7 ways to use direct mail for sales enablement 

Direct mail is highly regarded as a marketing tool for creating brand awareness. But   have you considered direct mail for sales? Whether you’re selling a product or service, fundraising, or recruiting, direct mail is the savvy salesperson’s secret weapon.

Why is direct mail such a powerful sales enablement tool? Because direct mail creates a unique, tactile experience that sticks in prospects’ minds. Think about it: we’re all exposed to an endless torrent of electronic communications every day. It’s like drinking from a firehose. An attractively designed direct mail piece appeals to recipients in a unique and lasting way. 

The key to utilizing direct mail for sales is personalization. A personalized postcard or mailing piece creates a level of customer intimacy that elevates your brand and improves responses to your offer. Direct mail also enables recipients to interact with your message in ways that can’t be achieved through digital channels.

7 proven strategies for using direct mail to help close the sale

Want to use direct mail to help you close more sales, attract more donations, or register more students? Here are some ideas to help you get started on your journey toward tactile sales enablement:

1. Use digital printing to customize your mailer’s copy and call to action (CTA) based on each key prospect’s needs: Digital printing makes sophisticated personalization easy. Don’t just limit yourself to “Dear [first name].” Any customer data can be incorporated into a direct mail piece, including past donation or sales history, the number of years they’ve been a customer, the date of their last purchase, and more. The sky’s the limit!

2. Send “handwritten” notes to key prospects: You can personalize and print direct mail pieces using a font that imitates a handwritten message. Customize the copy to mention critical challenges they’re facing or a specific conversation your salesperson recently had with them. This approach takes personalization to a whole new level!

3. Send a postcard with a QR code. Imagine this: Your sales prospect receives your postcard that contains a QR code. They scan it with their smartphone. It takes them to a web page that plays a personalized appeal customized to their needs. Services like Vidyard make it easy to record personalized sales videos directly from your laptop; host the videos on their website or incorporate them into video emails. They also provide a URL that you can program into QR codes to create highly personalized direct mail for sales. 

Now, this level of personalization requires a bit more work – you’ll need to record an individualized video for each prospect – but the impact and intimacy it creates make it a worthwhile investment!

4. Offer an exclusive consultation or assessment: Rather than using a direct mail piece to convince a key prospect to “buy now,” why not send personalized mailers that offer a free, 30-minute consultation or assessment? A short consultation is the perfect opportunity to learn more about their needs and customize your solution or offer accordingly.

5. Send a coupon code or other special offer to persuade key prospects to take action: Sometimes, key prospects need a little nudge to push them into closing the sale, making a donation, or registering for your school. That nudge can take the form of a discount or another special offer, created exclusively for your key prospects, for a limited time only. It will make your key prospects feel special to know that they’re the only ones who will qualify for your special offer. Scarcity creates desirability.

6.  Don’t limit direct mail to just sales: Get creative with your direct mail messaging. Consider using personalized direct mail pieces to express appreciation to new customers or donors, upsell them, and reactivate dormant customers or donors. Remember, it’s much easier and less expensive to re-sell to an existing customer than it is to acquire a new one.

7. Go bigger with a dimensional mailer: These oversize boxes command attention when they’re delivered to your customer’s workplace or home. Everyone loves receiving packages in the mail – it’s like getting an unexpected present. Don’t forget to include a personalized message from your salesperson!

What should you deliver in your dimensional mailer? Here are some popular options:

• A unique desktop object
• Tickets or a creative invitation to an upcoming event
• A travel cup with your logo (or something else they can use)
• A message in a bottle

The creative options are nearly endless!

Here’s one recent example: Heritage Direct created a dimensional mailer for a client who wanted to capture the attention of their key prospects. We designed an attractive box that contained a combination sundial and compass, accompanied by messaging that offered to show prospects a smarter approach to sourcing the parts it manufactures. The company’s salespeople either delivered or mailed the boxes to the key prospects they were trying to influence. The visually striking box turned out to be an excellent way to move them along the sales process and their key prospects loved it!

In short, this creative mailer gave this manufacturer a unique and memorable way to tell a story to their highest-value prospects.

In conclusion, properly used direct mail is a powerful tool that can help to close sales faster, spur donations, and persuade parents and prospective students to invest in your educational institution.

If you’re ready to tap into the power of direct mail for sales, contact Heritage Direct today to  discover a different approach.