Help with DIY direct mail

[Travis Price]

Buying cheap telemarketing data for a mailing list can end up being very costly!

All the unlimited "pay monthly" data list brokers only update their data once or twice a year.

Spending the money on a highly quality list with the multiple mailings option applied is the cheaper option in the long run!

The USA Data deal through Mutual Omaha has a 94% deliverability guarantee.
https://mutualidn.usadata.com/

I would definitely disagree here IF you're mailing yourself under a postal permit. Here's why:

You HAVE to run move updates every 91 days before you complete a mailing. Also, if you run automated, you have to run it a second time against the PO records to get a baroda.

I've had 1 return all year when I used a monthly service and Move updates (which is free when you run less than 1k per month.)

This is less than when I was using a service. I do get "they died" calls, but the number is essentially the same between when I used a service and when I do it myself.

IF you're not using move updates (which I've also done) it can definitely waste a lot of money with increased postage and bad info.

After stuffing, stamping and mailing out 500 letters I realized a mail house service like Lead Concepts will drop 1000 for around the same price! Just send them your letter and your mailing list and they will do the rest!

So again, it depends.

If you're doing a single letter (which, you're really leaving prospects on the table) you can get away with 1k and a large mailing house.

If you're doing 1k different letters (depending where they are in the sequence) the mailing house isn't going to touch the low order.

Secondly, post cards are not the same price as letters.. letters tend to cost more.

There are multiple ways to skin a cat, but what you're saying doesn't align with what I do.

 

[mdlovell]

So, you can't use my sales as a return rate. Here's why:

I pay around 410$ per 1k and get 2.5 sales.. even at 300$ per sale, I'm doubling my investment AND my closure rate is on par with what's average.

You are the person doing the marketing, if I can't use you as a benchmark for results then who can I use?

I 100% agree with the investment into marketing that has a positive ROI. I'm also just fine with an acquisition cost of $197.

If you're doing a single letter (which, you're really leaving prospects on the table) you can get away with 1k and a large mailing house.

This is the question I'm trying to answer, how much does a multiple mailing actually help increase results?

Have you ever done one letter to test or is your response about leaving prospects on the table based on theory?

 

[somarco]

This is the question I'm trying to answer, how much does a multiple mailing actually help increase results?

Why does Coca-Cola continue to run ads when almost everyone knows the product?

Why does ARRP mail tons of shite, often more than once per week, when one mailing might work?

Have you ever done one letter to test or is your response about leaving prospects on the table based on theory?

One letter, or variations of one letter, that works for Travis may or may not work for you.

My medium is YT marketing, organic, not paid search. I have around 100 videos on my channel but if you were to segregate them by topic, you would probably find half a dozen topics. So they are the same but different. Some videos on a single topic get more views than others on the same topic.

Why?

I don't know, nor do I care.

Something about the title, the description, the lead in catches their eye (and ears). What appeals to Mr. Jones may not appeal to Mrs. Jones.

Again, I don't try to analyze. Instead, I will produce a new video on the same topic, use a slightly different title & intro. The new video may flop or it could take off.

Don't overthink.

Try something. If it works, do it again. If it doesn't, don't do it.

If version #2 outperforms version #1 leave it alone until it stops working. Then go for door number 3.

When you find topics and verbiage that SOUNDS like you, use it. Don't try and use the copy someone else wrote unless it feels "natural" to you.

When I started in sales I had to learn a canned pitch. I hated it. Nothing about it was natural to me. When I used the pitch verbatim my results were horrible.

But when I adapted the pitch to my way of speaking naturally I got better results.

On more than one occasion my manager would either go on a sit with me or have me pitch him. One time he had me pitch the group. That didn't work out so well. He kept interrupting, telling me (in front of the class) I was doing it all wrong.

I got up and walked out. Never went back.

My boss was a dick.

Don't be a dick.

 

[mdlovell]

@Travis Price

Sorry, I didn't mean to be a jerk but I can see my words were sharper than I intended.

The conversation I was trying to have was to quantify what the extra mailings are worth.

let's say hypothetically I sell 2 for each thousand mailed using one mailer. Instead I mail that same thousand people 5 times. In my view, I need to sell more than 10 people to make the extra mailings worthwhile.

Ideally I would sell significantly more than 10 to make up for the longer sales cycle. At least that's the way I look at a multiple mailing being worthwhile or not to me.

 

[Travis Price]

let's say hypothetically I sell 2 for each thousand mailed using one mailer. Instead I mail that same thousand people 5 times. In my view, I need to sell more than 10 people to make the extra mailings worthwhile.

For Medicare, I would disagree...

My "goal" is to break even on FYC. If I spend $300 a sale (I don't, but just saying) I don't care. Why? Because I have the next 2-5 years to receive renewals.

You can't use my 2.5 sales per 1k because of the number of people I throw away. I also live in a smaller community, so mailing in Detroit would be different than mailing here.

Test. Evaluate. Tweek if necessary.

I'm just telling you what I do and how I do it..

Finally, repetition works... Most people that call me say, "I've gotten a few letters from you." Some people need to build familiarity with a brand before interacting with it.

A Direct Mail Technique that Can Double Your Response Rates?

Remember, you're trying to get T65. There's a finite number of T65 per month if you mail like I do. Repetition leaves people on the table because they may not be in the mindset of contacting an agent at 6 months, but others are and do...

I mail my first letter 9 months out.. because I want my name and card to be one of the first things they see about Medicare. I literally don't care if they contact me at 9-7 months out.. I can't do anything for a few months except keep in contact with them.

My first letter illustrates this with a cartoon of a senior standing in front of a moving train. The caption is simple

"Medicare is coming, ready or not."

If that's the only letter I sent at 6 months, I lose all those people that pick up at 3 months. If I miss the 6 months, I'm competing against every freaking agent and company known to man.

Repetion causes brand familiarity. Most times when they call, it's because they're ready to do something.

Ymmv... what I do works for me.

PS: I can't accept your apology. Only because I wasn't offended.

 

[sshafran]

This is the question I'm trying to answer, how much does a multiple mailing actually help increase results?

Have you ever done one letter to test or is your response about leaving prospects on the table based on theory?

I think one thing people "miss" is @Travis Price will have his results and that may (will) differ from your results.

Run an experiment. The internet marketers call it a "split test."

Write a letter and send it 1x to 1,000 people.

Write 5 letters and send them (spaced out a little) to 200 people.

My gut says (based on my data and mailing a lot of letters personally) that 5x to 200 does better than 1x to 1000.

How much $ will you lose by experimenting?

But your market and your data is your market and your data.

Also - one month won't really prove much. My personal August (t65 Aug) sales are currently huge but I don't think it's because I suddenly found the easy button. In other words, if August was my 1st month ever doing multiple mailings I might get too high of expectations moving forward as most months won't be this good.

 

[Travis Price]

My gut says (based on my data and mailing a lot of letters personally) that 5x to 200 does better than 1x to 1000.

I ran a test of 2k, 1 letter, 1 time.. it was also over 65.

Cost me 1200$, got zero.. and I mean zero calls. Never, ever again.

 

[Fire]

Humana just did a 3000 mailer for me with no business reply card . Got one lousy call. Read 140 k new real estate agents the last yr . Austin, Texas 8 agents to every listing . Bet the same thing in ins so saturation in marketing .

 

[mdlovell]

Also - one month won't really prove much. My personal August (t65 Aug) sales are currently huge but I don't think it's because I suddenly found the easy button. In other words, if August was my 1st month ever doing multiple mailings I might get too high of expectations moving forward as most months won't be this good.

This sounds like my July.

July is a 5X return based on first year commission. June was 1.1X. Both are outside the norm for me.

 

[Travis Price]

personal August (t65 Aug) sales are currently huge but I don't think it's because I suddenly found the easy button. In other words, if August was my 1st month ever doing multiple mailings I might get too high of expectations moving forward as most months won't be this good.

I know you already know this, Scott. Just quoting for context.

The 3 most important parts of any marketing plan are:

1) Adaptability.
2) Consistency.
3) Patience

You cannot control what the receiver will do. There's no reason to worry about how many sales you get in a single month off of a marketing method. It's why I keep my actual goal low.

Some moths you blow it out of the water, some months you wonder if USPS is delivering your mail at all.

I'll say what I tell people that don't like the way I run my business (which is weird, because it's my money and time and I leave plenty of prospects for other people.)

For my marketing plan, if I want more sales I just need to scale my plan with money. A lot of agents that do BRC, f2f appointments and other time intensive things have to spend more money AND find more time.

I pay more per call, but I make more per sale. However, some people thing you always have to be busy to be "really working."

I'm lazy. I just want to answer phone calls and talk. I spend more (in theory) for that privilege.