I would think your follow up calls would be alot more successful after this mailing.

Follow up definitely with a letter sequence or phone calls.

Maybe change the offer. Make it more irresistible. Place some urgency in your copy.

This isn't the first time someone has said something like this, and it won't be the last.

Most unsolicited direct mail goes directly into the trash.

You may have to repeat your mailing several times before getting a response. Just like running an ad--people have to see it several (many) times before it gains credibility.

Giving your prospects a call after the mailer has had a chance to arrive will get you valuable feedback. Did they see it at all? Any comments about it? You'll learn something.

You're only in 4 days in... I'm sure you'll get some calls in soon. I get calls 6-7 months later sometimes.

Plus, **** happens! haha try again and keep adding a twist till your letter and packages work. This is marketing and it wouldn't be fun if we got it the first time. =X

[DELETED]

Damn,

Where are you? I could have gone all day without hearing that, as I'm in the midst of doing the exact same thing (really, I sent some out two days ago, and just closed my sales letter down to open this window) to dentists in my area. I am using the yellow envelopes as well.

I was planning on folowing up with the first batch by phone on Monday. Past sales experience dictates your response rate goes WAYYY up if you folow up with a phone call. The problem is getting past the gatekeeper.

1 - They are local business owners so you know they're busy, they are not just say that.
2 - They don't know you from Adam

Don't try to sell them on the phone. You're only calling to get an appointment. I've found that strategy to be far more effective. Plan on being very flexible with your times, too. This is no 9 to 5 gig. You have to be prepared to work around their schedule

While I am reletively new at the offline game, I have been selling in the BtoB arena for years, so I have plenty of experience to fall back on.

I do have a meeting with an autocare provider on Monday, so that is positive.

Why not choose a road less traveled? By that I mean, pick a niche that isn't marketed to death. I agree with the other comments regarding a series of mailings and follow-up calls, but there are a lot of niches that aren't heavily marketed and will be easier to approach.

4 days is not enough time to draw any conclusions.

Four days...they may not have arrived yet.

You shouldn't expect an immediate response.

You need to send more than one message.

Have you sufficiently tested your copy?

Get ready to follow up and don't expect such immediate results...a year from now, someone might give you a ring, so even if you only end up with 5 gigs now who knows what you'll net total.

Best wishes!

So in the past you've done mailers and they have been responded to in 4 days? Nothing was different aside from the envelope? Did you market to dentists in your other mailings?

I would keep in mind a few things:

You targeted a niche that gets bombarded by these offers.
It's only been 4 days.
How good is your copy?
Have you positioned your self as a marketing expert in their niche? (i.e. talk some lingo that dentist talk, let them know you know marketing for dentistry)
Did you separate your letter from the 100s of sales "junk" they receive weekly?
Did you qualify them in any way (i.e. are they paying for advertising some how,but not listed on GP)

Like Jason also said, most of your direct mailings get shi*canned, immediately, if they even made it past the keeper of the gate.

It's why I choose fedex (open rate), and make sure I have tweaked my copy (learning how to better do that now by reading Dan Kennedy's - Ultimate sales letter.

Ryan