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Direct Mail Response Rates Low? Eliminate these Mistakes
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By Alan Sharpe
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Are your direct mail response rates lower than you expect? Checkyour sales letter or direct mail package against this checklistto uncover the reasons for your poor response.
LIST
You are mailing to people who arenever likely to buy
You are not mailing to others in thesame business who influence the buying decision
Your listis out of date
Your names and addresses are not formattedcorrectly for proper delivery
Your list has job titlesonly, not names
FORMAT
You are using the wrong format foryour audience (self-mailers to professionals, for example)
Your letter and brochure are not complete sales pitches inthemselves
Your liftnote or buckslip confuses your offeror main selling promise
ENVELOPE
Your envelope gives too muchaway, so your prospects throw it away unopened
Yourmailing envelope looks like junk mail
Your package isaddressed to ¡°Occupant¡± and not to a person by name
MESSAGE
Your letter lacks a strong,customer-focussed headline
The opening line in your letteris not compelling
You spell your prospective customer¡¯sname incorrectly
Your letter lacks specifics about productsize, weight, color and other vital details
You discussproduct features but not customer benefits
You talk toomuch about your company and not enough about your reader
You do not create enough desire
Your letter lacksurgency
You do not offer a guarantee
OFFER
You are offering the same thingthat your competitors are offering
Your offer is notspecific
Your offer is not exclusive
Your offer isnot relevant
Your offer is not valuable
Your offeris not unique
Your offer is not useful
CALL TO ACTION
You do not ask for theorder
You ask for the order, but too late in yourletter
You conclude by saying, ¡°If you have any questions,don¡¯t hesitate to contact me¡±
You give too many ways torespond¡ªor not enough
REPLY DEVICE
Your reply device is toocluttered
You do not tell prospects what to do to buy yourproduct or service
Your reply device is notpostage-paid
TIMING
You are mailing at the wrong timeof the year
Your letter is arriving on the wrong day ofthe week
You are mailing too often, so prospects ignoreyou
You are not mailing often enough, so prospects do notremember you
? 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online andin print provided the links remain live and the content remainsunaltered (including the "About the author" message).
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