AS a collector of sports memorabilia, I’m on a bunch of mailing lists. Most of the offers I get are for items I can buy almost anywhere - except for the offers from Steiner Sports.
Here’s their typical email after a big game or event:
From: SteinerSports.com <email@email.steinersports.com>
Date: October 28, 2012, 1:02:24 AM EDT
To: Jeffrey Gitomer <gitomer@gitomer.com>
Subject: Notre Dame Remains Unbeaten After Huge Win at Oklahoma! Notre Dame just, keeps on rolling, and in the process is making a convincing argument as one of the best, teams in the nation! After knocking off a very good Oklahoma team on the road, ND has conquered eveiy challenge thus far this season, and remains unbeaten as the calendar rolls into November!
To celebrate ND s return to greatness, click here for five great. Notre Dame values! All are available for a veiy limited time only - limit one per customer!
Brian Kelly Autographed “Go Irish " Notre Dame Running On To The Field Horizontal 8x10 Photo.
Brandon
Notre Dame wins. So what?
Let me tell you what...
1. Look closely at the time stamp on the email. 1:02:24 AM EDT. It was sent less than two hours after the game was over. That’s ‘on top of it’. How quickly do you respond to the opportunity for a sale?
2. He was ready for the opportunity with a story, inventory, and a “special offer.” And what do you bet that if Oklahoma won, he’d have had an offer for them. Excellent bet. How prepared are you to make an attractive, time-sensitive offer?
3. He strikes while the iron is blazing hot. The emotion of the Notre Dame win will reach fans when they’re most likely to buy. I venture to say he has 1,000 more hot irons ready to strike when the news or the score is right. How’s your timing, and what’s your offer at a time when your customer is ready and willing to buy?
4. Look at the body of his email. Steiner combines a short, personalised, compelling message with a value-based offer. You have to read it - and then, if you’re a Notre Dame fan, or know one, you click to see the offer. Either way, you’re not offended because the message was short, informative, and fun. Brilliant. What kind of messages are you sending your customers and how are they responding?
5. His message talks about celebrating the game, the victory, and the team, not just purchasing something. Steiner creates an emotional reason to buy. I refer to this as beyond the sales pitch. It’s engaging and attractive. What reasons to buy are you giving your customers, and how are they reacting?
6. The offer has urgency attached to it. Limited quantities and only one per customer but there is not a ‘today only’ time deadline. How are your offers perceived?
6.5 Brandon Steiner is in love with his business, with his employees, with his products, with sports, with the celebrities he signs, and especially with his customers. Who and what are you in ‘business love’ with?
Major point of understanding: Because Brandon is both a sports fan (a customer) and a vendor, he understands both the selling and buying sides of his business. How well do you understand why your customer buys?
Major lesson: Brandon Steiner doesn’t just love his business, he lives his business, and he understands both timing and hustle. He doesn’t just take advantage, he also jumps on it. What’s your hustle factor?
History: Brandon Steiner is self-made. He combined a street-smart upbringing in Brooklyn with a love of sports and serendipity to create the largest sports autograph company in the world. His new book You Gotta Have Balls released last month and is already a bestseller.
Reality: There are three kinds of people in the world.
1. People who make things happen.
2. People who watch things happen.
3. People who don’t know what’s happening.
Brandon Steiner, and Steiner Sports, make things happen.
Which kind of person are you?
For more info on Brandon and his new book visit www.bradonsteiner. com. If you’d like a list of the rules Brandon uses for his email offers, go to www.gitomer.com and enter the words BRANDON RULES in the GitBit box.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone. com. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@ gitomer.com
© 2012 All Rights Reserved. Don't reproduce this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer. 704/333-1112 www.gitomer.com.
