Most people who send direct mail understand the importance of creating a sense of immediacy or urgency  of giving their prospect a reason to buy or act now.  After all, that is what direct mail does best.  You want to create this sense of immediacy because it forces the action, response or purchase to occur now, rather than later or not at all.

The value of having the sale happen now is that it increases the likelihood of a repeat sale.  If you sell to your customer this month, he might buy again next month.  However, if he does not buy this month, you have lost revenue which you may never be able to regain.

The following strategies help your customers and prospects overcome the natural tendency to procrastinate.  They give them compelling reasons to act now, to buy now, and to pickup the phone and call today.

Use Action Words

Hurry, call now.  You have only ten days to decide.  Supplies are limited.  Today is the final day.  This offer will not be repeated.

Sometimes these terse little expressions appear almost trite B like throwaway phrases that do not really mean anything.  But they really do motivate, because in today=s fast-paced market people are inclined to believe them.

Let the Graphics Speak

Words are not the only way to create a sense of immediacy.  The design of the direct mail piece can influence the reader’s perception of the immediacy of your offer.  Starbursts, arrows, and reverse copy block say Hurry, in just the same way as do certain colors and the paper you print on.

Raise Your Prices

A price increase always attracts attention, but before you raise those prices, give your customers and prospects one last chance to buy at the old ones.

People are motivated when it comes to saving money.  There is nothing wrong with coming right out and telling them that if they do not buy now, they are going to pay more later on.  It is a sound strategy and it works.  Just make sure you give them enough advance notice, along with ample time to respond.

Limited Time Offer

Sure, you may get an occasional order from someone you mailed to back in 1982, but for the most part, people understand and respect an offer that is extended for a limited time only.

If you don’t place your order before the end of the month, that’s it!  We’ll never sell to you again.  Too strong?  Yes.  The point is that you can educate your customers to understand that when you say, Limited Time Only, that is exactly what you mean.

Supplies Are Limited

Even if you have a lot of inventory on hand, you can show it as a limited supply, a limited supply of last year’s model or a limited supply at the old price.  Make sure your customer knows he may have to wait a long time if he does not act immediately.

Bonus for Ordering Now

We all like to get something extra.  When you add value and offer a bonus, you may be able to convince your prospect to respond more quickly.  This proven strategy has been a staple in the direct mail business for years B because it works.

Make it Easy to Respond and Buy

When you give simple payment options B bill me, no payment till next whenever, 90 days same as cash,  you make it easy for your customer to say, Yes.

And while credit cards are easy to use, they still require your customer or prospect to reach into his pocket take out his wallet, pull out the card and write the number down.  It requires more than simply checking a box that says, Bill Me.

You can create a sense of urgency every day through the tactics you employ in the pieces you mail, which translates into more sales now.  So, hurry, get out there and move your customers along.

Surprisingly, though, many companies and business owners don=t see this cause and effect relationship.  Clearly, be sending direct mail to your customers and prospects, you are taking control of your own corporate destiny.

So, here is the corollary: If you mail every day, you are likely to receive responses every day.  Likewise, if you mail every week or every month, you are likely to obtain responses every week or every month.  The cycle creates itself.

If, for example, you need 20 leads a week for your business, and you know that by mailing 1,000 solicitations a week you generate those 20 leads, then it makes sense to mail 1,000 pieces every week.

The problem is that it is easy to get sidetracked.  For instance, when business is very good, there is a temptation to stop mailing B ast least until the production department gets caught up.  Often, there’s too much other activity going on  proposals to write, follow ups from last month, or even the annual sales meeting.  (Ever notice how few new sales occur during those weeks when a company holds its annual sales meeting?)

But what happens when the proposals finally get written, all the loose ends from last month are tied up, and the sales meeting is finally over?  If you have not tried to generate new leads, none will be coming in, and no new leads means no new sales.

By mailing every day, every week, or every month, a company can be in constant touch with a meaningful portion of its total market, both customers and prospects.  Through a consistent mailing program, each sales lead arrives when it is needed, which minimizes the peaks and valley that often appear to dominate a company sales activities.

You know from experience that when you lose a day, there is just no way to go back and do it again (at least not in our time zone).  Or, when you lose a month, it is gone for good, along with all the sales, leads, or inquiries associated with it.  Suddenly, you have to work a lot harder to make up what you have lost.

Consistency, whether that means mailing every day, every week, or every month, is the one key to direct mail success B and to the success of your business.  If you like the idea of never losing a day, week, or month again, along with all the sales, orders, and inquiries that go with it, work towards developing and maintaining a consistent mailing schedule.