Dimensional mailer Do you need to reach C-level executives in Fortune 500 companies? Executives who have mailroom staff and executive secretaries who screen their mail? Then a dimensional mailer may be most effective way to reach their desk with your sales message. One firm recently mailed a portable DVD player in a high-end box, and enclosed a sales letter explaining that executive could get remote control unit (without which player did not work) by meeting with a sales rep from company who mailed package. The response rate was high.

Catalog Do you have a lot to sell? Do you need to show color, shape or quality of your product? Mail a catalog.

Unaddressed flyer Do you have a message that needs to reach everyone in a given geographic area, such as a business park, for least amount of money? Consider mailing a simple 8 ½ x 11 sheet with copy and design on one or both sides.

Email Do you have a short sales message for your existing customers? Send them an email (with their permission, of course).

Buckslip Do you have a short announcement for your existing customers? Do you need to remind them about something? Include a buckslip in your next mailing. A buckslip is a slip of paper size of a dollar bill, with copy and graphics on one or both sides, that is enclosed in a mailing envelope with other materials).

List brokers List brokers are specialists who help one company use list of another company. Their services include research, selection and recommendation of lists. A list broker, for example, would search on your behalf for lists that meet your unique criteria. There is a Hospitality/Travel Professionals list. And a Firefighters Bookstore list (people who have purchased from Firefighters Bookstore). And a Federal Student Aid Schools list (28,994 schools that provide federally financed aid to their attendees).

House list Your best source of new business is your database of current and lapsed customers, otherwise known as your house list. Getting business from a current customer is always less expensive than getting business from a new customer.

Government For some products and services, another excellent source of potential clients is government. I have a number of clients who buy mailing lists from their state governments and use them to mail offers to businesses that are in their target audience. One client buys names of dentists and dental hygienists whose licenses are about to expire, and mails those prospects a direct mail piece that promotes client’s continuing education courses (which prospects need to take and pass to renew their licenses). Another client buys names of garages in his state who conduct state-mandated vehicle safety inspections. He mails them direct mail pieces that promote his software product, which is designed specifically for these inspection stations.

Keep in mind that most important part of any business-to-business direct mail lead generation campaign is list. You can have a great product, a terrific offer and best timing, but if you mail to wrong people, well, you know what happens. So make sure you get best list you can.