USING DIRECT MAIL TO GENERATE LEADS FOR CONSULTING AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
By Robert W. Bly For consultants, attorneys, accountants, advertising agencies, public relation firms, and other organizations and individualsoffering professional services, direct mail can be an effective means of generating
a controlled quantity of highly qualified leads quickly and at low cost. However, the majority of consultants are unsuccessful with direct mail--largely because they do not understand how it works or how to use it. Following are
some suggestionson how to successfully use direct mail to generate new business forconsulting or professional services:1. Develop a primary offer.The main reason direct mail for consulting services fails is the lack of a specific
offer.Lamely ending a letter with "Looking forward to working with you" or "I will call in a week or two" is certain to depress responseto almost zero. If you tell people you will call them, they then have no
incentive to call you first.It's far better to identify the next step in the sales process and then tell the reader to take it.Most consultants want the mailing to result in an initial meetingwith the prospective client. Therefore,
the letter might offer a "free, no-obligation initial consultation."Being more specific about the nature of this exploratory session andattaching a benefit to it will increase response. For example: "Wewill analyze
your current insurance coverage at no cost and make suggestions that will reduce your annual premiums by 10 percent--ormore."2. Develop a secondary offer.The primary offer will attract those prospects who are most eager todo
business today or in the near future.However, this represents only a small fraction of the potential mar-ket. Therefore, a secondary offer is needed to attract those pros-pects who are not ready to meet right now but may have a
need in three, six or 12 months.This secondary offer is usually a free booklet, special report, bro-chure, fact sheet or other printed information the reader can send for by calling or mailing back a postpaid business reply card. I
usually stress the primary offer in the body copy of my letter and the secondary offer in the P.S. For example: "P.S. To receive a freereport explaining our four-step Market Planning Process, complete and mail the reply card
today."Typically, from 50 to 90 percent of those who respond request the free information (secondary offer) rather than a face-to-face meeting (primary offer). Calling those who request the free booklet only and
"selling" them on the benefits of a free consultation will reveal that 10 to 25 percent of the booklet requesters have genuine interest and can be talked into a meeting.3. Encourage both phone and mail response.Always
include a business reply card in mailings; its absence candepress response to almost zero. Some consultants feel that using a business reply card in a personalized mailing aimed at executiveprospects is somehow unprofessional. This
is nonsense.Stress that the reader can respond either by mailing the reply cardor calling. To encourage telephone response, mention the phone num-ber in the letter copy, even if it appears on the letterhead. Omit-ting either one of
these two basic response options (mail or tele-phone), will depress response.4. Establish credibility.Prospects want to deal with consultants who are experts in theirfield. Here are some techniques that can build this sense of
cred-ibility into the direct-mail package:* Enclose an article you have written that deals with the topic of the consulting service being sold. This will help convince the pros-pect of your expertise.* Enclose a recent article
written about you. This establishes thatyou are a recognized authority.* Mention some of your clients--especially well-known names in theprospect's industry. If this would cause the prospect to worry aboutconfidentiality, mention
that you have obtained permission to listthe names.* Enclose copies of letters of referral written for you by your clients. Testimonials are extremely effective; they make prospects feel comfortable and confident in your ability to
serve them suc-cessfully.* Create a separate brochure that answers any questions the prospectmight have about your service and lists your credentials. This kindof "full disclosure" alleviates anxiety and creates the
impression that you are reliable and professional in your dealings.* Include your photo on the brochure, unless you think your appear-ance is a negative (e.g., you are extremely young-looking or odd ingrooming or dress). A photo
gives prospects the feeling that theyknow you before they even meet or talk with you.5. Use other promotion techniques to build your reputation.Direct mail is effective for generating immediate leads, but it isnot the primary tool
for enhancing credibility.To build a professional reputation, you must engage in an ongoingprogram of self-marketing that includes such activities as: writingarticles, writing books, newsletter publishing, speaking
engagements,teaching, seminars, networking, and being active in industry organ-izations and local business clubs.Performing these activities will lead to a higher response to directmail because the recipient will have already heard
of you when he receives your letter. Without these ancillary marketing activities,your name will be unknown, and response rates will be significantly lower.Browser Fixed
