slym34
New Member
- 3
direct mail sux is the consensus!
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Direct Mail Leads - All areas
- Thread starter slym34
- Start date
- Staff
- #2
- 1,070
Brilliant. You forgot to mention all the other kinds of leads that suck.
Most of the problem I see in direct mail ins is they are BORING. Maybe that was your problem.
- 4,096
I did a large Direct mail campaign in 4th quarter of 06....ouch
Got noting from it. I sent out 4200 mailers twice. I had a one two combo. It bombed something fierce I generated nothing from it. I will never spend that kind of money of DM.
What I do is actually call and get a contact namel and then mail at info.
Got noting from it. I sent out 4200 mailers twice. I had a one two combo. It bombed something fierce I generated nothing from it. I will never spend that kind of money of DM.
What I do is actually call and get a contact namel and then mail at info.
- 709
I disagree. It's the only way to go. I target people who have a greater chance to buy life insurance from me & get a reply card back and call the prospect myself. You know what you're dealing with. No phone solicitor setting false appts to make quota.
I've tried telemarketers, internet leads, auto dialers, newspaper inserts & cold calling. Direct mail is my favorite.
DarrylVK
Expert
Sounds like you have figured out a system that workd for Direct mail & those complainin g haven't.
Care to share a little more info?
Care to share a little more info?
- 9,744
To make a blanket statement that anything (including direct mail) doesn't work is way too simple. There are so many variables. I've used direct mail extensively and have enjoyed an excellent return on my investment.
First of all, mailing 4,200 pieces without testing a smaller sample quantity is foolish. Test, measure, adjust, repeat.
The most important variable is the list. A bad offer to a good list will always outpull a good offer to a bad list.
Most insurance mailings are brutally boring. Boring is even worse than bad!
Good comment on reply cards - but I would even go further. In 2008, you've got to give them the choice of a reply mailer, toll free phone number, and a way to reply via the web to get maximum results.
Yeah I have toll free numbers and a website included in the mailing. Good point though.
I have 2 different toll free numbers, they are like $5 each a month. That gives me one more way to track mailings, ect, by using different toll free numbers.
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One thing I am trying over the next month or two is sending my one page monthly newsletter in an envelope with a reply card. It lets them know more about me and my business, has a lot of product information and teasers, and is more likely to be read. I am sending out about 2k this week and will follow up with 1k each week for the next few months.
I use a local direct mailing service who prints, stuffs, stamps and mails for me.
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To set up your own mailings takes some homework. You have to research bulk mail, companies that do it for you, ect. I have a bulk permit but am letting it expire because my guy mails at cost. He charges me for the printing, stuffing and stamping. I pay a little extra for him to attach a stamp to the envelope so it looks like regular mail instead of an imprint.
Bulk Reply cards have to be post office approved. They design the bar code and assign you a permit number. Each piece returned to you costs under a dollar, depend on whether it is a postcard or envelope. I preprint postcards on both sides. My current piece has check boxes for the info they are interested in and some fine print that tells them they will be contacted, given information in person by a licensed agent, ect... It also tells them nothing will be mailed to them, it is in a meeting with me that they get their info. It does cut back on response, but I dont mail out packets to tire kickers anymore.
When I send out seminar invites it is always at least 4k pieces and generally 6k. I have done 10k mailings before also for seminars/workshops that have at least 3 different date choices.
...or, you can pay someone else to do it with a generic mailing that is the same as what all your competition is using.
I have 2 different toll free numbers, they are like $5 each a month. That gives me one more way to track mailings, ect, by using different toll free numbers.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
One thing I am trying over the next month or two is sending my one page monthly newsletter in an envelope with a reply card. It lets them know more about me and my business, has a lot of product information and teasers, and is more likely to be read. I am sending out about 2k this week and will follow up with 1k each week for the next few months.
I use a local direct mailing service who prints, stuffs, stamps and mails for me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To set up your own mailings takes some homework. You have to research bulk mail, companies that do it for you, ect. I have a bulk permit but am letting it expire because my guy mails at cost. He charges me for the printing, stuffing and stamping. I pay a little extra for him to attach a stamp to the envelope so it looks like regular mail instead of an imprint.
Bulk Reply cards have to be post office approved. They design the bar code and assign you a permit number. Each piece returned to you costs under a dollar, depend on whether it is a postcard or envelope. I preprint postcards on both sides. My current piece has check boxes for the info they are interested in and some fine print that tells them they will be contacted, given information in person by a licensed agent, ect... It also tells them nothing will be mailed to them, it is in a meeting with me that they get their info. It does cut back on response, but I dont mail out packets to tire kickers anymore.
When I send out seminar invites it is always at least 4k pieces and generally 6k. I have done 10k mailings before also for seminars/workshops that have at least 3 different date choices.
...or, you can pay someone else to do it with a generic mailing that is the same as what all your competition is using.
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