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ACE PECAN COMPANY "DAD'S ADVICE" LETTER
Narrative letters are less common in business-to-business selling than in fund-raising or in selling
consumer products. They may, however, reach business audiences when other copywriting
techniques fail.
The key market for food gifts are businesses that make multiple purchases of gifts to send to
customers and employees. Ace Pecan Company wanted to reach this market but was having
difficulty coming up with a mailing package that would produce good results from outside lists.
When asked to create something that would get through to these prospects, Joan Greenfield decided
to try the narrative approach. She gives this background:
■ Although they had been testing lists for over six years — lists which worked for
other gourmet foods — no outside list had ever been profitable for them. And while
they had a successful business from their house list, the business was not growing as
fast as it should.
Since I love to write emotional letters, I hoped this version would win. But experience
told me that, too often, narrative letters don't work. Or at least don't work as
well as direct letters.
But for the first time ever, outside lists worked successfully for this client, opening
up major new avenues of growth for the company.
And the letter worked well with the house list, too — 88% better than the control!
Joan also had a cooperative client. All too often, copywriters are forced to turn out copy without
actually having an opportunity to see and test the product they're writing about. But Joan told me:
■ I had a tin of their mixed nuts in front of me while I was writing, and every time
I needed a little inspiration, I popped another giant nut into my mouth and delicious
words streamed out of my typewriter
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