Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing

Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and generate leads. But it's also an excellent way to keep your brand name in front of customers, and to nurture leads until they become customers.

At my direct mail lead generation firm, our definition of a qualified lead is someone who meets four criteria:

Authority: They have the authority to buy
Readiness: They are ready to buy now
Budget: They have the budget to buy
Need: They need your product or service

Anyone who meets some of these criteria but not all is simply a lead that needs to be cultivated. This process is called lead development, lead nurturing and lead cultivation.

One way to discover if your prospect meets these criteria is to ask some qualifying questions on your business reply card or website landing page. That way, you know how much time, energy and money to spend on each inquiry.

But what should you mail to businesses that are not ready to buy right away, businesses that you want to cultivate? Here are some ideas for mailings that you can use throughout the year.

* White paper discussing industry trends or problems
* Technical bulletin
* Customer satisfaction survey
* Case study
* Product catalog
* Invitation to attend a trade show or customer event
* Media clipping (article written about your firm)
* Article reprint (written by your firm on a topic of interest to your customers)
* Announcement (new product or service, or change to existing)
* Newsletter (make sure it is customer-focussed)
* Annual report and quarterly reports
* Christmas card

Alan is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation consultant. As President of Sharpe Copy Inc. (http://www.sharpecopy.com), Alan specializes in helping businesses generate leads, close sales and retain customers, using cost-effective, compelling direct mail and email marketing. Alan also uses his direct mail advertising services to help charities raise funds and raise awareness of their causes, using fundraising letters.

In Sickness And In Health

I recently drove by a business that had a sign... Read More

Marketing on a Budget

A successful marketing plan doesn't have to include an athletic... Read More

10 Powerful Marketing Tips

1. Print your best small ad on a postcard and... Read More

Customer Lifetime Value - The Key To Maximizing Your Profits!

The greatest asset to your business is your Customer, specifically,... Read More

Write Articles WITHOUT Writing!

Face it, writing any article can be a tedious and... Read More

Five Mistakes Absolutely Guaranteed to Drive Away Your Best Clients

We all work hard to attract even one paying client.... Read More

Turning The Casual Scanner Into A Buyer

The world is full... Read More

Direct Mail

Do you have a website? A Web Newsletter? A mailing... Read More

Top 10 Marketing Pitfalls

Ten Marketing Pitfalls By Stuart ReidIf you want to make... Read More

What Does It REALLY Take to Be Making 6-Figures as a Service Professional?

Over the past 30 years, I've read so much on... Read More

Large One?

Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing... Read More

Make More Sells With Colors

How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things... Read More

The Fine Art of Relationship Marketing

The buzzword these days is "relationship" marketing. Just what is... Read More

Focus...a Marketing Strategy

The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just... Read More

Fern Reisss PublishingGame.com: Achieve Media Attention for Your Business

Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More

Attracting Clients With Ease

Whether you are already running your own business, or still... Read More

Website Promotion Strategies For Targeted Web Site Traffic

If you're looking to drive more targeted traffic to your... Read More

Measuring the Return on Your Direct Mail Investment

In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you... Read More

Postcards: Awareness Tool or Selling Tool?

Are postcards better for building awareness or for selling?In my... Read More

Heres A Robust, Turnkey, Interactive. Best of Breed, Mission-Critical Solution to Kill Buzzwords

Fellow Publicity Insiders, what does... Read More

A Quick Guide To Finding Reciprocal Links

Trading reciprocal links is one of the best ways to... Read More

The Silver Bullet For Success: Revealed

Looking for the magic formula or the whiz-bang approach that... Read More

Your Marketing Message

Your message is first among your weapons in the battle... Read More

Target Your Market

Your market is not everybody, as so many small businesses... Read More

Nice Guys Finish First

Volunteering your services can be an excellent way to form... Read More