| 12 things that may be wrong with a poorly performing direct mail campaign |
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| Written by Jim Logan | |
| Monday, 12 May 2008 12:17 | |
 Something I routinely hear from prospective clients is their lead generation and sales letters haven't worked well in the past. Many prospects share stories of mailing letters and getting no reply at all. A common theme is they like the idea of direct mail, but aren't sure it has a place in the modern world. In B2B complex sales, direct mail remains highly relevant and effective, but it's not as easy as writing a letter and licking an envelope. A bit of thought and homework has to go into it. There are a number of reasons a direct mail campaign can fall short of expectations. Here are 12 common things I look for and more often than not find as the reason for underperforming direct mail:
If you are chasing named accounts or have a list of companies fitting a defined profile, direct mail is an excellent tool to open sales opportunities. In fact, when working with defined markets and named accounts, direct mail is one of a only a small number of ways you can proactively engage with a prospective client and open a sales opportunity - cold calling and email being common alternatives. If you are interested in direct mail or have tried it in the past and were disappointed with the response, fill-out this short questionnaire and send it to me requesting a no obligation consultation on how direct mail may work for your company or how your current direct mail campaigns may improve: CLICK HERE! I'll contact you to schedule a meeting shortly after I receive the questionnaire. I periodically make offers like this as a way to interact with readers and learn more about what others are experiencing as lead generation and sales challenges. In consultations like this one, you may be able to takeaway an idea or two to explore and improve your sales and marketing efforts. Past consultations such as this one have occasionally resulted in new lead generation ideas and target markets otherwise unthought-of. I can't make an offer like this without a limitation of some kind - I have to make a living too :-) So, this offer is open to the first 10 respondents. First come, first served. Here's the link to get things going: CLICK HERE! ======= May 18, 2008 Update: The offer in this post to review your direct mail opportunites and expereince is now closed. Thanks to everyone who took action.
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President
written by Catherine Brown, May 12, 2008
Jim, this is a great summary of some of direct mail's most common errors. I think another common mistake not mentioned in the list is to mail to TOO many people at one time. We never mail to more people than we can call quickly to discuss the letter. Reaching people is a challenge but it can be done with a well planned campaign.
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Excellent Point! written by Jim, May 12, 2008
Hi Catherine! Thanks for the kinds words...and an excellent #13 on my list!
I routinely recommend direct mail and teleprospecting be combined into one campaign, the results multiply when you follow one with the other. Calling after the mail arrives makes both the call and mailed piece more effective. Which means your call to action is responded too more often. From a cold calling perspective, direct mail is a dream. There's nothing easier than calling in pursuit of something. A follow-up call is easier to make for most people than a pure cold call. Regardless, your point is spot on, when you're calling in follow-up to a direct mail piece, you never want to mail more than your ability to call and follow-up. ====== Note: Catherine is President of InitialCall - an inside sales and teleprospecting company. I met Catherine almost two years ago and worked with her on a small project. I've talked with about four people in her company and was impressed with each person I spoke to. I've spent hours on the phone with Catherine talking about business, lead generation, and sales. She's bright, honest, and sincere. In summary, if you need services such as her company offers, you ought to give InitialCall an opportunity to earn your business. They're a very professional and personable company. Consider this a personal recommendation. Cheers! report abuse
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Logan's World 12 things that may be wrong with a poorly performing direct mail campaign
Logan's World 12 things that may be wrong with a poorly performing direct mail campaign
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