Direct Mail Marketing – Factors that Affect Your Customer’s Buying Decisions

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Direct Mail Marketing – Factors that Affect Your Customer’s Buying Decisions

Cultural factors, social factors, and personal factors all affect and influence a consumer’s buying behavior.  Direct mail marketing can tailor a message to create the most effective campaign to reach your clients.

The filters that a customer uses to view your product or service comes from the many things that make up who that customer is:  Cultural background, social status, social circles, family, occupation, economic circumstance, personality type and core values. The consumer makes their buying decision individually and unique to that person’s set of characteristics.

Direct mail marketing, to a similar customer based on a model of who you have previously closed on a sale, helps increase the likelihood that a similar type client will purchase your product or service. Working with your direct marketing agency you can create these data models to increase lift on your mailing and see more return on your investment.  These models in conjunction with integrating credit data information can increase the propensity that the customer will not only be ready but also be able to purchase your product or service.

Wouldn’t it be nice if your customer only had to decide if they wanted your product or service and not the many options you most likely provide?  As Henry Ford once said “People can have the Model T in any color – as long as it’s black.” Consumers today have many choices and it is the goal of the direct mail marketer to make sure your product is at the forefront of the consumers mind when they are ready, willing and able to buy.

The very nature of direct mail marketing lends itself to this effective type of marketing.  Because direct mail marketing has a long “shelf life” your customer is likely to still have the direct mail piece lying around when they come around to making the buying decision.  The well written, properly designed, highly focused, and expertly timed direct mail piece can and will convince your prospects to become customers.

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Direct Mail Marketing 101- Handwritten Thank You Note

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Direct Mail Marketing 101 – Handwritten Thank You Note

One tried and true marketing tactic often forgotten is the handwritten thank you note. Before computers in the days that people wrote letters and sent cards, strength could be found in relationships.

An email can take you only a few seconds to compose; however, it is going to an already overflowing email box.  The chances that it makes it through the spam filters, or gets read, is slightly above slim to none.

The handwritten note is the original direct mail marketing tactic.  A personalized note is a connection that can make an impact.  One quality that makes direct mail effective is its long-tail reach to the consumer.  The length of time it takes the customer to open your note and read it makes a much longer impression in the mind of the customer than the brief look at an email.

Do you have customers or clients? How is your relationship with those you do business with? A handwritten note should always include some personal reference from your last conversation.  It could be their child’s soccer game or their spouse’s birthday.  We are all more than our job titles listed on our business card. Remembering that your client is more than just their profession, much like yourself, busy with life as well as their job, will make an impact on the relationship both person and professional.

Making a connection with your customers through the original direct mail marketing, a handwritten thank you or note card, can be a valuable tool in your marketing toolbox. The results will include a warmer welcome the next time you call or reach out and give you a deeper relationship with your client.  After all, who doesn’t like to be appreciated and recognized as an individual?

Get your pen out and write one today to your boss, your co-worker, or the last person you spoke to on the phone.  The art of handwritten notes has been replaced by an email, tweet or post.  It is time to reclaim the art of relationships.  You would like to be appreciated and your clients do too.  Direct mail marketing is more than advertising mail, its building relationships with your clients. Drop something in the mail today.

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Direct Mail Marketing is Like Planning a Super Bowl

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How Direct Mail Marketing Planning is like a Super Bowl

Direct mail marketing is much like planning a Super Bowl.  The committee started over 2 years ago to prepare for the festivities in Indianapolis.  Planning a direct mail campaign will not take 2 years; however, it does take planning and skills to create a direct mail marketing campaign that works. Starting with the end result, making sure you know the details, creating an experience, and breaking through the marketing clutter are all tactics to creating a truly SUPER direct mail marketing campaign.

Start with the End in Mind

All of the festivities around the Super Bowl experience are about the actual game but not necessarily about only those in attendance.  The result the committee desired is for a positive total fan experience.  The direct mail campaign objectives can be the same — you are looking for increased sales but your main objective may be brand awareness. Having a specific and measurable goal as your focus, will help you shape your direct mail campaign, to a more specific targeted audience and in the end have greater success.

The Success is in the Details

The Super Bowl committee had to plan every detail. What streets would be closed and for how long? Businesses in the areas where the streets were closed would still need to get deliveries.  How could the fan experience be maximized with as little intrusion to the businesses in that area?  How to make the activities fun for all ages? How to make the experience easy to get to and fun while the patron is there? There are 32 teams of fans who enjoy the sport, but only 2 teams play at the game.  How do you create excitement for the other 30 teams fans so they enjoy the experience as well? How about decorate Indy cars with every teams logo and spread them throughout the city and surrounding neighboring towns?

Direct mail is similar to this type of planning. You want the customer to feel like they are the only person you are talking to.  Ideally, direct mail is like sending a salesman to the prospects door through their mailbox.  You want your salesman to be educated and treat the customer with respect so that they want to purchase your product or service.  The direct mail piece needs to act like that salesman and create for your prospect the world-class experience they will receive from your company when they act upon the offer you send.

Sell Benefits – Not features

Benefits are advantages your customers receive by purchasing your product or service while features are characteristics of those products or services.  People generally purchase because of emotion. How do you make an event where the tickets prices start at over $2000 sound like something emotionally you want to spend your money on?  The Super Bowl committee did this by making it an once-in-a-lifetime moment.  They chose bands that resonated across generations from The Village People to LMAFO or Fuel to Bret Michaels.

Determine your prospect’s needs and desires so you can deliver to them the most compelling mail piece that makes them WANT to buy from you should be your goal.  The benefit is not the long lines of cars waiting to find a parking space.  The benefit is not walking several blocks to the actual concert – although both are features of the experience.  The benefit is the chance to experience a free concert in the Super Bowl village where thousands of other fans “just like you” are having fun.

Direct mail effectiveness is created using the same strategy.  Finding out what your customers want and what their goals are or what makes them happy then sell to their emotions will get them to engage your offer. Imagine you are selling to yourself.  It isn’t the 4.25% interest rate that will get you to re-finance your mortgage, but the increase in disposable income to do the things you WANT to do with your money will.  Life insurance payoff is a feature but the security that the family will be taken care of in the event of your death is a benefit.

Make it Fresh and Exciting

Many people tune into the Super Bowl to watch the latest advertising campaigns. Companies spent an average of $3.5 million dollars for a 30-second commercial for the approximately 111 million viewers who were expected to tune-in. Making an impact on the consumer and breaking through the marketing clutter is not an easy task for television and oftentimes a challenge for direct mail.

Professional direct mail marketers know how to get beyond the envelope.  They work to design an envelope so that the customer within three seconds will determine if it is worth opening.  Once the customer opens the mail, it is important that the copy compel them to read your offer. Lastly the call to action needs to be easy and clear so your prospects know what to do next.

Breaking through the marketing clutter with a fresh, compelling, and measurable piece of direct mail can be like planning a Super Bowl event.  With careful consideration starting with the end in mind, paying attention to details, selling the benefits of your product with a fresh and exciting piece of mail, you can take home the Vince Lombardi trophy equivalent for your business—a new or renewed customer relationship that stands by your brand.  What more could you want – a Super Bowl ring?

Direct Mail Marketing Faux-Pas to Avoid

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Direct Mail Marketing Faux-Pas to Avoid

Direct mail marketing has to be eye catching – and get the prospect to open the mail, but still needs to be relevant and connect the prospect to the good or service being marketed.

Remember you are trying to target what the customer views as important to them and not just what you think is cute. Just because the image or advertisement is memorable – doesn’t mean that the consumer will remember what you are selling.  For instance for tv commercials– in the case of the Mr. Roboto ad where there is a guy in a car and his friend opens up the door –then you hear the famous song– do you remember that they were selling a Volkswagen?

A squealing pig that goes “wee, wee, wee all the way home”, is cute but does it sell insurance? Cavemen, gecko, the question guy, the wood-chucks, and now the squealing pig are the latest in the arsenal of spokesmen for Geico.  Does the audience connect with the pig and think car insurance?

Brands that co-mingle memorable commercials with effective branding such as the E*Trade baby, the Coca-Cola polar bears, or Flo from Progressive can have a greater leeway with creativity.  If you see the E*Trade baby you know that they sell trading/investment advisory services.  The baby has nothing to do with stocks and bonds; however, they have made effective use to brand their image and message so you remember the commercial as well as know what they sell.

Sometimes you have to take a step back and re-evaluate what you are doing.  In the case with Burger King, they ousted the plastic headed King with a healthier approach focusing on the food. “That’s not to say that in the future, we don’t introduce him in some other form,” said spokesman Miguel Piedra. ”But our new marketing approach is more food-centric.”

In your effort to be creative, you may end up confusing your customer. There was a Hyundai commercial at the holidays with a girl singing. If you do remember the commercial, I doubt that you remember what she is singing about.  Does any of this make you think of a Hyundai car?

The same goes true for direct mail marketing. It has to be relevant, brand specific, and timely.  You need to have the right mailing list, copy, call for action, and professionally produced piece for the customer to value the good or service you provide.

Relevant direct mail marketing is one that is not addressed to “homeowner at” or “occupant”. Today the data is so finely tuned you can target almost any demographic.  You want a mail list of persons 35-50 who live in homes valued at $200k or above and that have a swimming pool in their yard – You can get that list. There is NO reason to not target your audience as specific as possible.

Poor advertising copy can also confuse the message you want to send. With direct mail marketing you need to make the advertising easy to read, easy to spot the offer, and an obvious call to action.  Marketing cannot help you if you don’t ask for the sale.

Lastly, direct mail marketing is not for the novice.  It may seem like an easy do-it-yourself project but it is not. Direct marketers work diligently to know how to get your mail opened by those that need to read it. Much like cute television commercials that don’t speak to the product. Marketing dollars spent without thought to execution, might as well be money thrown away.

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Direct Mail Used with Email Equals a Higher Response Rate

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Email and Direct Mail Work Together to Improve Response Rates

Direct mail marketing is a great and effective tool in the marketing toolbox.  Email is the marriage partner of direct mail that makes responses to your brand increase and dialogue about your product or service in the market place.

The two-ply marketing will strengthen your brand, help with timing of your offer, be an additional call to action, and provide measurable results.

First impressions are important – but the prospect may or may not remember when that first impression really was.  Think about the number of mail pieces, emails, or phone calls you receive daily trying to solicit you as a customer. Your customers are no different.  Your message should be reinforced – many times and in multiple channels – until the decision maker you want to influence- is ready to complete the sale.

Customers purchase when they are ready, willing, and able to use your goods and services.  Timing your message and brand to be in front of that decision maker is key and multiple message delivery will increase your response rates.

Strengthening Your Brand With Direct Mail and Email

Your direct mail and email must contain the same slogans, unique selling propositions, or other identifying markers so the consumer makes the link that they are the same message.  Keep it short. Both direct mail and email are effective when they get right to the point. Direct mail confirms legitimacy and has the long-tail reach statistically; email is interactive and shorter time from delivery of message to possible call to action.

Even during this time of the Super Bowl, advertisers are using ads to premier their own ads.  In movie theaters you will see snippets of upcoming ads featured during the Super Bowl.  Multiple messages and repeat delivery work.  It takes a while for branding to make it through the marketing clutter and direct mail in conjunction with email can do just that.

Help with Timing of Your Offer With Direct Mail and Email

Lots of information can be found when you should direct mail and email your clients.  Friday drops are popular with mortgage companies so the phones start ringing Monday morning.  Wednesday drops are popular with retail marketers so the brand message is in front of the client prior to the weekend for increased traffic in the stores.

Regardless of your industry, the printed piece should lead the campaign because it has a longer ‘shelf life’. Emails should follow in two to four for every printed package. The ideal timing would be same-day delivery in a one-two punch type strategy but there are too many variables outside your control to make that feasible.

An Additional Call to Action With Direct Mail and Email

Email has strength in conjunction with direct mail because the consumer is already connected on the web and it takes less effort to click through to an order or to fill out of information.  Direct mail gives strength to the email because the consumer may not be in a position to ready that call to action immediately.  The direct mail can provide such things as PURL’s (Personalized URL’s) for the client to come back to later for a special offer exclusively for them, or a phone number if the client prefers personalized attention.

Providing Measurable Results With Direct Mail and Email

Some marketers insist on measuring responses by channel.  We get the question all the time – “What is your average response rate?” The better question to ask yourself after any marketing campaign is did you achieve what you set to accomplish? It should be where you start in your marketing plan as well as where you end your analysis.

Email may be measured by click-rate; however it may have been the direct mail piece that was the customer’s first impression. Results should perhaps be measured either as pass or fail.  The prospect may respond to an email, but it is possible that the postal piece drove the sale.  The direct mail may have caused the customer to research you and your company further, or call their friends and trusted advisors and ask them what they know about you.

There may be reasons that a medium is failing but they can be addressed by testing everything.  Test, test, measure and test again.  Whatever you do –don’t reduce the volume or eliminate the channel.  You are absolutely guaranteed to reduce your response rate if you do. Consistent mailing both direct mail and email will help you achieve consistent results. The success of a marketing campaign should not be measured by the completion of a sale but the guaranteed initiation of dialogue and that is guaranteed with the integration of email and direct mail.  What are you waiting on?

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Effectiveness of Direct Mail Marketing

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Effectiveness of Direct Mail Marketing

Direct mail may not be a popular medium but most definitely is an effective one.  It can be personalized, flexible, allows for early testing, gives you time in the marketplace with your prospect before the competition knows what you are offering, cost effective, and breaks through the marketing clutter. The effectiveness of direct mail marketing is something to be considered when trying to reach qualified prospects.

Although the cost per thousand to target prospects is higher than with other media, the prospects reached are more qualified for purchases as well as charitable contributions.

The keys to effectiveness of direct mail marketing can be reached by scrutinizing 5 main elements:

 

Objectives

To increase sales and profits are the usual objectives to any marketing campaign. Direct mail can also achieve other objectives such as lead acquisition, brand recognition, educating consumers, strengthening current customer relations, and reinforcing buying decisions. To increase the effectiveness of direct mail marketing, It is important to know what it is that you want to accomplish with your mailing beginning with the end in mind.

Prospect Selection (Target Market)

A prospect turns into a customer when the magic three line up: ready, willing and able to buy.  The sales cycle length can vary based on your industry and brand recognition of your product.  Direct marketers usually apply the R-F-M (recency, frequency, monetary amount) formula when targeting prospects. How long ago was their last purchase? How many times have they purchased? How long have they been a consumer of this type product?

Models can also be built on the data of your current customers to anticipate certain buying propensities to build a prospect list.  Take for instance if the average age of your customer is 38-47 then you can easily eliminate the 65 and older prospect to maximize the effectiveness of your direct mail marketing.

Offer

What is it that you want your customer to act upon and how do you want them to accomplish this task.  If you are selling a product – then the easiest way to fulfill this offer is to give the customer an order form. If you sell a service – then the offer would be to action upon the benefit to the feature of your service to the prospect. Phone response, email, PURL (Personalized URL), QR (Quick Response) code, or online ordering are all ways for your prospect to fulfill the offer for your direct mail marketing piece. Reducing the time and ease of use for your prospect is a key to increasing effectiveness in this area.

Testing Elements

By the nature of the design of direct mail marketing, it gives the advantage of the ability of testing under real market conditions. Measurement of response with first class mail can happen as soon as 2-3 days. Elements available for testing include but are not limited to images, copy, offer, mailer type, envelope, prices, data list, and response mechanism.

Cost/ Measurement/ ROI

By adding up planned costs, average customer expenditure, average gross margin, minus the cost of customer acquisition and maintenance (discounting the opportunity cost of money over a period of time), a marketer can figure out the needed break-even response rate. Even if the direct mail campaign fails to break-even on an individual drop, the long-term profit on all future purchases can factor in profitability.

How many customers do you need to get this year (offsetting those you will lose) and what are you willing to invest to get them? Even the most savvy business owner/manager will lose customers that must be replaced.  What is your customer worth?

Knowing and maximizing these areas of direct mail marketing make the most effective use of this medium. Direct mail is and always has been a workhorse in the toolbox of any marketer. Using direct mail in combination with other marketing mediums makes good business sense.

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Maximize Your Marketing Budget with Direct Mail Marketing

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Maximize your marketing dollar with repeated consumer touches through direct mail marketing

Anyone in the marketing or advertising business has heard the John Wanamaker’s quote at some time in their travels: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”   Known by some to be the father of advertising, Wannamaker was also appointed by President Benjamin Harrison to be the United States Postmaster General at one point in his career.  He knew the value of direct mail marketing.

Knowing what works and how to repeat its effectiveness may be high on your goals for 2012. You may have already finished your budget for 2012 and know exactly where every dollar of your marketing budget will go this year.  I challenge you to keep it as a living document that you revisit and examine on a regular basis.  You should look at what works and test. Just because something worked well in one campaign does not mean that it will continue to work as efficiently without some maintenance.

Think about the analogy of the golden goose.  Would the golden goose continue to lay golden eggs if she was never fed or given water?  If you cut open the golden goose to go straight for the egg will you find it? Marketing is a science that must be honed, tested, refined, tested again, re-examined and tested again.

Take a look at Marketing Sherpa’s report on the average allocation of B2B marketing budgets. The majority of marketing budgets are spent on tradeshows.  Remember the last trade shows you attended.  How many vendors are you using as a result of attending a tradeshow?  How many times did that vendor court you through emails, direct mails, and phone calls before you agreed to purchase their good or service?

How many marketing touches are necessary for you to make with a prospect before they will purchase?  There are several schools of thought regarding this subject but in general the statistics look like this:

  • 2% of the sales are made on the 1st touch. These are either brand loyal prospects that just needed reminded of your brand or someone who has previously done their research and knew what they wanted.  They just needed contacted and asked for the sale to move forward.
  • 3% of the sales are made on the 2nd touch.  A good portion of these consumers is also brand aware but may not have one portion of the ready, willing, and able mix to complete the purchase of your good or service.
  • 5% of sales are made on the 3rd touch. These consumers need convinced that the features of your good or service are of benefit to them.
  • 90% of sales are made on the 4th touch or beyond.

The hard reality of these numbers is that most sales persons/ marketing teams stop before the 4th touch. If a marketing team sends out a direct mail campaign and there isn’t an instant 3% response rate, they are likely to stop direct mailing.  This goes against the powerful nature of direct mail marketing.

Direct mail marketing is most effective when planned and executed on a consistent basis.  No call center or sales staff wants to see a ton of leads they can’t get to and then no phones ringing. Mailing consistently equates to a reliable flow of leads.

Analyze what you are doing but do not get caught in the analysis paralysis.  Don’t over analyze your marketing to the point that it is no longer effective. Look at where your customers are and use direct marketing to reach out to exactly whom you need to touch with your message. When looking at direct mail marketing as a powerful tool in your marketing kit, remember that consistency is key and don’t stop until your prospects either purchase or tell you to stop. Consistent touches with the prospect will separate the businesses that succeed in this economy and those that don’t.

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Direct Mail Marketing is Not just Printed Email Marketing

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Direct Mail Marketing is Not the Printed Form of Email Marketing

A great number of marketers have turned away from direct mail marketing in lieu of the less expensive email marketing.  Mistakes marketers make in this change is thinking that email is the electronic version of direct mail marketing and vice versa.

Saying that an email is the electronic version of a direct mail piece is like saying a helicopter is the air version of a car.  They are both methods of transportation much like direct mail and email are both methods of communication, but each have unique characteristics and design that make them drastically different.

Direct mail is tangible and in the 1980’s proved to be a science.  Direct mail can be viewed with statistical probability. Other marketing mediums with their shotgun approach try to blast the targeted audience and with spam email may be more detrimental to you your brand than doing nothing.

Direct mail is more than just a printed version of an electronic message. By nature the tangible part of direct mail lasts much longer in the minds of consumers than email does based on how the brain functions.

Millward Brown, a leading international research company substantiated these findings in an October 2010 research study. Founded in 1973 with offices in 51 countries, Millward Brown studied the Neuroscience behind direct mail versus email.

  •  Tangible materials triggered a much deeper level of emotional processing and generated more activity in the area of the brain associated with integration of visual and spatial information (the left and right parietal).
  • More emotional processing meant the images were embedded in the memories of the test subjects. The tangible material was more “real” to the brain.
  • More emotional processing also led to more positive brand associations, suggesting a deeper internalization of the advertisements.
  • The brain’s default area of activity appeared to be more active when viewing direct mail versus looking at the screen. Activity in this area suggests an internal emotional response associated or attached to outside stimuli.  The test subjects were relating the direct mail pieces to their own thoughts and feelings.

Email is not replacing direct mail any more than the helicopter is replacing the car as a mode of transportation. Each marketing medium has their own unique set of strengths and abilities to reach your targeted audience. There is a lot of marketing clutter that your prospects see. Knowing how and where to reach your clients is the job for a professional marketing agency who can help navigate the cluttered waters and get your brand in front of ready, able and willing consumers.

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Direct Mail Marketing Images Important as the Copy

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Direct Mail Images are as Important as the Copy

Direct mail marketing is a science that is honed by those in the industry on a daily basis as the consumer changes in the market place.  With desktop publishing software reasonably priced and graphic images as easily obtainable as looking through Google images, it has brought the temptation to put together in-house design pieces by non-graphic designers.

Fancy borders, typefaces that look like handwriting, and clip art of every image you could ever want are nice if you are designing a birthday card for a friend.  In the world of direct mail you need to filter your creativity.

Direct mail is composed of mainly three pieces: the message, the offer, and the creative.  If your prospect opens the envelope you are only through the threshold to getting their attention.  You have approximately 3 seconds to get that attention and engage them to read further or they will discard the mail piece in the trash.

Images should be unique to your direct mail marketing piece or campaign

With images so available to the general public they are often over used.  How many different styles of dollar signs are there? I typed it in Google this morning and returned a result of 1,250,000 results. Because of the ubiquity of the images they fail to grab the attention of the prospect and don’t manage to break through the clutter.

Images should support what you are selling or whom you are selling to

With today’s digital technology you can insert variable images based on the demographic of your client.  The more personal the piece the more connected your prospect will feel like they are directly being spoken to. Depending on your product, timing, and sales cycle length, this can be a necessary component to your direct mail marketing piece.

Images should keep your audience engaged

Carefully placed images can keep your prospect engaged to continue reading your copy. The images you choose can enhance the effectiveness of a marketing message.  Make sure that the images are chosen carefully to move the reader through the direct mail piece and not to just fill white space.

Images should drive conversion to sales

Images should be designed to foment action upon the prospect to act upon the offer. The message, the offer and the creative must form a cohesive bond that compels the prospect to do what it is you have asked them to do. Call you. Email you. Fill out a form. Lack of momentum in the sales process is not a desired result in your direct mail marketing campaign.

Images should be tested

As we often say in the direct mail industry: test, test, test. It is not feasible to run all of your direct mail pieces past focus groups before mailing; however, you can run smaller quantities with different images and measure your response rates. The most salient example of a test could be using the image of a QR (Quick Response) code to see if your prospects use that call to action.

Remember that you are not designing the marketing piece for attractiveness but attentiveness. Make your direct mail images be powerful and actionable and see the results of your actions in the form of increased sales.

 www.premieradvantagemarketing.comTom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Direct Mail Marketing:Extra Tool in the Core of a Basic Business Model

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Direct Mail Marketing: Extra Tool in the Core of a Basic Business Model

Any great company must execute at a higher level to reach more customers and retain current ones. Success comes from getting back to the core of the business and taking care of basic of customer service. These are the three basics that will lead to not only more sales, but also consistent success.

  • See More People
  • Sell More of the People You See
  • Retain More of the People You SellSales Increase with Direct Mail

How you get from where you are to where you want to be is by building on what direct mail marketers do well: leverage your strengths! Direct mail marketing is at the core of seeing more people. Direct mail companies sell benefits and get them to your door. You sell features that suit the needs of your clients and together you retain more of the people you sell.

See More People

Sales are and have always been a numbers game. The more people you offer your products or services the more prospects you can convert into customers. Direct mail marketing firms, through refined mailing lists, get qualified leads calling your phones and walking through your proverbial doors. Direct mail marketers know how to design an effective piece that will break through the three second threshold it takes a customer to decide whether or not to open a piece of mail. Through following basic design elements, clear messages, graphics that support the message, and other direct mail marketing tools, your “silent salesman” will be opened by qualified individuals looking for a loan.

Direct mail gives you a qualified lead which equals less work to see more people. Consistent direct mail prevents peaks and valleys in business. Direct mail, by nature, allows some “private” time between you and your prospect in the sales marketplace. You have time to “offer” your prospect a deal before the competition has time to react or respond. Educating the borrower on the superiority of your products makes the sales presentation that much easier.

Sell More of the People You See

Converting a prospect to a client is about, if your product or service suits the needs of the prospect at the time of the sales interaction. The customer is looking for perceived value and your sales presentation can be the difference between a sale or not. Direct mail can “warm up” the customer to the sales environment. The direct mail piece you send can cover lots of information, which you may either omit in your sales presentation or reinforce if the customer’s needs require you to restate it.

Direct mail pieces can also be tailored to suit different demographics. One mail list, for instance, may be targeted to specific age ranges or income levels advertise for the same type of loan. Direct mail also has a measurable call to action. Unlike other media forms, direct mail requests the customer to act immediately to the offer extended. The customer already has in their mindset that a decision needs to be made with some urgency.

Direct mail marketing companies can also reduce overall costs of marketing by providing clean and qualified lists. Clean lists lower mailing costs. Direct mail, although not typically a fixed cost, can be an investment rather than an expense. When utilized in conjunction with other forms of media, direct mail can be a valuable tool in the loan origination process.

Retain More of the People You Sell

Retaining customers when the sales cycle is longer is crucial to maintaining the relationship with the customer. Direct mail can help with that to stay connected and keep the customer engaged in the process.

This can be exemplified for mortgage brokers when their clients have applied for a loan for a new home. In the time it takes for the builder to complete the home, you do not want the customer “shopping” for a new mortgage loan originator. The keys to happy customers are great service and consistent communication about the process. If this is the customer’s first mortgage, their co-workers, friends, etc. will be filling their heads with their own past experiences. This can set a negative tone about how they feel about you without you doing or saying anything. Direct mail pieces can alleviate uncertainty by continuing your branding message to the client and reinforce why they made the right decision about their mortgage.

Appreciation for the services rendered can also be communicated through direct mail pieces. Happy customers tell their friends about the wonderful interactions they have. Referrals are the best measure of outstanding customer service. The customer may or may not have friends looking for the goods and services you provide. Staying top of mind with those customers when their friends do go through life changing events can be the difference of whether or not you make your fiscal year.

Direct mail can be the extra tool in the core of a basic business model. Seeing more people, selling more of the people you see and retaining more of the people you sell is getting back to the basics of what makes the sales process effective, profitable, and in the end easier. Direct mail is like an extra salesman delivered right to their door.

www.premieradvantagemarketing.com Tom Emmerson, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author