Synopses & Reviews
Marketing experts know that Direct Marketing is the single most effective way to sell products and services. Savvy corporations are reallocating money from advertising to all forms of Direct Marketing because they understand these campaigns sell billions of dollars of goods and services to consumers and businesses. And they sell everything from 25 cent plastic dinosaurs to machinery that costs a quarter of a million dollars. Direct Marketing can generate leads for sales forces, identify prospects, reward good customers, drive retail traffic, and revive dormant accounts. It is also the only form of marketing that is testable, trackable, and, when done the right way, always profitable.
In Response! Lois K. Geller, a leading expert in Direct Marketing offers all marketers, whether they work for small companies or large corporations, a strategy for creating and sustaining a profitable Direct Marketing program. Leading the reader through this program of planning, budgeting, forecasting, testing, building lists, choosing suppliers, selling overseas, and developing loyal customers, Geller explains how to create profitable direct mail packages, print ads, television and radio commercials, inbound and outbound telemarketing programs, and Internet campaigns. With scores of examples drawn from Ford Motor Company, Mercury Records, J. Peterman, American Express, 1-800-Flowers, and other companies, Response! is the authoritative source for Direct Marketing strategies and techniques.
Review
Jack Clissold
Executive Vice President, Ford Motor Credit Company
Finally -- a real world approach to the art of direct marketing. This book will be viewed as a milestone work as American industry moves toward "relationship marketing." No one has done more than Lois Geller to define direct marketing from a practical perspective.
Review
Karen Quinn
Vice President/Direct Marketing Education & Development, American Express
Finally, a direct marketing book with a benefit headline. It got your attention. Now read the book and find out how you can grab the attention of your customers.
About the Author
Lois K. Geller runs the Lois K. Geller Company Inc. in New York City and counts leading corporations from around the world, small businesses, and entrepreneurs among her clients. Before starting her own company, she worked for three of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Geller is active in the Direct Marketing Association and teaches Direct Marketing at New York University and at several large companies. She is the winner of a gold ECHO Award, eight Andy Awards, and several gold CDMA RSVP Awards.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Special Acknowledgment
Introduction
1. Why Go Direct?
The Advantages of Direct Marketing \ Dispelling Direct Marketing Myths \ A Direct Marketing Success Story \ And the Survey Says... \ The $200 Hot Buyer Incentive \ Adapt the Concepts to Fit Your Business \ Choosing a Product to Sell \ The Small-Firm Advantage \ Play Up Your Personality \ The DM Questionnaire
2. Elements of an Effective Offer
What Makes a Good Offer? \ Offer Options \ Testing: The Ultimate Opinion Poll \ Checklist
3. Identifying Your Customers
Compiled Lists \ Direct Response Lists \ How to Choose a List \ Creative List Planning \ Using a List Broker \ List Maintenance and Computer Service Bureaus \ Target Your Ideal Prospects with Database Marketing \ Prioritize Your List with RFM \ Checklist
4. Creative Techniques for Successful Direct Mail Packages
The Direct Mail Advantage \ The Outer Envelope \ Envelope Success
Stories \ The Letter \ Six Strategies for Winning Copy \ More Winning Words \ Typography and Design \ Letter Success Stories \ The Brochure \ The Order Form \ Order Form Success Story \ The Business Reply Envelope \ Keep Your Printing Costs in Mind \ Seasonality \ Checklist
5. Distinctive Direct Response Advertising
Setting Clear Objectives \ Location, Location, Location \ Working Within Your Budget \ How to Make Your Ad Stand Out from the Crowd \ The Copy \ Get the Most for Your Advertising Dollars \ Checklist
6. Catalog Connections
A Tool for Serious Marketers \ The Catalog Boom \ Make a Statement with Your Catalog \ Develop a Catalog Plan \ What Goes Where \ Pricing the Catalog \ What's the Good Word? \ Writing Effective Copy \ Capture Your Readers' Attention with Snappy Headlines! \ Catalog Art \ Make It Easy to Order \ Checklist
7. Fulfilling Orders and Expectations
Who's Fulfilling What? \ Prefulfiliment Essentials \ The First Step: Order Entry \ Sending Out the Goods \ Using Outside Services \ Shipping Delays andthe Mail Order Rule \ Regulations on Selling Through the Mail \ Checklist
8. Costs and Mail Order Math
Determine Your Promotion Costs \ Finding the Break-Even Point \ How to Calculate the Break-Even Point for a Direct Response Ad \ Analyzing Catalog Sales \ Analyzing List Results \ Checklist
9. Planning Your Campaign
Background \ Objectives \ Strategy \ Tactics \ Ballpark Estimates \ Contingency Plans \ Timetable \ A Sample Marketing Plan \ Use Your Marketing Plan as a Reference Guide \ Checklist
10. Loyalty Programs: Frequent Flyers, Frequent Buyers
High-Quality Products \ Extraordinary Customer Service \ Ongoing
Communication \ Calculating Long-Term Value \ Staying in for the Long Haul \ Keep It Fresh and Fun \ Other Loyalty Program Success Stories \ Partnership Programs \ Checklist
11. Direct Marketing for Big Business
Big-Business Advantages \ The Challenges Big Businesses Face \ Finding Solutions \ Big-Business Success Stories \ Checklist
12. Direct Marketing for Small to Midsize Businesses
One Case Study: Smart Research = Small-Business Success \ The Top Ten List: Ten Secrets to Small-Business Success \ Keep Your Vision in Mind \ Checklist
13. Twenty-first-Century Direct Marketing
Building Future Relationships One at a Time \ Back to the Future: Improving Customer Service \ Loyalty Programs: The "Mom and Pop" of the Twenty-first Century \ Aftermarket Selling \ Direct Response Radio \ Direct Response Television \ Selling on the Internet \ Jumping on the Net: Pros and Cons \ Case Studies: Successes on the Internet \ Checklist
14. Direct Marketing Around the World
Regions of Opportunity: Canada, England, and Ireland \ Europe \ Japan \ China \ Southeast Asia \ Australia \ Latin America and Mexico \ The Mechanics of Overseas Campaigns \ Checklist
15. The Successful Marketer
Feasting on Direct Marketing Success \ Characteristics of Success \ You Are Not Alone...
Glossary
Appendix: Direct Marketing Resource Directory
Index