http://www.otismaxwell.com/blog/2009/04/the-ceo-letter/ Otis Maxwell is a copywriter who likes to mouth off on marketing, technology, food and sundry topics. Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:00:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://www.otismaxwell.com/blog/2009/04/the-ceo-letter/comment-page-1/#comment-14860 admin Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:58:53 +0000 http://www.otismaxwell.com/blog/?p=476#comment-14860 Thanks Dan! I like your next-to-last point in particular. If the CFO, CMO etc knows the CEO is already involved in some kind of marketing dialog with the sender (and the writer can be intentionally vague about the extent of that dialog... eg "I've been corresponding with John Smith, your CEO, about this" ) they're much likely to pay attention. Thanks Dan! I like your next-to-last point in particular. If the CFO, CMO etc knows the CEO is already involved in some kind of marketing dialog with the sender (and the writer can be intentionally vague about the extent of that dialog… eg “I’ve been corresponding with John Smith, your CEO, about this” ) they’re much likely to pay attention.

]]> http://www.otismaxwell.com/blog/2009/04/the-ceo-letter/comment-page-1/#comment-14858 Dan Shaw Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:39:22 +0000 http://www.otismaxwell.com/blog/?p=476#comment-14858 Otis -- I, too, have written a fair amount to C-level, both business and nonprofit lead-generation. I agree with your position, with some add'l thoughts: -- Yes, brief and to the point, but not terse or telegraphic. Conversational, as if face-to-face. (Might include personal elements. What's the relationship between recipient and signer?) -- Be clear from the start that you're asking something very incremental. Not a sale, but a consideration. A personal demo might not be incremental enough, but I don't know the context or details here. Even "ask your marketing director" might be too strong a call to action at C-level - Every C-level program I've worked on has had multiple targets: CEO, CIO, CFO etc. I'd can't imagine where I'd write to CEO only. Consider multiple to titles relevant to goals, including "cc" one to the other. Letters to marketing director and CEO cc'd? -- Consider a gatekeeper communication. Mail or at least email. Otis — I, too, have written a fair amount to C-level, both business and nonprofit lead-generation. I agree with your position, with some add’l thoughts:
– Yes, brief and to the point, but not terse or telegraphic. Conversational, as if face-to-face. (Might include personal elements. What’s the relationship between recipient and signer?)
– Be clear from the start that you’re asking something very incremental. Not a sale, but a consideration. A personal demo might not be incremental enough, but I don’t know the context or details here. Even “ask your marketing director” might be too strong a call to action at C-level
- Every C-level program I’ve worked on has had multiple targets: CEO, CIO, CFO etc. I’d can’t imagine where I’d write to CEO only. Consider multiple to titles relevant to goals, including “cc” one to the other. Letters to marketing director and CEO cc’d?
– Consider a gatekeeper communication. Mail or at least email.

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