Smallbiz Bookstore Msg. Marketing Insurance Surveys Small Biz. Starting Out Sales Mgt. Our Advertising Expert shows you what you may be doing wrong and how to fix it. Then I bought a small ad in a trade magazine and, once again, got no response.
People move, die or change their surnames through marriage.
For whatever reason, no list will be accurate by the time it's typed, let alone printed and sold to you. Normal response to a good direct-mail piece is only about 1 to 2 percent, so there's not much point sending out only 400 pieces to start with. You didn't tell me what your product is, but unless you're selling a really high-ticket item, you just can't recoup the cost of renting your list, printing the piece and postage, let alone make a profit with that small of a list. The piece itself was not motivational or clear enough and was tossed. The offer was badly timed and moot.