Linda Invitation

Good day Linda, 

Time for a story.

I'm compelled to write after having just been in CT with friends over the 4th and we ate a lot of Stew Leonard's. So good. I figured I'd do the opposite of a short cold email and reach out with a warm and long one. Buckled? 

The idea we're working on in MPLS:
More customers have more joy in their kitchen when their kitchen knives are sharp (recently serviced).


The problem:
It's not easy enough to sharpen (location, trust, easy)… that's why ~92% of kitchens have dull knives. The majority suffer at home in silence smooshing food and cook on their phones with their thumbs, a lot. This includes your grocery customers. 


The how of the product:
A product in your store with a SKU that does not expire that ~50% of the customers purchase 1-2 times/yr and makes you a 50% margin. It's a shipping kit that includes postage and USPS approved, patent pending packaging.


One pay-off among many:
Shoppers with sharp knives buy more groceries (produce and meat) and cook at home more often too. Double bonus. 


History:
We started during the pandemic and now sharpen loads and loads of kitchen knives each week. Rather then learn sourdough I wanted my dull knives easily sharpened by mail. Turns out, I could not find the service. They were so dull and I, like you, was mostly stuck at home. So, I started designing and shipping boxes to folks with packaging and postage to return them to us. We sharpened and returned them same day they arrived all for one easy - one click - price. 


We opened a physical store 20 mins from my house for a year. After learning a great deal we moved the store to a lux shopping district in Edina, Minnesota where we delight our zip-code and those around it like yours - the top 1/3 of households by income. We offer sharpening a block away from a grocery store that offers bad sharpening for FREE. We get drop-offs every day of the week and keep the commercial machinery running for hours and hours a day. We also have kitchen knives from around the world (loads of knives the big box stores can't carry) and class - loads of classes on knife skill 101 and sharpening, etc. Our community loves us. We're looking for partners in communities like ours to share more joy in kitchens through well serviced kitchen knives. 


The offer: 
We'd like to test our sharpening package in your store for a few weeks as a test. I don't want to insult you with a price but I wanted to see if you'd be curious enough to partner on this. What do you say? A few boxes… some cash… some learning AND really happy customers. 


Three reviews on the shipping service:
"So impressed! I’ve wanted to get our knives sharpened for so long and wanted them professionally done. This was the easiest and most convenient solution ever!! 100% recommend and will use again!" — Alicia


"I was thrilled to find an online/delivery service for getting our knives sharpened! Vivront not only delivered exceptional service with the sharpening but also made it fun and easy." — Julie


"The experience and service you need but never knew you did. Yes, you can sharpen them at home with your cheap sharpener - it doesn't work well." —Matt


Benefits: 
• Delightful: We make it so easy and so joyful that folks use us again and again and tell their friends too - and they become customers. 
• It's fast: We ship Priority by default. 1-3 days. We sharpen and return shipment the same day packages arrive in our shop. 
• Scissors and serrated knives too: Ship 'em and have your kitchen running tip top with ease.
• Quality: We sharpen hundreds of knives a day with commercial machines the likes of the German manufactures. It's hard to get good at something practiced once or twice a year at home. We have the repetitions.
• Low Environmental Impact: We save knives from the landfill and the packaging is recyclable. 


Common hesitations
• How long will my knives be gone? We sharpen the same day they arrive at our shop. If you're at a 2 day shipping zone you can drop them in the mail on a Monday and have them back on a Friday - Faster than the local farmers market guy on stones that comes every other week. 
• Do I have to go to the post office? No, you can schedule a pick up or simply drip it in any post in the neighborhood, at the office or along the way.
• Can you ship knives? Yes, certainly. That's how they get to the store for purchase and our packaging exceeds shipping guidelines to boot. 
• Will you judge me for how bad my knives are? Nope. We're just interested in putting them back as close to new as we can get them. 
• Is it tracked? Shipped items are tracked and safe given our patent pending packaging and working relationship with USPS innovation team.


Bonus: 
We're based in the midwest, Minneapolis metro, and are looking for an East Coast partner. We'd be interested in working with you as a development partner with an exclusive around your stores. 


Ask:
Let's take a next step. Reply and let me know what additional info you'd like first. Maybe it's pictures… or a call, or a demo package so you can see how it works? 


Here is the google maps link for the shop - https://maps.app.goo.gl/hqQqoyAJKokYSxg66
Our .com - vivront.com


Talk soon. Looking forward to delighting customers together. 
—Joseph