To the Letter
Testimonials lead to a world of opportunity.
Tara O'Keeffe's rancher father had long endured splits
and cracks in his hands and feet, motivating her to create O'Keeffe's Working Hands Creme. Impressed with
the product's healing powers, independent pharmacies carried
it. But when O'Keeffe, 48, tried to get the cream in retailers
nationwide, buyers only cared about which major stores already
stocked the product.
Undaunted, O'Keeffe collected letters from grateful
individuals. She shared the testimonials at a trade show, where a
Walgreens buyer was impressed by the binder that contained 1,000
letters.
Before long, the buyer had placed O'Keeffe's product in
every store--allowing her to begin advertising nationally. "We
became a brand in consumers' minds," says O'Keeffe,
who saw sales increase 20 to 25 percent and projects 2003 sales to
reach $2 million.
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Though major chains now stock her product, the testimonials are
still vital when meeting buyers. "It proves a need for a
product," says O'Keeffe, who donated some cream to
soldiers in Iraq. When it became the soldiers' most-requested
product among the items they were given, she donated 10,000 more
tubes--a gesture sure to win even more loyal customers.