Best Practice:  DIRECT RESULTS
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA PCC BUILDS MEMBERSHIP THROUGH MONTHLY PROGRAMS
Working together, the Southwest Florida PCC and Postmasters in the area it serves are introducing local businesses to the benefits of direct mail, and in return, the council is benefitting by adding new members.
Every month an “Introduction to Direct Mail” program is offered at the Naples and Fort Myers Post Offices. It includes a DVD presentation provided by the national PCC program and information on the Enhanced Carrier Route walk-sequence saturation rate. The sessions are promoted through brochures and fliers created by the PCC. Customers can reserve a seat through the PCC's website at swflapcc.com. 
After attending the first session, customers can expand their direct mail knowledge by signing up for a three-part educational workshop series that also offers participants an opportunity to earn a PCC professional certificate.
“These monthly programs have been very successful in educating small-business owners with a limited budget for marketing how to use the mail to find new customers,” says USPS Customer Relations Coordinator Debra Mitchell, who conducts the introductory program.  
The sessions also have been successful in helping to increase the membership of the Southwest Florida PCC. Since the program began last August, 99 attendees have joined the council.