| High technology prospects are different. They | | | | So you're inclined to explain these concepts |
| don't respond like consumers and they don't | | | | in your copy, showing prospects that you |
| respond like other businesses. What works | | | | don't understand their business. |
| with them is often the opposite of what works | | | | |
| with consumers. Here's a primer on how to | | | | But engineers don't read at the Grade-9 |
| sell high-tech products to businesses using | | | | level. They name their dog Archimedes. They |
| direct mail. | | | | want substance, not oversimplification. Your |
| | | | letter must speak their language, their |
| Mail to people who won't buy High-tech buying | | | | jargon, their lexicon. Learn the lingo by |
| decisions are often made by a committee, not | | | | reading the industry journals and technical |
| an individual. To win the sale, your | | | | literature that your prospects read. Watch |
| direct-mail program must address the needs of | | | | for acronyms, abbreviations, initialisms and |
| everyone around the table, whether the | | | | jargon that are commonplace but never |
| president, purchasing agent, technical | | | | defined. Write accordingly. |
| specialist or end user. So find out who | | | | |
| wields the greatest influence in buying | | | | Lots of copy, thank you Your high-tech |
| decisions (often it's the end users), and | | | | prospects are information-seekers who will |
| target these influential prospects in your | | | | read a lot of copy. They hunt for information |
| mailings, along with the people who sign the | | | | that helps them do a better job, and |
| purchase orders. | | | | knowledge that makes them more marketable. |
| | | | They want facts. The more the better. |
| Go cheap on design and printing Consumer | | | | |
| direct-mail gimmicks sell sweepstakes, but | | | | That's why, with this audience, self-mailers |
| not servers. Don't ask a senior verification | | | | don't pull as well as packages with a letter, |
| engineer to "AFFIX FREE BUYING GUIDE SEAL | | | | brochure and business reply device. One |
| HERE." Don't expect a network operations | | | | exception is seminars, where innovative |
| analyst to "PLACE TAB A INTO TAB B." The same | | | | self-mailers still grab attention and fill |
| goes for fake handwriting and fake | | | | seats. Engineers welcome long copy when your |
| underlining. They're genuine mistakes. | | | | message is interesting, important and |
| | | | relevant. |
| High-tech business readers are sophisticated. | | | | |
| They want a letter, a brochure and a business | | | | Stress features, not benefits In consumer |
| reply card. That's it. The more inserts, lift | | | | direct response, features are subordinate to |
| letters, coupons, free-gift slips and other | | | | benefits. What a product does is never as |
| stuff you put in the envelope, the more | | | | important as what it does for the consumer. |
| likely the busy executive is to fling your | | | | In high-tech direct response, the opposite is |
| package in the circular file. | | | | true. Semiconductor design engineers, for |
| | | | example, want specs. Saving money is |
| Here's one caveat. Fancy folds, die cuts and | | | | beneficial to them, of course. So is saving |
| 3D objects work well when you tie them into | | | | time. But what they want more than benefits |
| your offer. This is especially true of | | | | is hard data. They want I/O word widths, data |
| trade-show mailers, where a unique and | | | | transfer rates, frame buffer bandwidths-every |
| relevant gimmick often draws more prospects | | | | relevant fact that helps them make an |
| to your booth than a traditional mailer does. | | | | informed buying decision. |
| | | | |
| Assume your reader has a split personality | | | | Don't ask for the order A senior |
| Your reader is a business person, in that | | | | vice-president of manufacturing doesn't order |
| order. As a business buyer, your prospect | | | | a $1.5-million network upgrade by dropping a |
| wants to save money, raise productivity, | | | | business reply card in the mail. Instead, the |
| increase efficiency. So your mailer must | | | | first step in the process is usually a |
| address those issues. But your business buyer | | | | request for more information. Followed by a |
| is also a person. A person who is unlikely to | | | | sales meeting. Then a demonstration. Then a |
| buy your product-however good it may be for | | | | trial. Then a contract. |
| the company-if buying your product means more | | | | |
| work, more stress or more grief for them | | | | That's why direct-mail pieces to high-tech |
| personally. Your prospect may even buy your | | | | prospects must contain multiple calls to |
| competitor's inferior product instead of | | | | action. Your response device, for example, |
| yours for selfish reasons alone. | | | | might look like this: "(Choose one) 1. Send |
| | | | me your brochure by mail. 2. Have a |
| Today's rule of thumb in high-tech purchase | | | | salesperson phone me. 3. Not interested, but |
| decisions is this: "Sure, no one ever got | | | | add me to your mailing list." |
| fired for buying IBM. But did they get | | | | |
| promoted?" Look after both the business | | | | Writing persuasive direct-mail copy for |
| interests and the personal interests of your | | | | high-tech products is different from pitching |
| prospect and the sale will look after itself. | | | | credit cards or magazine subscriptions. It |
| | | | takes a unique set of skills to translate |
| Keep it technical Telecom professionals know | | | | technospeak into hard-hitting sales copy. |
| what SS7, ITU-T C7 and ISUP are. You don't. | | | | Enjoy the challenge. |