http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com Ideas, news and information to make your marketing job easier Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:53:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en So you've got a list of your customers. But what do you really know about them?I'm always shocked when I speak to marketers who think they know who their customers are, but can't answer simple questions like:What percent of your customers are male vs. female?How many of your customers have ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2007/09/who-are-your-customers/ A colleage is fond of telling anyone who'll listen, "You haven't started selling until you hear the word 'No'." Let's face it: anyone can take an order. A customer calling for a repeat order doesn't require a lot of skill. But once the prospect declines your offer, the real selling ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/11/keep-in-touch/ No matter your politics, please take a moment to consider the precious right you have to participate in your government—a right that was made all the more precious by lives sacrificed to ensure it. Please don't cheapen those sacrifices by wasting the opportunity. Vote. http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/11/todays-the-day/ Wendy Maynard is talking about what she calls "Tiny Spoon Marketing" and it's a great piece:When you walk into an ice cream store and look at all of the flavors, it can be a bit overwhelming. So, you ask for a taste. And they give you a little bit of ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/11/want-a-sample/ Every year, the staff at Webster's New World College Dictionary hold a Word-of-the-Year contest to find the word or phrase that best shows the times we live in and the changes the English language goes through.According to SmartPhoneToday, the lexicographers and researches chose the word "CrackBerry". While the tongue-in-cheek term ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/11/choose-your-words-wisely/ Developing and making use of your own in-house database of prospects and customers can be very lucrative. Which means that if it was easy, everyone would be doing it—and doing it well. Of course, we know that's not the case. Courtesy of Chief Marketer, here's a quick round-up of Arthur Hughes's ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/10/nine-deadly-sins-in-database-marketing/ According to Direct Marketing Association President & CEO, John A. Greco Jr., the direct marketing industry's sales will reach $1.939 trillion, an increase of  7.4% over last year. "Direct marketing-driven sales now make up 10.3% of the GDP." Is it time to get your piece of the pie? http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/10/direct-marketing-on-the-rise/ Sometimes asking for a sale right away isn't the best thing you can do. Often, your prospects need more information or don't have a need for your product or service right now. But if they're interested, they're certainly more valuable as a prospect than anyone on a list you're planning ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/10/build-your-own-prospecting-list/ That phrase conjures up the idea of too many customers for most people. But that's not what I'm going to write about here. I'm thinking more about the idea of knowing who your customers are and, specifically, where they live or work (depending on whether they are businesses or consumers). If ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/09/where-are-all-these-customers-coming-from/ See if you can figure out what this means: Lessor shall be entitled at its absolute discretion to vary the proportion of the Service Costs payable by the Lessee as defined in clause 1(n) in the event of rights being granted pursuant to the terms of paragraph 5 of the Fifth ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/09/stop-complicating-your-communications/ Unsolicited credit offers are irking politicians in the UK, some of whom are calling for increased regulation. Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: "Junk mail selling washing powder is irritating and wasteful. But junk mail that encourages people to make decisions that can lead to losing their houses is altogether ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/09/credit-card-and-loan-junk-mail-under-fire/ Arguably the most important copy in your mailpiece is the teaser copy that will appear on the outside envelope. Teasers can, of course, be used elsewhere (as a headline to your letter, for example). But the most common place they're used is on the envelope. This is where you give ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/09/imagine-your-marketing-piece-being-read-by-everyone-who-receives-it/ Learning more about your customers is all well and good, but what if you don't have a list of your customers at all? Short answer: Start Building One Now! The 80/20 rule states that 80 percent of your business comes from 20% of your customers. Can you afford not to market to ... http://directmarketing.blogs.inforefinery.com/index.php/2006/09/dont-know-your-customers-at-all/