Page 184 - Duct Tape Marketing

Direct Mail Is an Ideal Target Medium

initial group, but as you land upon successful campaigns, you can con-
fidently expand this initial group to whatever size you can realistically
serve. That’s how powerful this narrow-focus, direct-mail approach is.
Don’t worry what the rest of the universe is doing. Set your market-
ing goals (how many new clients you want or need) and work with a
group that is manageable enough that your direct-mail campaign can
begin to get their attention. Generally, it is better to mail the same five
hundred suspects six times a year than to mail three thousand suspects
only once.

A More Qualified List
It is always better to mail your marketing letters to the most

qualified person within any company you have targeted. Mailing
lists, even those from the most reputable companies, contain errors
and out-of-date information. Your letter sent to the VP of finance
who was fired three months ago probably won’t have much impact.
Regardless of the size of your suspect list, it is well worth the time to
call each company and locate the name of the person most qualified
to purchase your products and services. Most company receptionists
will provide a name when asked.

Martin Jelsema of Signature Strategies in Denver, Colorado, tar-
gets Colorado-based, high-tech companies about to launch a new
product (because they need to brand the new offering). He uses the
Sunday newspaper, help-wanted display ads to find companies need-
ing design and test engineers, project managers, systems developers,
and so forth. Once he identifies the companies, he calls to find the
top marketing person at these firms. On Monday, he mails each com-
pany a one-page letter suggesting that he can help them “brand smart
from the start,” and that he has experience with high-tech product
introductions. He also encloses a list of customers that he has previ-
ously assisted. Then he promises to call them later in the week to
discuss their interest.

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