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Direct Mail Primer

I can't tell you the number of times someone has emailed me to ask, "How do you get the deals? I have been driving around with a realtor for a month and so far nothing."

Don't get me wrong realtors are a great resource for deals and we market to them on a regular basis to stir up a deal they may have and don't realize. Going to the courthouse is great also, if you don't mind the competition. The fact is if you want deals that no one or very few other people know about you MUST direct mail to them. It is imperative that you get to your prospects before the competition otherwise you are just another face in the crowd.

Pre-Furnished Leads

Public Records

Your local government has done you a huge favor already by making everyone publish public records when they want to do just about anything. This means you can check your local newspaper or legal paper to find out about all kinds of activities. What are some of the actions that you will find that may be good direct mail candidates? I am glad you asked.

Divorce
Bank Foreclosure
Bankruptcy
Tax Foreclosures
Codes Violations
Probate Notices
Civil Suits

Anytime a party has a situation that may be creating hardship and a house can either be the problem or the solution that is a good candidate for direct mail.

Mailing Lists

There are many, many, many mailing services that will help you create a list of leads. It seems that the criteria is almost endless that list companies will let you filter. Go Google mailing lists and you will find a ton of companies at all different price ranges. Check them out. If you pay for the list make sure it is up to date (ask them.) Also make sure they provide you with easy export options so you can get it into your database management system like Real Prospect.

Focused Campaigns

As they say there is more than one way to skin a cat. In our area we use the same service we recieve comparable sales from. They have all of the courthouse records and allows us to filter them by just about anything imaginable. This very focused list of homeowners are then exported from the software into Real Prospect. From here you can create a customized campaign sending your customized message to the recipient multiple times without having to manage the campaign. Just set it up once, add leads as needed and then print and mail.

The Tools

A computer (probably figured)
A printer
Stock of paper and envelopes - you can use window envelopes if you aren't handwriting the letters
Specialty postcards
A lot of stamps - don't use meters or bulk rate, you need first class stamps, the stranger the better
An integrated software system that will allow you to direct mail without much thought and maintenance but will also allow you to maintain your prospects and the activities involved with them, like Real Prospect.

Direct mail is not free and does take a little time but it takes a lot less than driving around looking for your next deal. Not to mention as you get better at ad copy you will continually screen your prospects to the point that you hear mostly from the ones who are going to be good candidates to sell a house. Next time you get a great deal and a buddy asks how you found the house you can just smile and have your own little secret.