# No response from Direct Mail



## HallamContract (Mar 25, 2008)

I just sent out more than 300 postcards advertising decks and other home improvements. We tried to promote our no interest for one year option. We sent them to some established communities of track builders, which we noticed were lacking in decks. Not one call. We have also tried the doorhanger route, which I got from a previous thread here. Have had no luck with that either. We have to do so much business from our financing to keep it after one year. Any ideas how I can get some results and get the phone to ring? Our subcontracting business is booming, but we can't get the homeowners to call.....


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## kirbymurphy (Jun 5, 2008)

HallamContract said:


> I just sent out more than 300 postcards advertising decks and other home improvements. We tried to promote our no interest for one year option. We sent them to some established communities of track builders, which we noticed were lacking in decks. Not one call. We have also tried the doorhanger route, which I got from a previous thread here. Have had no luck with that either. We have to do so much business from our financing to keep it after one year. Any ideas how I can get some results and get the phone to ring? Our subcontracting business is booming, but we can't get the homeowners to call.....


When you find out, let me know.

But also assume many have kept your flyer or door hangar for future use.

DM gets 1% to 2% response, so you're under the radar at only 300. Just keep it up. Hire the kids to hang more. Send out 100 a week or whatever is feasible. Track where you mail. 

Ask people where they got your number. Keep it up and be consistent. Chart the areas where you're business is booming and mine the well dry. ASK for referrals and pay a referral fee or send a gift/thank you card from Home Depot or Outback.


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## MGSProperties (Mar 27, 2008)

direct mailing takes time.

they say the HO needs to see your advertising 5-6 times before he will call. i get phone calls from 2-3 years old flyers


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## Meetre (Nov 2, 2007)

It takes time with that type of marketing, and good info about target markets. Are the area's you are send to able to afford a new deck? make sure you do your homework. If it's a lower income area, maybe it's all they can do to keep the house right now. You could be waisting your time and money. Just because the area "needs" decks doesn't mean they can pay for them.


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

Most younger couples right not don't have a pot to piss in. Unless the homes are 2 mil plus they are probably mortgage to the gills right now.

Right now my best market is older established families. They have been in their homes 10+ years and did not do all the crazy refinancing the young bucks did. They have the equity still and can get loans. They mostly do up keep but in the summer they do the decks, roofing, siding patio stuff as well its a very good market.

Aging in place is taking off to for kitchens and baths.


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## Any Season (Nov 19, 2007)

Here are a couple of things you NEED to know about DM. 

1. You absolutely have to hit people twice to really see measurable results.
2. Most direct mail returns at a fraction of a percent, so 300 pieces might as well be none.
3. Find yourself a direct mail company, they have designers and marketing professionals in-house and can craft effective pieces for you.


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## Ed the Roofer (Dec 12, 2006)

For a first time mailing, you should only expect between a .25 to .50 per cent return rate, so Zero falls within those parameters for only 300 pieces sent one time only.

Keep it up and redisign if you need to make a more impressive message.

Did you post your mailing piece on this forum to get critiqued? If not, then do so and get some good suggestions.

Ed


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

The BIG guys are about the only ones spending right now and the competition is very keen for their dollars. You will not get to them with door hangers without somebody trespassing.

Hit the 'search' with 'hallmark' and you will find some ways to open doors. I've posted a few devious ways to generate business.


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## Ed the Roofer (Dec 12, 2006)

Teetorbilt said:


> The BIG guys are about the only ones spending right now and the competition is very keen for their dollars. You will not get to them with door hangers without somebody trespassing.
> 
> *Hit the 'search' with 'hallmark' and you will find some ways to open doors.*
> 
> I've posted a few devious ways to generate business.


 
I jus did and there is a lot of good info in all 4 of those previous threads, going back to 2004.

Ed


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## asnider (Jul 10, 2008)

yeah, you're going to have to bump up the number of mailers and send to the same folks multiple times. Try to provide some type of incentive for them to respond....maybe have a drawing and the winner gets a free deck....or laptop.....or something. I've seen incentives increase the response rate to 5 to 10 percent.


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## Any Season (Nov 19, 2007)

Yeah I forgot to mention that, the biggest thing about a mailer is that the potential customer already should feel like they have something in hand (ex. $100 off exterior trim job, $200 off entire exterior, free gutter cleaning ($xxxx dollar value) ) and also a prompt like 'Offer good for 30 days'. Also, 'keep it simple stupid' has never been truer. My mail people always put "HOUSE PAINTING" in huge letters on my cards so that people know exactly what it is instead of having to read a paragraph about your company to find out what you do.


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## KevinA (Feb 16, 2008)

We've done a couple mailings over the past few months. These are the nice printed flyers in an envelope with 10-15 other flyers. 30,000 sent out the 1st week of June- got 3 calls, 1 small job booked. The job booked won't cover the cost of the ad.

2nd mailer- 30,000 homes just hit mailboxes starting Thursday 7/17. So far, 2 calls, 1 estimate scheduled. We changed the areas mailed to a little- 20k are the same areas as before, 10k we shifted to a different 'zone'.

I have been getting a lot of calls from radio & tv ad people, BBB, and a whole bunch of other advertising people. :whistling


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## Grumpy (Oct 8, 2003)

Do the mailer again and the door hangers again to the same community at basically the same time. This will increase your frequency and consumer awareness. Then after you land that first sale, do it all over again with yard signs and while your trucks are at the house. Before long you will be "The guy" in that community.


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## Carport King (Jan 7, 2008)

*Maybe It Is Your Marketing Message?*

Hey like Ed the roofer said show me your mail piece. I helped a gutter guy on here and redid his postcards [3] and his sales are thru the roof.

He is busier than ever before and he was in the same boat as you. So marketing your mail piece does make a difference. It sometimes just takes a few changes or hey maybe a total makeover but no matter what it does not cost anything to take a look.

Good luck


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## cdillard (Aug 26, 2007)

*cdillard*

Three hundred pieces is the low end of what you would mail out in one month unless you use other marketing tools, like yellow pages.

You want nine-digit zips with bar coding, which will cost you 15 cents per piece. About 4 cents for the letter and X cents for the enclosed correspondence and you're talking 20+ cents per piece, still cheaper than a newspaper or a yellow pages ad. Get a letter folding machine ($200) to make your life easier.

Target your zips using statistics on www dot city-data dot com a repository for U.S. Census Bureau data. Pick zips that where homes are $10K - $20K above the state median - it's pointless to sell your product to, shall we say, the less affluent. Sell and collect, that is.

Make sure your correspondence specifically addresses the recipients by their names, not "occupant".


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## Ed the Roofer (Dec 12, 2006)

cdillard said:


> Target your zips using statistics on
> 
> * www dot city-data dot com*
> 
> a repository for U.S. Census Bureau data. Pick zips that where homes are $10K - $20K above the state median - it's pointless to sell your product to, shall we say, the less affluent.


*I wasn't able to follow that simulated address. I tried,* 
www.Dundee-Data.com

West Dundee and East Dundee Illinois are typically just called Dundee for mailing purposes. 

For a near town to me, but came up with a mailing list company.

Could you provide the link a bit clearer please, or PM or e-mail me and I will post it for you since you don't have enough posts to enter a link yet.

Ed


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## nlgutters (Dec 18, 2007)

Carport King said:


> Hey like Ed the roofer said show me your mail piece. I helped a gutter guy on here and redid his postcards [3] and his sales are thru the roof.
> 
> He is busier than ever before and he was in the same boat as you. So marketing your mail piece does make a difference. It sometimes just takes a few changes or hey maybe a total makeover but no matter what it does not cost anything to take a look.
> 
> Good luck


Oh yeah by the way thanks glen.. He's right sent out 30k got about 40 calls:clap: the radius mailer he did got me 2 calls of 50!!!!!! the first time for $30 bucks $15 a lead you cant beat


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## HallamContract (Mar 25, 2008)

I have attached the post card....


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## Carport King (Jan 7, 2008)

*Me-Me Advertising!*



HallamContract said:


> I have attached the post card....


Well I can see why you recieved no calls! I call this me-me advertising. This postcard went straight in the trash. How about also showing the back of the card and then I will give you a hand.

I will have Josh put the 3 postcards I did for him so you can see the difference.

Please do not take anything I say personal I do not mean it that way. It just drives me nuts when I see a graphics person do this to you. It shows that they clearly do not know how to sell to our client base.

Always remember it's the message that sales the product not the pretty pictures. Don't worry it can be fixed.


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## HallamContract (Mar 25, 2008)

There was no back of the card. That is where it was addressed. Thanks for your willingness to help.


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## HomeSealed (Jan 26, 2008)

Carport King is right. Why would someone pick you over your competitors based on that ad? Your advertising needs a catchy headline, a description of what your services will do for the customer, and most importantly you need to narrow down the services that you are advertising on the piece. You may do all of those things, but if you want decks right now, then advertise only for decks...When you want bathrooms, advertise for bathrooms. This will give you the appearance of a "specialist" and people will be more likely to call....Also, it has been addressed already, but it can't be stressed enough that with direct mail repetition is key. The first couple times people may not even notice your ad, but after the third, plus a yard sign at your jobsite in the neighborhood and some canvassing, it will finally register with people that you are "the man" in the area.


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## Leo Yazykov (Sep 16, 2008)

*5,000 pieces - 1 call*

I recently mailed 5,000 pieces of these cards. Mailing hit the houses 3 days ago and as of today I only received 1 phone call. When do you guys usually receive your phone calls after you do the mailing?


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## Willybeen (Feb 5, 2008)

kirbymurphy said:


> When you find out, let me know.
> 
> But also assume many have kept your flyer or door hangar for future use.
> 
> ...


It may be less than that to be honest.. historically its only ~1%... Also, are you following up any of the mailers with a phone call? That always boosts response, and where are you getting these leads from? Non-qualified leads typically have a lower response too.


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

Leo Yazykov said:


> I recently mailed 5,000 pieces of these cards. Mailing hit the houses 3 days ago and as of today I only received 1 phone call. When do you guys usually receive your phone calls after you do the mailing?



What do you do??
What are you selling??
Why should I call you??


There is absolutely no information in the mailer.


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## Leo Yazykov (Sep 16, 2008)

*Re:*

There's also a back with a list of services and offers..
In your experience - do people call right after they get the card or in a week/month?


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

Most of the guys on this board that are much more knowledgeable than me says it takes a 3-4 mailings minimum before you see a reasonable response.


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## Leo Yazykov (Sep 16, 2008)

*Re:*

That's what I heard, but 5,000 pieces even with a fraction of a percent response should get 5 calls.. When do you usually receive calls - the next day after mailing lands?


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## rbsremodeling (Nov 12, 2007)

Leo Yazykov said:


> That's what I heard, but 5,000 pieces even with a fraction of a percent response should get 5 calls.. When do you usually receive calls - the next day after mailing lands?


The comparison would not be apples to apples. I do very select mailings versus mass mailouts.

I usually get 2-3 responses from 100 mailers. But I target neighborhoods where i work. I hand out business cards to everyone in the neighborhood when we start to work and tell them if my trucks are parked or they have any problems call me directly. That opens up communications. Then I mail to select house in the neighborhood that I think maybe interested or need work.

I have a kitchen and bath, remodeling mailer and a windows, roofing and siding mailer


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## ChrWright (Jul 17, 2007)

Leo Yazykov said:


> That's what I heard, but 5,000 pieces even with a fraction of a percent response should get 5 calls.. When do you usually receive calls - the next day after mailing lands?



A fraction of a percent is given a well put together piece. It falls closer to zero without:

A Headline--*Attention *
(A company name is not a headline and should not be the focus of the piece)

An Offer--*Interest *
(A picture of a finished space is not an offer, nor does it describe what you do)

A Time/Quantity Constraint--*Desire *

and a specific call to --- *Action*
(a web address and phone number are not a call to action)


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## Falcone (Jul 18, 2008)

*bad timing?*

Maybe September isn't a peak time for getting deck jobs in PA? It's not my market but I assume people want decks in the spring, so they can enjoy them right away, and all summer long.

Give them reasons on the postcard to have a deck built NOW. 

Otherwise they probably won't react until spring time, if at all.


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## Remodel Bud (Aug 13, 2008)

Perfectly said Chris.


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## Remodel Bud (Aug 13, 2008)

HallamContract said:


> I just sent out more than 300 postcards advertising decks and other home improvements. We tried to promote our no interest for one year option. We sent them to some established communities of track builders, which we noticed were lacking in decks. Not one call. We have also tried the doorhanger route, which I got from a previous thread here. Have had no luck with that either. We have to do so much business from our financing to keep it after one year. Any ideas how I can get some results and get the phone to ring? Our subcontracting business is booming, but we can't get the homeowners to call.....


Post Cards and Door hangers are a good means of getting leads and fairly inexpensive, but generally work as a good adjunct to other advertising, but none better than already working in a neighborhood. See this thread

http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?t=44725

I think Chris Wright was right on when he said that the post card needs to be a clear message, 
a call to action ( urgency ) ( discount ) (expiration )

The ad that I saw is what we call an image ad. People may or may not call, in this case they didn't as there wasn't any urgency to call. 
Free BBQ Grill with New Deck until .........Expiration date.

There are many different ways to create ATTENTION. I would talk with a skilled advertiser to generate ads, if possible.

The time of year also, has everything to do with it. Timing.

Frequency, with a "call to action ad" is important too. I would send the few hundred post cards( created properly ) out in the neighborhood and then send them again in two more weeks, again in two more weeks.

Frequency sells! Research shows people have a better retention if shown something frequently in a short period of time. Maybe someone wanted to call you but lost the card/ Maybe someone wanted to call you but didn't remember the name?

When I buy TV I work off a frequency of 3-5 per show I buy, for just that Frequency. My best advertising is done through frequency.

Keep in mind when someone has success in an advertising peice, what they call success, may not be to you. So ask questions....cost, quantity, demographic, frequency, size of ad, color, results, sales closing %( could vary if they have avg sales people right? sales vs, advertising cost.


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## orson (Nov 23, 2007)

Grumpy said:


> Do the mailer again and the door hangers again to the same community at basically the same time. This will increase your frequency and consumer awareness. Then after you land that first sale, do it all over again with yard signs and while your trucks are at the house. Before long you will be "The guy" in that community.


Grumpy, 

When you do the second mailer and/or doorhanger does it need to be a different design or can it be the same one?


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## Schmidt & Co (Jun 2, 2008)

I only do postcards to past customers & get a fairly good response. In the spring & summer I send out one "Think Paint! Summer will be over before you know it, so get on our schedule now....." It puts a sence of urgency in there minds. Spring & early summer is the time for me to build a schedule. I'm looking to fill it to the end of our exterior season. (Middle of October) Right about now I start sending out "Get ready for the holidays" cards. Then just after the holidays I sent out (If needed) our "10% Off all residental painting" cards. Usually works. As stated previously, job signs, lettered trucks etc. works when its all combined in a small geographic area. I'm also toying with a new idea with the postcards. It would be a humorous series, the first one is "Your house just called us & its time for an intervention!" The idea being, a series of funny cards that my customers actually look forward to.


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## SethHoldren (Feb 13, 2008)

*Testing!!!*

OK. All this direct mail talk has been informative. Here's the problem.

*YOU HAVE TO TEST!!!*

If you do a test of 300 to 500, you will know what kind of response to expect. Then you can see if it's worth sending more, or if you have to tweak your mailer first.

You can spend $100,000 per postcard on fancy graphics and design. And get ZERO calls.

An *offer that hits home* with your prospect, and a* call to action that caters to the lifestyle of your prospect* are very important to getting a high response rate.

But it will bomb if you send it to a bad list.

Remember, though, that you won't lose much money on it because you sent out a test mailer.

Hire a direct response copywriter if you don't know how to refine your list or craft a good offer and call to action. Or read a book about it.

But you should never be wondering whether your huge new mailer will get a response. Don't send more than 500 without KNOWING the response you will get.

And sure, .25% or .5% or 1% or 2% are reasonable and possible. But so is 10% with a targeted, tested, proven direct mail piece.

No test-ee, no sale-ee.

Read about it here:

Tested Advertising Methods

Direct Marketing Methods


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## Zendik (Sep 18, 2005)

My sister owns a ValPak franchise in Washington State. From what I understand you could do better if you have an offer. Free estimate or $100.00off for the month of XX...


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## SLSTech (Sep 13, 2008)

Ditto's to the above. One other factor involving the card, is that you primarily want to do decks & yours is covered up with your business name. I based this on what you mentioned earlier & it is the first item listed.


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