Show Up First: The Cookie Drop Still Lands Corporate Catering Clients

Jessica Lehrer is co-founder of Adam & Joe Knows Lunch in Fort Lauderdale, and a real CaterZen catering software customer. Here's a move she told me about in her podcast interview that's worth stealing.

She stays connected with local business contacts on LinkedIn. When one of them gets promoted or lands a new job at a company in her area, she messages them directly: "Congratulations - I'd love to stop by with some cookies for your new team." Then she shows up, in person, with the cookies and her menus.

That's it. No big pitch. Just showing up to celebrate someone's win - and leaving them with a reason to remember her.

Here's the problem: that move is nearly extinct.

We call it a cookie drop. It's not new. I've been teaching it for over a decade.

The Sales Tempo, and Where the Cookie Drop Fits

I don't believe in silver bullets. I believe in sequences.

Years ago I laid out a system called the Sales Tempo - four steps, run over eight to twelve weeks, aimed at qualified prospects, not two thousand random businesses you cold-called off a list:

1. Direct mail. Three pieces, low cost, goes out automatically.
2. Phone follow-up. "Did you get what I sent?" Gets up to 300% better response than mail alone.
3. LinkedIn. Connect. Comment. Stay visible. This is exactly what put Jessica's promotion tactic on the map — she wouldn't have known who got promoted without it.
4. The cookie drop. You show up. In person. With something small.

The cookie drop is last on purpose. It's the most expensive step - cookies, gas, marketing materials, somebody's time - so you save it for the prospects who've earned it: the ones who didn't respond to steps one through three but are still worth the drive, or the ones who just gave you a perfect reason to show up.

Why It Still Works

Everybody's inbox is full. Nobody's front desk is.

Every decision-maker you're chasing gets dozens of cold emails a week. Almost none of them get a real person showing up to celebrate something good happening in their career.

That's the whole game. You're not competing with other caterers anymore. You're competing with an inbox - and an inbox can't remember your name.

Who to Target

You don't need a long list. Three sources work:

• New job or promotion announcements. This is Jessica's move - watch LinkedIn for people in your network moving up or moving companies, and message them before you show up. Zero resistance built in. You're not selling. You're celebrating.
• Non-responders from your mail sequence. Don't write them off - group them by location. Five offices in one office park are worth an afternoon.
• Under-served niches. Churches, funeral homes, HR departments running new-hire orientations - anywhere there's a recurring need and nobody else is showing up.

How to Run One

Nothing fancy about it:

1. Bring something small and shareable - enough for the office, not just the receptionist.
2. If you've got a reason (like Jessica does), message them first so they're expecting you.
3. Ask for the person by name at the front desk. Not available? Leave it with your card. Don't linger.
4. Follow up two or three days later. Reference the visit, not a hard sell.

The follow-up matters as much as the drop-off. The visit gets you remembered. The follow-up is what books the tasting.

What It Costs

Treats, a few decent notecards, gas money. That's it.

Run enough of these consistently and one recurring corporate account pays for a year of them.

Make It Part of Your System, Not a Random Errand

The operators who get results here don't treat this as a one-off. They treat it as the last gear in a repeatable sequence - mail, call, LinkedIn, then a visit for anyone who hasn't responded, or anyone who just gave you a reason to celebrate with them.

A New Gear in the Sales Tempo: CRM Sales Pro

We're building something we're calling CRM Sales Pro, and Sequences are the heart of it.

A Sequence lets you build a real, multi-step follow-up plan for a prospect - an automated email on day one, a call task a few days later, a to-do task, like a cookie drop, a week after that. Set the spacing once and CaterZen keeps the whole thing moving. Every step lands right on the prospect's timeline. Nothing sits in a notebook. Nothing gets forgotten because you got slammed on a Tuesday.

You'll also see how each sequence performs - emails sent, who replied, who completed the whole run - so you know which follow-up plan is actually landing accounts and which one's just busywork.

It's in testing right now. Want early access? Contact us and we'll get you on the list.

The Bottom Line

There is no silver bullet for landing corporate accounts. Just showing up.

Jessica's proof of that - she's a real CaterZen customer, and you can hear more from her on our podcast.

If you're not already in CaterZen, the best way to see how all of this fits together is to get inside the system. Start a free 30-day trial today - no hand-holding required. See how the CRM keeps your prospects and follow-ups organized, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Or if you'd rather have someone walk you through it, book a demo and we'll show you exactly how CaterZen can work for your operation.

Your best prospects don't wait around for you to remember them. The right system does that for you, so you can go show up.