Direct Mail 5
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What's a house list?
A house list is the list of your own customers. If you sell a line of products or the type of service that is needed periodically, your house list will often produce more customers than any other list.
How important is it to have the name of a person on the mailing?
Usually you will get a better response if you address your mailings to particular people. A letter addressed to "Occupant" or "Sales Manager" or "President" or "Purchasing Agent" immediately tells the recipient that what is inside is an ad from a business or individual they don't know. That makes that letter less important to read. Overworked businesspeople and home owners who don't like getting junk mail often will throw out such letters without ever opening them.
What should I put in a mailing to find new customers?
It is usually best to include a sales letter, brochure, and a response card or return envelope. Some people just send out a brochure or a sales letter, but using both gives you more opportunity to explain what you sell and show the recipient of your mailing the benefits of your product or service.
How do I write a sales letter?
The purpose of a sales letter is to sell—in other words, to convince someone to take some specific action, such as order a product, call you for an appointment, visit your store—and to take that action immediately. Although that might seem obvious, many small business owners send out sales letters that don't sell. A typical letter reads something like this: We are pleased to announce the opening of the George Jones Bookkeeping Service. The service, which is designed to help small businesses meet their bookkeeping needs, uses the latest computer equipment to store all customer records. You can reach us from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. at 555-1234. The problem with a letter like that is that the recipient really doesn't care that you have opened a bookkeeping service or anything else. What might interest them, maybe enough to call you, is information about what your service will do for them. Tell them how you can save them time, minimize errors, or perhaps help them reduce their income tax bills by making sure they have all the records they need to take all the deductions they are entitled to—then you are much more likely to catch their attention and attract their business.
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