The amazing secret of the greatest · (Be wary though. When you test a list, you're probably getting the best names first. So, if your test is successful, don't immediately mail out

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Profit through the post: The amazing secret of the greatest direct mail letter ever written

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The amazing secret of the greatest direct mail letter ever written

This direct mail letter was mailed 600,000,000 times ... brought in 7,300,000 orders ...and ... $58,900,000 in sales! Better still, direct mail is perfect for health products, supplements and info-products. See

why below ...

If you want to make your next direct mail campaign a massive hit, then this will

be the most unusual message you’ll see this year from a copywriter.

Why?

Well, this report will teach you virtually nothing about writing a sales letter or

even copywriting itself.

In fact, many copywriters won’t tell you this. You see, the sales message isn't the

most important element of a successful direct mail campaign.

Instead, I’m going to show you some simple tricks that can ...

Get your direct mail opened, read and produce sales

Firstly, before you send out a single letter, there’s something much more

important you need to do.

You see, the first way you can trip up with direct mail has nothing to do with the

letter itself.

Or even the mailing list you're sending the letter to.

The first hurdle you need to jump over is ...


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"Can this actually make me some money!"

As great as direct mail is, there are some products which are not suitable for it.

Typically, items that are profitable with direct mail are:

Monthly newsletters

Consumables (such as supplements, creams, superfoods)

Books, CD's, DVD's and courses

Services that require little to no shipping or product manufacturing costs

Very expensive items where return on investment is high

What do these items have in common?

These items either have a high a margin ... a low shipping cost ... are 'auto-billable'

... (meaning your customers pay you month after month) ... or cost little to

produce. They can also have a higher perceived value. (This is why direct mail is

perfect for health products ... supplements ... and information products.)

Or they are very expensive items, sent to very targeted lists (whether it be

something light and easy such as jewellery ... or even ... cars, yachts, planes,

houses.)

An item which costs £10 to produce ... yet ... sells for only £20 is not likely to be a

money spinner through direct mail.

In fact, ...

You're likely to get burnt badly! The next hurdle is making sure you mail to the right people.


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If you’ve got your own in-house list of past customers, this won’t be too much of

a problem. So long as you treated them well, they should be much more

responsive than ‘cold’ lists.

However, if you’re renting a mailing list, this is where things can go belly up.

When you’re renting the mailing list there are 7 things you need to consider:

1. Is the list broker reputable? Oh, and please don't waste your time and money

buying cheap bulk names from eBay.

2. How long ago was the list made? If the names were obtained years ago, then you

can bet your house that the list is going to be useless. People move, die and lose

interest in subjects.

3. Are they a list of buyers? Did they actually … heaven forbid … whip out their wallets

and pay for something? You want proven buyers!

4. Was the list created by direct mail? If someone bought a product online, this

doesn’t mean they will respond to direct mail. (But don't discard the idea.)

5. What was the value of that sale? The more money they’ve paid for a product, the

more inclined they'll be to spend cash with you.

6. Further, if someone bought a £20 fitness widget, it doesn't mean they're suitable

for your £2000 home fitness station. People are inclined to buy more of the same

than competing products.

7. Even better, can you narrow it down to repeat buyers – people who’ve bought

more than one product? These are hyper-responsive people.

If you’ve got a good list broker, speak to them about all of this. Get them on the

phone.

Don’t just look at the data cards they provide you.

Tell them specifically what you're looking for ... and ... get an accurate quote.


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They should tell you which direct mail lists are best for your offer

After all, they want you to roll out to as many names as possible after you do an

initial test.

And the only way you’re going to roll out is by being profitable on your test

mailing!

(Be wary though. When you test a list, you're probably getting the best names

first. So, if your test is successful, don't immediately mail out the whole list! Keep

testing.)

Next up, unless you’re doing a small mailing, you want to test a certain number of

names.

I’d say 5,000 for each list you rent to get a more accurate result than say just

1,000 names. (This of course depends on your budget.)

Now: You’ve checked that you can make your campaign profitable ... and … you've

got a list of names to test.

At this point, you’re ready to decide what you’re going to send to your prospects.

The first thing you need to do is …

Make sure your envelope doesn't scream "junk mail"

Imagine you’ve had a hard day at work.

You’re stressed, tired, and looking forward to simply getting home to watch some

TV.


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Or maybe kicking the cat.

As you walk through the door, you pick up the mail and send the cat flying

through the air.

In your head, a little sorting process is going on.

You might not be fully aware it’s going on … yet … you’re already making a

decision as to what you can look at later … what needs opening now … and what

can be thrown in the bin.

All this is happening before the direct mail letter is even opened

Just let that sink in for a moment.

Before you’ve looked at the letter or package, you’ve already decided what’s

going to be binned!

In America, the EPA estimates a whopping 44% of "junk" mail is tossed out,

without been open or read.

So avoid sales copy on the envelope that says "special offer inside!", or "subscribe

to x,y,z".

(If you do use this ‘teaser’ copy on your envelopes, you better make sure it’s

damn good. Bill Jayme or Eugene Schwartz good)

Not only that, when you send ‘junk mail’, there’s a chance it’s getting ...


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Tossed into the bin by post men and women! Do you think some of them are thinking, "god, all this is heavy! And I'm so busy

today. These people aren't going to miss all this junk mail. I'm probably doing

them a favour!"

And every so often a report comes out about a postal worker caught hiding or

binning mounds of mail.

Plus, these are just the workers getting caught. Do you think there could be

others out there? Perhaps a little bit smarter?

(In fact, I've been told that the US postal service employ people to make sure

post is delivered and not dumped!)

And if you’re the person who’s sent that letter, then you’ve just wasted the cost

of:

"Postmen binning 'junk mail. Who would've thunk of it!"


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"Are postmen 'squirrelling away' your post?"

Renting that person’s name

The paper it’s written on

The envelope it’s sent in

Hiring a letter shop to stuff and send the letters

The postage

Now: Think about that process multiplied by hundreds and thousands of

prospects.

So please, drill this into your head.

If your envelope isn't getting delivered and opened ...

You're not going to make a sale from direct mail As I've said, some companies use "teaser" copy on the envelope.

This is sales copy which is meant to get people curious about the contents of the

envelope.

This is risky, as it flags up that it's a commercial message and ... unless the teaser

copy is very good ... it risks being thrown away before you've opened it.

The same applies to envelopes with company names on them.

Now I’m not saying it’s a ‘rule’ that you can’t have teaser copy.


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Just that if you do use it, make sure it speaks to benefits and invokes curiosity.

This encourages people to open the envelope.

Instead, you might want your direct mail package to look "valuable"

What do I mean by valuable?

If you’re sending a magalog, then its

whole appearance is that of a

magazine.

It has built in value as it looks like a

magazine. When people receive

magalog's in the post, they grab

attention.

And because they appear like a

magazine, they fly "under the radar".

Ditto a bookalog, which are A5 size

booklets. These look very similar to

magalogs but are smaller in size.

Yet, magalogs and bookalogs are

more expensive and time consuming

to create.

Yet, they can be very profitable

Plus, as there's no envelope, you don't have to worry about it not been opened.

You can also send a postcard.

“Magalogs have a similar look & feel to magazines. Hence, they have more value &

more likely to be read.”


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"Direct mail postcards are cheap but effective for offline lead generation"

These are popular because they're inexpensive, require no envelope to open and

are “unusual”.

It’s not often you receive a postcard. And when you do, there’s a very good

chance it will be read.

Quick and easy to read. Not as intimidating as a 16-32 page sales letter ... and ...

very good for lead generation or directing people online.

What else is there?

You can also use invitation cards. These stand out and appeal to people’s sense

of exclusivity.


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"You don't necessarily need a letter. This is a simple invitation certificate driving people to a

web page."

Another option is to send a sales letter with a 'bulky' item or a ‘grabber’.

Remember though, that your costs can add up with grabbers and bulky items.

And they can be a real pain once you start mailing in bulk.

However, it can ramp up readership, response rates and return on investment.

In fact, Robert Collier used a grabber to ...

Grab a 90% response rate from 175,000 leads with one direct mail campaign

And remember, although your costs will be higher, you're gaining a customer

you can sell to.


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Some people will argue against using “grabbers” as they cost you more time and

money.

And they're right.

However, if you're getting a higher

response rate ... and a customer you

can repeatedly sell to ... then it may

very well be worth the extra cost.

Remember, someone who buys from

you once will be more likely to buy

again. So, calculate your lifetime

customer value.

What about the envelopes?

Take a look at these 2 envelopes, and

note some of their qualities:

Unusual looking

One has a “handwritten” look

Actually have a stamp on them

“Foreign/official” looking in one

case

Do they stand out in the mail?

Do you think these have a much bigger chance of getting open and read?

Instead of a miserable looking bulk rate, franking machined, envelope mailing?

Next, what about sales letters themselves letter? What can you actually send?

“"This is one of the semi-famous ‘penny letters’ crafted by Robert Collier”


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You can send 16-32 page letters with a business reply card or order form

There are shorter 4-8 page letters and 1-2 page letters with an order form

1-2 page letters (maybe with a “grabber”)

"This envelope uses a handwritten font, and uses a stamp"

"This envelope has an unusual colour and appears to be from another country to grab

attention"


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Sales letters are as long as they need to be. Not too short that they don’t do a full

selling job. Not too long that they bore the reader.

So, what works best?

There isn’t a right or wrong answer.

All of these approaches can work.

However, it might be worth considering a very short sales letter or postcard that

drives people to a website or a phone number.

Why?

It keeps your direct mail costs down

Plus, it can make your life much easier.

No waiting around for replies to show up.

No asking your prospects to go out and buy a stamp ... and ... no need for you to

pay for a pre-paid envelope

Your website does the bulk of the lifting such as the full sales message and order

processing.

Or in the case of using a telephone number, your call handlers do the order

processing.

(Take into account older or elderly people when doing this. You may want a

'standard' long form sales letter with options to call, reply by post or order by

internet. Just my opinion, but many older people aren't confident shopping

online. Test this too. Don't take these words for granted.)


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Oh, and note this:

Your letter should have a 'personal' feel about it

What do I mean by this?

Most letters you receive are

very ‘corporatey’ and

address people as one

indistinct mass blob.

Your letter needs to feel as

though it‘s directed solely at

one person. Almost as if

you’re chatting to them in a

coffee shop or bar.

After all ... and this is crucial

if you're selling health

products, supplements or

info-products using direct

mail ... advertising is selling

in print.

Like this. You see the letter

to the right?

It’s just 1 page long ... was mailed successfully for over 30 years ... and ... sent to

600,000,000 people worldwide.

Yes, six hundred million! (Isn't that amazing? It was crafted by the legendary, yet

sadly deceased, Gary Halbert)

“What’s the amazing secret of this 1-page sales letter that was mailed over 600,000,000 times for over 30 years?”


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It also brought in 7,300,000 orders and $58,900,000 in sales! The mailing used:

A simple envelope that had a type written look (although I believe initially

they were hand-written)

An actual stamp

A simple 1 page letter (as above)

A conversational 1-1 approach. You actually felt there was a human being

behind the letter

Scarcity

A "reason why" they were sending the letter

A call to action

In fact, many people consider this ...

The greatest sales letter of all time

Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. It sure is good though.

Now: This article hasn't covered all the ins and outs of direct mail.

And nor do I guarantee that each campaign you run is going to be a home run.

To get more details about direct mail, here's some strong recommendations for

reading:

1. The Direct Mail Solution - Craig Simpson & Dan Kennedy

2. The Boron Letters - Gary Halbert

3. How To Make Maximum Money In Minimum Time - Gary Halbert

4. Million Dollar Mailings - Denny Hatch


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Also, if you right click on the link below, you can download an excel spreadsheet

with a profit/loss calculator.

(Click here and save the link to your computer.)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/kaizenarticlespdfs/pdfs/DirectMailExcelSheet.xlsx

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/kaizenarticlespdfs/pdfs/DirectMailExcelSheet.xlsx

About the author My name is Craig Harrison. I help people sell more health

supplements and information products. I discovered

persuasion in print almost by accident. A few years ago, I was

thrust into the world of negotiating claims for the largest

volume law firm in the UK. And to be honest, I was hopeless.

The department was shipping money overboard and losing

claims left, right and centre.

However, I helped to turn the department around. Not by learning all the “ins and

outs” of law. But by learning persuasion. Specifically, I discovered the direct

response advertising book “The Robert Collier Letter Book”. (It has a great section

on “collection letters” – very helpful at the time!)

This book (along with some trial and error) helped me rake in over £1.4 million in a

little over 4 years. I now use those persuasion skills to help people sell more

health supplements and information products.

Whether you sell supplements, organic food, powdered fruit or health

information products, I can provide you with the sales copy to sell more of them.

To get more information, go here to see if I can help you today.

To your success

www.kaizenhealthmarketing.com

Kaizen Health Marketing Limited 8 Park Bottom Low Moor Bradford BD12 0UA www.kaizenhealthmarketing.com Company Number: 11309853

https://kaizenhealthmarketing.com/


https://kaizenhealthmarketing.com






https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaizencraig/


https://twitter.com/KaizenCraig



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The amazing secret of the greatest · (Be wary though. When you test a list, you're probably getting the best names first. So, if your test is successful, don't immediately mail out