It was at the end of last year that she sent off her first mailing. She mailed 1,000 pieces, and her response rate was only 2 inquiries with no new clients. It became obvious that during these months, 2-page letters in envelopes were not the best way to reach cautious customers.

That's when she decided to try something that didn't hide her message - postcards. As Gail puts it: "The postcard by its very nature is short and to the point, and is terrific at uncovering an initial requirement." She also realized she needed top-notch copywriting to motivate prospects to respond, so she hired Bob Bly from the Center for Technical Communications in Dumont, NJ.

The results of her mailings confirmed that Gail had made a wise choice. With two mail drops to two lists - 5,000 pieces each, 60 days apart - she received response rates of 50 and 200 - a stronger response than she ever expected.

The only change Gail said she would be making in the future will be to spread out her mailings. After sweating it out on weekends and evenings to reach all the responders in a timely manner, she now plans her next mailing to drop over a 30 day period. This will allow her the opportunity to respond quickly and thoroughly to all new leads.