Door Opening Dependency

Enjoyed reading an article in yesterday’s FT about Cheshire flooring entrepreneur Dawn Gibbons.  Part of it recounted the tale of how she met her favourite marketing consultant.  It’s a great story of how he, Dennis Humphries from nearby Candy Creative, sent a champange lunch for her office as from “a secret admirer”.

What task is more difficult for a salesrep than getting your foot in the door?  This approach worked like a treat.  I instantly recalled two examples I’ve seen of such ilk.

Limo Delivery

A door-opener at one-time English computer vendor ICL couldn’t penetrate an account, so rocked up to the offices in a hired limousine, parked right outside reception and wouldn’t budge until his target came down to personally collect his product lit.

D’oh Donuts

Newton Abbott is a small place in Devon.  I worked there for a week on a job once in a freezing Janaury.  Car hire firm Enterprise had just opened.  They traipsed ’round all the businesses they thought could use their services, and if you talked to them about possible rentals, they’d give you a box a donuts on the spot.

I’m now racking my brains to think of similar ways to stand out from the crowd and bang a few extra goodies into the top of our funnels.  How can I approach people that head up sales teams in this kind of manner?