These type of primary respondants are demonstrating that they are willing to be "found." They want information and are interested in making a buying decision. They bought by mail order or did something that lets you know they are prime prospects. These people have done something to be identified as interested in what you are offering.

Psychographic data are obtainable from a few consumer lists by doing careful selection within specific categories and then matching. This, too, is something you should do if the option is open to you.

Add your name and home address (and those of several of your advertising team members) to the list. It will give you an idea of the timing of mailings. Add a "dummy" or "seed" name to the list. It could be an incorrect spelling of your name. It will tell you quickly if your list is being used for some unauthorized purpose. Interested Prospects or Response lists. Response lists are the second major category.

By building in all considerations at the initial stage, you will be prepared for any future selectivity that may be required. Make at least one first-class mailing to the list each year. The post office will return all undeliverable mail, so you can clean the list. Keep a rough count of the additions, changes, and deletions made to the list in the course of a year. If these changes don't amount to at least 20% of the total, your list is probably decaying.

Response lists include those people who have responded to your advertising, promotions, or public relations program or to someone else's. This group has expressed some interest in your product or service or one that is similar or compatible to yours. You know something about these people.

Now, a few points on the care and feeding of your house mail: They clipped a coupon. They called a toll-free number. They mailed back a business reply card. They sent in a questionnaire. They sent a fax. They responded to your Web site by e-mail. Any one of these actions indicates they've seen and read something from you—your newspaper or magazine ad, your direct mail piece, something. And they responded, they took action.

Almost any company where information is collected from compiled lists, you know only what you know about the source and not much more. You can, and probably should, overlay demographic data avail-able from census information to expand your knowledge level about any particular prospect list and improve its worth to you.

Response Makers - Direct Marketing Post Cards