I am often critical of companies’ direct marketing but today a local carpet cleaning company sent through an excellent example.

My local carpet cleaning company is a family business (father and son) looking for regular work. It's a seasonal business and one that relies on both recommendations (it's a local firm) but cannot rely on regular repeat business - most people only have their carpets cleaned occasionally. Their letter arrived unexpectedly and it was pretty near perfect as a direct mail piece:

1) it was personalised - not "Dear Carpet owner", or "Dear Customer"

2) it started with an intriguing opening line "We hope you were happy with our service last time but we think you'll be even happier when you use us next"

3) it reminded me when I last had my carpets cleaned, giving the exact date - eek, was it really that long!

4) it told me they had new equipment [a Truck Mounted system, since you ask], and why, and the benefits to me (quicker drying time)

5) it offered me a time limited discount, most importantly explaining why: "To be honest, January and February can get a bit quiet, so we thought we'd write to some of our existing customers that haven't experienced our Truck Mounted system yet and give them a big saving if they try it." I like the honesty that it's a quiet time, and they've told me that their new system gives a drier carpet so I don't need to worry about having damp carpets in Winter.

6) It also had a nice line in contact details. Against a graphic that read "I've been busy all day and didn't get round to calling, now it's too late in the day", the letter explains I can just text at anytime and they will come back to me. "That's one more thing you can tick off your must do list".

7) It had a photo of the two people - this is a nice personal touch, after all, any customer is inviting them into their home.

I am sure they will do well with it.