Investor Psychology - Direct Mail Campaign

[Damon Armstrong]

Hello to you direct mailers. I was doing a little research and came across this bazaar but interesting mailing technique that I want to share and would like feedback on...

This is a technique to almost guarantee that your letter will be opened by the seller and not be tossed in the trash with the other junk mail. At least it would work on me...so I'm sure it would work on others.  (I did not try this yet)

It isn't free, but also not very expensive either...

What I am talking about is to add something solid into the envelope along with the letter. For example, you can go out and buy a pack of dice, or pencils, or even if you have a bag of marbles laying around. I wouldn't suggest using anything of true value such as coins, it may be understood as a bribe. Don't use anything sharp, illegal, or dangerous either. 

If you put 2 marbles or just a pencil or even two small dice in the envelope, when the seller feels the envelope it will certainly stand out and boost curiosity.  

"What could this be" 

"It certainly isn't paper"

**opens envelope**

"Oh, it's just a...marble?"

"Hmm I wonder what this paper in the envelope says"

**reads letter offering to buy house**

Yes this is kind of strange, but out of all the direct mail you send, you will get some responses, and for the remaining obviously you didn't. Did you not get a response because the seller wasn't interested in your offer? Or did you not get a response because the seller didn't care to read the "junk mail" (that's what we call it in my house anyway). My point is, if you send out 100 letters, and receive 30 leads, what happened to the other 70? Were they not interested? Or was the seller expecting my letter to be junk mail and never even seen that I was offering to buy their home...

Even if they are not interested in selling their home to you at the time, that will stick with them in their mind when they are ready to sell. 

"Hey, remember that letter we got a few weeks ago with the marbles in it to buy our house, yeah where is that letter?"

To me it seems like investor psychology...it will be much more likely to stick in the mind of a seller more than just a letter by itself...

Would others care to share their experience if you've done this, and for those who haven't, what do you think about it? 

Damon

[Damon Armstrong]

A small add on just to put things into perspective...

I am 17 years old and I live with my parents...I do not handle any mail that comes into our mailbox...the most I do is go get the mail when my parents tell me too. With that being said, if I went check the mail and felt one that was really lumpy, my full attention would be on that envelope wondering what it is...I'd probably hand it to my dad and say dad I don't know what all of this is but check this one out, it's got something else in it. Or if he checked the mail and was sorting through it and found one with one or 2 unknown items in it, chances are he is going to open that one FIRST...before the magazines...before the bills, probably even before scholarship letters! LOL. My point is, would you open it? Of course you would! This is just a small mind game you can use to spark curiosity in your mail, and set it aside from the other junk mail in the mail box!