8 Fulfillment Tactics That Produce Extra Orders

Many mail advertisers pour all their time, energy, and money into their lead-generation efforts—then sabotage themselves by sending out shabby-looking, un-compelling fulfillment mailings, according to copywriter Ivan Levison. He offers eight pointers on how to leverage orders from fulfillment kits—the important but often ignored second step in many mailing programs:

Print a reminder message on the outer envelope.

Something like “Here is the information you requested about Widget X.” And print it in an eye-catching color, such as bright red.

Include a personalized long-copy sales letter.

Don’t just kiss off your prospect with a note that says, “Here’s the stuff you asked for.” Tell your prospect why your enclosed information is important to him—and why it’s advantageous to order right away.

Thank your recipient for his response.

It’s the polite thing to do. It makes your prospect feel appreciated. It reminds him that he is interested in what you are selling. And it warms up your mailing in preparation for your sales pitch.

Detail what you have enclosed.

Cue your reader to examine your enclosures in the order you think will track toward a sale. If you don’t, your prospect is sure to shuffle through your material and probably will wind up confused.

Urge your respondent to try out any sales material right away.

If you’ve included a demo disk, an executive report, or a white paper, tell your prospect to look at it immediately. If you don’t, chances are he will misplace it. And don’t be afraid in your letter to call attention to material of special interest, specifying its location (page 3, or graph 8).

Ask for the order.

Hit all your product benefits hard. Stress your guarantee of satisfaction. Imagine all possible reasons your prospect might have to postpone or refuse a purchase and answer them exhaustively.

Include a compelling business reply card.

Your ordering device should not be an afterthought, but a well-organized recapitulation of your offer’s main points and benefits, in as customer-convenient a format as possible.

Mail again—and again—if you don’t obtain an order.

After you fulfill the original request, mail non-purchasers a more economical piece. Persistence pays!



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