You spent weeks writing it. You had your designer pull out all the stops. You showed it around and everyone just loved it. But when you mailed it, the thud could be heard for miles. What happened? It's no fun when a direct mail piece bombs, but it's a fact of life. And if you're a pro, you'll use this as a learning experience. Next time it happens to you, try approaching the problem methodically. Here are a handful of tips. Analyze the results. You can't fix a problem until you know what it is. So take a stiff drink and sit down with the numbers for a while.  Is the response rate low or non-existent? If it's a two-step, is the problem on the front end or the back end? How about your return or cancellation rate? What about net profit? Double-check essential elements. A mailing I did for one client bombed so badly they called me in a panic to say they were getting no responses at all. Not one. I calmly asked to see a sample piece as mailed and saw something weird about the