Direct mail

JR Wood

New Member
here is a response I gave to a rookie on another BB.He asked about direct mail.

If you go to Staples,you can buy the the phone book for the entire US on CD rom.This includes name and addresses and it allows you to make mailing labels.you can print out by street, neighborhood ,city,zip or whatever.Some software has credit ratings and how much the house are worth.I just drive around, scope out neighborhoods and print up the names.

I have post cards printed and put the names on myself.For 2500 post cards the cost is about $650 for everything(Printing,postage,labels etc).Some software only allows you to use 2500 names and then you have to subscribe to a service for more...but there are ways around this if you are creative. e-mail me!

I have been averaging about $1500 worth of work off
of 500 mailers($110 worth).You will not be able to mail to everyone on the street because just as you are unlisted in the phonebook, you will be unlisted on the CD rom.Direct mail works great,just do some research on direct marketing so you can make an effective flyer.This is crucial,you can double or triple your response rate by using the right words and phrases.

Direct mail refers to the way you advertise.Instead of advertising in the newspaper you send a flyer directly to the resident yourself.You receive direct mail everyday,it doesn't matter where you get the names, if you send a flyer to a resident,that is direct mail.Any catalog you receive or grocery store ad in your mailbox is direct mail.

The CD Roms at staples or other office supply stores are only $59.I use post cards because you don't have to open them, the text of the message is right there.you could send a brochure or letter it doesn't matter.

Your customer base is up to you,I myself would never pay for a customer base.When I first started I mailed out to a neighborhood that I was familiar with and expanded from there.

Here is a major tip that you MUST REMEMBER.Repitition is a key to success in direct marketing.I send 3-4 mailings out to the same neighborhood each year.And it never ceases to amaze me that some people hold on to my flyer for a year before they call.It boggles my mind to know that my flyer was hanging on some guys refrigerator for a year until he received another flyer with a special on deck cleaning.

What i am trying to say is the more your name pops up in front of people the bigger your business will grow.You will often get a response like "oh yeah I've heard of you guys".Just because you do not get a giant response at first,Do not give up,if you are mailing to a neighborhood that you know there is a contractor cleaning a deck down the street,then you are on the right track!I have been using direct ads since day one and I have been busy ever since.

I would also like to address the notion that you should only go for high end new developments,In my travels I can tell you that marketing to an older establshed neighborhood will get you just as much work as a new one.In older neighborhoods the people there are through paying for their furniture,the landscaping and everything else that goes into making your house a home.A lot of people in new developments are what you call "house poor" meaning they have just started furnishing their homes and are settling in with a new giant mortgage.The idea that these people must have huge amounts of money because they just bought a nice house is totally wrong.It is just the opposite,you are better off advertising to a development that is 5 or 6 years old.Older people have more disposable income and like to have a nice clean house or deck and can afford it! I am sorry if some of you guru's disagree but I speak from experience not from text books! John Wood




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J.R WOOD POWER WASHING*1-800-782-9919
ABACUS DECK CARE*1-866-7-ABACUS
J&B SNOW PLOW*1-973-328-6650
SHOWCASE LAWNS OF NEW JERSEY*1-866-SHOCASE

DID SOMEONE SAY DIVERSIFY?

[This message has been edited by JR Wood (edited February 07, 2001).]
 

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