Multichannel Magic

Every marketing and sales channel is bound to customer relationship care with a force as strong as the gravity that binds planets to the sun. Resistance to the force reduces revenue and increases operational costs.

Our depiction of the marketing solar system shows the different channels rotating the customer relationship care at equal distance. In reality, distances vary depending on corporate culture, seasonality, and business structure. Some companies don’t have a direct sales team; others don’t have stores, or haven’t entered mobile marketing.

It doesn’t matter the quantity of channels or their closeness to the customer. You can design your solar system to meet your company needs. What matters is the level of care provided. Make your customers feel like they are the center of everything that matters to you and they will continue to help your company grow.

Note: Special thanks to @casudi who suggested that I write this post in a #blogchat conversation on Twitter.

Expectations are a funny thing. You often receive exactly what you expect. It doesn’t matter whether you expect the best or the worst. This is especially true when the expectations are applied to people’s behavior.

Several years ago, my family had a Halloween scheduling dilemma. We were invited to a party that conflicted with the time most children visited our home in Atlanta. After careful consideration, I came up with a solution – a self-serve treat station. I created a sign that read, “Happy Halloween! Thank you for stopping by. Please take one candy bar for each person.”

My plan was to place a chair on my porch with the sign on the back. A large bowl filled with one hundred candy bars would be on the seat. Since we normally had 80-90 tricksters, everyone should get one. When I started setting it up, my husband laughed at me. And, then he laughed some more. And, even more.

When he finally stopped laughing, he told me that for a smart person I could do some really foolish things. After all, didn’t I know that the first child would pick up the bowl and dump it in his or her bag?

No, I didn’t know that because [click to continue…]

Everyone loves to hate the “But, wait…There’s MORE!” commercials. It’s a rare soul who’ll admit to doing anything besides making fun of them. If you listen to the detractors, you have to wonder why they are still on the air. There is only one reason. They work.

Saying that they work is an understatement. They work really well. The combination of great copy and energetic promoters captures viewers’ attention and motivate a few to buy. Add the “But, wait…There’s MORE!” and the few become many. It’s those “free” gifts at the end that makes the difference.

It’s a simple strategy that is wildly successful: [click to continue…]

A post on Hubspot Blog explained “Why Direct Mail Can’t Help Your Business Grow” and recommends that you stop mailing your promotional pieces. When I first read it, I thought about commenting. There were so many points that needed correcting.

I thought about explaining how good direct marketers can predict response rates within fifteen percent of the results to dispute the claim that direct marketing can’t be measured. Great direct marketers can get within five percent on a regular basis, but we’ll just stay with the good because there is no need to show off. The kumbaya folks wouldn’t get it anyway.

Quantitative analysis of response rates, sales, average order, inquiries, conversion rates, acquisition, retention, lifetime value, lifespan, and attrition requires more than an opinionated blog post or 140 characters. It requires analytical skills that that takes intensive study and due diligence to acquire. You can’t spend a few hours learning how to use a free tool to become an expert. [click to continue…]