Direct Mail Operational Best Practices - Contact Science

[Pages:7]Direct Mail Operational Best Practices

Overview

Direct Mail is not always Marketing. A Direct Mail piece can be a messaging device for Telephone Prospecting, similar in nature to voicemails and emails. As a messaging device, Direct Mail requires a level of coordination between Marketing and Sales that voicemails and emails do not.

This document describes how Contact Science, by adding new Actions specifically for sending DirectMail, makes the coordination between Marketing and Sales quick, easy and precise. The DirectMail Actions allow Sales to indicate to Marketing that a mailing should be done. Then, using the Filters feature in Export, Marketing can quickly create a spreadsheet for all the Suspects that need a Direct Mail piece sent to them.

Additional capabilities within this approach include easily requesting help from Marketing, updating the database with mailing dates and sending email blasts to Suspects to encourage them to take the follow up call from Sales.

The objective of perfect telephone follow up calls to a Direct Mail piece is to improve the number of conversations that may lead to an appointment. This is the fastest, easiest and most precise way for Sales and Marketing to collaborate to achieve that objective.

There are two basic Best Practices to follow when using Direct Mail in a Prospecting campaign: Pre-Call and Chase.

Pre-Call uses Direct Mail after a call has been made to the Suspect to let them know it is coming. This approach is designed to create anticipation and reduce the number of pieces that are thrown away. The approach also provides the opportunity to confirm the Suspect and their address.

Chase is the classic mail and pursue approach. The Best Practice improves performance because no mailing is done unless the Caller has the bandwidth to place proper follow up calls. The timing of the mailings is determined by the activity of the Caller.

In both Best Practices, there are variations where multiple mailings are done - typically one mailing each week - as needed, based on the results of the telephone call. Both Best Practices handle this easily and the Contact Science software makes the logistics of the more complex multi-mailer campaigns easy.

The remainder of the paper will address the Best Practices and set-up options, plus reviews some of the scenarios that Callers will face as they make calls. We make suggestions about how to handle those scenarios.

This paper assumes that reader has attended software classes, or has watch the training videos.

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Pre-Call

1. Caller does BackFill procedure, as usual, to determine how many names should be added to their Worksheet.

2. Caller goes to Unassigned Silo (or Pending, if Marketing has pre-assigned who will be in the Direct Mail assisted campaign) and adds Suspects to the Worksheet (putting them into the designated Cycle for the campaign if in unassigned.)

3. Caller repeats steps 1 and 2 each Monday

4. Marketing, each Friday,(or this can be done each day) goes to the Export section to create a spreadsheet, using a Filter called Direct Mail - Who? (See Export and Filters below)

5. Marketing uses this Export spreadsheet as guide for who is to be mailed. (In the case of a multimailer, this spreadsheet will also indicate which mailer should be sent. More on this in MultiMailer section)

6. Once mailed, Marketing will use the Update Feature to update the system with the Date of the mailing. This is the Callers confirmation that the mailing has been send.

Chase

1. Marketing or Caller logs into Caller's account at end of the Caller's day on Friday to run BackFill procedure. (The Impersonate feature can also be used to access the Caller's account.)

2. From the Marketplace tab, Marketing or Caller assigns Suspects (according to the BackFill number) 1) to the Direct Mail cycle, 2) to the Caller and 3) ticks the Skip Pending box to put them onto the Caller's Worksheet.

NOTE: Optionally, Marketing could do this step at one time for all of the targets who will be pursued, BUT put the names in the Pending tab (untick the Skip Pending box) where the Caller will get them during BackFill.

3. Marketing goes to the Export Section to create a spreadsheet, using a Filter called 1st Chase Mailing specifically to indentify the Suspects for the first mailing. After the first mailing, the Direct Mail - Who? filter is used.

4. Marketing uses this spreadsheet as guide for who is mailed. (In the case of a Multi-Mailer, the subsequent mailings will be identified using the Direct Mail - Who? filter. More on this in MultiMailer section)

5. Once mailed, Marketing will use the Update Feature to update the system with the Date of the mailing. This field displays on the Action Page giving the Callers confirmation of the mailing

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date.

Note: The Caller should plan on making calls to the new Suspects on the list as late in the week as possible so as to maximize the time for mailer delivery.

Multi-Mailer

Campaigns with multiple mailers begin the same as single mailing campaigns. The use of the Export spreadsheet is the same because the data also includes which step the pursuit is in, which defines which mailing Marketing should send.

If you are doing a lot of Multi-Mailings, consider doing the mailings each day by running the Export spreadsheet each afternoon. This will spread the workload across the week and also give the mailings plenty of time to arrive.

Three Set-Up Suggestions

1 - To facilitate the communication between Caller and Marketing, we recommend creating a User Defined field. The UD can be a picklist with values that aid in communicating with Marketing. Below is an example.

Hey Marketing - this is a pick-list with the following values (add as many as you need.)

Research (this is a Caller request to Marketing to do research on the company. Comments field will have specific information needed.)

Remove (this is a Marketing response if the research deems the Suspect to be unqualified and the Caller should Remove them.)

Proceed (this is a Marketing response that the Suspect should be pursued within the Best Practice.)

Recycle (this is a Marketing response when the Suspect is viable, but not for this campaign and the Caller should Recycle them.)

2 - Three User Defined Fields (UDs) can be created to indicate when the mailers were send. UDs can be updated using the Update Feature and the Export spreadsheet used to do the mailing.

Mailer1 - this where the date of the first mailing is added by Marketing Mailer2 - this where the date of the second mailing is added by Marketing Mailer3 - this where the date of the third mailing is added by Marketing

3 - In Export, set up the Export Template with these fields and in this order: (once set up, run an export in order to 'save' your selections.)

Hey Marketing - Use a Picklist of options to allow sales to communicate with Marketing Organization First Name Last Name Address 1

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Address 2 City State/Province ZIP Code Cycle Name Next Cycle Step - the '# Call' of this step is the "#" of the mailing. (2nd Call = 2nd Mailing) Last Activity Date Mailer 1 Mailer 2 Mailer 3 Activity Comments

Using Filters in Export to Create List of Targets to Mail

The Filters option in Export enables you to create a spreadsheet with the information needed to complete the mailing/fulfillment component of the process. Here are two Filters to identify the Suspects needing a mailing based on whether the campaign is Pre-call or Chase or a Multi-Mailer version of either one.

Filter for Pre-Call and for subsequent mailings for Multi-Mailer Campaigns

Filter for the First Call and First Mailing of a Chase Campaign

As a general rule, the framework of the Best Practice is important because it allows for the name of the Next Step (eg. 2nd Call) to equal the number of the mailing (mail 2nd Mailing.) Be sure to review the Best Practice framework to make sure this rule will apply.

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Using Filters in Export or Marketplace to isolate Hey Marketing requests Another key filter is called Hey Marketing where the request for some assistance from Sales on specific Suspects can be quickly isolated. See Set-Up Suggestions for recommended list of options in this dropdown. Other options can be added as your local process may dictate. When built, the filter is shown in both Export and Marketplace. Below is a filter to assist in locating all of the suspects that Marketing should 'research.'

If Marketing intends to do any Remove or Recycle tasks, create additional filters for Hey Marketing Remove and Hey Marketing - Recycle to make those suspects easier to isolate. 'Update' the Database with Date Mailed A recommended option is to use the Update Feature in either the Market or Unassigned Silo to update the database with the date of the mailing of each piece. This is useful to Sales when they are making calls, since they are often asked 'when did you mail it?' Using a Marketing Blast In some Best Practices, an email blast from a senior executive to the Suspects being mailed is useful. The email message asks the Suspect to be looking for the mailing, plus encourages the Suspect to take the phone call from 'my associate.' This approach is possible because it is easy to know who will be mailed; and then called the upcoming week. This Audience feature in Contact Science Marketing will quickly identify who should be emailed.

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Scenarios

As the Caller makes calls, there are a number of scenarios they encounter where they will need guidance on how to handle. Here are the most common ones, plus alternate ways to handle them. (These are just suggestions.)

Cannot confirm qualifying information before time to mail 1. Mail anyway. 2. Don't Mail. Tick the Stay in Step box and in the Hey Marketing drop down select Research

Gatekeeper said they did not receive 1. Send again. Tick Stay in Step box and use the Phone-DirectMail option. Make a note in comments. 2. Send them an email with promotional material. Tick Later Today, call later in the afternoon. 3. In both of the above, ask for the Suspect in attempt to have a conversation. Leave voicemail and send default email or the promotional email, as situation dictates.

Suspect said they did not receive 1. Ask them if you can quickly describe the offer. 2. If they insist on something written, send them an email with promotional material. See if they will review it with you right then. If not, as for an appointment to have a conversation. 3. If they insist on seeing the Direct Mail piece, ask them for a phone appointment for next week. Then, select any action containing Direct Mail, make a comment about the call, click execute.

General/Generic Voicemail is only option to leave a message 1. Do not mail. Remove. 2. Hit #0, #0 to see if you can find a human. If no human, try again the next week. If no human a second time, Remove.

How to log their answer to the Qualifying Question 1. Have a UD field for your significant qualifying question. For Suspects where you have asked, but cannot get any answer, consider using 00 to indicate that you have tried but we not successful. 2. If you have a proxy (eg. number of employees) then you can use an E at the end of the number to indicate Estimate - 10E 3. Use a Drop Down UD field with pre-set values. For instance, if the qualifying question is '# of PCs' (and your answer is 10) you could set up the following options: Won't Tell, Under 10, 10 to 25, 25 to 100, 100 Plus (your pick list can contain any values you wish)

No gatekeeper, you go straight to voicemail 1. Leave voicemail. Dial back and click zero to see if you are taken to a human, or a phone tree. Look for the gatekeeper, sales department or AR to ask qualifying question. 2. If you cannot find a human, send the email.

The Suspect is on Vacation, or will be on Vacation when mailing arrives

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1. If the Suspect will be on Vacation for the first week of the campaign, find out when they will return and set the Next Step Date for the week following their return. Also, tick the Stay in Step box and make a note.

2. If you do not learn about the Vacation until the program has started. Set the Next Step Date for the week when they return and proceed as normal.

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