Owned and Operated
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Wait...that still works?

Wait...that still works?

14x ROI is within reach

John Wilson
February 18, 2026

Direct mail still works (and works well), but only if you treat it like a high-touch, iterative direct response channel, not a one-time blast.

That’s what Sam Preston and I talked about on a recent episode of the Owned and Operated podcast.

Check out these resources before we get started…

Come join me (and plenty of other operators) for an exclusive shop tour at Wilson HQ (RSVP here)
December shipments of residential gas storage water heaters jumped 19.3% year over year, signaling strong demand heading into 2026.
Booked Solid is where home service operators come to tighten their marketing. Hosted by Service Scalers. March 3–5, 2026 at my HQ in Akron, OH.
Your workflow is unique, so you need field service software that adapts to any situation…your solution is here

Direct Mail Isn’t Dead. It’s Just Under-Executed.

Direct mail feels outdated because it isn’t flashy. It does not launch instantly like LSA. It does not scale with a click like Meta. It requires design, printing, targeting, and patience. That friction is exactly why opportunity exists.

Someone in your market is quietly winning with it. Not breaking even. Not surviving. Winning. In some cases, driving 10x to 14x return on ad spend while everyone else fights over the same digital clicks.

The difference is not the channel. It is the execution. Direct mail only works when you treat it like direct response marketing. That means a strong offer, high ticket services, consistent frequency, tight targeting, and constant iteration. One blast and done is not a strategy.

If you approach it methodically, direct mail becomes less about nostalgia and more about leverage. Fewer competitors. More brand legitimacy. And a chance to own geography while others stay stuck competing for keywords.

Does Your Marketing Engine Drive Results?

If you want a marketing plan you can actually run week to week, Booked Solid is the event for you. None of the fluff. All of the actionable advice you can handle.

Service Scalers is hosting a 2-day marketing workshop at Wilson’s HQ in Akron, OH (March 3–5, 2026) covering paid, organic, traditional, KPIs, lead handling, and your 90-day plan.

Only 30 seats. Grab yours now and use coupon code BOOKEDEARLYBIRD to save $500.

By the time you leave Akron, you’ll have a marketing engine that drives real results.

Reconsider Direct Mail in 2026

Everyone is fighting in the same arenas. LSA, PPC, SEO, Meta. The competition is tight, the costs are rising, and differentiation is shrinking. When every operator is chasing the same clicks, margin gets compressed.

Direct mail lives outside that battlefield. It is not crowded. It is not algorithm-dependent. It does not change because Google updated something overnight. That alone should make you pause.

The bigger reason is geography. If you want to own a neighborhood, a route, or an underserved town 45 minutes away, mail gives you precision and repetition. You can hit the same 10,000 homes every month until your brand becomes familiar.

It also creates legitimacy. When someone receives a professional mailer at their home, it signals that you serve that area and that you are established. That trust shortcut matters, especially in home services where customers are inviting you into their house.

Most operators dismiss mail because they tested it once and moved on. That is not how direct response works. The operators winning with mail are treating it like performance marketing. They test offers, iterate design, adjust targeting, and commit to frequency. If you are serious about diversifying lead flow and owning territory, this channel deserves attention.

What the Numbers Say About Direct Mail

High-performing operators are reporting returns as strong as 10x–14x revenue for every $1 spent on direct mail. For comparison, many home service companies consider 5x–6x return on ad spend healthy across digital channels. When mail is executed well, it can outperform more crowded platforms.

Note: That’s the same story with almost any type of local marketing.

Response rates follow classic direct response math. For cold audiences, expect 1–2% conversion rates. Mail 10,000 households and you should plan for 100–200 inbound inquiries. If your goal is 100 new leads per week, you may need 30,000–40,000 households in rotation depending on cadence and offer strength. The math is simple. The scale must support it.

Audience segmentation dramatically shifts performance. Mailing active members or recent customers can produce response rates multiple times higher than cold lists. A 1,000-piece drop to engaged customers may generate dozens of calls. The same drop to net-new households may generate only 10–20. List selection is not a minor detail. It determines profitability.

Ticket size also dictates viability. Selling a $15,000 system or replacement requires only a handful of conversions to cover campaign costs. Selling a $700 repair requires dozens. The operators achieving outsized returns are pairing direct mail with high-ticket services that can absorb acquisition cost and still generate margin.

Consistency compounds results. Cold prospects often require 4–6 months of repeated exposure before converting. Twice-per-month mail cadence is common among disciplined operators. One-off campaigns underperform. Repetition builds familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. Trust drives response.

At scale, strong performers are running tens of thousands of pieces per week while testing multiple creative variations simultaneously. Direct mail behaves like any performance channel: it rewards iteration, disciplined math, and strategic targeting. The numbers show the opportunity remains real for operators willing to execute.

How Direct Mail Can Drive Your Business Forward

Direct mail fails when it’s treated like a branding stunt. It wins when it’s treated like a performance channel. That means math first, creativity second.

1. Start With the Math

Before you design anything, run the numbers.

If you mail 20,000 homes at $0.80 per piece, you are spending $16,000. Now ask:

What is my average ticket?
How many jobs do I need to break even?
How many to hit 5x return?

If your average ticket is $12,000, you may only need 2–3 jobs to cover the campaign.
If your average ticket is $800, you may need 20–30.

High-ticket offers make direct mail scalable. Low-ticket offers make it fragile.

2. Segment Your Audience Intentionally

Not all lists are created equal. Break your database into:

Members
Active customers (last 24 months)
Inactive customers
Net-new prospects

Members and recent customers will convert at much higher rates. Start there. Prove your offer. Then expand into colder audiences once you understand your numbers.

Testing on the hardest audience first is how people incorrectly conclude mail “doesn’t work.”

3. Commit to Frequency, Not One-Off Drops

One mailer tells you nothing.

Cold audiences may require 4–6 months of consistent exposure before converting. A strong cadence is:

Twice per month to the same households
Minimum 90-day test window
Ideally 6-month saturation in a defined geography

The goal is repetition. Familiarity builds trust. Trust drives response.

4. Design for Attention, Not Beauty

Your mailer competes with bills and junk.

Test aggressively:

Oversized postcards
Official-looking letters
Bold color blocks
Simple, direct headlines
Offer on both sides of the mailer

Your hook must be understood in one second.

“$79 Furnace Tune-Up”
“Free Sewer Inspection”
“$1,000 Off New System”

Clarity beats cleverness.

5. Build a Testing Engine

Establish one baseline mailer that produces acceptable ROI. Then iterate.

Test one variable at a time:

Headline
Offer
Image
Format (postcard vs letter)
Color scheme
Call to action

Track every drop separately using:

Unique phone numbers
Dedicated landing pages
Offer codes

Direct mail should be run like paid media, not like a seasonal flyer.

6. Control Geography and Density

Direct mail works best when paired with territory strategy.

Saturate 10,000 homes repeatedly rather than 100,000 once
Focus on route-dense neighborhoods
Expand outward only after dominance

Density lowers operational cost and increases brand visibility.

7. Measure Ruthlessly

Track:

Cost per piece
Total campaign spend
Calls generated
Booked jobs
Revenue
Return on ad spend

Break performance down by audience segment. Shift budget toward the lists producing the highest return.

Direct mail is not magic. It is controlled experimentation at scale.

When you combine:

High-ticket offers
Smart segmentation
Consistent frequency
Aggressive testing
Tight geographic focus

It becomes a predictable acquisition engine instead of a gamble.

The Real Issues

Direct mail rarely fails because of the channel. It fails because of how it’s run.

Testing once and declaring it dead
Choosing low-ticket offers that cannot support acquisition cost
Starting with cold lists instead of validating with existing customers
Mailing wide once instead of saturating a defined geography repeatedly
Designing for aesthetics instead of instant clarity of the offer
Tracking calls instead of booked jobs and revenue
Underfunding the test and pulling budget too early
Failing to iterate headlines, formats, and offers systematically

When results disappoint, the issue is almost always math, targeting, frequency, or discipline. Not the mailbox itself.

Turn Your Website Into a 24/7 Sales Engine

Your website should not just collect clicks. Contractor Commerce helps residential service companies turn their site into a true sales channel with guided pricing, online service sales, and integrations that qualify customers before the phone ever rings.

If you are doing $3M+ and serious about scaling, book a demo and see how your website can start pre-selling work instead of just listing it.

Your next move is simple: pick one high-ticket offer, choose a defined geography, commit to six months of disciplined testing, and let the math decide if direct mail earns a permanent spot in your mix.

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👊 John

Disclosure: Some of the content and links in this newsletter are sponsored or affiliate links, which means we may receive payment or earn a commission if you click through or purchase. However, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.