Direct Mail Leads

HomeService · 02-12-2008, 02:27 AM

Some of my best leads were direct reponse mailers, but that was twenty years ago. Any good luck lately with snail-mail, anybody? I am not a fan of telemarketed leads. The "doorhanger" thread got me thinking about this... how many of you folks are having luck with direct mail?

James · 02-12-2008, 03:22 AM

Originally Posted by HomeService

Some of my best leads were direct reponse mailers, but that was twenty years ago. Any good luck lately with snail-mail, anybody? I am not a fan of telemarketed leads. The "doorhanger" thread got me thinking about this... how many of you folks are having luck with direct mail?

What is it you are selling?

healthagent · 02-12-2008, 06:30 AM

My instinct tells me if direct mail worked no one would ever buy a lead.

somarco · 02-12-2008, 07:06 AM

Direct mail seems to still work for the senior market. Can't say that it is effective for other lines.

One exception is health insurance. Locally, KP & BX do a lot of mailers. Of course they blanket the area on a regular basis.

So if you want to mail 50,000 pieces at a time . . .

healthagent · 02-12-2008, 07:09 AM

Agreed - we get pummeled with Carefirst mailers so it must work for them. However, I'm a bit short on being able to send out 200,000 mailers.

moonlightandmargaritas · 02-12-2008, 08:33 AM

I get excellent results from direct mail. It took me some time and experiment, but it has fantastic ROI for me.

Many, many variables to consider/test/measure.

healthagent · 02-12-2008, 08:39 AM

I wonder if it would be an effective tool for a lead-in to telemarketing. Mail out 2,000, wait a few days, follow up with a call:

"John from ABC agency calling to follow up on the information we sent..."

I would guess most would say "yeah, I got that." Dunno - never tried it. That only way that would be beneficial to me is if it showed increased results over just calling.

moonlightandmargaritas · 02-12-2008, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by healthagent

My instinct tells me if direct mail worked no one would ever buy a lead.

It does. I don't.

healthagent · 02-12-2008, 08:53 AM

Do you mail the same prospects more than once a year?

moonlightandmargaritas · 02-12-2008, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by healthagent

Do you mail the same prospects more than once a year?

I mail to them four times a year. The first of February, May, August and November.

HomeService · 02-12-2008, 10:16 AM

"What is it you are selling?"

Well, now, just limited/supplemental health and life. Final expense, mainly. I think direct mail may work for both of these.

Twenty years ago they were disability leads. Got me in the door for health and life. And, disability.

senior-advisor-indiana · 02-12-2008, 12:56 PM

Moonlight,
Do you do your own mailings or do you pay a lead company?

moonlightandmargaritas · 02-12-2008, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by senior-advisor-indiana

Moonlight,
Do you do your own mailings or do you pay a lead company?

I do them in-house because I like the flexibility and control.

senior-advisor-indiana · 02-12-2008, 02:21 PM

What products or age group do you target?

James · 02-13-2008, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by HomeService

"What is it you are selling?"

Well, now, just limited/supplemental health and life. Final expense, mainly. I think direct mail may work for both of these.

Twenty years ago they were disability leads. Got me in the door for health and life. And, disability.

I did good using DM when selling final expense. Did good using Inserts in local papers doing final expense. When I was selling Final Expense via Settlers I always wrote enough so Settlers would pay all cost of DM and Inserts.

TXINSURANCE · 02-13-2008, 01:56 AM

Direct mail is very expensive on a per lead basis, and response rate very low. Mail as a follow up to compliment existing efforts works extremely well - although it is labor intensive and insurance carriers give you limited (if any) good tools to work with. You spend half of your time prepping and removing their direct sales references off of the printed material.

HomeService · 02-13-2008, 10:12 AM

James, I had to google search "Settlers", seems like they are in 16 states and TX is not one of them, so no wonder I had not heard of them.

At any rate, sometimes the companies provide the printing services for free, all you have to pay as an agent is postage, which does get high $$

wildcat · 02-13-2008, 12:35 PM

[quote=HomeService;50779 Twenty years ago they were disability leads. Got me in the door for health and life. And, disability.[/quote]

HomeService, are you still receiving any of those DI commissions?

bizwiz · 02-15-2008, 07:26 PM

I do believe snail mail still do generate some leads, but the current strategy is sending emails. It's cheaper and quite effective too.

Mr. Bill · 02-15-2008, 07:32 PM

Sending e-mails? Unsolicited? Isn't that illegal?