How Much Follow-Up is Too Much Follow-Up?

Mark Hale ‐ June 25, 2024

People ask me two questions quite often. How often should they mail to a list before calling it a day? And, what percentage return can they get from mailing a letter or postcard?

My answer is there is no such thing as too much follow-up. And, your return percentages will increase with repetitious mailing.

The following percentages hold for individual salespeople making sales calls and for a business sending out a direct mail piece to a prospect list:

2% of sales are made on the first contact.
3% of sales are made on the second contact.
5% of sales are made on the third contact.
10% of sales are made on the fourth contact.
80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact.

The rule of thumb here is that business always goes where it is invited and the public generally has a very short memory so it is important to invite people to do business with you often and consistently. Most businesses and salespeople give up on a prospect long before they are in the market to buy. Often they follow up just enough to have the prospect to barely notice they exist.

65% of businesses never mail a follow-up mailing to a mailing list.
25% of businesses do a second mailing to a mailing list.
12% of businesses mail a list three times.
Only 10% of businesses mail a list more than four times.

So if you are not mailing a list more than five times you are missing out on potentially 80% of the sales available to you. Marketing is expensive. You increase the expense of it by failing to follow up often enough.

You will never make as much money as you lose by not following up one more time!

Regarding how to budget your marketing, the growth of your business lies in getting new customers. It stands to reason that the majority of your advertising should be spent on getting new customers. The percentage runs about 75% of your total marketing budget should be spent on getting new business and 25% on marketing to existing customers.

Wilson Printing USA marketing consultants can help you identify the best prospects for your list, create a cost-effective marketing program, develop a targeted advertisement, and save you money on printing and mailing.