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
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. […]
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
Creating a good buying experience will make your customers come back to you over and over. If your customers are happy with their purchases and their overall experience, you’ll have no problem getting them to buy other products and services from you in the future. But if their experience was bad, they’ll most likely never […]
customers, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, lifetime-value, LTV, positive-experience, sales
Even if your business never extends across US borders, you can learn something from the sales techniques in China. I’m fascinated by China’s role in the world. They have a love/hate relationship with a lot of countries – especially ours. I took my family to China a many years ago because we were adopting a […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, profit, quick-tips, sales