Our tax resolution firm, Phoenix Financial Group, has decided that part of our 2010 business plan is to expand into several other market segments related to our core business. These are commonly referred to in business jargon as “vertical markets”. This particular vertical is to offer corporate tax return preparation to prospects that have multiple years of unfiled tax returns. This is a natural extension for us since our primary business is assisting taxpayers in negotiating their past due tax liabilities.

In order to start marketing this particular, we decided to export a mailing list from our existing prospect database. This list will consist of companies that we have previously sent service proposals to for our primary services, but whom did not hire us. In addition, this mailing will be directly only at corporations, rather than other entity types, as we specifically want to target IRS Form 1120 and 1120S filers.

In order to create a mailing piece, I composed a brief, personal introduction letter. The letter has two variations, each having a different headline. Also, each letter has a different toll free telephone number to call. This will allow us to do a true split test and determine which headline garnered more phone calls. Each telephone number runs into our great business telephone system, and calls our routed simultaneously to several of our tax staff – whomever answers the phone will speak with the prospective client.

After writing the letter, selecting two headlines, and configuring the phone system telephone numbers, I had to set parameters for our mailing list. Since we use a proprietary CRM system that I have programmed, I was able to tightly control the parameters I wanted.

We are going to be doing this mailing in an effort to maximize effectiveness. We are actually going to hand write the addresses on the envelopes and use a real stamp. This combination has been shown in study after study to drastically increase open rates and, thereby, response rates to the direct mail offer.

One very nice thing about using a “house” list, instead of a rented list, is that these are businesses which have had at least some prior contact with us. In addition, we generally have the right contact person to address the letter to, whom we expect to be the decision maker for purchasing tax preparation services.

I will be cutting the list of 2,000 prospects into 20 groups of 100, and distributing to our staff in the morning so that they can begin the task of hand addressing envelopes. If you have neither the staff nor patience to perform such a task, then it is easy enough to upload your mailer and the spreadsheet to the US Postal Service and let them do the printing and mailing for you (in fact, this route is generally cheaper).

This is a brief explanation of how we are doing an actual mailing, which will go out in the next 48 hours. Doing a major marketing effort like this is an excellent way to start off the new year. Look for something in your business that you can do this with to your customer list (you DO have a list, right???), and start the year off with a nice revenue start.

Until next time,

Jassen Bowman
http://JassenBowman.com