One of our clients wanted to sell a New Jersey Bed & Breakfast inn. We obtained three lists of people interested in owning a B&B. One list was in New Jersey, the other two were in Michigan. The lists were merged, purged of duplicates and restricted to New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. For reasons of security, local addresses were deleted. A single page letter was reviewed by our copy writer. A two-color promotional brochure (actually designed for the inn's guests) was included. The outside of the plain, business-size envelope stated, "The one you've been waiting for."

The asking price was $1,200,000.00

Just under 2,300 names were mailed at a postage cost of only $420.

There were 24 telephone or email responses.

The property was shown to 12 perspective buyers.

Within 10 days of the mailing, three offers were received. Closing occurred 10 weeks after the mailing.

(We can't promise all our customers that kind of success. But the right product or service, combined with the right offer, interestingly presented and sent to the correct market will always generate sales.)