Four Phase Direct Mail Process

The purpose of this process is to create product or "brand" recognition. You may be the product or brand. No matter, just make sure you have a unique and memorable logo, name, or tag line. It may be worth spending some money with a professional graphic artist to create a memorable logo for you.

This is a four-week process. You will send one mailing piece, in the order below, to a prospect each week for three weeks and call them on the fourth week. You send to no more prospects each week than you have time to follow up on each week. Let's say you feel that you can only recall 10 prospects a week. You will then use this process for only 10 prospects each week.

PREPARATION STEP: 

Create three mailing pieces

Mailer 1: A postcard with only your logo, name, phone, etc. and 3 major benefits of your product or service. (30 seconds viewing time) An easy way to do the postcard is to design it to fit one quarter of an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper, then pasted up each quarter. Have it printed at your local copy shop on card stock and cut in fourths. Be sure your logo and return address are printed on the reverse side.

Mailer 2: A short letter with your logo, less than one page, with one or two leading questions regarding common problems for your target audience and three to five ways you solve the problem. Stated as benefits not how you do it. (one minute, thirty seconds viewing time before it hits the trash)

Mailer 3: A longer letter stating more detail on your product or service, possibly with pricing or your brochure if you have one and your business card. Say that you will call them next week to see if they have an interest or need for your product or service. (If they have an interest two to three minutes viewing. If no need or interest it may be filed for future reference or tossed)

Create or buy a calling and mailing list of your target audience.

STEP ONE:

WEEK 1: Call 10 prospects on your list to verify address, zip and name of the correct decision maker to whom you will address mailings. Once verified, address all three mailing pieces immediately. Put the person's name, company and phone number in your tickler file to call four weeks from today. You will mail the post card today, one week from today letter #2 and two weeks from today letter #3. And you will call these 10 prospects four weeks from today to follow up. To make this easy put the date to mail letters #2 and #3 where the stamp will go. When that date arrives you just stamp it and send it off.

STEP TWO:

Each week on the same day your make 10 new verification calls, address and date each piece to be mailed as you did the week before. Put these prospects on your call list for four weeks in the future.

SEQUENCE OF CALLS AND MAIL

WEEK 2: you will have 10 new verification calls to make, 10 postcards and 10 # 2 letters to mail.

WEEK 3: you will have you will have 10 new verification calls to make, 10 postcards, 10 # 2 letters and 10 #3 letters to mail.

WEEK 4: you will have 10 new verification calls to make,10 post cards, 10 follow up calls from the first week and 10 #2 letters and 10 #3 letters to mail. Continue until you run out of prospects or don't want to market this way any more.

STEP THREE:

Making Follow Up Calls

On week four you call the first 10 prospects. Ask if he or she has received the information you sent? By now they do at least recognize your company name and know basically what you do. Continue with your interest inquire. Either they are or are not interested in finding out more now. If they are not interested now, ask if you may keep them on your quarterly mailing list.

STEP FOUR:

Set up a computer or manual tickler file system to send a postcard and to make a follow up call every three months. You can use the same postcard you used in the first mailing each time if you wish, just put it on different colored card stock each time.

That's it! This creates a warm call. I have seldom had anybody be rude or hang up on me if I have sent the mailings to the right person. Send only as many mailings as you realistically have time to follow up on each week no mater what. A good rule of thumb is that 25% of your time each week must be devoted to marketing. This is just one piece of your marketing effort. If you have any questions feel free to email or call me.