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THE GREATEST DIRECT MAIL SALES LETTERS OF ALL TIME
• Who is it from?
• What is it about?
Most people are too curious to throw anything away without first knowing its contents. But an
envelope can serve as something other than a carrier of the contents: It can play the role of the
warm-up person who introduces the main performer. It can set the mood. It can stimulate curiosity.
THE LETTER
The letter represents the words the salesperson speaks. This is the primary opportunity to deliver
a message on a person-to-person basis. Just as a good salesperson doesn't deliver the same
canned sales pitch to everyone, the ideal letter should be tailored to each audience it addresses. It
should, in effect, say: "And this, Mrs. Jones, is why you should be interested in what my company
has to offer."
Because the letter is the person-to-person part of the direct mail package, it presents the optimum
opportunity to address each segment of your audience on a person-to-person — rather than a
company-to-audience — basis. Of course, if computer personalization is available for your letter,
each letter can deal with individuals rather than segments of the mailing list.
THE ENCLOSURES
All the printed enclosures in the direct mail package represent the sales tools a good salesperson
uses: catalog sheets, samples, demonstration devices, flip charts, and so on. Just as such sales tools
are generally created on a company-to-audience basis, the folders, broadsides, brochures, and
other enclosures in a direct mail package are most often in a company-to-audience mode.
There are times, of course, when a major sale is imminent and the salesperson tailors his or her
sales tools to the individual prospect for maximum impact. Likewise, mailing enclosures can be
personalized for increased impact.
THE ORDER FORM
This is the salesperson's "close." Here the offer is summarized and the customer is asked to agree
to the offer. It's where the name goes on the dotted line. Ideally, the order form will summarize
the offer, clearly define the terms, and make clear the obligations of both the buyer and the seller.
From this comparison, it should be easy to visualize why the letter carries so much weight in a
direct mail package. It's the primary element that develops the person-to-person approach, which
distinguishes direct mail as the personal medium.
GUIDELINES FOR GOOD LETTERS
While it's generally agreed that any mailing with a letter will do better than a mailing without a
letter, this should be further qualified: Enclosing a letter that looks and reads like a person-to-person
letter will increase response. Too often, direct mail letters only are company-to-audience messages
in semi-letter format and lose their advantage of communicating on a person-to-person
basis.
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