Are your direct mail response rates lower than you expect? Check your sales letter or direct mail package against this checklist to uncover the reasons for your poor response.
LIST
You are mailing to people who are
never likely to buy
You are not mailing to others in the
same business who influence the buying decision
Your list
is out of date
Your names and addresses are not formatted
correctly for proper delivery
Your list has job titles
only, not names
FORMAT
You are using the wrong format for
your audience (self-mailers to professionals, for example)
Your letter and brochure are not complete sales pitches in
themselves
Your liftnote or buckslip confuses your offer
or main selling promise
ENVELOPE
Your envelope gives too much
away, so your prospects throw it away unopened
Your
mailing envelope looks like junk mail
Your package is
addressed to "Occupant" and not to a person by name
MESSAGE
Your letter lacks a strong,
customer-focussed headline
The opening line in your letter
is not compelling
You spell your prospective customer's
name incorrectly
Your letter lacks specifics about product
size, weight, color and other vital details
You discuss
product features but not customer benefits
You talk too
much about your company and not enough about your reader
You do not create enough desire
Your letter lacks
urgency
You do not offer a guarantee
OFFER
You are offering the same thing
that your competitors are offering
Your offer is not
specific
Your offer is not exclusive
Your offer is
not relevant
Your offer is not valuable
Your offer
is not unique
Your offer is not useful
CALL TO ACTION
You do not ask for the
order
You ask for the order, but too late in your
letter
You conclude by saying, "If you have any questions,
don't hesitate to contact me"
You give too many ways to
respond—or not enough
REPLY DEVICE
Your reply device is too
cluttered
You do not tell prospects what to do to buy your
product or service
Your reply device is not
postage-paid
TIMING
You are mailing at the wrong time
of the year
Your letter is arriving on the wrong day of
the week
You are mailing too often, so prospects ignore
you
You are not mailing often enough, so prospects do not
remember you
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message)
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com.
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