Direct mail platform switch breaks PatientPop pipeline records

I was arguably the biggest nonbeliever in direct mail.

Stagnant direct mail results can sour even the most experienced B2B marketer. So how do you transform a fledgling direct mail program? For PatientPop, a Tebra company, it took a new Sending Management Platform and a bold outlook from a rising star who admittedly didn’t see the value in direct mail before they switched to Sendoso for corporate gifting.

“I had never done direct mail before,” explained Marketing Programs Director Brian Clevesy. “I didn’t know what I was getting into when I used a Sendoso competitor. It was miserable.”

Switching to Sendoso changed everything.

“This is a total game-changer. With the number of options and choices we have with the Sendoso Direct Marketplace, we’re going to be sending better mailers than we ever have before.”

Within the first six months, Clevesy did more than send incredible mailers.

He broke PatientPop records.

Breaking demo records with B2B direct mail

PatientPop, a market leader in practice growth technology, serves thousands of U.S. healthcare providers across a wide range of medical specialties and is one of the fastest-growing digital healthcare solutions available in North America. The all-in-one healthcare platform helps practices boost patient engagement, streamline front-office tasks and grow their business.

Clevesy went from a direct mail skeptic to a trailblazer.

Using Sendoso, he turned cookies into the ultimate door-opener to target and get the attention of doctors.

The B2B marketing campaign surpassed the most demos booked at PatientPop. Clevesy did it all using less money and a smaller headcount while maintaining his lead volume and program goals around ARR and pipeline generated.

“In January, we cleared seven figures in our pipeline generated by direct mail, for the first time in program history.”

The records didn’t stop there. PatientPop surpassed that seven-figure benchmark in eight of the nine months that followed. By June, the company had leveraged direct mail to increase its booked demos by 19%, breaking the demos booked and pipeline-generated records again.

For Clevesy, it wasn’t luck.

It was a meticulously managed redesign of how PatientPop sourced, scaled, and leveraged direct mail.

Redesigning direct mail to win SDR buy-in

It just turned on with Sendoso.

“Everything was clicking. We saw a huge turnaround, and I think it came down to [having] a cooler set of mailers through Sendoso Direct Marketplace.”

It was a big difference from PatientPop’s previous experience. The company had used a different corporate gifting company and spent seven figures, only to see what Clevesy described as “forgettable results.”

PatientPop considered nixing direct mail as a program altogether.

Clevesy and his sales counterpart weighed their options, spent three months vetting corporate gifting companies, and eventually decided on Sendoso to help automate their B2B marketing campaigns.

More changes soon followed.

Clevesy wanted to make the direct mail program exclusive and decided to run a test with a select number of sales representatives on a reduced budget.

“Previously, direct mail was a right, not a privilege. We just found that some sales development representatives didn’t take it seriously.”

Only top-performing SDRs have access to the direct mail offerings to target medical offices. PatientPop focused on sending boxes of cookies to prospective doctors. The key was sending a shareable treat to surprise and delight everyone in the office.

“We had a faster turnaround with those Sendoso Direct Marketplace items. They were more fun, and SDRs started to fight over who got to send cookies to their prospects.”

“Doctors love cookies. Specifically, we’ve been using the Cravory Cookies and the Sift Bar Macaroon packages. It’s six or eight cookies with different flavors.”

Not only are the prospects happy, but so are PatientPop’s sales reps. Each rep gets a box of cookies sent to them when they hit their target number of demos, which makes for a fun conversation on follow-up calls.

These small motivators have changed the sales and marketing culture at PatientPop.

“We’re back in business with direct mail. It’s officially at the forefront, and everyone’s asking how we’re doing it.”

Building direct mail momentum with Sendoso

So, how is Clevesy continuing to build momentum with cookies?

He’s focused on deal generation in every B2B touch he creates with Sendoso. PatientPop leans on these key metrics to measure success:

• Demo book/show rate
• Pipeline generated
• ARR/ACV

For every 500 mailers sent, Clevesy aims to convert 10% of those prospects into booked demos.

From there, the metrics cascade as the prospect journey progresses. The ACV varies depending on the size of the medical practice.

PatientPop can accelerate these metrics by sourcing outreach items from Sendoso Direct Marketplace. Clevesy focuses on time to lead. Working with Sendoso means they can communicate with a cookie vendor about upcoming orders through their customer support manager. Large orders can be processed and shipped within a week.

“When we trigger a Marketplace order, we know they’re delivering soon,” explained Clevesy, “so it shortens the amount of time the SDR has to tease what they’re sending.”

It’s a quicker turnaround than for traditional or curated mailers, which can take six to eight weeks.

The positive feedback has been overwhelming.

The PatientPop sales team hears back from prospects thanking them for the surprise and even asking for the vendor’s information to keep purchasing the treats.

Direct mail leads to professional success

Sendoso changed the trajectory of my career.

The feedback expands beyond sales and marketing to a more personal subject: Brian Clevesy’s own career.

The former nonbeliever now has direct mail to thank for his professional success. In June 2022, he was promoted to director of marketing programs.

“I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without Sendoso as my direct mail partner. It has ignited this passion around direct mail I would have never dreamt of even a year ago.”

Clevesy’s now a firm advocate of using direct mail. Of course, he stresses picking the right corporate gifting partner.

“Sendoso is such a cool, creative way to change the norm. The amount of ways you can leverage B2B direct mail is as far as your imagination goes.”

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