How to Contact Companies Directly

by Kate Wendleton
Without effort we cannot attain
any of our goals in life, no matter what
the advertisements may claim to the contrary.
Anyone who fears effort, anyone who
backs off from frustration and possibly even pain
will never get anywhere . . .
Erich Fromm, For The Love of Life

Life is like playing a violin
solo in public and learning
the instrument as one goes on.
Samuel Butler

There's nothing to writing.
All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.
Walter ("Red") Smith,
in Reader's Digest, July 1982

There is no way of writing
well and also of writing easily.
Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
Networking is not the only way to job-hunt. Consider targeted mailings when:

• You want to see a particular person but have no formal contact. You must think of how you can create some tie-in to that person, and contact him or her directly.
• You have selected twenty to thirty companies in your target market that you really want to get in to see, and there are only a few jobs that would be appropriate for you in each company.

For the twenty or thirty companies you have chosen, research the appropriate person to contact in each one. Ask each for a meeting--whether or not they have a job for you. You want to get in to see them all because your target is very small.

The Letter

• Paragraph 1:

The opening paragraph for a targeted mailing would follow the format for a networking letter: state the reason you are writing and establish the contact you have with the reader.

Congratulations on your new position! I know you are extremely busy (I've heard about it from others). After you are settled in, I would be interested in meeting with you. I think it would be mutually beneficial for us to meet, although I have no fixed idea of what could come of it.

After you have found out something about the person or the company, pretend you are sitting with that person right now. What would you say to him or her? Here's what one job hunter wrote to an executive:

I agree. Your position is truly enviable.

With the merger of AT&T and United Telecom completed. AT&T is now positioned to become an even greater force in shaping telecommunications for the future, both domestically and internationally. However, with all the challenges come the inevitable need for control, resolution of legal and regulatory issues, competitive threats, pricing issues, and reexamination of both the positioning and global packaging of AT&T. Clear, focused strategic and business plans become essential for success. I believe I can help you in these areas.

See the next section below, "Targeted Mailing Cover Letter: A Case Study," for the rest of this letter. Here's another letter that reflects a great deal of thought:

As the banks look back on their risky involvement with groups like Campeau, it is clear that a better understanding of the retail business would have saved them from considerable losses. As a result, I'm sure many banks and lending institutions have gone to the opposite extreme. Another solution, however, would be to have an unbiased expert merchant involved in evaluating their retail plans.

Your opening should reflect whatever you know about the company or the person:

Whenever people talk about companies with excellent internal temporary services departments, Schaeffer's name always comes up. In fact, the people who run the Amalgamated Center, where I am now assigned, speak often of the quality of your work. I am interested in becoming a consultant in this field, and I hope to meet with you.

• Paragraph 2:

Give a summary about yourself.

• Paragraph 3:

Note a few key accomplishments that would be of interest to this target.

• Paragraph 4:

Ask for half an hour of their time, and say you will call them in a few days, for example:

I am sure a brief meeting will be fruitful for us both. I will call your new secretary in a week or so to see when I can get on your calendar.

Or
I hope you will allow me half an hour of your time and insight to explore this area. I will call you in a few days to set up a mutually agreeable time.

If you plan to follow up with a phone call, say so. (But if you say so, do it--or you may get no response while they wait for your call.)
Out-of-Town Search
For an out-of-town search (perhaps placed next to the last paragraph):

As a result of many years' travel to Seattle, I would prefer to live and work in that area. In fact, I am in Seattle frequently on business and can arrange to meet with you at your office.

Easily Readable Letters
As we have seen, other variations include the use of underlining key points, which can increase your response rate. This helps the busy reader scan the letter, be drawn in, and want to read the rest. Underlining makes certain key points pop out at the reader--anywhere in your text. Underline parts of sentences in no more than five places. Read the underlined parts to make sure they sound sensible when read together, have a flow, and make your point.

Even when I look at my own letters, I sometimes don't want to read them before I make them scannable. I rephrase my letters, underlining in a way that will make sense to the reader. People will read the salutation, then the first few words of your letter, and then the parts you have underlined. If they find these things compelling, they'll go back and read the rest of your letter.

Underlining should make sense. Don't underline the word "developed," for instance, because that doesn't make sense. Underline the word after, which is what you developed--because that's probably the compelling part.

Do What Is Appropriate
Strange as it may seem, sometimes it can be very effective to ignore all of this. Do what works in your target area. Nat, who was interested in Japanese banks, wrote to forty banks with a four-line cover letter that said something like: "Enclosed please find my resume. I have had twenty years of banking experience, am mature, . . . "

Nat knew his market. He thought the Japanese would be put off by the typically aggressive American approach. He got an excellent response rate--and the kind of job he wanted.

Remember, it is sometimes better to follow your instincts rather than listen to the experts. You're smart. You know your market better than we do. Make up your own mind.

The Follow-Up Call (After a Targeted Mailing)
When you call, you will probably have to start again from the beginning. Do not expect them to remember anything in your letter. Do not even expect them to remember that you wrote to them. For example, when you phone:

• "I sent you a letter recently. Did you receive it?"
• Remind them of the reason you wrote. You may again have to summarize your background, and state some of your accomplishments.
• If they say they have no job openings at this time, that is okay with you--you were not necessarily looking for a job with them; you were looking for information or advice about the job possibilities for someone like you, or perhaps you wanted to know what is happening in the profession, company, or industry.

Leave messages that you called, but do not ask to have them call you back. Chances are, they won't, and you will feel rejected. However, be friendly with the secretary, and apologize for calling so often. If she would like to have her boss call you back, tell her thanks, but you will be in and out and her boss will be unable to reach you: you will have to call again. After the first call, try not to leave your name again. Expect to call seven or eight times. Do not become discouraged. It is not personal.

The Meeting
When you go in for your meeting, handle it as you would a networking interview (unless the manager turns it into a job interview):

• Exchange pleasantries.
• State the reason you are there and why you wanted to see this particular person.
• Give your Two-Minute Pitch.
• Tell the manager how he or she can help you. Get the information you want, as well as a few names of other people you should be talking to.

Be grateful for whatever help people give you. They are helping you the best they can. If they do not give you the names of others to contact, perhaps they cannot because of a feeling of insecurity in their own jobs. Appreciate whatever they do give you.

For a more detailed description of how to handle the meeting, refer to the section on Networking: "What to Do When Your Networking Isn't Working."

Form a Relationship
Take notes during your meeting. Your follow-up notes will be more appropriate, and then you will feel free to contact this person later. Keep in touch with people on a regular basis. Those who know you well will be more likely to help you.

A targeted mailing is a very powerful technique for hitting every company in a small target area. A direct-mail campaign hits every company in a large target. Both can dramatically move your job hunt along. Try them!

Follow Up
Follow up with a customized note specifically acknowledging the help you received. These notes follow the same concept as follow-ups to networking interviews.

Final Thoughts
You will strike sparks with certain people you meet. They will develop a true interest in you and will surprise you with their help. I have had people invite me to luncheons to introduce me to important people, or call me when they heard news that would interest me. I have even made new friends this way.

Of course, I have done my part, too, by keeping in touch to let them know how my campaign was going. If you are sincere about your search, you will find that the people you meet will also be sincere and will help. It can also be a very heart-warming experience.

CASE STUDY: AHMED
Research and Focus
Ahmed had just moved to the United States from Turkey, so he had no contacts here. He had a background in international sales and trading.

He targeted nine major employers, and did extensive research on each one. Then he wrote to the head of international sales at each of the nine companies. In his introductory paragraph, he said things like "I notice that your international sales have declined from 6 percent to 3 percent over the last year. I find that very disturbing. I was wondering why that is happening, given the state of the market now . . . "

Paragraph two was his summary.

Paragraph three were his bulleted accomplishments. Paragraph four was the close: "I would really appreciate meeting you . . . "

He called only two of them--because the other seven called him before he had a chance. This targeted mailing resulted in nine meetings and three job offers.

Direct Contact Requires
Research and Excellent Writing Skills
Targeted mail works only if you've done your research and if you're a good writer. Furthermore, you must target the right person and have something interesting to say to each person you are contacting. That's why direct contact works best for job hunters who clearly understand their target markets and the issues that are important in them. And that's also why most people do not attempt direct contact until after they have done their research--through preliminary networking or the library.

Are You Sincere?
It's not enough to write to people and expect to get in to see them. They are probably busy with their own jobs, and may be contacted by quite a few people.

Unless you sincerely want to see a person, you won't develop strategies to figure out how to get in to see him or her. You won't do your research. You won't do the follow-up phone calls that are required to prove your sincerity. You won't prevail when someone doesn't return your phone calls.

If you really want to see this person, you'll persevere. And you won't mind asking for an appointment one month from now if he or she is too busy to see you now. You may even say, "I know you're busy now. How about if we schedule something for a month from now, and I'll call you in advance to confirm."

To Enclose Your Resume or Not?
A cover story in Time magazine was titled "Junk Mail." People said, "Why do junk-mail companies enclose so many things in these envelopes that we get? They're wasting paper." In the Letters to the Editor, the junk-mail companies said they had no choice because the response rate increased so dramatically with the number of additional enclosures that have the same message. If they have fewer enclosures, their response rate decreases dramatically.

The same is true for the mailings you are sending. Some people say, "If they see my resume, they'll know I'm job-hunting." But they'll probably know it anyway from your letter. People are very sophisticated today.

My rule of thumb is this: If it supports your case, and it has a message that complements your cover letter, then enclose your resume. You can say, "I've enclosed my resume to let you know something more about me." If you have a brilliant resume, why not enclose it?

On the other hand, if you want to make a career change, you probably do not want to enclose your resume because you can probably make a stronger case without it.

Do what is appropriate for you. Try it both ways and see which works better for you and your situation.

Stating Your Accomplishments
in Your Cover Letter
Think of which of your accomplishments are of interest to your target market. You may want to list different accomplishments for the different industries to which you are writing.

Rank your bulleted accomplishments generally in order of importance to the reader, as opposed to chronologically or alphabetically. It may be that some other logic would be more appropriate in your case. Then do that.

CASE STUDY: RICK
Out-of-Town Search
A Five O'Clock Club job hunter was looking for a job in Denver. He conducted research by getting a listing of companies from the Denver Chamber of Commerce. He called each company and asked for the name of the department head for the area in which he was interested. He wrote to each one, and followed up with a phone call.

He was employed at the time. Yet most of his effort did not take time away from his job. He did his research and wrote his letters on the evenings and weekends. Networking would have been an impossible way for him to start his search, especially in another part of the country. But after he had made these initial contacts, and had traveled to Denver, then he could network around.

He wound up with something like eighty companies to contact--too many for follow-up phone calls. Even twenty is a lot. He followed up with twenty companies, and scheduled a three-day trip to Denver. Before he went, he had set up eight meetings--for the first two days of his trip. When he met with those first eight, he networked into four additional companies, and held those meetings on the third day of his trip.

He didn't have a lot of money, so he couldn't stay long in Denver. But this is also the best way to conduct an out-of-town search--a few days at a time.

When job hunters visit a city for two weeks, and hope that something will happen, they usually come home empty-handed. It's better to do your research, contact all of the companies ahead of time, and go there with meetings already set up. The meetings could be with search firms, in answer to ads, or through networking or direct contact.

Go for three days. Tell the people you meet that you are planning to be in town again in a few weeks, and would like to meet with other people in their company, or in other companies. Go back home, do more work, return in another three or four weeks, and stay for another three days. Then you develop momentum in your out-of-town campaign. A one-time visit rarely works.

Rick went back again six weeks later. It took a few more visits to land the job he wanted, but he did it all with direct and targeted mail as the basis for his campaign, supplemented by networking.

The following pages contain case studies of people who have been successful with targeted mailings. Rather than simply copying their letters, think of one actual individual on your list to whom you are writing, and think of the compelling things you should say to make that person want to meet with you. Even if you write exactly that same letter to twenty people, it will sound more sincere and have more life.

Targeted Mailing Cover Letter:
A Case Study

Cristina was very interested in AT&T. She researched the company and decided to write to the vice chairman of the board. This was an appropriate person for her to write to because he was head of strategic planning, which was her area of expertise.

She wrote a cover letter using our standard format. The cover letter started out by saying, "I agree with you completely. . ." Then she quoted from an article in which he was mentioned. She was attempting to establish a business relationship with him.

Paragraph two was her summary paragraph. Paragraph three contained her bulleted accomplishments. Paragraph four was her close.

Before sending the letter, she called the company to find out the name of his secretary. It was Kim. Then she called to say that she was writing a letter to Mr. van Hecke, and would Kim please look out for it?

In the last paragraph of her letter, she said, "I would very much appreciate the opportunity to meet with you for half an hour to introduce myself . . . I'll call Kim next week to set up an appointment."

She wound up meeting with the vice chairman, and four other very senior people at that company. But the company had a hiring freeze, and she ended up working elsewhere.

Was Cristina's targeted mailing successful? The answer is yes! Did you forget? Mailings, networking, search firms, and ads are techniques for getting interviews. If she got an interview, the technique was successful. Cristina got the meeting she had wanted, and more.

By the way, she had enclosed her resume. She was careful not to mention the business she had been in because it was very different from the one at AT&T. But she knew her skills were transferable because she had done so much research on AT&T and could prove it in her letter. She could talk about her background without emphasizing the exact product or service with which she had been involved.

Why Not Network Instead?
When Cristina wrote to the vice chairman of the board, she really wanted to see him. If she had decided to network in, it would have taken her a very long time to meet someone who would be willing to introduce her to such an important person. Instead, she did her homework: extensive research and intensive follow-up. Be sure to include targeted mailings in your bag of tricks.

Note: Do not necessarily aim for a person at the top of the company. See people who are appropriate for your level. As a rule of thumb, you want to see people who are two levels higher than you are.

Cristina Mejias
143 West Hill Road
Greenwich, CT 02555
212-555-1212 (day)

August 1, 1991

Mr. John van Hecke, Vice Chairman
AT&T Corporation
Corporate Planning and Development
One Stamford Forum
Stamford, CT 06904

Dear Mr. van Hecke:

I agree. Your position is truly enviable.

With the merger of AT&T and United Telecom completed, AT&T is now in a position to become an even greater force in shaping telecommunications for the future both domestically and internationally. However, with all the challenges comes the inevitable need for control, resolution of legal and regulatory issues, competitive threats, pricing issues, and reexamination of both positioning and global packaging of AT&T. Clear, focused strategic and business plans become essential for success. I believe I can help you in these areas.

I offer twenty years of experience in management and marketing with over half that time focused on the international markets. In addition, having been primarily involved in start-up and turnaround ventures, I was directly responsible for developing both five- and ten-year strategic plans and one-year operating plans.

Other areas where my experience could be of assistance to your Corporate Planning and Development area:

• Established and implemented a global marketing and sales strategy which insured consistency of message and product delivery to customers.
• Developed an "insider" approach in the local markets for the products and services sold while adhering to corporate values.
• Instituted a global program aimed at insuring zero defects for multinational clients. Given AT&T's product mix and its strategy for global expansion, superior quality service is essential for success.
• Developed, installed and managed a centralized core system for the business noted as the best in the industry.
• Hosted quarterly global sales and marketing conferences and training sessions to cement team spirit and ensure product, corporate and local communications were current and correct.
• Developed a global risk management program to control risk with "common" sense" procedures to ensure compliance and support.
• Traveled globally at an 80% level. Focused on visiting / selling / cheerleading clients, prospects, industry leaders and staff.
• Created and implemented a global promotion and advertising campaign to establish an image of a global yet local player.

I would very much appreciate the opportunity to meet with you for half an hour to introduce myself, discuss the AT&T environment and identify any areas of your organization or the corporation which may have the need for someone with my background and experience. I have the maturity and sophistication to deal with the wide variety of personalities, problems and opportunities presented by the international markets plus the persistence to see things through to meet your goals.

I'll call Kim next week to set up an appointment. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Cristina Mejias

A hero ventures forth from
the world of common day into a
region of supernatural wonder:
fabulous forces are there encountered and a
decisive victory is won: the hero comes back
from thismysterious adventure with the power
to bestow boons on his fellow man.
Joseph Campbell
(on the journey a hero must take)

Make yourself necessary to someone.
Emerson

I believe a human being is fully himself
only when he expresses himself,
when he makes use of the powers
from within him. If he cannot do that, if his life
consists only of possessing and using rather than being,
then he degenerates; he becomes a thing;
his life becomes pointless.
It becomes a form of suffering.
Real joy comes with real activity,
and real activity involves the utilization
and cultivation of human powers.
Erich Fromm

Blessed is he who has found his work;
let him ask no other blessedness.
Thomas Carlyle

The preceding is an excerpt from The Five O'Clock Club Book Series by Kate Wendleton. The Five O'Clock Club, Forty-Year Vision and Seven Stories Exercise are registered trademarks of The Five O'Clock Club, Inc.