Someone has been trying to get a sales call with me for a while and, due to time constraints, I haven’t had time to reply. (I also get a truckload of emails from people trying to make a living and so I’m very selective…like most people.)
But today was different. This person sent me a thoughtful email. It was obviously not spam because he’d read at least one post on this blog, and he did some basic research on where I went to school. His message was as follows:
Hi Matt – After reading the “Cool Marketing Idea (Weekly Winner)” story on your blog I felt inspired to get creative in my reach out. I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of classic “cold” emails, but I was hoping to mix it up and have a little fun with it. I saw that you went to Utah for both undergrad and grad school and I wanted to make a friendly wager with you on the Utah vs. Stanford game this weekend.If the Cardinals win, will you entertain an informal chat to learn a little about what we do, and how we help similar retailers increase repeat purchases and customer lifetime value? And if the Utes pull off a win, we well send you some Utah shirts for the whole family.I hope this is something you’re willing to entertain. Please let me know if we have a wager.Looking forward to the game!
Attention grabbing? [CHECK]
Thought provoking? [CHECK]
Personalized? [CHECK]
By putting in a little more effort into his email, he got me to respond. Nice job!
So, I took him up on the wager. After all, Stanford is 2-2, Utah is 4-0 and ranked in the top 20.
I’ll let you know who wins the bet. Go Utes!
_________
10/8 UPDATE: Last night the Utes lost 23-20. I guess I’ll be sitting through a sales call now.