TL;DR
- Tuesday-Thursday arrival: +12% response vs Monday/Friday
- 3-touch sequence: 2.4% cumulative vs 1.2% single touch
- Segmented messaging by motivation type: +18-25% response vs generic
- AI-scored targeting vs manual stack: 2.3x response rate improvement
- Absentee owners
- High equity
- Property type/size filters
- Add distress signals (tax delinquent 2+ years, pre-foreclosure)
- Layer 2-3 motivation indicators
- Remove recently sold, listed, or contacted in last 90 days
- Suppress known investor-owned properties
- Predictive models score across 50-100+ variables
- Hidden Gems: high-probability sellers outside typical criteria
- Model learns from YOUR closed deals, not generic patterns
- Continuous refinement as market conditions shift
Segmented Messaging Performance
Generic "We buy houses" copy vs situation-specific messaging:
| Segment | Generic Copy | Segment-Specific Copy | Lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probate | 1.1% | 1.4% | +27% |
| Pre-foreclosure | 1.3% | 1.7% | +31% |
| Tax delinquent | 1.0% | 1.2% | +20% |
| Tired landlord | 0.9% | 1.1% | +22% |
| Out-of-state owner | 0.8% | 1.0% | +25% |
Segmented messaging examples:
Client Results
“We A/B tested identical mail to 1,000 records from our normal list vs 1,000 AI-scored records. Same mail piece, same week, same market. Normal list: 0.6% response, 1 deal. AI-scored: 1.9% response, 3 deals. That's a 3x difference from targeting alone.”
— Memphis investor, 64 deals/year
Probate: "Inheriting a property comes with enough decisions. We make this one easy - fair cash offer, close on your timeline, no repairs needed."
Pre-foreclosure: "If you're facing foreclosure, you have options. We can close in 14 days - fast enough to stop the process and preserve your credit."
Tired landlord: "Done dealing with tenants, repairs, and 2am calls? We buy rental properties as-is. Keep your security deposit proceeds, skip the turnover."
Tracking That Actually Matters
Vanity metrics (avoid obsessing over): - Overall response rate - Cost per lead - Number of leads
Actionable metrics (track religiously): - Response rate BY LIST SOURCE - Cost per deal BY CHANNEL - Lead-to-contract rate BY MOTIVATION TYPE - Revenue per parcel mailed BY SEGMENT
The Tracking Trap
High response + low close rate = bad targeting (you're attracting unqualified leads) Low response + high close rate = good targeting (you're reaching real sellers)
A list that produces 0.8% response with 6% lead-to-deal beats a list with 1.5% response and 2% lead-to-deal. Track to deal, not to lead.