7 Sure-Fire Closing Tips for Direct Mail  The objective of a lot
of direct mail is to sell something in one step, to close the
sale. A package is assembled with each component playing a
strategic part; indeed, we talk about the different "voices" of
the letter, brochure and reply card, which mimic the distinctive
personalities of their counterparts in a live sales encounter.
Advertising, John E. Kennedy observed, is "salesmanship in
print," and nowhere is this more correct than in direct mail
copy. Copy is not the mere arrangement of words on the page, but
the execution of a clearly defined, clearly stated sales
argument. Fortunately, creatives and marketers can adapt proven
sales techniques from other fields for their copy platforms.
How many of these quintessential closers can you use?  1. The
assumptive close. As the name suggests, your copy assumes the
prospect will buy your product. "Do you want to take delivery on
Monday or Wednesday?" and "Do you want to pay by cash or check?"
are two classic example