Direct Mail

[ComeCorrect]

Does anyone know of a mail house that will provide some type of receipt from the post office or proof that the mail was actually sent out?

 

[GreenSky]

Does anyone know of a mail house that will provide some type of receipt from the post office or proof that the mail was actually sent out?

Everyone will do this but having learned the hard way, if it goes out bulk (standard), it may never get delivered.

I've made a decision to only use first class with a return address so I can see how many are bad addresses and therefore what percentage reach thte target market.

Rick

 

[ComeCorrect]

Everyone will do this but having learned the hard way, if it goes out bulk (standard), it may never get delivered.

I've made a decision to only use first class with a return address so I can see how many are bad addresses and therefore what percentage reach thte target market.

Rick

I just spoke to someone at Main Street Power Mail & she insisted that they don't provide any type of proof because their receipt does not provide a break down of the area(s) mailed. Sounded a little suspect to me...

Can you recommend a mail house that will provide this?

 

[GreenSky]

I just spoke to someone at Main Street Power Mail & she insisted that they don't provide any type of proof because their receipt does not provide a break down of the area(s) mailed. Sounded a little suspect to me...

Can you recommend a mail house that will provide this?

I've used Main Street and have no doubt that the mail does get to the post office. However, nobody knows what happens to the mail after that.

When it goes first class, I won't have the worry. I suggest agents bite the bullet and use first class.

Rick

 

[Chazm]

The mail house wants you to have a high response rate. If they sent say half of what you ordered, you will have approx. half the response. So, in the end you will be dissatisfied with the mailer and probably never do it again and the mail house loses your business.

IMO, use a company, like MSPM and don't worry about it.

Ive also used Targetleads and Need A Lead and have had good responses

 

[Mark]

MSPM is a good company and they do what they say they do. I brag about them.

 

[GreenSky]

The mail house wants you to have a high response rate. If they sent say half of what you ordered, you will have approx. half the response. So, in the end you will be dissatisfied with the mailer and probably never do it again and the mail house loses your business.

IMO, use a company, like MSPM and don't worry about it.

Ive also used Targetleads and Need A Lead and have had good responses

I agree. The mail house has a vested interest in keeping you as a customer. Without any exception that I can find, they all do what they say they will.

The Post Office is another issue. I no longer trust them to deliver bulk rate and that is why it's now worth an additional $200/1000 to have everything go first class with my return address on the outside of the mailing. If I get more than about 5% bad addresses, I can complain to the mail house.

Rick

 

[ComeCorrect]

The Post Office is another issue. I no longer trust them to deliver bulk rate and that is why it's now worth an additional $200/1000 to have everything go first class with my return address on the outside of the mailing. If I get more than about 5% bad addresses, I can complain to the mail house.

Rick

So a decent mail house wouldn't have a problem putting my return address on the outside of the mailing?

 

[mickeyma]

Have everything go first class with my return address on the outside of the mailing.
Rick

Rick: one problem with return address on outside of envelop is it screams junk mail. If I don't recognize the address, I throw the envelop away without opening it.

Also, hope no one is putting their company name on the outside of the envelop. I throw away 10 letters a day without opening them because I can see from the company name and address that it is junk mail.

The best way to have your envelop opened is through "curiosity." Look at the supermarket tabloids. Their headlines grab your attention. That's why their have more circulation than almost every major newspaper.

The best envelop is plain and has windows. One window has the prospects name & address. The other window explains briefly why it is to the prospect's advantage to open the letter.

In a mortgage protection direct mail piece, you put the name of the lender in the envelop window to gain the prospect's attention. You could do the same with MA (important information @ Your Medicare).

As for bulk mail, I haven't had any problems with my local post office. I always put an envelop with my name and address in there and that's proof of when the mailing was sent out. Since the post office is experiencing a huge drop in the volume of their business, they should have plenty of time to do the mail correctly. But, I too have problems with the postal carriers delivering my mail to my neighbors and vice versa. That happens even with first-class postage.
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BTW, the secret to direct mail is volume. Lots of it. Sending out 1,000 to 5,000 letters won't work. It takes thousands of mail pieces. Since most replies are @ .5%, sending out 1,000 pieces will get 5 replies. You'll go broke quick with that.

This is why everyone sends out bulk mail. The savings are significant on a 5,000 weekly campaign.

The only way I would recommend sending out a small amount of direct mail is with a follow-up phone call.

 

[atlantainsguy]

ComeCorrect, you are asking about the 3602 postal form that shows proof of USPS receiving mail. If your mail is going bulk rate, and the mail house is "co-mingling" your mail with the same mailer for other agents (most common way this is done) -- then there is no way to separate your stuff from the others. The 3602 will simply show the total co-mingled volume, and not break-out each individual agent's segment of that day's total drop. The other posters are correct, though, in saying that if you were shorted, they would not be in business for long.

atlantainsguy