Boron - Chapter 13

Now, let's switch our discussion to another kind of envelope
where you also pay the postage for your customer. I'm
talking about, of course, the good old standby known as a
BRE or "Business Reply Envelope".

You've seen thousands of BRE's. They look like this:

____________________
Bulk Rate

____________________
Permit #

____________________
6666

If Mailed In U.S. Postage Will Be
Paid By

__________

Nevada Inc.
__________

201 Anywhere Rd.
__________

Las Vegas, NV 20215
__________

__________

__________

Most mailers love BRE's. They have the advantage of making
it easy for the customer to reply plus the advantage of
being much cheaper than a stamped reply envelope.

The reason they are cheaper is that you only pay the postage
(and BRE fee) for those envelopes that are actually mailed
back to you.

However, they also have some disadvantages. Like these:

They slow up your mail. The post office has to tabulate
how many BRE's you get each day so they'll know how much you
owe. This will hold up your mail (and your cash flow!) for
at least one extra day. Maybe more.

They telegraph that yours is not, in fact, a real
personal letter. You know, sooner or later, you've got to
let your potential customers know that you want him to buy
something. However, if you let him know immediately quite
often he won't even give you a hearing. And, in truth, this
is a disservice to him. Because, quite often, after he reads
your info he will discover that what you have to offer has
genuine value to him.