Plenty of people send Christmas and holiday cards. They come in many varieties. Some are custom made. Others are sold by the box or individually at card stores. Some arrive immediately after Thanksgiving, while others arrive three days after you mailed that person a card.
What can the behavior of people who send cards teach us about prospecting? Before you box this year's cards up or throw them away, take one last look.
Perhaps you feel Christmas cards have gone the way of rotary phones and cameras loaded with actual film. Keep three facts in mind:
- There are plenty of baby boomers. They are sitting on plenty of assets. You might not send cards, but they often do.
- Teach your children. The habits of boomers become the habits of their children, especially if they are wealthy and into tradition.
- Name recognition. Let's include telling your story, too. You might rarely see these people, but you know who they are and what are they are doing.
Now lets relate holiday card habits with prospecting strategies.
The people who keep a mailing list.
These folks send out their cards in a batch in early December. They arrive at your home unsolicited. The person sending them might keep a list of cards sent and cards received. If they don't get a response for a few years, your name gets taken off the list. On the upside, if you send them a card, you are likely added to their list.
Prospecting: Some advisors have a proactive prospecting strategy. It might be through social media, the phone, email, surface mail or other channels. They have designed their own outreach program, follow-up and harvest.
The card that arrives after you sent them one.
My wife calls these "guilt cards." They sent one because they got yours. Personally, I don't think it's a bad strategy. They are being reactive, saying "If you reach out to me, I'll return the compliment."
Prospecting: Some advisors say they grow their business exclusively through referrals. Let's assume they have a strategy proactively asking clients to refer people they know. If someone calls and says "I was referred by Bryce," they leap into action. If a client says "You should talk to my friend Bryce," they act on it. They are being reactive, since they aren't conducting an outreach program targeting strangers.
The card untouched by human hands.
You've gotten these cards. They are magnificent. The interior of the card has a traditional message and the name of the sender in type. The card has a typed address and perhaps a postage machine imprint. The sender supplied a list and hired a company to do the rest.
Prospecting: Some people outsource prospecting. They hire a company to make calls or do mailings for them. Interested prospects make an appointment by phone or through your scheduling app. Maybe the advisor just gets a list of interested names. The advisor's initial connection with the prospect is that first conversation. Like the holiday cards, it's an expensive process.
The photo card.
You have probably received plenty over the years. You can get them made up at the office supply superstore, photo counter at your pharmacy or on websites like Shutterfly.
The card often shows family members or pictures from vacations. The envelope might be addressed, but the card is rarely personalized. The connection is through family values, although mailing a picture of yourself can be a little vain.
