Small Projects Can Reap Sizable Rewards
Every Monday afternoon, a cheerful man appears at Electric Pen with a large paper bag filled with organic fruit. This week, he brought us pale green apples that, when sliced open, were bright pink. They are called pearl apples, and the man described them as having hints of raspberry. We were intrigued.
The bearer of this deliciousness is Tom O’Connor, owner of Market Fresh Fruit, an organic fruit delivery service for local businesses. Tom visits farms and orchardists across Washington, curating, and selecting fruit that he will later deliver to companies throughout Seattle.
But we knew Tom before our fruit deliveries began. Last year, Tom approached Electric Pen with a simple ask: to revamp his visual sales piece to highlight cost modules and complementary in-office tastings. Tom envisioned a two-sided leave-behind that was transportable and manageable from a size perspective. Most importantly, it would communicate benefits to prospects and clients, in terms of healthy eating and wellness, that his previous piece did not address.
At Electric Pen, we start every assignment—large or small—with a project objective. Beginning a project is akin to gearing up before trekking through the wilderness. The first thing you need to do is orient yourself with a goal (as you would a compass and map) to make the journey more navigable and secure. Aligning to a purpose will always increase the chance of success.
When we talk about the project objective, we are not referring to a company’s high-level vision statement, which guides and aspires but may not be achieved. A project objective is a lower-level statement, relayed directly to the team doing the work, and details the desired result in tangible deliverables. It is specific, measurable, attainable, and timely. The clearer the project objective, the more likely it will be fulfilled.
We defined our objective for Market Fresh Fruit as Develop, in three weeks, a pragmatic sales tool to drive engagement and offer solutions for office managers and executive assistants tasked with ordering snacks for 10-300 employees. Our answer: An 5×7 inch photo-rich bifold with an easy-to-read format outlining different packages and pricing. It contains Market Fresh Fruit’s key selling points, informs how to set up a tasting, and displays images of seasonal fruit, raspberry-apples included. The piece fits in Tom’s shirt pocket and has become his go-to sales tool for both spontaneous encounters and formal meetings. He calls it a business card with horsepower.
Regardless of the depth of work or its intended deliverable, a concise objective will enable even the smallest of projects to reap sizable impact and rewards.
by Robyn Komachi, Marketing Specialist
