If you ever buy mail-order products … hold on. Let’s back up a minute. It should be WHEN you buy mail-order products. You SHOULD be an active direct mail buyer. Why? Cuz you get to see the entire marketing process. How the business takes your order, what the packaging looks like when it arrives, what’s […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, package-insert-programs, pips, recency, sales
The headline is the most important part of your sales letter or space ad. You could have the best advertising copy and the best product, but it doesn’t matter IF the reader doesn’t get past the headline. Changing the headline can make a huge difference in your response rate, even if you don’t change one […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales, sales-pieces, vendors
If you’re like me, you’ve become addicted to reading people’s comments before buying anything on Amazon. We want validation that we’re making the right decision, and what could be more sincere than the spontaneous assessments of people who have already bought and used the product? One of the reasons testimonials can be more effective […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales, testimonials, website
Price is a mysterious thing. There are literally hundreds of options for how you price your product or service. You do not have to always charge the least expensive price in order to get business. In fact, I don’t think you should ever be in a position where you have to compete on price. Many […]
competition, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, price, sales
When putting together a direct mail campaign, you want an angle that will make you stand out from your competition. You want to send out unique sales pieces that will grab your customers’ attention and hold it. You want something that interests them. One great way to connect with people is to give them something […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, holidays, planning, sales
A number of years ago my wife Heidi ordered a down comforter from a catalog. She loved the style and quality of the comforter when it arrived. Of course, as a marketer I was very interested to see what would happen next. Sure enough, they started sending us a regular stream of catalogs and offers. […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, frequency, monetary, new-customers, recency, RFM-system, sales
Have you ever wondered if its better to give a discount based on the dollar-amount off the usual price (e.g., $50 off), or a percentage off (e.g., 30% off)? Which gets a better response? I wish I could give you a cut-and-dried answer to this, but this is really a question of psychology, isn’t it? […]
customers, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, perceived-value, sales
There are tons of ways to get rid of a few customers, lower your income so you can pay less taxes, or prompt a “going out of business sale.” However, if you instead want to sell products and services, make more money, and grow your business, you should avoid driving you customers away. By knowing […]
customers, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales
One of the most effective ways to get a prospect to try a new product is to have it recommended by a friend. There are a couple of big advantages to using this kind of feedback. First, friends listen to friends and trust their opinions and recommendations more than they do an obvious advertisement. Second, […]
customers, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales, word-of-mouth
They’re already waiting… If you have customers, you have a group of people with credit cards in hand WAITING to buy something from you. YOU MUST offer them something! If you don’t, it would be like you going to a store and seeing something that you’d like to buy, but when you went to pay […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales