B2B sales teams have more ways to reach prospects than ever, but getting someone’s attention is still one of the biggest challenges. Emails can get buried, calls can go unanswered, and digital messages can easily become part of the daily noise.

Direct mail gives sales teams another way to stand out.

In a recent episode of the CEO Sales Strategies Podcast, Wilson Zehr, CEO of Zairmail, discussed how physical mail can support B2B prospecting and follow-up, especially for high-value sales and longer sales cycles.

Reach Prospects in a Different Way

A physical letter creates a different experience from an email. It gives prospects something tangible to open, read, and remember. For salespeople trying to start a relationship with a new account, that extra touch can help make an introduction feel more personal.

Direct mail can also be highly targeted. Instead of sending the same message to a large audience, businesses can identify specific companies, industries, job roles, or prospects that fit their ideal customer profile.

Make Follow-Up More Memorable

Direct mail isn’t only useful for cold prospecting. It can become part of a sales follow-up strategy.

For example, a salesperson could send a personalized letter before a sales call, follow up with a prospect after a meeting, or reach out again when a conversation has gone quiet. These physical touches can complement email and phone outreach rather than replacing them.

Combine Personalization With Technology

One of the challenges with direct mail has always been the time involved in preparing and sending individual pieces. Tools such as Zairmail’s Speedy are designed to make one-to-one mail easier by allowing salespeople to send letters from their desktop without handling the traditional printing and mailing process themselves.

The opportunity is simple: use direct mail alongside your existing sales process to create another meaningful touchpoint, reach important prospects, and make follow-up more personal.

In a crowded B2B market, sometimes getting noticed starts with sending something people can actually hold.

Podcast

Zairmail is a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to automate business-critical physical mail at scale. Combining powerful integrations, workflow automation, and a nationwide production network, Zairmail helps organizations execute high-volume mail operations with greater speed, reliability, visibility, and operational efficiency. Visit www.zairmail.com to learn more.

In this episode, we delve into the insightful journey of Wilson Zehr, a seasoned entrepreneur and academic, from his early career in the tech industry to founding his own company, Zairmail. Wilson shares his experiences of starting and growing multiple tech companies and discusses the importance of targeted marketing and the unique advantages of direct mail. He explains how Zare Mail, his current company, offers a software platform that automates the ordering and production of direct mail, making it a cost-effective and efficient marketing tool for businesses.

Key Takeaways:

The Advantages of Direct Mail: Wilson highlights the cost-effectiveness and wide reach of direct mail, which can target every consumer and business in America. He emphasizes that direct mail does not rely on customers finding the business, making it a proactive marketing tool.

Zairmail: Simplifying Direct Mail Campaigns: Wilson introduces Zairemail, a software platform that automates the ordering and production of direct mail. This platform provides businesses with a seamless and efficient way to create and send direct mail campaigns.

Demographic Targeting and Personalization: Wilson explains how direct mail allows for precise demographic targeting and personalized customer experiences, which can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.

Direct Mail in American Culture: Wilson highlights how direct mail is embedded in American culture and provides a nostalgic experience for recipients. It is particularly effective for industries like real estate, mortgage brokering, and insurance.

Cost Savings and Efficiency: Wilson discusses the cost savings and efficiency of using Zairemail’s services compared to traditional methods of sending direct mail. He shares insights on how technology, such as automation and predictive algorithms, can improve the efficiency of direct mail campaigns.

Lessons from Wilson’s Journey: Drawing from his diverse experiences, Wilson shares valuable lessons about the importance of targeted marketing and continuous learning in the rapidly evolving marketing landscape. He emphasizes the need for small businesses to leverage data-driven criteria to create effective direct mail lists.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/14-simplifying-direct-mail-campaigns-the-proactive/id1738085457?i=1000660246802

Zairmail is a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to automate business-critical physical mail at scale. Combining powerful integrations, workflow automation, and a nationwide production network, Zairmail helps organizations execute high-volume mail operations with greater speed, reliability, visibility, and operational efficiency. Visit www.zairmail.com to learn more.

In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Keith Goodman, VP of Corporate Sales and Marketing at Modern Postcard.

Keith Goodman is a 30-year veteran in the direct marketing space, a leading provider of direct mail marketing solutions that has leveraged today’s technology to provide businesses of any size access to a breadth of powerful direct mail services.

Keith traces his journey from booking rock-and-roll proms out of his trunk in San Diego to building one of the first internet marketing data companies, and ultimately to leading sales and marketing at Modern Postcard. Along the way, he shares how his father’s advice – treat data as your most valuable asset – helped him create a 320,000-name database that powered sold-out concerts, fueled software ventures, and even earned patents.

That foundation in direct mail and customer relationship building set the stage for Keith’s decades-long career in helping businesses grow rather than just selling products. The conversation then turns to what makes direct mail so resilient today. 

Keith and Wilson explore how mailbox “real estate” and digital fatigue have renewed marketers’ interest in physical mail, and why integrating postcards or letters with email and online ads can boost overall response.

They dive into the economics of mail campaigns, response rates, cost of acquisition and lifetime customer value, and why high-value products and services are particularly well suited to direct mail. List targeting, compelling offers, and an understanding of ROI emerge as recurring themes that any growth-minded organization can adopt. 

As the episode winds down, Keith offers practical advice for entrepreneurs launching new ventures in an AI-powered world: make sure your offering requires human expertise that machines can’t easily replicate, and rigorously test your ideas against real customer demand before scaling.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or a founder taking your first steps, you’ll come away with a fresh perspective on building sustainable advantage through smart data use, differentiated processes, and an integrated mix of direct mail and digital channels.

Timestamps

• Keith Goodman’s Career Journey and Role Introduction – 00:02 
• Building a Consumer Database for Concert Promotions – 05:36 
• Digital Fatigue and Why Direct Mail Still Cuts Through – 12:57 
• Combining Direct Mail with Digital Channels to Boost Conversions – 18:49 
• Calculating Direct Mail ROI Using Customer Lifetime Value – 22:33

Get in Touch with Keith! 

Keith’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kgoodman/
Website: https://www.modernpostcard.com/

Get in Touch with Wilson!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilsonzehr/
Website: https://www.zairmail.com/
Book a call: https://calendly.com/cendix
Email: wilson@zairmail.com

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keith-goodman-of-modern-postcard-crafting/id1867782078?i=1000774051290

Zairmail is a cloud-based platform that enables organizations to automate business-critical physical mail at scale. Combining powerful integrations, workflow automation, and a nationwide production network, Zairmail helps organizations execute high-volume mail operations with greater speed, reliability, visibility, and operational efficiency. Visit www.zairmail.com to learn more.

In this episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, host Josh Elledge welcomes Wilson Zehr, Founder and CEO of Zairmail, for a deep exploration into why direct mail is still one of the most effective marketing channels in today’s digital-first world. Wilson draws from decades of experience, plus a surprising connection to competitive swimming, to illustrate how businesses can blend digital convenience with physical mail for unmatched engagement and ROI. This episode offers a practical, insightful guide for any leader looking to leverage direct mail to scale their business.

Listen to the episode here: The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast Episode

Direct Mail as a Competitive Advantage in a Digital Era

Wilson opens the conversation by comparing the discipline of competitive swimming to the discipline required to launch successful marketing campaigns. New swimmers must warm up, refine their technique, and focus on continuous improvement, principles that apply seamlessly to businesses exploring direct mail for the first time. He emphasizes the importance of starting with small, targeted campaigns and refining strategy over time.

The discussion then highlights how Zairmail’s platform blends the ease of digital workflows with the impact of physical mail. Businesses can upload documents, preview their mail in real time, and send campaigns with a single click. With next-day processing and a nationwide production network, Zairmail ensures speed, scalability, and reliability across every campaign.

Wilson also breaks down why direct mail continues to outperform expectations in 2024. From owning the “mail moment” to delivering strong ROI and enabling precise demographic targeting, physical mail creates a level of attention and trust that digital ads struggle to achieve. Whether using postcards, letters, snap packs, or self-mailers, choosing the right format can dramatically improve response rates and engagement.

Key Episode Highlights

• How swimming principles translate into better marketing execution
• Why direct mail continues to deliver high ROI in 2024
• The four main direct mail formats and when to use each
• How Zairmail blends digital workflows with physical mail for unmatched efficiency
• Expert tips on targeting, creative, testing, and integrating digital channels

Conclusion

Wilson Zehr reinforces that direct mail isn’t outdated; it’s a powerful, underutilized differentiator. By integrating digital simplicity with physical presence, businesses can capture attention, build trust, and drive response rates that rival or exceed digital channels. Whether you start small or scale quickly, Zairmail provides the tools and expertise to help you succeed.