Playing the Lotto - Business Style

I'm not a lottery player with the exception of when the jackpot gets above $200M and I happen to actually hear that it's above $200M and I actually have $1 in cash in my pocket (interesting fact I recently learned - you have to buy lottery tickets with cash). As anyone who actually knows me will attest - typically having the $1 in cash on me is the deciding factor against buying my chance at $200M+.

I do happen to play the business lottery though. For example, today I sent a product sample off to a large company that is incredibly well known and has an equally high brand image though they don't typically carry products like mine. Heck, I didn't even have the name of the appropriate person so it's literally addressed "Dear Sir or Madam" - since hours of internet searching turned up nothing. But let's just say that on the off-chance it actually makes it to the right person and they buy into my carefully crafted and hopefully persuasive cover letter. Imagine the results!

And post memorial day I will be sending a sample to a well-known tv personality who has a famous "list" in her magazine that also typically makes the "list" she broadcasts on tv. It's one heck of a long shot - in fact my odds of winning that $200M+ lottery are probably better - but just for a moment imagine what would happen if someone did think it would be a great new feature for their publication.

I don't do a lot of this "business lottery" sample sending since, at the end of the day the probability of actually winning are next to nil and the money spent to send samples out the door could be put to better use. Though in two instances it actually has paid out for me. Like the above two scenarios, one was to a large well-known retailer (I did have a contact name that time) which actually ended up being the first retailer my company signed. And the other was a PR move where I sent samples to "Dear Sir or Madam" and it actually made the cut. So I believe these things can happen despite the fact that the odds are not in my favor. But again, just imagine what would happen if you won...