How to Really Mess Up a Direct Mail Program

Source: Golden Practices, the blog of Michelle Golden

The following excerpts from the June 12, 2008, blog entry of Michelle Golden, titled Must Be The Annual “Let’s Send Them Everything We’ve Got” Mailing... are reprinted with permission.

Michele Golden tells of a letter she received from a friend about a direct mail package he received from the CPA firm that does his audit. It included the following excerpts:

A xeroxed “Dear Valued Client” letter confirming the understanding of the terms and objectives of the engagement for computer software consulting services. As far as I know, we are not engaging them for that service.
A xeroxed “Dear Valued Client” letter confirming the understanding that they will prepare our 200X federal and state income tax returns. As far as I know, the CPA who does our books will be doing that.
A 2-page xeroxed document that describes “Internal Control.” On the bottom of page two are addresses and an invitation to visit the website—the first indication of who this document is from, but still nothing that names the firm directly.
A 1-page xeroxed copy of a Company Car Lease Value worksheet to help with the preparation of W-2s. I assume this would be for us to fill out and return to them if they were doing our W-2’s, but they are not, so I’m not sure what to do with it.
Firm Technology Solutions tri-fold brochure.

I was expecting the package to include information on our upcoming audit next month. That was not there but everything else was.

Michelle’s QUICK LIST OF DOs and DONTs:

DO reach out to your clients regularly in a personalized, non-generic way.

DON’T send an impersonal letter that starts off with “Dear Valued Client.”

DO send only relevant information pertinent to the services that particular client buys. If you send additional information, preface it with what else you are sending and why “this may be applicable to you this year so let’s discuss it...”

DON’T send engagement letters or forms for services never before discussed with the client.

DO make sure you’re not passing on an inconvenience to your client that you should bear yourself. Being too busy to filter what you send is lazy and inconsiderate.

DON’T think that your client will ever be impressed by “quantity” over “relevance.”

For the complete blog entry, click here.

From Golden Practices, the blog of Michelle Golden, president of Golden Marketing Inc., http://www.goldenmarketing.typepad.com/.