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Hub You - Direct Mail Sales Letter Mistakes to Avoid
I don't know if you realize this or not, but another source of business can be generated from your existing client base. And if you're not keeping in touch with customers who already did business with you, then you are making a BIG mistake...They alone are your biggest source for repeat business and referrals.Listen, you spend a LOT Of Money to get leads and customers and if you don't stay in contact with them, you are missing out on tons, and tons of hidden profits....Profits that come in the form of Repeat Business a
7. No time limit
Time may heal all wounds, but it kills response. Your enemy is procrastination. Your enemy is tomorrow.
Don’t make the mistake of letting your readers put you off until they forget your mailing altogether. Put a time limit on your offer: “Call now. This offer expires June 1, 1999.” Time-limited offers almost always outpull offers with no time limit.
8. No call for action
Ask for the order. BUY NOW! PHONE TODAY! ORDER YOUR FREE SAMPLE! If you don’t ask for a response, you won’t get one. Tell readers what to do. Show them the next step. Make your order form easy to read and easy to follow.
Fortunately, others have gone before us. My favourite sources for tested, practical wisd
We have all heard a lot about change management and it seems to be a buzzword that is being kicked around in management schools at top universities. Change management interruptions can cause chaos in a Corporation and it is this reason that Change Management is discussed in case studies at MBA schools.One thing that is not talked about very much is how change management disruptions affect your competitors and how you can take advantage of them. In my younger days I use to race motorcycles; street bikes, the ones that go rea
1. Wrong list
The most important part of any direct mail campaign is not the copy. It’s not the art direction. And it’s not the offer. It’s the mailing list.
That’s why you can mail identical packages to two lists, one good and one poor, and find that the good list pulls 10 times more responses than the poor list does. Your mailing list, after all, is not just a way to reach your market. It is your market.
2. No testing
There are no answers in direct mail except test answers. I didn’t write that. Eugene Schwartz, the author of Breakthrough Advertising, did.
If you don’t test one package against another, one list against another, you won’t know what works and what fails. So test lists. Test offers. Test formats. Test envelope teaser copy. Don’t assume you know what works. Test and be sure.
3. No offer
The second most important part of a direct mail package is the offer. The offer aims to persuade readers to choose your product or service over what your competitors are selling. Your offer must differentiate you from the competition by way of price, terms, guarantees or extras.
To generate leads, offer free technical information, a free analysis, free consultation, free demonstration, free trial use or free product sample. To build retail traffic, offer premiums, special discounts or exclusives. To sell a product directly through the mail, offer a free trial, sample, premium or discount.
4. Starting with you, not me
You’re at a party. You meet two people. One greets you this way: “Hi, I’m a swell person and I make lots of money. But enough about me, what do you think about me?” The other greets you this way, “Hi, I’m Tony. You look like an interesting person. Tell me about yourself.”
Now, then, which of these two people would you rather talk to? Your readers prefer to hear you talk about them, not about yourself or your product. Yet many businesses mail sales letters that begin: “ABC Incorporated was founded in 1982 and is in the business of delivering quality, service and value into the new millennium.” Big yawn. Big mistake. Aim your messages at the prospect and say everything from the prospect’s point of view. Don’t begin your copy with “we” when you can begin with “you.”
5. Slow in getting to the point
You have five seconds. After that, your reader is either still reading or is preparing your mailing for a flight test into the wastepaper basket.
Don’t make the mistake of a slow build-up. Avoid the roundabout approach. Start your letter with your most compelling sales point. Fire your biggest cannon in the first line of copy. Promise your reader a benefit. Give them a reason to continue reading.
6. Poor follow-up
Don’t spend all your time and effort in generating a response and none in following up inquiries. Slow fulfillment is deadly.
So are inadequate marketing literature and unprofessional telemarketing. They can destroy the interest that you work so hard to build. Fill requests for information within 48 hours. Send follow-up mailings to those who do not respond first time. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.
7. No time limit
Time may heal all wounds, but it kills response. Your enemy is procrastination. Your enemy is tomorrow.
Don’t make the mistake of letting your readers put you off until they forget your mailing altogether. Put a time limit on your offer: “Call now. This offer expires June 1, 1999.” Time-limited offers almost always outpull offers with no time limit.
8. No call for action
Ask for the order. BUY NOW! PHONE TODAY! ORDER YOUR FREE SAMPLE! If you don’t ask for a response, you won’t get one. Tell readers what to do. Show them the next step. Make your order form easy to read and easy to follow.
Fortunately, others have gone before us. My favourite sources for tested, practical wisd
Can you remember turning on your radio, hearing a song that reminded you of a past event and suddenly all the emotions that were associated with that event came flooding back? Does the smell of certain foods evoke memories of your childhood? Do you feel sad when you see a funeral procession? Or happy when you see a balloon flying in the sky? These responses are called ‘anchors’.An anchor is a stimulus that changes your state of mind either positively or negatively. It triggers an automatic response in you or in others that in
If you don’t test one package against another, one list against another, you won’t know what works and what fails. So test lists. Test offers. Test formats. Test envelope teaser copy. Don’t assume you know what works. Test and be sure.
3. No offer
The second most important part of a direct mail package is the offer. The offer aims to persuade readers to choose your product or service over what your competitors are selling. Your offer must differentiate you from the competition by way of price, terms, guarantees or extras.
To generate leads, offer free technical information, a free analysis, free consultation, free demonstration, free trial use or free product sample. To build retail traffic, offer premiums, special discounts or exclusives. To sell a product directly through the mail, offer a free trial, sample, premium or discount.
4. Starting with you, not me
You’re at a party. You meet two people. One greets you this way: “Hi, I’m a swell person and I make lots of money. But enough about me, what do you think about me?” The other greets you this way, “Hi, I’m Tony. You look like an interesting person. Tell me about yourself.”
Now, then, which of these two people would you rather talk to? Your readers prefer to hear you talk about them, not about yourself or your product. Yet many businesses mail sales letters that begin: “ABC Incorporated was founded in 1982 and is in the business of delivering quality, service and value into the new millennium.” Big yawn. Big mistake. Aim your messages at the prospect and say everything from the prospect’s point of view. Don’t begin your copy with “we” when you can begin with “you.”
5. Slow in getting to the point
You have five seconds. After that, your reader is either still reading or is preparing your mailing for a flight test into the wastepaper basket.
Don’t make the mistake of a slow build-up. Avoid the roundabout approach. Start your letter with your most compelling sales point. Fire your biggest cannon in the first line of copy. Promise your reader a benefit. Give them a reason to continue reading.
6. Poor follow-up
Don’t spend all your time and effort in generating a response and none in following up inquiries. Slow fulfillment is deadly.
So are inadequate marketing literature and unprofessional telemarketing. They can destroy the interest that you work so hard to build. Fill requests for information within 48 hours. Send follow-up mailings to those who do not respond first time. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.
7. No time limit
Time may heal all wounds, but it kills response. Your enemy is procrastination. Your enemy is tomorrow.
Don’t make the mistake of letting your readers put you off until they forget your mailing altogether. Put a time limit on your offer: “Call now. This offer expires June 1, 1999.” Time-limited offers almost always outpull offers with no time limit.
8. No call for action
Ask for the order. BUY NOW! PHONE TODAY! ORDER YOUR FREE SAMPLE! If you don’t ask for a response, you won’t get one. Tell readers what to do. Show them the next step. Make your order form easy to read and easy to follow.
Fortunately, others have gone before us. My favourite sources for tested, practical wisd
The public buys far more than just your products, services and so-called image promotions. Whenever they interact with anyone or anything associated with your business, they are automatically branded emotionally, good or bad, by the totality of your business character.Whether you are a small business or a large operation, it is immaterial. If that brand is found lacking at any time in the customer-relation scenario, their return to you as a future-paying customer will be highly unlikely, not to mention all of their word-of-mo
4. Starting with you, not me
You’re at a party. You meet two people. One greets you this way: “Hi, I’m a swell person and I make lots of money. But enough about me, what do you think about me?” The other greets you this way, “Hi, I’m Tony. You look like an interesting person. Tell me about yourself.”
Now, then, which of these two people would you rather talk to? Your readers prefer to hear you talk about them, not about yourself or your product. Yet many businesses mail sales letters that begin: “ABC Incorporated was founded in 1982 and is in the business of delivering quality, service and value into the new millennium.” Big yawn. Big mistake. Aim your messages at the prospect and say everything from the prospect’s point of view. Don’t begin your copy with “we” when you can begin with “you.”
5. Slow in getting to the point
You have five seconds. After that, your reader is either still reading or is preparing your mailing for a flight test into the wastepaper basket.
Don’t make the mistake of a slow build-up. Avoid the roundabout approach. Start your letter with your most compelling sales point. Fire your biggest cannon in the first line of copy. Promise your reader a benefit. Give them a reason to continue reading.
6. Poor follow-up
Don’t spend all your time and effort in generating a response and none in following up inquiries. Slow fulfillment is deadly.
So are inadequate marketing literature and unprofessional telemarketing. They can destroy the interest that you work so hard to build. Fill requests for information within 48 hours. Send follow-up mailings to those who do not respond first time. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.
7. No time limit
Time may heal all wounds, but it kills response. Your enemy is procrastination. Your enemy is tomorrow.
Don’t make the mistake of letting your readers put you off until they forget your mailing altogether. Put a time limit on your offer: “Call now. This offer expires June 1, 1999.” Time-limited offers almost always outpull offers with no time limit.
8. No call for action
Ask for the order. BUY NOW! PHONE TODAY! ORDER YOUR FREE SAMPLE! If you don’t ask for a response, you won’t get one. Tell readers what to do. Show them the next step. Make your order form easy to read and easy to follow.
Fortunately, others have gone before us. My favourite sources for tested, practical wisd
It is a common misconception that advertising your small business will cost an enormous amount of money. The cost deters a lot of small home-based businesses from advertising. This leads to slower growth, as not many customers are aware of the enterprise. Keep a small budget and spend it wisely on some low-cost advertising methods.Low cost advertising: • Word of mouth - A good product and a happy customer is your best bet for informing others of your business and contact number. • Business cards - Get some attractiv
5. Slow in getting to the point
You have five seconds. After that, your reader is either still reading or is preparing your mailing for a flight test into the wastepaper basket.
Don’t make the mistake of a slow build-up. Avoid the roundabout approach. Start your letter with your most compelling sales point. Fire your biggest cannon in the first line of copy. Promise your reader a benefit. Give them a reason to continue reading.
6. Poor follow-up
Don’t spend all your time and effort in generating a response and none in following up inquiries. Slow fulfillment is deadly.
So are inadequate marketing literature and unprofessional telemarketing. They can destroy the interest that you work so hard to build. Fill requests for information within 48 hours. Send follow-up mailings to those who do not respond first time. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.
7. No time limit
Time may heal all wounds, but it kills response. Your enemy is procrastination. Your enemy is tomorrow.
Don’t make the mistake of letting your readers put you off until they forget your mailing altogether. Put a time limit on your offer: “Call now. This offer expires June 1, 1999.” Time-limited offers almost always outpull offers with no time limit.
8. No call for action
Ask for the order. BUY NOW! PHONE TODAY! ORDER YOUR FREE SAMPLE! If you don’t ask for a response, you won’t get one. Tell readers what to do. Show them the next step. Make your order form easy to read and easy to follow.
Fortunately, others have gone before us. My favourite sources for tested, practical wisd
Some people have the nose for sticking into other people’s business. Though some may find this annoying, it is one of the things that go with the job if the individual decides to become a private investigator.The private investigator is called on different jobs. If someone suspects the other spouse of infidelity, the services are required. The same thing can be used when preparing for a case in court or before a new employee is hired for a job.So the question becomes how does an individual get this job? There are two w
7. No time limit
Time may heal all wounds, but it kills response. Your enemy is procrastination. Your enemy is tomorrow.
Don’t make the mistake of letting your readers put you off until they forget your mailing altogether. Put a time limit on your offer: “Call now. This offer expires June 1, 1999.” Time-limited offers almost always outpull offers with no time limit.
8. No call for action
Ask for the order. BUY NOW! PHONE TODAY! ORDER YOUR FREE SAMPLE! If you don’t ask for a response, you won’t get one. Tell readers what to do. Show them the next step. Make your order form easy to read and easy to follow.
Fortunately, others have gone before us. My favourite sources for tested, practical wisdom on direct mail techniques are Successful Direct Marketing Methods by Bob Stone and anything by Herschell Gordon Lewis.
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