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In Business-to-Business Direct Mail Sales Letters, Make It Easy To RespondI have a client who wanted to drive prospective
customers to his online store using a
business-to-business postcard. Great idea, I
thought, and cost
effective. He had a terrific product, a compelling offer, and a
sound business model. He had just one problem. He
wanted to make all website visitors register before
they could browse his product catalog. Big
mistake. So I, along with his business partner, managed to
talk him out of the idea. And he will be glad that we
did. That's because one of the fundamental requirements
of business-to-business direct mail is that you make
it easy for your prospects and customers to respond.
The word to remember is "convenience." You must
make responding as convenient as possible. Here are
some ways to do that. BUSINESS REPLY CARD
- Pre-print your prospect's name and address on it.
- If prospects must complete the card, give enough
space for company, job title, address and city.
- Pay for postage so prospects don't have to hunt
for a stamp.
- If you need to qualify prospects, ask as few
questions as possible.
COUPONS
Place coupons at the outside corners (not in the
gutter or the middle of the page), where they are
easy to tear out. CALCULATIONS
Make the math as easy as possible so that
customers can quickly and accurately add shipping,
handling and sales tax to their order. PAYMENT
- Offer as many payment options as possible
without paralyzing your reader. One of the most
attractive payment plans (and one likely to boost
response, if you can afford it) is the "send me an
invoice" plan.
- Accept all the major credit cards.
- Accept orders by telephone (toll-free, of course).
- Accept orders on your website.
LEAD GENERATION
If you are after a lead and not a sale, make the next
step in the sales process as convenient and as
painless as possible for your prospect to initiate.
Some prospects are reluctant to respond by phone
because they fear they will hear a sales pitch.
Others dread responding by email because then you
will know their email address. Through testing,
discover which response methods work best for your
target audience. Tip! To get to the basics, you must understand that business letters are bound by sort of unwritten regulations of which, some are specific to the type of letter you are writing. Point number two: Business letters are always written on the organizations' letterheads. One of the beautiful things about shopping by mail is
the convenience. You don't have to battle traffic,
hunt for a parking spot or wait in line. But that is
only true if the direct mail ordering experience is also
convenient. Use some of these methods to improve
your convenience quotient and your customers will
thank you for it—with their orders. ----
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com. © 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).
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