4 Steps Guaranteed to Improve the Response
from Your Sales Leaflets
When dropped in the mail or left in a post box leaflets generally only produce a 1%-2% response. At this rate if you send out one thousand leaflets and only get 10 responses with only a couple converting into actual orders you have to ask yourself if it’s ever worth it.
If leaflets didn’t work then big companies from all types of markets wouldn’t do them. These big businesses will be getting a good return on their investment or they’d find another way to reach us.
Small businesses on the other hand do not have the resources of these big businesses but can successfully promote themselves using leaflets and direct mail if they know how. All you need are the correct ingredients.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Send leaflets to the RIGHT PEOPLE
Be specific about who you’re sending the leaflets to so you can make the headline in your leaflet as specific as possible. As soon as you start being specific, writing good copy gets easier and your results will be better!
The aim of your leaflet is NOT to simply get as many printed as cheaply as possible so you can canvas far and wide like a huge company, in the hope you hit upon your target audience. As a small business your goal is to get more customers and with limited resources you MUST take a targeted approach.
This Approach Works Best for Small Businesses:
2. Use Headlines That Are DRAMATIC
Results will be poor if you simply send out leaflets that are simply an oversize business card in style.
Modify these proven headline examples for your sector or industry:
Important: Only a Select Few Mandurah Residents Can Benefit From These Discounted Luxury Italian Fabric Kitchen Blinds
IMPORTANT NOTICE: An URGENT Warning for Homes in Mandurah that have not been checked for termite activity
Women Over 50 Tell Us They Feel 10 Years Younger In Our Limited Edition Silk Woven Indian Summer Dresses!
3. Your leaflet must stand out and grab the reader’s ATTENTION
Boring won’t cut it these days. Without a dramatic headline and without an attention grabbing appearance your leaflets will cost you money rather than make you money!
If you use boring stock library pictures in your leaflets, your results from the leaflets will be mediocre at best.
If for example you own a Spa and send out leaflets with a picture of a woman with warm pebbles up her back you’re not differentiating your business from your competitors! We’ve all seen these generic, commonly used and frankly boring pictures and they do not motivate anyone to do anything! They’re fine in a brochure… but do not belong on a sales piece. You’re better off showing a customer alongside their glowing testimonial.
Here’s how to improve the appearance and results from your leaflets:
So you grabbed the reader’s attention, you’ve told them about your amazing gizmo so now you want to encourage them to make a decision quickly. You now need to clearly tell them what to do next.
Here’s how you do it. Include something like this on your leaflet:
The bottom line about any of your promotional material is that it has to be planned, promote the benefits of your service/product and produce the desired response. Remember, you are not selling a product, you are selling the benefits of owning that product. ie You do not buy an electric drill to simply own an electric tool. You are buying the ability to produce precise holes in a multitude of materials with the minimum of effort!
from Your Sales Leaflets
When dropped in the mail or left in a post box leaflets generally only produce a 1%-2% response. At this rate if you send out one thousand leaflets and only get 10 responses with only a couple converting into actual orders you have to ask yourself if it’s ever worth it.
If leaflets didn’t work then big companies from all types of markets wouldn’t do them. These big businesses will be getting a good return on their investment or they’d find another way to reach us.
Small businesses on the other hand do not have the resources of these big businesses but can successfully promote themselves using leaflets and direct mail if they know how. All you need are the correct ingredients.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Send leaflets to the RIGHT PEOPLE
Be specific about who you’re sending the leaflets to so you can make the headline in your leaflet as specific as possible. As soon as you start being specific, writing good copy gets easier and your results will be better!
The aim of your leaflet is NOT to simply get as many printed as cheaply as possible so you can canvas far and wide like a huge company, in the hope you hit upon your target audience. As a small business your goal is to get more customers and with limited resources you MUST take a targeted approach.
This Approach Works Best for Small Businesses:
- Print small batches with a headline that will speak to your target market’s needs
- Use a message that speaks their language
- Give a limited time special offer or discount
- Encourage them to engage by requesting more information, so you can follow up
- Give a bonus if they act quickly
2. Use Headlines That Are DRAMATIC
Results will be poor if you simply send out leaflets that are simply an oversize business card in style.
Modify these proven headline examples for your sector or industry:
Important: Only a Select Few Mandurah Residents Can Benefit From These Discounted Luxury Italian Fabric Kitchen Blinds
IMPORTANT NOTICE: An URGENT Warning for Homes in Mandurah that have not been checked for termite activity
Women Over 50 Tell Us They Feel 10 Years Younger In Our Limited Edition Silk Woven Indian Summer Dresses!
3. Your leaflet must stand out and grab the reader’s ATTENTION
Boring won’t cut it these days. Without a dramatic headline and without an attention grabbing appearance your leaflets will cost you money rather than make you money!
If you use boring stock library pictures in your leaflets, your results from the leaflets will be mediocre at best.
If for example you own a Spa and send out leaflets with a picture of a woman with warm pebbles up her back you’re not differentiating your business from your competitors! We’ve all seen these generic, commonly used and frankly boring pictures and they do not motivate anyone to do anything! They’re fine in a brochure… but do not belong on a sales piece. You’re better off showing a customer alongside their glowing testimonial.
Here’s how to improve the appearance and results from your leaflets:
- Make your leaflets look unusual so recipients think… what the heck is this!
- Make your leaflets look like an important announcement
- Make an Urgent Notice so you’ll catch the recipients attention
- Show dramatic ‘before and after’ pictures to clearly illustrate benefits
- Look at what your competition sends out and do something different
- Show pictures of customers alongside glowing testimonials
So you grabbed the reader’s attention, you’ve told them about your amazing gizmo so now you want to encourage them to make a decision quickly. You now need to clearly tell them what to do next.
Here’s how you do it. Include something like this on your leaflet:
- Call to place an order or call a sales assistant TODAY
- Watch our video demonstration online at
- Request our brochure and price list to benefit from this season’s prices
- Receive a bonus gift worth $XX while stocks last
- Download our FREE Report online here
- Call me today for more information or to discuss your questions
- Request a no-sales-pressure appointment from one of our fully trained representatives
- Book you free trial today
The bottom line about any of your promotional material is that it has to be planned, promote the benefits of your service/product and produce the desired response. Remember, you are not selling a product, you are selling the benefits of owning that product. ie You do not buy an electric drill to simply own an electric tool. You are buying the ability to produce precise holes in a multitude of materials with the minimum of effort!
