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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
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Do it yourself "Yellow Letter" - A how to guide!

Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
Posted Feb 5 2010, 10:28

First off I'll start with my disclaimer:

This is MY version of a "Do it yourself" yellow letter. I know there are other ways to do it and companies that you can pay that will do it for you, blah, blah, blah. I'm not claiming this to be the best or the only way, etc. My goal is to describe as detailed as I can how I created my own letter and to show you how to do the same for yourself.

The reason I made my own was because I don't like the idea of doing things EXACTLY like everyone else...if we all did that then sellers nationwide would receive the exact same letter which to me makes no sense at all. Sellers that have already seen the letter your sending don’t want to see it again. Be creative and capture their attention. Whatever you do, don’t copy someone else word for word, if you do your letter has a good chance of going into the trash can with the rest of the junk mail.

Anyway, here is what I used to make my letter:

• The Print Shop 22
(this is a program that I use to make business cards, flyers, banners, t-shirt designs, logos, labels, etc.)

• Yellow note pad's with standard 8 1/2" x 11" lined paper

The other items are pretty obvious: Printer, ink, your mailing list, computer, envelopes, stamps, etc.

Before you open up the program to begin putting your letter together your going to want to do a google search for a hand written font, I use "Brian Scratch" but there are lots of others out there. Next, you'll want to put a letter together on a sheet of paper or on Word if you haven’t done so already.

Ok, onto the letter

1. Once you have The Print Shop loaded onto your PC you will open up to the "Project Picker" and select BLANK PAGES, then pick the "tall" setting which allows you to print on the 8 1/2" x 11" paper

2. The next thing your going to do is to click on the left side of the page where it says "Text Tools", then click on "Insert Text Box". Resize the text box so that it takes up as much space as ONE line on a sheet of paper, change the font and text size at the top of the screen and start typing your letter.



3. The only way for this to work properly is to create a “Text Box†for EVERY sentence in your letter. Don’t worry about lining them up perfectly at this time, we’ll do that before we print it. See Image of “Text Boxesâ€





4. If you haven’t finished your letter, do that before moving on…just make sure that EVERY sentence is in it’s own “text box†so that we can move it up, down or side to side as needed. Be sure to SAVE your work every time you make a change so you don’t loose it if the power goes out.

5. Ok, now that your letter is all typed up your going to want to print a test page and see how far off you are from the lines. I usually print onto a blank sheet of paper then put a piece of the yellow paper over it, hold it up to the light and see how far off you are (no need to waste a yellow piece).

6. Before you start moving the “text boxes†where they need to go, click on the “Arrange†tab, then click “add guideâ€, then “vertical†. The idea here is to move the guide line into place where it can be used like the red margin line on the yellow paper. If you want, you can also add a horizontal line and put it where the first line of the yellow paper is suppose to be. See Image.



7. On to the fun part. Now that you know where your lines need to be, click on the first box with at the top of the page. Click the box ONE time so that it is selected. Now, with the ARROW keys, move the box up or down, side to side as needed. As you can see, the box moves in very small increments so lining everything up is pretty simple.


8. You’ll have to print at least a few pages before you get everything where it needs to be. If you’ve printed a few test pages and think everything looks good, put in a sheet of the yellow paper and print one last test page. If it looks good, save it and then you’ll be ready for the Mail Merge feature, which is also built into The Print Shop.

As you can see, this is not a perfect science because everyone should have their own letter. If you dig deep enough you’ll find old posts of mine where I was trying to find someone to answer this question…the end result was that nobody could answer me with a simple way to “do it myselfâ€, so I just made my own. The cool part is that once you’ve successfully put your letter together it will be easy to make changes to it and test different letters until you find which one works best for you.

The bottom line is that you need to get your phone to ring and direct mailing is a great way to do that. I hope this post is helpful. Feel free to post questions to anything that is not clearly laid out or hard to understand. I can make another post on how to use the Mail Merge function that is built into The Print Shop if anyone is interested, just let me know.

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

Jeff


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Christopher W.
  • Residential Real Estate Agent
  • Orange County, CA
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Christopher W.
  • Residential Real Estate Agent
  • Orange County, CA
Replied Feb 5 2010, 07:21

Great tutorial! Thanks Jeff!

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Caleb Whitney
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  • Glendale, AZ
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Caleb Whitney
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Glendale, AZ
Replied Feb 5 2010, 13:16
Originally posted by Jeff And Cheray Warner:

5. I usually print onto a blank sheet of paper then put a piece of the yellow paper over it, hold it up to the light and see how far off you are (no need to waste a yellow piece).


Are you referring to a lined piece of paper?

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Jeff Warner
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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
Replied Feb 6 2010, 23:14
Originally posted by Caleb Whitney:
Originally posted by Jeff And Cheray Warner:



5. I usually print onto a blank sheet of paper then put a piece of the yellow paper over it, hold it up to the light and see how far off you are (no need to waste a yellow piece).



Are you referring to a lined piece of paper?

Print a test page on a blank sheet of paper, then hold up the lined yellow paper behind the test page, and hold it up to the light. This will allow you to see how far off you are without wasting a sheet of the yellow paper...just my way of being cheap. :D

Jeff

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Caleb Whitney
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Caleb Whitney
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Glendale, AZ
Replied Feb 7 2010, 00:37

Ok, so I was under the impression that this "tutorial" was going to show me how to actually print the lines onto the blank yellow paper. So what you do is purchase lined yellow paper. Ok, so that changes everything. Now my question is where in the heck do you find bulk lined yellow paper? I am not going to purchase legal pads, rip the paper off and feed that through my printer when I send out 75-100 per day.

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Christopher W.
  • Residential Real Estate Agent
  • Orange County, CA
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Christopher W.
  • Residential Real Estate Agent
  • Orange County, CA
Replied Feb 7 2010, 00:42
Originally posted by Caleb Whitney:
Ok, so I was under the impression that this "tutorial" was going to show me how to actually print the lines onto the blank yellow paper. So what you do is purchase lined yellow paper.


Caleb, where do you find blank yellow paper that is the same weight and texture as the legal pads? The only blank yellow paper I could find is the same weight as blank white paper.

You can always just write your message on lined yellow paper and scan that in. Then print it on your own paper, but then you lose the personalization that this method provides.

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Caleb Whitney
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Glendale, AZ
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Caleb Whitney
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Glendale, AZ
Replied Feb 7 2010, 00:46
Originally posted by Christopher W.:
Caleb, where do you find blank yellow paper that is the same weight and texture as the legal pads? The only blank yellow paper I could find is the same weight as blank white paper.

I haven't found that. I am using regular yellow paper. Same as white, just yellow. I want to use legal pad type paper but 1) I'm not sure how that feeds into the printer and 2) the cost has to be astronomical.

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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Bakersfield, CA
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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Bakersfield, CA
Replied Feb 7 2010, 00:49

I haven't been able to find pre made bulk yellow paper... Besides for fold issues the paper needs to be 81/4 x 11 1/4.

As for the weight... A lot of printers do not like the weight of the tablet paper and jamb a ton... So I have the paper printed by a commercial printer.

When I have my printer print yellow paper and print the lines they charge me 660 for 20000 sheets...

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Jeff Warner
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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
Replied Feb 7 2010, 04:39
Originally posted by Caleb Whitney:
Ok, so I was under the impression that this "tutorial" was going to show me how to actually print the lines onto the blank yellow paper. So what you do is purchase lined yellow paper. Ok, so that changes everything. Now my question is where in the heck do you find bulk lined yellow paper? I am not going to purchase legal pads, rip the paper off and feed that through my printer when I send out 75-100 per day.

Caleb,

Even if you found paper with the same weight and color of the legal pad your printed lines are going to look fake.

High volume marketing is great if you pick the right method for it...doing any kind of printing on your home PC for 500+ letters a week is insane, imo. I use this method for low volume, targeted areas and I get a great response.

How are the envelopes addressed? With a "hand written" letter, your envelope is going to have to match which means you need a printer that will feed envelopes (most do it one at a time) or you'll have to actually hand write on them. Labels are a dead giveaway for a mass mailing and defeat the purpose of using the yellow paper in the first place. If your mailing 75 - 100 letters at a time you know that addressing the envelopes is a major time consuming pain in the butt.

If cost is your concern then your problem is with your suppler, NOT the product. There are 100's of Wholesale office supply places nationwide that could probably cut your costs in half if your buying that much. Most companies don't make ANYTHING these days, they are really just marketing companies selling someone else's product with their name on it. FIND THEIR SUPPLIER!

An even easier thing to do if you want to really cut costs would be to buy your paper from a paper maker in China. Doing business overseas is not as complex as people want you to think. Don't let simple things get in your way, if you really want to pursue it there IS a way, you just need to think like and Entrepreneur and find the solution that best meets your goals.

Jeff

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Caleb Whitney
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Glendale, AZ
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Caleb Whitney
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Glendale, AZ
Replied Feb 7 2010, 07:55
Originally posted by Jeff And Cheray Warner:

I use this method for low volume, targeted areas and I get a great response.
Yes, I use this for targeted areas as well. The different is you are in a small area whereas I’m in an area (Phoenix) with over 4 million population.
Originally posted by Jeff And Cheray Warner:

How are the envelopes addressed? With a "hand written" letter, your envelope is going to have to match which means you need a printer that will feed envelopes (most do it one at a time) or you'll have to actually hand write on them. .
Yes it all matches. I can stack my printer with 100 envelopes and print all at once.
Originally posted by Jeff And Cheray Warner:

Labels are a dead giveaway for a mass mailing and defeat the purpose of using the yellow paper in the first place. If your mailing 75 - 100 letters at a time you know that addressing the envelopes is a major time consuming pain in the butt.
No we don’t use labels.

We are gearing up to add to other lists to mail to bringing our daily total to about 125 per day. I guess I’m going to have to import from China and buy 6 months worth at a time. Maybe it would be worthwhile to co-op that with other west coast investors?

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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Bakersfield, CA
Replied Feb 7 2010, 10:32

I have to add or object, even in fear that my post will be removed again...

The idea of a computer font on the outside of the envelope significantly reduces the chances of the letter performing... It cost .20 an envelope to hire a service to do it for you... Or if you're broke it takes an hour to stuff fold stamp label and address 75 letters... Fairly easy...

The only label you should use is on the back with your first name and return address with seasonal art.. Hearts are good now.. Makes the envelope feel better...
I should post the actual way to make a yellow letter... So you'll can laugh at me...

Happy house hunting

Michael

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JD H.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Simi Valley, CA
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JD H.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Simi Valley, CA
Replied Feb 7 2010, 10:34

I just had 500 yellow letters printed on regular pads. The printers said it was a pain in the butt, the paper is very thin and doesn't feed well. Just under $80. Anybody find a reasonable priced laser printer? Thanks

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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Bakersfield, CA
Replied Feb 7 2010, 10:39

HP2020 about 350 its a 4/4 2 sided machine... ink is 125 each and holds 4 colors... HOWEVER it is a work horse...

I like it cus I can also print my double sided postcard... Easily prints on 110 pound stock... and also 16 pound

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Stephen N.
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Stephen N.
  • Accountant
  • greenwell springs, LA
Replied Feb 7 2010, 11:57
Originally posted by Michael Quarles:
I should post the actual way to make a yellow letter...

do it!!

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Jeff Warner
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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
Replied Feb 8 2010, 01:00
Originally posted by Caleb Whitney:
Yes, I use this for targeted areas as well. The different is you are in a small area whereas I’m in an area (Phoenix) with over 4 million population.



Just because you live in a big area does not mean that you can't target a small portion of that area. I don't care if Phoenix has 20 million people, you can still pick out specific neighborhoods that meet your criteria. I know some would object and say "this is a numbers game", and that is correct to a point. Where numbers and technique differ is when you have a SOLID understanding about your target area.

Example:

My most recent mailing with this letter I sent out 40 letters, not 400, not 4000 but FOUR ZERO. Of those 40 letters I received 3 phone calls and of those 3 phone calls I got 1 deal. Say what you want but that is a great return on investment.

I'm not some "guru investor" and my letter is not magic...and for that matter NO OTHER LETTER IS MAGIC. The difference here is that I know my market inside and out. I don't need a Realtor to pull comps for me nor do I have to send out 100 letters a day to find a deal.

Now, I'm not a short sale investor so I'm not telling you this so that you can follow my example...with short sales you can't operate like I do and be successful. The reason I'm telling you this is because you make your area out to be "different" then mine simply because it's bigger and that is a mistake in your thought process.

I'm not sure what exactly your looking for and I was and still am happy to help but I gotta tell you that with every post of yours I'm sensing frustration. Nobody has a one size fits all plan, and nobody is going to give you some secret that will explode your business and send deal after deal your way. Your going to have to work for it, and to be honest I think your on the right track, you just need to stick with it.

Don't be quick to jump on the next best thing and don't be quick to anger when you don't get the answer you were looking for. I was only trying to help, and unlike the guru's of this business I and others here on BP charge $0.00 for our advice. Also keep in mind that anyone on this forum that is giving you advice is doing so while taking time and energy away from their own business ventures. Sorry for turning this post into a lecture, I just want Caleb and everyone else reading this to know where I stand.

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

Jeff

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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
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Replied Feb 8 2010, 10:24

First let me state that there are two different methods for yellow letters, what I call “Mary Lettersâ€, and within in those two there are two ways to print them as well.. By hand or using a font… I have attached an eBook for the run down on how to put fonts in your computer along with how to mail merge your file of names to the letters you print.

We’ll discuss where the name “Mary†came from later. First, I’d like to explain what “Mary†letters are.

Let me reiterate that the purpose of direct mail is to communicate and cause a desired reaction; your mail needs to be read and responded to no later than your last and final mailing. Because of this we must, at times, trick the prospect into opening the direct mail piece. When all else fails in getting your communication opened and read by prospects, my “Mary†letters will do the job. I have developed a very simple process to follow to ensure consistency and response.

Mary Letters are hand written letters to your prospect written on yellow tablet paper. It looks, feels, and reads as though it were sent by a friend. This is the “trick†part of getting the recipient to open the letter and read your message.

I know you’re now thinking “Hand written, that will take foreverâ€.

I have to be extremely honest with you. Real estate investing isn’t an easy, get rich quick scheme, like you hear on the late night infomercials. It is a hard business to master which is why the rewards are so great.

Yes Mary letters take the most amount of time to produce; however, they offer a huge punch to your rate of response. I will show you in a minute how easy they are to actually produce and more importantly how they can be produced effectively so you don’t get burnt out and stop their process.

Here is a sample of a Mary Letter:

Note: There are different Mary Letter depending on your prospect group and how much time you want to put into the task.. If you deside to use a font then it speeds the process up and allows for a better letter. I use a variety of 20 or so letters..

For
FSBO
EXPIREDS
FOR RENTS
FORECLOSURES
ABSENTEE OWNERS
GENERIC

Notice that is simple and sweet… Almost feels like your mom wrote it. These kinds of letters must grab the reader’s attention quickly so that even when they find out you’re not their long lost cousin from Albuquerque, they will continue to read the rest of the message.

Also notice that the telephone number is not the same as the professional letter and that my name is not written on the letter. Again this is one of the tricks in direct mail advertising.
A very important point that must not be overlooked or altered is the fact that everything, from the envelope to the letter itself, must be HANDWRITTEN!

Sure you can use a handwritten font and print them using your computer as long as you don’t care about effectiveness. If you want the highest percentage of response than you must do exactly as I write. Anything less will decrease the rate of return.

I like mailing a series of letters to each prospect for maximum results. I have found that a series of four letters per prospect group has the highest rate of response.
Here is the schedule I like using.
Business Day 2 Letter 1

Business Day 6 Letter 2

Business Day 10 Letter 3

Business Day 14 Letter 4

To produce your Mary Letters effectively and more importantly, economically, there are going to be various supplies needed to accomplish the process.

Supplies you will need:
• 2 8½†x 11†pieces of white paper
• An 8½†x 11†pad of yellow, lined paper
• Black felt tip pen (buy a box)
• Copier (Kinko’s)
• Number 10 white envelopes or ivory invitation envelopes
• Rubber stamp or White labels
• Stick-on First Class postage stamps or Pre-Cancelled

The “Mary†Letter in Detail

So what is a “Mary†letter exactly? It is a handwritten letter in a white envelope. It is very NON-professional looking, something that looks like your Aunt Margaret would mail to another family member.

The letter is signed by a person named “Mary,†so it is important to have handwriting that looks like a female wrote it. So if you need to, utilize the help of a friend or spouse or hire someone to write your letters and envelopes.

Here is an example of what the outside of the envelope looks like:


Figure 3: Example of a “Mary†Letter Envelope. Notice that it is handwritten.

The Envelope
Use a number 10 envelope, one that is thin. You want the yellow lined paper that you’ll be using to write on to show through the envelope.

The Stamp
In the figure above, you can see that there is a real stamp on the envelope, not something from a stamping machine. It’s put on by hand, not part of a pre-stamped envelope. And it is the kind of stamp that Aunt Margaret would buy at the post office. So the idea is to be as non professional as possible, as if it were a personal letter to a friend.

The Addressee’s Address
The envelope is addressed by hand to the addressee. Notice that the address is to a specific person; not to a “Mr. And Mrs.†or “The Spears Family†or “Current Residentâ€.... It is addressed to a single, specific name. If you are unaware of the prospects name use the word “Hi!â€. It won’t have as much impact but will still seem like it is coming from a person they know. The reason for this is because it looks more personal. It will be opened because of this by either the addressee or possibly their jealous mate.

The Return Address
Notice that there isn’t a name above the return address, just the address. You will want a return address so you can take people off your mailing list who have moved. (The Post Office can’t return to you undeliverable pieces without this return address.) You do not want to include your name, as giving that to the addressee will most likely give away the fact that you’re not someone they know (like Aunt Margaret). Therefore, your mail will not be opened.

Another thing to notice is that the return address is not a P.O. Box. It is a physical address.

Using a Rubber Stamp
One more important thing to point out is that the return address is actually a rubber stamp. This is for efficiency, as you don’t want to hand write each and every return address. This is how you can get a stamp made:

STEP 1 – Hand write your return address on white paper:
First realize that if you work on the “Mary†letters yourself or you hire someone to work on your direct mailings, you have to have the same person who writes the “Mary†letters be the same person who addresses the envelopes. And to have the stamp made, that same person will be the one who writes on a piece of white paper (no lines on the paper) your return address (street address, city, state, zip). A pen with black ink should be used.

Note: The same type of pen you used for your letter template should be used to create your rubber stamp and used to write the prospects address. You don’t want to give away the fact that it is a “Junk†mail piece by having different sizes of ink pens.

STEP 2 – Get a Custom Stamp Made:

You then take that piece of paper to your local rubber stamp company and order your stamp. You can find them in the yellow pages under “rubber stampsâ€; call first to confirm their requirements. Many office supply companies such as Staples and Office Depot offer these services. Getting a stamp made will save a lot of time in the future, besides they are only $25.

How to Make Your Mary Letter
The process of making a â€Mary†letter is somewhat simple as long as you follow these next steps:

STEP 1 – Take one sheet of 8½†x 11’ inch white paper and place it on top of your yellow lined paper pad. You will be able to see the lines of the yellow paper beneath the white paper.

STEP 2 – While staying on the lines, write a letter to the type of prospect you want to target. Keep in mind that it needs to be handwritten. Sign the letter as follows:

God Bless,
Mary
Telephone Number

Be sure to leave room for the “greeting†line of the letter.

Also, as I mention before, please do not try to use a handwriting font, as it will be noticed and will spoil your desired result.

STEP 3 – Now take a piece of yellow pad paper and copy your letter using a copier. Not all copiers are going to like the yellow paper, as it is thinner than regular white paper, but it is worth finding the one copier that will, as this will save you hours of manual labor rewriting the same letter over and over.

STEP 4 – Write the addressee’s first name in the salutation. The same person who hand wrote the letter fills out the first name of the person being mailed to in the salutation portion of the letter (for instance, “Dear Sandy,†or “Hello Carl,â€). Use the same type of pen that was used to write the original letter. This way the width of the ink is the same and appears to be written at the same time.

STEP 5 – Address the Envelope. The same person addresses the envelope using the same handwriting and pen.


Figure 4: Example of a “Mary†Letter Envelope.

STEP 6 – Address the return address. Don’t include your name, just your return address. This is what I use the rubber stamp for. If you have one, simply stamp the top left corner of the envelope.

STEP 7 – Place a First Class stamp on the envelope.


STEP 8 – Mail your envelopes on the days your program tells you to. You do not want all four of your Mary letters arriving on the same day.

The idea is to get your letter opened and your message read. A yellow notebook letter in a white, hand-addressed envelope will get read.
Be prepared to receive calls from two types of callers:

• people who want to be taken off your list
• people who want you to buy their house!

Important Note: Make sure that the handwriting is legible and words are spelled correctly. If you mess up and have to scratch something out that is perfectly okay.

What do you do when the telephone rings AND IT WILL?

Inevitably a caller is going to say “Hello, is Mary thereâ€.

Okay, so you must be wondering what happens when you get a call from a “Mary†letter and there isn’t a “Mary†there to speak to your prospect? People could become quite irate unless you handle this correctly. Actually, this is really very simple:

You simply say, “Mary†is my employee. She’s not available right now, how can I help you?â€
Don’t say anything else but ‘your employee.’ Down the road you may introduce your wife or sister to them and you would not want to have them know your relationship started with a magic trick.

Don’t ask them, “Did you get one of our letters?†unless they tell you that they want to call back and talk to Mary.

I know you’re dying to know why I chose “Mary†as the person the letter is written from…
Mary is the most famous female in modern history. For those who have forgotten, she is Jesus’ mother. It isn’t about religion, and your particular faith has little to do with effective marketing, so don’t get caught up with it. But subliminally, most of us accept that name as one of high regard – no matter what you believe.
So here is a recap of the Mary letter:

Handwritten, white envelope addressed to a single person with a regular stamp. The envelope is a cheap one, and they can see the yellow pad paper underneath just begging them to open it.

When folding the paper, don’t fold it outwardly; fold it inward, as you don’t want them to be able to read it from the outside.

The other type… Which I like better…. All steps remain the same with exception of the return address and size of envelope

The Invitation Envelope

Step #1
Take one sheet of 8½†x 11’ inch white paper and place it on top a sheet of yellow lined paper. You should be able to see the lines of the yellow paper beneath the white paper. For best results your Yellow Sheet should be 8 ¼" x 10 ¼" Maximum

Step #2
While staying on the lines, write a letter to the type of prospect you want to mail to. Keep in mind that it should be handwritten. Sign the letter as follows:

God Bless,

Your First Name
Local telephone number

Be sure to leave room for the "address" and “greeting†lines of the letter. Leave room for their name and address. Do not write their name on salutation line.

Step #3
Load yellow lined paper into your copier and copy your "white" letter onto it using a color copier. Copiers are not going to like yellow pad paper that you can buy at an office supply store as it is thinner than normal paper and will jam, which is why I have yellow paper printed for me on 20lb paper stock. Having a printer print yellow pad paper on 20lb paper stock will save you a ton of headaches. Font color should be red.

Step #4
Write the addressee’s first name and last name along with their mailing address in the space left for it. Remember to use their mailing address not the property address.
In the Salutation write their first name only. I write only one first name even it I know both first names of a couple. For a trust or business I use the word "family" in the salutation.
The same person who hand wrote the "white" letter fills in the address and first name of the person being mailed to. Use the same type of pen that was used to write the original letter. This way the width of the ink is the same and appears to be written at the same time. For best results use the same color and type of pen that you used to create the "white" letter. The same person who wrote the "white" letter should be filing in the name and address information.

Step #5
Fold the letter with the address and message out. This way when you are addressing the envelope you know who to address it to. Quarter fold the letter with the message outward. Doing so the message will be slightly viewable by the addressee, causing them to open it more frequently.

Step #6

Address the Envelope. It is best if the same person who created the "white" letter address the envelope however it is not necessary. When addressing the envelope use the same pen you wrote the letter with. The envelope is an invitation envelope and for best results the color should be ivory.

Step #7
Address the return address. For the best results your return address should be placed on the back of the envelope which will save you the step of sealing the envelope. Use a 1" x 2 5/8" white generic label. Avery brand number 5160. On the label use a seasonal or generic art work followed by your first name and return address. Do not include your last name or business name. On the label use a seasonal or generic art work followed by your first name and return address. Do not include your last name or business name.

Step # 8
Place a First Class stamp on the envelope. If you mail more than 200 pieces each time you mail out you can save a tremendous amount of money in postage and still use a pre cancelled wet stamp which is applied to the envelope. Your savings for a wet bulk stamp will be 16 cents to 22 cents per stamp.
Don't place the stamp on the envelope until you everything else is complete. The stamp is the most expensive item and it you mess up the envelope while addressing it you have wasted the stamp.

Then there are the following to concern yourself with…

Prospect groups to mail to
The reinforcement letters
Frequency
Call capture
Your inbound script
Your at the door presentation
On and on and on

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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
Replied Feb 8 2010, 11:53

That's nice, another guy recommending that people lie to get their phone to ring. I gotta say that this is the first time I have seen the mother of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ used to get the phone to ring.

Another issue is your letter. First off, it's NOT personal, in fact it's very generic and looks like what it is...a gimmick. What part of "My family and I are looking to buy a house in your area" does not sound generic? Also, when you are claiming to be looking for a home for your family and turn out to be a real estate investor, your credibility in most peoples eyes is gone.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, at what point does this not sound completely ridiculous and unethical? I know I'm not the only one on this forum that feels that way, it would be nice to hear others chime in.

Jeff

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Chris T.
  • Wholesaler
  • Amarillo, TX
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Chris T.
  • Wholesaler
  • Amarillo, TX
Replied Feb 8 2010, 12:04

I have found the multiple perspectives to be very informative.

The hyper-sensitive controlling aspect of the thread is annoying.

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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Bakersfield, CA
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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
  • Bakersfield, CA
Replied Feb 8 2010, 12:11

I get it... And if you reread the post youll notice I said different letters for different prospects... Simple,,

As far as "Mary" is concerned... The facts are the facts... People respond to that name... My job is to get the telephone to ring... Simple..

Business uses phantom characters all of the time in advertising... I dont think a lizard can talk... I am certain jack doesn't have a round head and Ronalds feet arent that big...

And using off names is a great way to determine which advertising piece is working but its okay that you dont like it...

Another fact... Yours works for you... Mine happens to work for me and others...

Happy investing...

Michael

PS... I forgot to attach the ebook... PM me if you want it... As for ethics or gimmicks or credibility... Please... OUR JOB IS TO GET THE PHONE TO RING

Nothing is unethical or gimmicky about the type of letter... If it is then the whole concept of sending out a yellow letter in the first place would be the champion of gimmicks...

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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
Replied Feb 8 2010, 12:23
Originally posted by Michael Quarles:
PS... I forgot to attach the ebook... PM me if you want it... As for ethics or gimmicks or credibility... Please... OUR JOB IS TO GET THE PHONE TO RING

Nothing is unethical or gimmicky about the type of letter... If it is then the whole concept of sending out a yellow letter in the first place would be the champion of gimmicks...

I deleted the rest of your post because comparing your tactics to other companies using characters is like comparing a Mack truck to a VW Bug.

If you think lying to get your phone to ring is not unethical, I don't know what is.

Jeff

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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
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Michael Quarles#1 Marketing Your Property Contributor
  • Flipper/Rehabber
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Replied Feb 8 2010, 12:32

Again you can disagree... It is okay... IT WORKS... not unethical... So if I had used Jane would that be better?

This business isnt for the weak and timid folks... Its for gorillas...

I have zero doubt that it may be politically incorrect... However politically correctness doesnt pay the bills or allow me to do what I want...

BTW... I am a guy who has walked into a grocery store on thanksgiving and bought everyone grocery's well over 5 grand.. I do catered schools their lunches on a regular basis... I have offered my church a donation of 50k... I have bought people who needed them their cars 17 times. I have brought into my program people who could not pay me for free. I could go on and on... I can do these things because I am a real estate investor who knows how to make money...

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Jeff Warner
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Jeff Warner
  • Real Estate Investor
  • North Central Arkansas
Replied Feb 8 2010, 23:48

So because it works it's not unethical? Interesting.

Jeff