FROM WASH STREET JOURNAL: "GROW YOUR BUSINESS THIS SUMMER - ROLL OUT THE WELCOMEMAT FOR CUSTOMERS"

CHARLOTTE - For car service industry owners looking to grow and to attract loyal customers, one great tool is putting out The Welcomemat^TM for newcomers. Welcomemat Services Inc. specializes in helping businesses turn new loyal residents into loyal customers through highly effective direct mail gift certificates.

"Welcomemat Services is the first and only cooperative mail service to employ proprietary technology that enables new resident information to be bar-coded into every gift certificate, allowing our clients to receive free customized tracking and information reports regarding responses to their offers," says Brian Mattingly, president of Welcomemat Services and an expert in utilizing technology to deliver superior direct mail results. "In effect, it answers the question companies have been asking for years - who exactly are our customers?"

Welcomemat Services focuses on the newcomer market because statistics show that new residents are the most receptive market segment and are five times more likely to become loyal customers. New residents spend more in the first year than an existing resident spends in five years, and are even more likely to change their brand loyalty after a move.

Every Welcomemat package includes a select number of gift certificates, which are elegantly printed, custom designed and personalized for each new resident with his or her name and a unique patent-pending barcode.

While typical direct mail campaigns have less than a two percent average response rate, response rates to Welcomemat mailings typically range from eight percent to 50 percent, depending on the Gift Check offer.

Cactus Car Wash of Atlanta, GA and Charleston, SC, has had impressive results since its Welcomemat mailing began. Owner Frank Lynch receives, on average, a 21 percent return rate each month. "The large amount of Welcomemat returns that we have received is virtually unheard of with any advertising medium," said Lynch. "The uniquely designed package has helped bring in more new customers than any other form of advertising."