The Impact of Direct Mail on Your Cost-Per-Appointment

Do you think that sending a letter is a good way to "warm up" a prospect? Consider this:

• Our studies show that 80% of unsolicited mail to executives is never even opened. If the executive has a secretary, that figure goes up to 95%.
  
  
• How often have you found that the prospect doesn't recall getting your letter? Our studies show that it's over 90% of the time. Less than 2% of the letters are actually read, and most of them are only scanned.
  
  
• What do you think that prospect thinks when you try to break the ice with: "Hi. I'm so-and-so calling from ABC Company. Did you get the letter I sent you?" or "I'm calling in regard to the letter I sent you"? We asked them. The answer is: They groan, and think, "Oh, no. Not another idiot calling me about something I don't care about!"

With very few exceptions, direct mail actually increases your cost-per-appointment. And while being able to open by referencing a letter (that you may or may not have actually sent in the first place,) may make you more comfortable cold-calling, the cumulative effect of talking to people who are now angry at you is one of the chief reasons people stop cold calling.

Read "The Most Powerful Weapon in Your Marketing Arsenal" to find out what actually works, instead.