Packed with information and speckled with humor, Javier Melendez and Brandon Pecharich, industry pros with 30 years of combined experience, led the session, “Prospecting Then Vs. Now: Old School Methods With A Twist.” Presented on Wednesday afternoon during PPAI Expo Direct-2-You and soon to be available on demand, Melendez and Pecharich walked attendees through an amalgamation of new and traditional prospecting methods to land and secure new clients.

The session homed in on lessening friction in the sales process through creating a seamless experience for clients. “When you’re reaching out to somebody, you want to make sure that when they want to contact you, it’s super easy,” says Pecharich, digital media manager for PromoCorner, a digital marketing company in Lakeville, Massachusetts, that serves promo industry suppliers and distributors. Pecharich and Melendez, national sales executive for Hanson, Massachusetts, supplier Walker-Clay, Inc., began with sharing ways to prepare for prospecting. The four measures they outlined to establishing a solid base are:
1. Clean up your social media, i.e. update content, photos and point people you follow.
2. Create email templates that target different prospect groups. Then, personalize them.
3. Automate schedules using calendar services, such as Calendly.
4. Follow up, and don’t forget to do so.

Opening the conversation to other strategies, Pecharich discussed “old-school” techniques that are still relevant and effective. The first, he says, is simply picking up the phone—and always leaving a voicemail if your call goes unanswered. “The power of the voicemail is amazing. It tells the person you are trying to reach out to: you are important enough for me to call you, [and] you are also important enough for me to leave a voice message so that you can call me back,” he says.

Pecharich also touches on the importance of attending regional events, both for networking and for business, and joining local chambers of commerce, groups and other local organizations. He offers the idea of sending handwritten notes in the mail, and the satisfaction that it produces for the recipient. (If you don’t have the time or penmanship for handwritten notes, there are robots that will handwrite cards on behalf of you and your business, he says.) Lastly, Pecharich says to utilize the relationship with vendors and the coinciding accessibility to spec samples and virtuals. It’s one thing to show a prospect a tumbler with the branding of a random business, he explains, but it produces a euphoric feeling when that tumbler features the prospect’s very own branding. It also elevates the perceived value of the products, gives prospects a visual aid and excites them about other possibilities.

Melendez covered newer tactics, such as using audiovisual aids to connect with prospects. He describes the engagement he received after sending a one-minute video that featured a prospect’s name, rather than typing out a three-paragraph email to them; a small effort that resulted in a six-figure deal. “Audio and video in every scenario beats a cold email because you can build a connection with somebody,” he says.

Melendez encourages the use of LinkedIn, not only as an online resume, but as a networking platform—and the importance of engagement across all social media platforms, especially where “your clients hang out,” he says. When sending a direct message to prospects via social media, he says to do so respectfully, and lead in a way that’s personalized. Instead of saying, “Hi, let’s chat,” Melendez says to comment on a recent post, highlight or accomplishment, and work with the conversation from there.