
Get Through the Clutter by Demanding Attention and Being Memorable.
Introducing the Shock and Awe Package and Campaign
Now, obviously Shock and Awe packages and campaigns are not anything new. There are definitely new ways of implementing them with technology but they have been around for some time still most people don’t leverage them.
Can they be expensive? Yes? However they make an amazing return on investment?
A Shock and Awe packages have been used for decades by companies to get the attention of their prospects from large brands Disney to smaller service based companies including companies who deal with high-dollar products or services.
- CPAs
- Financial Advisors
- Copywriters
- Home Contractors
- Realtors
- Restaurants
- Medical Professionals
- and virtually in any industry.
Here is a big concept and perhaps you should write this down.
Do Not aim to spend the least amount of money to earn new customers… aim to spend the most!
Wait, what was that? Spend the most??? Am I crazy? No, I’m not saying spend as much as you possibly can just for the sake of spending money. What I am saying is spend as much as you can afford to spend to earn new customers. Why is that?
Ultimately, the business that can spend the most to acquire a customer wins. – Dan Kennedy
Now of course you can earn business by referral or word of mouth. That perhaps is the best way to earn business. However it has it’s limitations. You’re relying on others to refer you and when they decide to refer you versus being proactive and going after your ideal customers directly.
Let’s say you are a financial advisor and you really want to gain the attention of a prospect that is ideal for your services. Well you could wait to be referred, you could waist your money on sending her a boring post card, an email that she won’t open or perhaps the worst making cold call offering your financial services. (Here’s a tip for financial advisors, prospects know what you’re doing when you offer to get together for coffee or lunch just to talk.) You could do those lame things OR, you could send her a shock and awe campaign to demand her full attention, prove your not like everybody else and begin the conversation to how you may be able to be of service.
Simply put shock and awe campaigns are meant to be disruptive and demand attention… they are meant to shock and awe!
An Example of a Shock and Awe Campaign
Walter Bergeron is a savvy marketer and below he outlines how to use shock and awe packages to get the attention of your target market:
The campaign consists of strict prospect selection leading to multiple emails, 3D direct mail pieces, phone calls and then the secret weapon of a “Salesman in a Box.” The emails are my long form sales letter broken up into five parts. The direct mail pieces are the long form sales letter handwritten on yellow lined notebook paper with copy doodles and 3D pieces.
We then make follow-up phone calls to determine if they are still qualified and finally ship them the secret weapon. This secret weapon is what we call our “Salesman in a Box.”
This shock and awe package is an industrial case with a battery powered video player mounted inside. It has a delicious treat inside the box with multiple marketing pieces and a contract. When the client receives the package, delivered by UPS Second Day Air, it is marked on the outside of the package, “Open Immediately, Perishable Goods Inside,” and they open it immediately.
When they unbox and then open up the case, a video automatically starts to play; at the same time, they see a beautiful Louisiana Mardi Gras King Cake inside the box. The personal video message explains that we want them to enjoy the cake while they watch a minute video, we even supply plates and utensils to make it unnecessary to do anything but sit and watch our video.
At the end of the video, we urge them to sign the contract, put the signed contract back into the case, affix a pre-paid return shipping label to the outside of the box and return it to us for an immediate refill on the king cake. Each signed contract is worth $34,575.98 to us over a 22-month period, and so will gross over $1.1 million with just what we have done so far.
The cost of the case is about $200 plus shipping, but we ask them to return it to us so the ongoing cost is the King Cake and round trip shipping, about $90. This pales in comparison to the business it has brought to us. Believe me, shock and awe packages are a great way to make a big impression on your prospect – especially when you are selling high-dollar products or services. The package, designed to overwhelm the recipient, is stuffed full of a variety of materials and convincing information and delivered to him or her unexpectedly.
Typically, the package arrives in a large box by courier or some other impressive delivery service.
Here are some of the items you might want to include in your shock and awe package:
- Folders or binders with testimonials and case studies about you
- A sales letter
- DVDs of yourself giving a presentation (send links as well)
- A collection of articles you’ve written or that have been written about you, your product or service
- A book you’ve written; or, if you don’t have your own book yet, consider including a book about the topic or problem your product or service will solve that you recommend the client read to get a better understanding of the subject.
- CDs of audio recordings of interviews with you on teleseminars (send links as well)
- A sample of your product
- Items relating to you, your product or service (For instance a high-end spa might send a pair of plush slippers or a robe.)
So here’s what you must decide: How can you use shock and awe package within your own market?
Sourced from GKIC as an Official Magnetic Marketing Advisor.
Get Your Shock-and-Awe Campaign Ideas!
Interested in gaining insights on how you can create an effective shock-and-awe campaign? Look no further. Contact me and I’ll share with you some of the best campaign ideas that may fit your industry.