So the recipients of your personal sales letter have their own problems, the exact opposite of yours, which they may or may not have begun to solve. A certain percentage of them will need someone with the skills and experience you possess. The success of your personal sales letter stems from the fact that the product you describe (yourself) fills a definite need.
Of course, the higher the level of position you are seeking, the fewer positions will be open to you. A company may need many engineers but only one vice president of engineering. However, if you contact enough PEs, some will have openings at your level, and in most cases you will have very little competition.
Your Objective in Writing a Personal Sales Letter
Whatever level of responsibility you are seeking; your task is to construct a personal sales letter that generates the greatest number of responses from PEs, including those who are not actively looking for someone. If your letter tries to attract attention by emphasizing what you want, rather than what your PE needs, it will in all probability end up in the wastepaper basket. Your letter should clearly show your reader how you can solve his problem, not just by filling a position but by helping to maximize profits, raise efficiency, lower overhead, increase sales, save on taxes, or whatever else your talents can achieve. If it does, your PE will practically demand to see you for an interview. Wouldn't you in his place?
As you write your personal sales letter, keep in mind that your immediate objective is to get a face-to-face interview. Many job hunters put everything possible in their personal sales letter in the belief that their immediate purpose is to get hired. This is a mistake. You cannot get hired without a face-to-face interview. Your personal sales letter will help you achieve that vital objective. In your letter you must show your PE that what you want is so closely connected with what he wants, and is in his own best interests, that by doing what you suggest he is only furthering his own ends. In short, your sales letter must show that your qualifications are the solution to the PE's problem.
Your Own and Your PE's Needs-How to Satisfy Both
Your needs will be satisfied when you have obtained the superior job that you desire. The PE's needs will be satisfied when he hires a superior executive to fill the open position. You have already taken a giant step toward bringing these two needs together by establishing your professional objective and researching and developing an outstanding resume. In the personal sales letter you are the product; and if you have taken the necessary time to analyze your needs, accomplishments, experiences, and capabilities, you should now know your product very well indeed.
Let's look again at your PE's needs and requirements. If you were a sales manager in a company selling a sophisticated product-say, EDP equipment-what kind of salespeople would you want to hire? What kind of background would you look for? Write down your own ideal job specifications for this position. Mine include a track record of success in selling technical products, experience in the EDP industry, and a technical degree.
How about a senior buyer supervising three other buyers in a medium-size company in the electronics industry? You would probably look for past accomplishment as a buyer in the electronics industry and past success as a supervisor, or as the number-two person in a department of buyers.
Let's try a personnel manager in the insurance industry supervising two other personnel specialists. You would look for someone with a record of success as a personnel manager, successful supervisory experience, in the personnel career field, experience in the insurance industry, and a business degree, preferably specializing in personnel.
Notice that the key words in all these examples relate to prior successful experience in the same or a similar function. Naturally, if every requirement cannot be met, the PE will be willing to compromise, provided the primary specifications are met by outstanding accomplishments. Who, for example, would fail to hire a technical salesman who has proved himself by an outstanding record in technical sales, even if he had no degree?
In constructing your personal sales letter, you should strive to meet every possible requirement that a PE would seek. Keep your PE's needs in mind as you develop your sales letter, and present your qualifications so that these needs are filled. This doesn't mean lying or in any way misrepresenting yourself. It does mean emphasizing what you have to offer that is relevant to the job.
