Know-How Exchange : Strategy

I don't want to spound picky, but you can't "save any company engaging with us tens, if not hundreds of millions of their IT and project budget". You might be able to save the top 100 companies in each market something in that order, but not ANY company, because most companies don't even have revenues that size, let alone IT budgets.

So who are your target customers really? Do you have a target list? Is your value proposition real? Can you make it real to the target CIOs?

Thereby hangs the problem. You have a seemingly valuable product or service, yet your market is not grabbing it with both hands. Why not? Are they unaware, or do they not believe? Which?

I don't think the answer lies in the shape of the gizmo to which you tie your message before you send it off to them. If your message was right, you could tie it to a brick and they would want to know more.

As for "I want to get through to them in a non-typical way", the typicality or otherwise of "the way" is irrelevant. What you need to find is a way to get the message through that is plausible and leaves them wanting more.

I'm inclined to suggest a mailing piece that offers each target big company CIO a $200 voucher to attend a breakfast, lunch or cocktail seminar in a large city hotel.

Make sure they have to attend to get their voucher and they have to stay to the end to qualify.

Give them a well-structured 30 minute presentation that demonstrates the seriousness of your offering. Finish with drinks and food.

Then let them have the show bag with takeaway documentation and voucher.

Make it very professional. Then follow up zealously.

Hope that helps.

I'm inclined to say go back to basics. These guys want content -- the steak not the sizzle. Learn to make a good smart sales call. Research your target company, then you will know, as Chris posts-- if you can factually state you will save THEM tens of millions.

No matter what your out of the box event, if you don't change the benefits/feature glitch you will continue to get the same results.

Why wouldn't the fact you can save them great kaching be important to them? I would first, look within at the message you are delivering. I am sure every SW company on the planet thinks this-- it's become trite. You need to be more specific.

I never recommend gimmicks like buying an ipod in exchange for a meeting. You don't need to buy a meeting. You are saving them $, they should be paying for you to come in the door. (they won't)

I don't see them coming to a meeting for a sales presentation in group as a stand alone event. They don't want to have a discussion in a room that might include their competitors.

However you could tie it to another event. I attended an opthalmology convention and one surgical company sponsored an evening event-- renting out the entire nearby ATL aquarium. They had a panel of docs explaining the procedure -- it's pros and cons. It was non-commercial. They didn't open the rest of the area until the presentation was finished. Then we had all the food and drinks we could stomach. It was standing room only. This company does this at the annual meeting every year and the docs clammer to be included on the invite list. A lot of the attendees were not docs-- and no more likely to buy a surgical machine than me. But they repeat it every year so something must be working.

I agree with the tenor of the comments here. This is not about a clever premium or enticement to listen to your story. It's about sharpening your presentation so it is specific to each prospect and offers a compelling promise that they simply cannot ignore.

Get the promise right and you won't need a distracting approach that is "different" or "out-of-the-box." Those adjectives are usually smoke screens for benefit promises that don't really hold water on their own.

Someone just posted this on my facebook page. he's a sales trainer-- and it's his pic dropped in the https://en.tackfilm.se/?id=1278527128043RA52 movie.

I can't wait to do mine!