INCREASE YOUR RESPONSE (written November, 2013)

I will show you how to successfully market your extra income opportunity with Direct Mail.

It’s the age old battle in Direct Mail to get your potential prospects to open the envelope you send to them. Here are some simple techniques you can use to guarantee you get a higher amount of people to open up what you send them. We use these techniques ourselves so we know they work.

#1) Never leave your return address off the envelope. If you do it looks like a chain letter or junk mail. It certainly won’t get any consideration.

#2) Do not rubber stamp the return address on your envelopes. It looks cheesy and unprofessional.

#3) Pay a print shop to print your return address on your envelopes. It’s well worth the cost.

#4) DO NOT write or stamp “Information You Requested” unless your prospect actually did request it. Your prospect will throw it in the garbage if they think you tricked them into opening your envelope.

#5) Enclose a free report – feel free to copy and use this one if it helps you. Write or stamp on the front of the envelope, “FREE REPORT ENCLOSED”. This is called a “teaser” & will get your envelope opened more often.

#6) Don’t clutter the outside of the envelope with wording and pictures. K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid!

#7) You should always use third class mail if you are mailing more than 200 pieces. Third class mail costs about 67% of first class mail, so for every 2 first class mail pieces you can mail 3 third class mail pieces. So for every 2,000 first class pieces, you can mail 3,000 third class pieces.

#8) You get the same response if you mail the same thing whether you mail third class or first class mail. Third class just takes a little longer. But it’s worth it when you can get 33% more mailed for the same price.

#9) In Direct Mail, image is everything. Your potential prospect only knows you from a few sheets of paper and an envelope in his hand. Always use quality printing – not expensive printing – to show your prospect you are serious about this business. If you send crappy looking material, you will not attract anybody serious with your promotion.

#10) Always use a cover letter with your circular. When a prospect gets your envelope, they expect a letter. They will read your cover letter more than they read your circular. Give them a reason and a benefit to look over your offer with an informative cover letter.

#11) Make sure your cover letter includes as much contact information as you can provide….phone number, email, address. People like to deal with people, so the easier you make it for your prospect to contact you, the more often they will. People do not like to deal with “phantoms”.

#12) Needless to say, I would recommend you always be honest with your prospects. Hype works in the short term sometimes, but never lasts for the long term

#13) Never say your program is the only one that works because this is offensive to your prospect who has not yet become totally discouraged with the program they are working now. Instead, show them why your program works and let them make an educated decision.

The author of this article is Larry Costello, President of All-American Print & Mail, 2200 Wilson Blvd #102-57, Arlington, VA 22201.