What is the best "grabber" you've ever used on a sales piece.

To this day - the most effective ones I've used have been real coins or notes.


Steve

$100 Dollar Note (placed here)

So that you'll to me about the best "grabbers" you've used.


Steve

In the real estate niche I've used a key blank (schlag locks are best). I got them in bulk on ebay for almost nothing. Don't even tape it to the letter. Just loose in the envelope works great.

In the real estate business, house keys are always important. they get an envelope that "feels" like it's got a key and they have to open it. Could be from a client or something else important.

Yesterday I was chatting with a friend who was writing a direct mail piece in the real estate niche. So, I started brainstorming a grabber idea.

Instantly, the old bag of dirt attached to the letter came to mind.

And then a even greater idea came to mind!

As I was thinking about putting soil into a little bag, I somehow got sidetracked and came up with a sinister idea for a "cremation service" or maybe even a "life insurance" letter.

The intro would go something like this....

Dear John,

You may be wondering why I've attached a small bag of my fathers ashes to the top of this letter.

You see, not too long ago my dad passed away.


Now, who in the hell wouldn't be somewhat curious about those damn ashes?

And of course, it's absurd to think that you'd actually send out a loved ones ashes. A few mailings and there would be no more ashes left.

But, considering how flexible the English language is, here is how my evil brain works.

You could just make a fire pit in the back of dads back yard and just burn some of his stuff. Maybe a desk. Heck, that would provide enough ashes for a few hundred mailings.

Then, you could say... "You may wonder why I've put my fathers ashes atop of this letter".

You never said it was his personal ashes, but rather it's your fathers desk ashes. Or any other item you'd like to burn.

Oh geez, I'm going straight to hell.

Anyhow, that was my grabber idea yesterday. Otto and I were on the floor crying laughing when I came up with the idea.

The other example I came up with that I love is using a "Green Leaf" from a tree to tell everyone how organic and hippy you are and that you only use "Environmentally Green" materials.

And I'd go, "Gross! And toss it in the garbage."

What if I put "Cherry Kool-Aid Powder" in the another bag and told them it was the ashes of Lucifer?

Would you read it then?

Man,

I wanna blow $500 on ridiculous direct mail packages that are equal to pranking people on the phone.

I bet you could build a rabid fan base by just being a total nutcase direct mailer.

ie...

Dear Bill,

You may wonder why I've included a piece of roadkill in this package...


I think I may need a good attorney, or ... therapist!

Oh, Jason...

Your devious l'il ideas really strike a chord with me!

MAN, would I love to brainstorm something like that, with you. (heheheheheh)


Cheers -
Al

PS - I first typed "... strike a chard ...". Man, the "a" isn't even NEAR the "o". But it DID set my mind off on several tangents, when I realised what I'd done.

I love your ideas Jason... problem is after the anthrax scare a few years ago I think you'd have trouble getting ashes and maybe even koolaid through the us mail.

I remember someone saying that they mailed an aspirin as a grabber, but the sorting machines turned it to powder... which resembled anthrax... and they never got it through.

If Jason starts a marketing agency...I wanna play! (Trick or Treat Marketing....lol)

I haven't studied the marketing that's going on in other countries...but I wonder if Italy or Spain would go for stuff like this. They like to play it kooky at times.