Roger Dooley
A new study by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business shows that using our voices can make a big difference in winning a new job. And neuromarketing guru, Roger Dooley, says we can use the voice effect to our advantage for other purposes, too.
“It’s reasonable to assume that the same thing would happen in other situations involving first-time contacts. Initial sales contacts, for example, have a lot in common with job interviews.”
Really? Now you tell us!
According to the study, “A résumé highlighting stellar professional credentials and experience could pique the interest of a prospective employer, but it’s your voice that may actually help you land the job.”
Get this: Continue reading
When your business or nonprofit organization sends out form thank-you or sales-related letters, do you add a short handwritten note? Yes, I know it depends on the quantity, but what about a personal note to your top prospects, customers, or donors?
A few years back, neuromarketing expert, Roger Dooley wrote, “Direct marketers and market researchers have long employed a variety of personalization techniques to boost response rates, including the handwritten note.”
Dooley cites an older study by Robert Cialdini that examined three varieties of a survey cover letter. “The response rate was a mere 36% for the plain printed cover letter. Adding the handwritten note improved the response rate by one third to 48%. The Post-It more than doubled the response to 75%. A second test to examine the possibility that some magic in the Post-It note itself was responsible for the higher response rate included cover letters with a blank sticky note attached. That approach generated only a slightly higher response rate of 42%.”
So, why am I discussing this today?
I have received many donation thank-you letters in the past year, some from people I know personally. Not one had a handwritten note from the sender - until recently.
I sent in a mere $10 donation to a group campaigning for a state proposition in the upcoming election. At the bottom the campaign chair wrote:
Thanks so much for your support, Elaine!”
And that was for $10! For the $200+ donations I made last December, all I got were form letters. Now, what do you think I will do?
I am going to give the proposition campaign another gift today! I appreciated the handwritten thank you note.
As Dooley wrote: “It seems that what is causing the boost is a ‘reciprocity’ effect. The recipient recognizes that the sender apparently put some personal effort into the mailing, and is more likely to reciprocate with some effort of his own.”
It worked for me. Does it work for your business or nonprofit?
