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I Love Marketing

Fun Follow Up Sales Tips: The Fun Finale I Love Marketing Live Series with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #478

July 17 · 7 min · Season 1 · Episode 478 · 5.3 MB
0:00-7:26

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At a live I Love Marketing event, Joe Polish and Dean Jackson dig into the follow up emails nobody thinks twice about, and why that's exactly the opportunity.

From Derek Sivers' legendary CD Baby letter to Jesse Cole's billion dollar Savannah Bananas, Joe and Dean make the case that the fastest way to grow word of mouth is to make the forgettable moments memorable.

Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode:

  • Why the most opened email CD Baby ever sent wasn't a sales pitch or a newsletter, it was the receipt, straight from the discovery that changed how Derek Sivers wrote to Customers.
  • The 20 minute email Derek Sivers wrote in 1998 that packs in a team of 50 employees, a private jet, and an entire town waving goodbye.
  • Why searching "private CD Baby jet" online still turns up thousands of results decades later, and what that says about what actually makes people forward your email to their friends.
  • How Jesse Cole turned a struggling baseball team into a billion dollar company by asking one weird question: what makes us the yellow tux in a sea of gray suits?
Show Notes Why the Receipt Beats the Newsletter
  • CD Baby discovered its shipping confirmation email was the most opened email it ever sent.
  • Most companies default to a flat "here's your confirmation number" message at exactly the moment a customer is most excited.
  • Dean frames every touchpoint in a customer's timeline, including a receipt, as an opportunity to add fun.
The Letter That Started It All
  • Derek Sivers wrote the first version of the CD Baby shipping email as a plain, forgettable confirmation.
  • After a few months it felt incongruent with his mission to make people smile, so he spent 20 minutes writing something goofier.
  • He later titled it "the most successful email I ever wrote" on his own blog.
Inside the Actual Letter
  • Sterilized, contamination free gloves and a satin pillow cradle the CD before it ships.
  • Fifty employees inspect and polish the disc, and a packing specialist from Japan lights a candle before it's boxed.
  • The whole town of Portland marches to the post office to wave the package off on the "private CD Baby jet."
  • The Customer's picture goes up on the wall as "Customer of the year."
What One Email Created
  • Search "private CD Baby jet" online today and you'll still find thousands of results.
  • Each result is someone who received the email, loved it, and posted it to share with friends.
  • One goofy, 20 minute email turned into thousands of new Customers through pure word of mouth.
Tiny Details Over Big Plans
  • Joe and Dean's core lesson: business owners often chase "world changing massive action plans" when a small, delightful detail does more to make people talk.
  • The CD Baby letter cost nothing extra to send, it just took intention.
  • AI now makes it easier than ever to draft your own version of a delightful follow up.
Every Touchpoint Is an Opportunity
  • Dean's framing: every moment in a Customer's timeline, before, during, or after the sale, is a chance to inject personality.
  • A confirmation email, a shipping notice, or a thank you note can all carry the same spirit as the CD Baby letter.
Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas
  • Joe points to Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas, as another example of fun driving results.
  • Cole's book Find Your Yellow Tux argues that standing out beats blending in.
  • The Savannah Bananas grew into a billion dollar company, and one player has a bigger social media following than many Major League Baseball stars.
Resources