I received an interesting postcard in the mail. It read "Dear Wayne, It is important that you contact me about a lucrative Part-Time Management Position. Call me at 555-1212 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m." My name was written in after the Dear and someone I've never heard of signed the card (his name was also on the return address on the reverse side).
This was for either a multi-level marketing pitch or an actual job offer (it was mailed to my home). I don't need a part-time job, so I didn't bother responding. But this postcard sounded intriguing, and I bet 5% or more of the recipients will call to find out what this guy wants or has to offer. Since he's really just trying to get people to call him so he can make his sales pitch, this card should be effective.
The card should cost about .25 to print and mail. If he sends out 100 cards for $25.00 and 5% or 5 people respond, his cost per lead is only $5.00! That's phenomenally low in the direct mail business. You can try something similar and just as effective by modifying the message to fit your industry -- "Dear Mr. Smith, I have a fantastic sale price on light bulbs. Call me at 555-1212 before I run out (I have only 1,000 in stock)." You can get these cards out in small quantities and at your leisure (or use slack secretarial time to send them out). What I like most about this is that it doesn't cost much to find out if mailing them out works.