Direct mail response rates for final expense: what's normal now

Agents who mailed five years ago and came back are shocked at the response rates. Here's what's typical now and what moves it.

Response. A full-count mailer to a well-defined senior list in a decent area returns somewhere in the range of a fraction of a percent to just over one percent. Some agents see higher in rural counties, some see lower in metros. A 1,000-piece drop producing 8 to 15 cards is a normal week.

Cost per lead. Postage plus print plus list divided by cards. Most agents land in a range that's competitive with vendor mailer leads but with one advantage: nobody else has the card.

What moves response. The list matters most: age band, income band, homeowner status, and suppressing addresses that already returned a card. Then the piece: a plain card that looks like it came from a government or benefits office pulls more than a glossy brochure, and it also pulls more complaints. Stay inside what your state allows for wording. Then timing: the first and third weeks of the month, avoiding major holidays.

The mailer economics that work. A fixed weekly drop, every week, for six months. Response compounds because the same households see the card again. Agents who mail one big drop and judge it are judging the wrong thing.

Working the cards. A card worked within 48 hours of arrival is worth three worked at two weeks. Map them, knock them, then call the ones you couldn't reach. Cards that never got a knock are the aged leads you'll work next quarter.

What list criteria and piece are you running, and what response are you seeing in your county?