The 12 Most Common Direct Mail Mistakes ... And How To Avoid Them

1. Ignoring The Most Important Factor In Direct Mail Success,
2. Not Testing,
3. Not using a letter in your mailing package,
4. Features vs. Benefits,
5. Not having an offer,
6. Superficial copy,
7. Saving the best for last,
8. Poor follow-up,
9. The magic words,
10. Starting with the product -- not the prospect,
11. Failing to appeal to all five senses,
12. Creating and reviewing direct mail by committee,

Mistake No. 8: Poor follow-up

Recently a company phoned to ask whether I was interested in buying its product, which was promoted in a mailing I'd answered. The caller became indignant when I confessed that I didn't remember the company's copy, its product, its mailing, or whether it sent me a brochure.

"When did I request the brochure?" I asked. The caller checked her records. "About 14 weeks ago," she replied.

Hot leads rapidly turn ice cold when not followed up quickly. Slow fulfillment, poor marketing literature, and inept telemarketing can destroy the initial interest that you worked so hard to build.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself about your current inquiry fulfillment procedures:

• Am I filling orders or requests for information with 48 hours?
• Am I using telephone follow-up or mail questionnaires to qualify prospects? By my definition, an inquiry is a response to your mailing. A lead is a qualified inquirer--someone who fits the descriptive profile of a potential customer for your product. You are after leads, not just inquiries.
• Am I sending additional mailings to people who did not respond to my first mailing? Test that. Many people who did not respond to mailing No. 1 may send back the reply card from mailing No. 2, or even No. 3.
• Am I using telemarketing to turn nonresponders into responders? Direct mail followed by telemarketing generates two to 10 times more response than direct mail with no telephone follow-up, according to Dwight Reichard, telemarketing director of Federated Investors Inc., Pittsburgh, Penn.
• Does my inquiry fulfillment package include a strong sales letter telling the prospect what to do next? Every package should.
• Does my inquiry fulfillment package include a reply element, such as an order form or spec sheet?
• Does my sales brochure give the reader the information he needs to make an intelligent decision about taking the next step in the buying process? The most common complaints I hear from prospects is that the brochures they receive do not contain enough technical and price information.

Don't put 100% of your time and effort into lead-generating mailing and 0% into the follow-up, as so many mailers do. You have to keep selling, every step of the way.

Mistake No. 9: The magic words >>

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