Correspondence from printers fascinates me, particularly mail from vendors I don't know and who view me as a prospect. In the past five days, I've received such mail from two printers and a graphic designer.

On a 'pique-my-interest scale' of 1 to 10, the mail from both print vendors got a sorry 2. The designer's package got a well-earned 10.

The printers wasted their efforts by missing an opportunity to leave an impression (no pun intended). The first salesman had phoned me earlier in the week to introduce himself. "I'll send you our information," he promised. What he sent, in a 9" x 12" envelope (remember, he paid extra postage for flat mail), was a two-paragraph letter complete with misspellings and a five-page equipment list, plus his card. That's it! No mention of what types of jobs they print or why he's better than the other two-thousand-plus New England printers. And all six pages were printed on 4-color letterhead. How much did that cost? The mailing failed to distinguish his firm in any way.

The second vendor's letter announced the firm's upcoming move - a great reason to get in touch with customers and contacts. But why waste the opportunity? If you're sending a letter and not a postcard, use the space. Talk about the move, then remind readers about your terrific services. Are you moving because you're growing? Are you expanding your offerings? You have their attention, now keep it! This generic "to whom it may concern" letter listed the new address plus phone and fax numbers. There was no individual's name or business card. At least it included printed directions to the new location. But I read it and thought, "That's it? Not even a subtle sales pitch?"

The graphic designer, on the other hand, sent me something to remember. It was a white box with a bright, attention-getting, 3-color mailing label. Inside, hidden among those Styrofoam packing peanuts, was a green dog biscuit attached by a red string to a 3-color tag that promoted his design firm and Web site, which is www.dogfooddesign.com. One side's in English; the other's in French.

I don't know if I'll ever work with this designer - but I went straight to his Web site. I'm not likely to forget his firm's name, either.

The next time you send a mailing to prospects, make it worth your money. Give readers a reason to remember you, which will hopefully turn into a reason to buy from you. Remind them about what you can do for them. Then follow up.