
5.
Together we knock the socks off your prospects and make you look great 😊
6.
You or your sales team conduct a follow up call
From beginning to end, a typical program takes about 4-6 weeks to execute including product selection, design and fulfillment.
What makes for the best EDOs?
- A company willing to be creative and have a little fun already! The most successful and award-winning campaigns we’ve done have always had a little quirky edge to them. Go with it! Have fun with the play on words and out-of-the-box style products to really spark some interest.
- A sales rep who has a great sense of humour, is enthusiastic and will bring awesome energy to the follow up call.
- Get personal! Who are you sending your EDO to? Why are you sending it? People want to hear what draws you to their brand, and why you would make the perfect partner. Take time to write a personalized note to your executive.
- Follow-through! There’s a call to action in our EDO programs but we also set people up for success and let the prospect know when the sales rep will be calling. That said, it’s imperative that the rep calls on the date indicated otherwise credibility is instantly lost.
- Persistence! Door openers do just that! They aren’t magic for closing the sale but they are pretty magical in that they do create interest, even with busy executives. Follow-up needs to happen though. Some of our clients see instant success (one of our clients had a request for 10 quotes out of 12 prospects during the first week!) while others will have to be a little more persistent with follow-up.
Like anything else, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. EDO’s are an AWESOME way to build your pipeline in 2021.
We would love to share ideas on how we can do just that and help your business during the coming months!
Oh, and many of you may be thinking, we can’t send an EDO when everyone works from home! We have two solutions: one, target essential businesses. Not “everyone” is working from home. And two, your warmer leads may just be open to receiving packages at their homes! We’ve seen this time and time again during the past 10 months so keep an open mind and let’s get that pipeline flowing for you!
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