Direct Mail Touch Quantity vs. Contact Quantity

[Brian Armstrong]

I'm starting my first direct mail campaign this month. I'm working on a limited starting budget and I'm handling the mailing myself until I get a deal and can afford to outsource it. As I'm working on getting a mailing list together, I started to wonder is it better to send fewer people more pieces of mail or better to send more people fewer pieces of mail? For example, is it better to send 500 people a mail piece 6 times or 1000 people a piece 3 times.

I have heard most of direct mail folks on the podcast talking about more touches increasing the response rate, but it also seems to be a volume game to touch as many people as possible.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Michael Quarles]

I sent 80,000 plus pieces last month which netted 18 contracts and I never met a seller, visited a house or spoke to a seller myself. 

So your question of whether or not 3 or 6 works better really should be which list and which mail pieces work better. What capture system should I implement? What type of CRM and follow-up should I set up and ultimately how do I create an unfair advantage so that the sellers pick me?