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Action Point: |
Projected or Actual Date: |
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1. |
Prepare your offer. |
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2. |
Fill out a blank direct mail profit planner, using estimates from your printer, lettershop, and other suppliers. |
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3. |
Verify that your product, free gift, and whatever else you intend to offer will be ready when you need it. |
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4. |
Talk with your mailing list professional and order your mailing list. |
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5. |
Meet with your copywriter. |
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6. |
Review the first draft, and ask for changes, if necessary. |
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7. |
Take the necessary action to have your product, free gift, and anything else that will fulfill your order available on time. |
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8. |
Approve copy for all components of the mailing. |
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9. |
Meet with the designer and give them the approved copy. |
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10. |
Review preliminary design for the mailing and ask for modification, if necessary. |
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11. |
Approve the design, and ask your designer to prepare "camera-ready art." |
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12. |
Ask your lettershop for an actual price and completion date, based on the design. |
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13. |
Designer supervises photography and retouching, if necessary. |
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14. |
Review camera-ready art, and make changes as necessary. |
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15. |
Send approved camera-ready art to your printer, and ask them for an actual printing price and completion date. |
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16. |
Check with your mailing list house if your list hasn't yet arrived or is not correct. Ask your lettershop when they want the list. |
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17. |
Redo your direct mail profit planner form, using your actual lettershop and printing prices, and correcting any other figures. |
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18. |
Approve the printing price and printing timetable, and give the printer your OK to print. |
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19. |
Approve the "blueprints" from the printer. |
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20. |
Be there when your job is being printed. |
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21. |
Get the printed pieces to your lettershop for mailing. |
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22. |
If you're seeking sales leads, distribute your mailing package to your sales force, telling them when it will go out, and when they'll get the leads that result. |
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23. |
Alert your fulfillment people when your mailing will go out, and when they'll receive orders to fulfill. |
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24. |
Your lettershop tells you your package is in the mail. |
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25. |
Record when orders come in, and immediately get them to your fulfillment people (or sales reps). |
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26. |
Supervise your staff and fulfillment people closely to be sure that orders are handled quickly and professionally. |
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27. |
Use the actual costs and results from your mailing to fill out your direct mail profit planner again. These figures are the basis for planning future mailings. |
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28. |
Add the names of your customers and inquirers to your permanent mailing list. |
