Response time for sales letters

I've sent out a test sales letter for my business
and am wondering when I can expect to get a response.

James

"James" <jcrgarden@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:cvrg2v028h7@enews3.newsguy.com...
>
> I've sent out a test sales letter for my business
> and am wondering when I can expect to get a response.
>
> James
>

James,

If you are in the U.S. and B2C, estimate mailing time plus one to seven
days. Expect extremely low response unless this is the third of your
mailings to these addressees in the last four to six weeks. Then expect
(with good mailers) around 1% response.

If you are in the U.S. and B2B, don't wait for a response. Get your sales
team (you, if you're a sole practitioner) on the phones to your addressees
starting at mail time plus one working day. Ask, did you receive our
letter? Then hit your pitch again. Try not to duplicate the exact points
in the letter, but lean on industry-specific benefits.

Good luck.

George

"James" <jcrgarden@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:cvrg2v028h7@enews3.newsguy.com...
>
> I've sent out a test sales letter for my business
> and am wondering when I can expect to get a response.
>
> James

It will depend on how well you hit the bull's eye -- being the right market
and the right message. In my vast experience in using direct mail to very
specific markets if I get a 2% return I feel lucky. And it usually happens
within a few days. If you don't get anything within a week you most likely
will get nothing at all, ever.

It also depends on how easy you make it for a reply. If you enclosed a self
addressed, self stamped business reply card so much the better. If you
simply used a phone number, then the chances are cut way down because people
panic at the thought of making a call and it being answered by a machine and
not the person you want to talk to. Hint - if you use a phone number as the
suggested means to contact you make sure it says "Direct line, no operator
interference, to my personal phone:"

Wayne

"George King" <news@geking.com> wrote in message
news:cvtkc805ie@enews1.newsguy.com...

> If you are in the U.S. and B2B, don't wait for a response. Get your sales
> team (you, if you're a sole practitioner) on the phones to your addressees
> starting at mail time plus one working day. Ask, did you receive our
> letter? Then hit your pitch again. Try not to duplicate the exact points
> in the letter, but lean on industry-specific benefits.

Yes, definately, follow-up the direct mail with a phone call.

--
Robert Anderson

When to expect the calls on a test sales letter? Never.

Unless:

You have perfect 10's in all catagories of marketing planning. or:

You are sending tens of thousands of well targeted letters. or:

You are selling rainstorms in the desert. or:

You are the only show in town and your product fulfills a fundamental
human need.

If not, the pull will be minimal. make that non-existant.

Boost it with calls and you could hit 5-7% in 4-10 days, especially if
you're a big fish in a small pond (well targeted marketer).

~zion~