I don’t believe in simple answers - like “do this and you will make a fortune.” Life’s not like that, and direct mail isn’t like that.

But still, we all like simple answers - a single point that we can take evaluate our mailshots against. Then we can say, “ah that one worked because it had lots of Factor X” and “that one didn’t work because it didn’t have enough Factor X”

So, to start the new year, here is Factor X. It applies in most direct mail. It’s dead simple, and most firms sending out direct mail don’t do it.

The more your direct mail reflects the world-view of the recipient, the more successful it will be.

If you get sent a mailshot that reflects this approach, please send it to me and I will put it up on the internet for all to see. If you get sent one that totally does not reflect this approach, I’ll put that up as well, and we can all have a look and see if we agree. (If you send me one of your own and want me to comment on it, that’s fine too - and I guarantee that WON’T be put up for others to see - I’ll only be displaying ads that are in the public domain, in that they are being sent out to potential customers.

If you want to know more about what makes direct mail tick, it is on

http://www.theory.bz/start.html