Case Study: Hole Hogz
How a hydro-excavation company used personalized Recognition campaigns to open doors, spark meaningful conversations, and generate $1.2M in new revenue from just twenty prospects.
This is Recognition-driven Prospecting — pairing thoughtful, memorable touches with perfectly-timed outreach to make ideal customers feel seen, valued, and eager to respond.
Key Outcomes
The Power of Recognition in a High-Stakes Prospecting Campaign
$1.2M Won Through Recognition
Personalized gifts made prospects feel valued, opening doors traditional outreach never could.
Multi-Touch Recognition Campaigns
Each mailing included thoughtful, customized gifts that honored the prospect by name.
20 Ideal Prospects
A selective list where each person received personalized Recognition instead of generic marketing.
$137.57 Per Relationship
A small Recognition investment that resulted in massive long-term revenue growth.
Overview
Hole Hogz entered the hydro-excavation market with a bold belief:
people don’t respond to marketing — they respond to feeling recognized.
Instead of sending generic sales materials or cold outreach, they identified twenty of their
highest-value prospects and launched a Recognition-first campaign designed to surprise,
delight, and immediately differentiate their brand.
Each touchpoint made the prospect feel seen — customized gifts, engraved names,
personalized messaging, and a narrative built entirely around the prospect’s pains,
challenges, and opportunities.
It wasn’t the gifts alone that moved the needle. It was the emotion behind the gifts —
the thoughtful Recognition that built connection long before the first conversation.
“We spent $137.57 per prospect — and the way we recognized them made all the difference. They knew we saw them, understood them, and valued them before we ever met.”
How Hole Hogz Used Recognition to Win Attention
1. Selected twenty high-value prospects
Not mass marketing — just a small group worth recognizing deeply and consistently.
2. Sent personalized gifts that made prospects feel valued
Every touch included something useful, engraved, or tailored specifically to the recipient.
3. Built a clear narrative of care and partnership
Instead of selling excavation services, they told a story of reliability, safety, and support.
4. Used Recognition as the conversation starter
Prospects reached out first because the experience stood out — thoughtful, human, and memorable.
5. Turned Recognition into recurring revenue
Four immediate contracts created $1.2M in work and enough demand to expand their fleet.
