How to get a 95% response rate

Here is an email message I just received from my wife.

"What would you estimate average Direct Mail response? .05%? 1%? Don’t you think a 2% response rate from a LIST BUY (not our own list) is aggressive?"

Oh, how many times have I been asked this question? Thousands. And here is my typical answer:

"Response depends upon your list, offer and creative - in that order. I've received a 95%+ response rate on a DM campaign. For my wedding. We had the right list 200 closest friends & family), the right offer (free food and booze), and the right creative (my sister is the wedding invite producer for the stars). I've also done successful campaigns for clients that achieved a less than 0.5% response rate. (because each sale was worth $20K)."

Asking what the response should be is asking the wrong question. You should first back into it. Figure out what each lead is worth to you. Then back into what response rate gives you positive ROI. Then you'll know whether that response rate seems achievable or not.