I finally sent an actual paper letter to a prospect and it worked somehow

After 4 years of outreach templates getting zero replies from retail brands in Nashville, I mailed a handwritten note to 12 store owners last Tuesday with a $5 gift card to their own coffee shop. Three of them called me back within 48 hours, one asked to meet next week, and one laughed saying nobody has sent him mail since 2019. Has anyone else tried the offline route in a world of cold LinkedIn DMs, or did I just get stupid lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

verar2116d ago

Honestly I think you just caught people at the right moment. Store owners are drowning in junk emails and DMs, so a literal piece of paper stands out by default. But $5 gift cards to their own shop is kind of a weird flex too, like you're bribing them with their own money. I'd say give it another round with different stores and see if the novelty wears off.

james_singh716d ago

The "bribing them with their own money" thing cracked me up because that's exactly what it feels like. I did something similar last year with a local bakery, gave them a $10 card and they just looked confused, like "thanks... I guess?" Honestly, the paper thing is real though. I sent out maybe 50 handwritten notes to shops in my area and the response rate was way higher than any email I've ever sent. It's not even about the gift card, it's just that nobody does mail anymore so it feels special by accident. You're right though, the second round will tell you everything. If it still works with new stores, then you're onto something real.

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