How not to do a mailshot

January 22, 2015

Richard and I received a letter from another firm of accountants the other day (we got one each on the same day).

They're not a competitor (they deal with multi-nationals and clients overseas).

But what was interesting was the content.

They started off well as they used our first names and spelt Richard's surname right - always a bonus!

However from then on in it went downhill. In the whole of the letter they used the words 'we', 'us' and 'our' over 30 times. And the word 'you'? Well, that was only used 3 times.

Now that's like having a conversation with a friend who only talks about themselves. How soon will you get fed up? Very quickly.

And other than letting us know about the 'exciting changes' at their company (basically a name change) there was nothing else.

No offer. No PS. No call to action.

So they must have spent £'000s on a letter sent to people who really don't care.

And worse still, they didn't give any of those people a reason to care.

Now it wouldn't have cost them any more to have sent a mailshot which hit its mark.

One focussed on the customer.  With an offer.  And with a PS.

Now ​those sorts of tips are covered in the Business Growth System newsletter.  And if you're signed up to our mailing list you get access to 6 free copies.  Just look out for the emails with the link.

And in the newsletter, Steve Hackney (who has over 17 years experience) does a step by step analysis of a marketing piece each month.  Showing you how to avoid the mistakes our competitor made.  So you can make sure your marketing hits the spot.

To sign up for our emails, just go to our home page and complete the sign up box - job done.  â€‹

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About the author

Richard Baldwyn ATT CTA

Richard is Co-Founder of The Friendly Accountants and has more than 30 years' experience, in tax, including 3 years spent inside HMRC before moving into private practice. He advises individuals and owner-managed businesses on a wide range of UK tax issues, including the tax challenges created by digital platforms and online business models.

Richard has specialised in UK crypto taxation since 2016 and was one of the first UK tax advisers to write publicly about the taxation of cryptoassets. His work includes advising individuals, investors, founders and owner-managed businesses on complex crypto transactions, HMRC disclosures and enquiries, DeFi, NFTs and the tax issues facing businesses operating with digital assets.

He also has first-hand experience of cryptoassets and Web3 projects, combining practical knowledge of how crypto is used with wider UK tax experience.

He particularly enjoys making complex tax transactions easier to understand and helping clients apply tax rules to transactions and technologies that do not always fit neatly within traditional tax categories. More about Richard and the TFA team

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