Over The Cliff...

When you think of effective salespeople, Cliff Clavin, the mailman from Cheers, probably doesn't top your list.

But in reality, he probably delivered more sales pitches in a day than any salesman. That's because direct mail is a top marketing tool. And growing. As the national Do-Not-Call Registry draws more dollars away from telemarketing, direct mail stands to gain. It is definitely a more cost-effective marketing technique than door-to-door! The DNCR hotline drew 17 million registrants east of the Mississippi in its first week of operation. Which causes Advertising Age to estimate that about $28 billion in telemarketing dollars will likely be re-routed into alternative direct-marketing methods like direct mail.

Looking for a good way to boost the response to your direct mailer as more competing messages fill mailboxes? Consider adding a promotional product. According to Baylor University researchers, adding an item can increase response by about 75 percent. That means you can dramatically increase the success of your direct mail campaign by including a pen, key chain, T-shirt -- or a mailable, attention-getting giveaway.

And as an aside, in most cases, you can still call your existing and recent customers. Just don't call me during dinner.


-- Phil Sasso