More direct postcard

[Don Chambers]

My direct mail response rate is almost 4%. This is my first direct mail campaign and i dont think there is much competition in my area. I've sent 1,100 postcards and gotten 42 calls. The mailings just went out and i don't think every card has been delivered yet. I have had a hard time getting all the calls. I have only gotten 9 and now I have brought in a partner to call the leads. The list is absentee owners with equity. The card is a handwritten font that just says i would like to buy the house, as-is, with cash. The main response is from people that have no motivation. They just want to see if I will pay market value or more. Should I make my intent more obvious on the card? There is a lot of discussion about what to send (yellow letter, zip letter, postcard), how to get them to open a letter, what to say, how to make it personal, etc. Are these things really important when they are motivated? I think its just ways to get the unmotivated people intrigued so they will call. I would like to try a mailing that makes it clear that I'm an investor. That I will buy fast in any condition but I'm not paying after repair market value. I am not sure how to word it. Any thoughts?

[Ryan Dossey]

Great question. In Direct Mail you'd be surprised how many "little" things can make or break the lead. Are you marketing from a brand? Do you have a web presence that can be verified by your phone number? Ex: What comes up when you Google your phone #? Most often... Motivated sellers have been taken advantage of. They tend to be skeptical. You may be shooting yourself in the foot before they even pick up the phone. 

Why have you only gotten 9 of 42 calls? 

We have had good luck with describing the offer as "fair". 

But my approach is based off of informational sales/vs pressure. 

We walk a prospect through comparable sales, the condition of their property, cost of repairs and try to come to a "mutually agreeable number".