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199Chapter 13: Mailing Direct to Your Market

ߜ Pay from 50 to several hundred dollars for a one-time use of 1,000
names — with higher prices for targeted industry and business lists.

ߜ Rent a minimum number of names (usually the minimum number is well
into the thousands).

ߜ Allow the list owner to conduct your mailing, or arrange for the list to be
released to a bonded mailing house, if required. Some list owners insist
on handling the mailing from within their own operations or through a
recognized mailing service to protect the value of their list and to ensure
against multiple use or resale of names.

ߜ Let list owners review and approve your mailer before it is sent to the
names on their list. This allows them to protect their contacts.

Consider obtaining two lists that reflect your prospect profile and then com-
bine them (called a merge/purge operation) to see which names appear on
both lists. Those are your best prospects.

A destination resort might obtain the names of golfers aged 35 and over living
in a targeted metropolitan area and the names of homeowners of properties
assessed at $750,000 or more. After merging and purging the lists, the resort
would have a better chance of reaching people with the interests and the
financial abilities to match the resort’s customer profile.

Using mail specialists

Mailing services go by many names: direct ߜ Folding, inserting, and sealing direct mail
response specialists, bulk mailers, database packages
managers, mail processors, and list managers.
They provide professional assistance in the fol- ߜ Label printing and affixing
lowing areas:
ߜ Packaging and sacking
ߜ Merging, updating, and maintaining
databases ߜ Generating postal reports and certification
reports
ߜ Deleting duplicate addresses
ߜ Delivering mailings to the post office
ߜ Standardizing addresses
For the names of direct mail specialists, look in
ߜ Inserting ZIP+4, carrier route, and delivery the Yellow Pages under Mailing Lists and
point bar code information Mailing Services, or visit the Mailing and
Fulfillment Services Association Web site at
ߜ Presorting your list by computer to qualify www.mfsanet.org. Click on Find a Mailing or
for the lowest possible postal rate Fulfillment Company and enter your home state
to see names of mailing service businesses in
ߜ Addressing envelopes with inkjet your area.
technology

ߜ Bar-coding