NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Small Business

Making high profits from low-volume direct-mail campaigns

Graham McGregor
By Graham McGregor
Columnist·Herald online·
10 Aug, 2015 10:40 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Direct-mail marketing is a numbers game. We send out thousands of letters, but expect only a small percentage of prospects to respond. Photo / iStock

Direct-mail marketing is a numbers game. We send out thousands of letters, but expect only a small percentage of prospects to respond. Photo / iStock

Graham McGregor
Opinion by Graham McGregor
Graham McGregor is a marketing columnist for the NZ Herald
Learn more

I received a helpful message a few days ago on the value of using low volume direct mail campaigns to get appointments with key decision makers.

The message came from direct response copy writing expert Ivan Levison and I really liked what he had to say.

Let me hand you over to Ivan for his comments...

Direct-mail marketing is a numbers game.
We send out thousands of letters, but expect only a small percentage of prospects to respond.

As a result, we're constantly trying to cut costs. Obviously, if you can get into the mail for a dime or a quarter less per package, you can save a lot of money.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This cost-cutting mind-set makes excellent sense when you're doing mass mailings, but it can absolutely kill you if you're mailing to a small number of extremely important C-level propects.

You see, a small mailing means you can afford to spend a lot more per piece and really make a tremendous impression.

With a budget of $5 to $20 per package you can instantly cut through the clutter and stop prospects right in their tracks. Instead of being handcuffed by standard envelope formats, you can afford to send creative 3D packages that are guaranteed to get opened.

Let me give you some specific examples of how spending a bit of money on low-volume direct mail campaigns can generate fabulous results.

1. A Sybase invitation to a private breakfast briefing.
A while ago, when Sybase wanted to tell important prospects about the advantages of their products, they decided to hold a series of small breakfast sessions.

Discover more

Opinion

Graham McGregor: How to write a business plan for small business

14 Jul 09:30 PM
Opinion

Creative marketing to meet high value decision makers

08 Jun 09:30 PM
Opinion

Graham McGregor: How to create lifetime loyal customers

15 Jun 09:20 PM
Opinion

42 ways to increase your sales and profits

22 Jun 09:30 PM

At these by-invitation-only meetings, knowledgeable speakers would make brief presentations in an informal, relaxed setting.

There were too many prospects to call on the phone, and a standard invitation letter seemed hopelessly flat.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Instead, I suggested to Sybase that we send their key clients a small box with a specially designed label that said:

INSIDE: A special gift and an invitation from SYBASE
Inside was a handsome coffee mug bearing the Sybase logo. Sitting on top of the cup was a multi-fold invitation. On the cover of the invitation to breakfast was the headline:
Sybase would like you to have this cup.
On October 4th we'll pour the coffee.

The mailing, which contained additional information, was a tremendous hit and quickly filled up all available seats.

2. An Intel invitation to a press reception.

When Intel launched its i860 64-bit microprocessor, you can be sure they did more than simply fax out press releases.

In fact, they invited the entire technical press corps to a lavish reception at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Intel called on me to write the invitation that had to draw reporters to the big event. They enthusiastically told me that this chip "would knock people's socks off."
That explains why I sent every reporter on the contact list a little box containing a pair of black wool socks.

The wrapper around the socks simply said:
On February 27, Intel will knock yours off!

The package also contained an invitation complete with driving instructions.

I might add that this mailer was so successful it was mentioned on the cover of the San Francisco Chronicle's Business Section. Their blurb read " . . . Intel said the chip will 'knock your socks off' - and included extra socks with the invitation to the unveiling, to be held at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco."

That's the kind of impact you can have when you spend some money on three-dimensional mailings that beg to be opened!

3. An American President Lines mailing to hot prospects.
A while ago, American President Lines came to me with an interesting problem. They wanted to set up sales presentations with a small number of companies that shipped perishable cargoes all over the world. APL wanted to prove that they were expert at transporting cargoes like fruits, produce, seafood, poultry, flowers, etc.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

How do you get your foot in the door at a company that is fanatical about product freshness?

My answer was to send each executive a beautiful, fresh, exotic orchid in a lovely glass vase bearing the APL logo. The cover of the accompanying note said:

When it has to arrive in perfect condition . . .

Inside was the pitch for a personal meeting. The logistics of getting fresh orchids to everyone were daunting, but the mailing results were fabulous!
So what's the bottom line?

Simply, that every direct mailing you create doesn't have to be a cheap #10 package. If you have a small list to mail to, you can spend a little more, add a new dimension to your package (literally!), and dramatically increase your response rates.

'What makes things memorable is that they are meaningful, significant, colourful.'
Joshua Foer

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Action Exercise:If you have a small number of high value prospects you want to meet with, consider spending a bit more money and test a low volume direct mail campaign that makes your message memorable.

Graham McGregor is a consultant specialising in memorable marketing. You can download his 396 page 'Unfair Business Advantage' Ebook at no charge from www.theunfairbusinessadvantage.com
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Small Business

Premium
Small Business

Small Business: Service with a smooch at Purrs & Beans

25 May 05:00 PM
Small Business

‘Dream a bit more‘: Whanganui tea company partners with Air New Zealand

25 May 05:00 PM
Premium
KiwiSaver

KiwiSaver changes 'a burden' for small businesses and self-employed

22 May 08:00 PM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Small Business

Premium
Small Business: Service with a smooch at Purrs & Beans

Small Business: Service with a smooch at Purrs & Beans

25 May 05:00 PM

Faith-Ashleigh Wong and Shane O'Higgins talk to Tom Raynel about cats and coffee.

‘Dream a bit more‘: Whanganui tea company partners with Air New Zealand

‘Dream a bit more‘: Whanganui tea company partners with Air New Zealand

25 May 05:00 PM
Premium
KiwiSaver changes 'a burden' for small businesses and self-employed

KiwiSaver changes 'a burden' for small businesses and self-employed

22 May 08:00 PM
Premium
From Ikea to Kmart: The biggest building projects taking shape in Auckland

From Ikea to Kmart: The biggest building projects taking shape in Auckland

20 May 05:00 PM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP