Drumming up business with direct mail

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(FORTUNE Small Business) -- Dear FSB: We are a SaaS (software as a service) company that delivers a fully integrated practice-management system for chiropractors. However, we are are on a very tight budget and we are struggling with our marketing and sales. Can you give me any insight into how to create a direct campaign that will get doctors' attention?

We have had a number of larger investors tell us that they will invest in us if we can prove out a sales model. To date, we have primarily been cold calling, with very little in the way of results. In three months we have landed eight paying accounts with a total of 16 practitioners. We need to create some momentum, and soon, or else we will be going the way of the dodo. Thanks for your help.

- Shad Wheeler, Spokane Valley, Wash.

Dear Shad: Your instinct is right. You want to show a personal touch when contacting prospects for your company - but the phone may be too intrusive. You might have to spend a little money to get the return you want, but you can do it in ways that minimize costs maximizing the impact of the campaign.

Peter Geisheker, CEO of the Geisheker Group marketing firm in Green Bay, Wisc., believes a direct-mail campaign would get the results you need, while allowing you to stay within the parameters of your budgetary restraints. But make the effort to make these letters shine, or you'll be wasting the money you so desperately need to save.

First of all, do not write, "Dear Doctor."

"It screams 'junk mail,'" Geisheker says. "You must address the chiropractor by their actual name."

With his or her name on the page, the chiropractor will notice the letter; afterward, it's your job to make sure he reads the rest. Do this by adding numbers and ROI (return on investment) information to aid the chiropractor: some proof that your service will help will go a long way. Also, a testimonial or two will help give your software a human face.

At the same time, you need to relieve the chiropractor's fear of trying a new product. A money-back guarantee could help solve this problem.

"In their mind they are thinking, 'What if this software is junk? What if I spend time and money implementing it and it does not work?'" Geisheker said. "You must remove this risk by taking the risk on your shoulders."

You might want to offer a discount if the potential customer purchases the product in a certain timeframe, as another incentive to drive those first few sales.

Of course, you don't have to do this mailing campaign on a wide scale, at first. Test it out. See what works, and then utilize what you've learned to reach out to a larger audience. Hopefully, with time, your company will find itself off the endangered list and thriving.