PFL Uses Its Own Tried-and-True Automated and Personalized Direct Mail Methods to Continuously Hit Sales Goals

What PFL Needed

The “Attention Economy” we are living in has created a culture of inattention and an economy of deficiency. Decision-makers are flooded with repeated digital solicitations that fall on distracted ears. The desire and need to capture your recipient’s attention has never been more crucial and, as a leader specializing in earning attention, building brand affinity, and amplifying growth, we understand this challenge better than most.  

Why We Rely on Our Solutions

We rely on our own solutions to hit our sales goals, which is one of the reasons we are the leader in the automated direct mail category.  

People—and prospects—would much prefer to experience a brand in-person, at the site of their choosing, with full intention. Our immersive, multi-sensory branded moments of delight, delivered at the perfect place and time, capture our recipient’s full attention in a way no digital experience can.  

Personalized direct mail programs that are measurable and relevant so organizations can earn attention and amplify growth are at the core of our outbound BDR strategy. We help our sales team offer appropriate incentives and brand moments that earn attention, educate their prospects, and accelerate relationships that move on to a booked meeting. By working this strategy, our outbound BDR team consistently hits its quotas. In the last 18 months alone, outbound BDR efforts accounted for 49 percent of Closed/Won Revenue.

But what leads to this success? Read on for our playbook.  

How We Help Ourselves

With a proven track record of amplifying growth for some of the biggest brands in the world, how could we resist experiencing it as well?  

With more than 25 years in the business, PFL delivers authentic human experiences by orchestrating impactful direct mail in an ecosystem fueled by data. We help sales teams offer appropriate incentives and brand moments that get meetings and accelerate relationships, so sales can move more prospects along to more successful results.

The team’s first step with a prospect is to introduce ourselves via email. We explain who we are and ask them if they would like to learn more about out direct mail platform. The goal here is to get their address through confirmation emails, a form, or a call with social follow-ups.  

Our BDR team executes this communication through Outreach.io sequences, which keeps them accountable, saves them time, and makes personalization easy.  

Once we receive confirmation of address, the rep can open Salesforce and access the asset library. They can choose what to send from a package tier based on persona, level of prospect engagement, and utilization of our direct mail adaptive-response method.

When a package is decided on, it’s time to customize. Creating personal and custom direct mail couldn’t be easier when utilizing our solutions. 

We preload our print templates with marketing-approved copy, so the sales rep doesn’t have to start the note from scratch each time but can modify as needed. Variable fields in the template auto-populate text and images with Salesforce data to further personalize the piece. 

Time to Send!

When the package is en route, we email the prospect to give them a friendly heads-up and to see if it makes sense to schedule time in advance to discuss the package when it lands. Thanks to our real-time data syncing with the physical world, reps receive a Salesforce task to follow up and an email alert within 15 minutes of mail delivery. 

Upon notification, the rep adds the prospect to a package follow-up Outreach sequence that consists of an email and phone call on day one. The goal of this communication is to secure a meeting. Timely follow-up is key. We see response rates increase by 10 to 20 percent when we use the 15-minute delivery alerts effectively. 

After the day of delivery, we continue our follow-up with a series of emails, phone calls, and social activity over the course of a couple weeks. We continue to share our value proposition and relevant content, since new ideas can help build a future partnership. While greatly increasing response rates, we can’t expect a response from everyone. If after some time the prospect is still not engaging, they are moved into a “not right now” nurture sequence and will be monitored for future engagement. 

Key Inspiration Takeaway 

All of this has had a positive impact on the outcome of our—and many other’s—meetings. Why not use what the experts use? Eighty-one percent of meetings resulting from mid- ($$) and low- ($) tier packages have had successful outcomes. After direct mail sends, we’ve profited from a 10.5 percent conversion-to-meeting rate.

We see incredible success with these techniques in our outbound BDR motion, but also for field marketing, sales acceleration, and customer engagement. PFL is ready and able to help you craft winning strategies across your funnel!​