The smartest way to test the idea of a surrogate-written letter
is to compare it with a traditional letter approach. In direct
marketing, this is called an "A-B split." You take a
portion of your mailing list and send out a letter written by
you-labeled with a small "A" in one corner-and then, to
an equal number of names, mail a letter written by a surrogate,
with a "B" printed in one corner. When people start
responding, ask them which letter they received-A or B. After
getting several responses, you'll get an idea of which letter
did best, and you'll mail the winning letter to future
prospects.
In Sturman's case, I'd recommend she take the time to
improve her current letter a bit to give it a little more intrigue
and a better chance before testing it against the endorser-written
letter. To that end, I'd suggest she change her headline to
read, "The Anesthetic in Your Waiting Room." It should
also be positioned farther away from her letterhead than the
current headline is. The revised letter would start,
"Dear Doctor,
Content Continues Below
"How can you calm kids down before you work on
them?
"More and more dentists are revealing that their secret
weapon is . . . an aquarium . . . ."
I'll bet my money the surrogate's letter will win. But,
if no surrogate is willing to be party to this promotion (which
could happen), Sturman will still have a solid letter to help her
fish for new business.
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