At least twice a week I receive a call at work from a stock broker. The problem is not that I don’t think it’s a great idea to invest my daughter’s future on the advice of a guy I’ve never met, yet calls me by my first name, who rings me up to offer me a super-sweet opportunity that he’s not going to take advantage of himself. It’s not even that they’re bad sales guys. In fact, they’re usually pretty good...well at least they’re graduates of the Dale Carnie Institute. You can tell by the canned “If I told you I could get a 47% return would you say that was good?” lead in. The problem is that I do not invest in the stock market...ever.
The direct mail offers I get at home aren’t much better. Just last week I received a very expensive-looking piece from BMW. It informed me that I could FINALLY put myself into the pre-owned model of my choice. Why now? Because according to the creative “I’ve come a long way baby”. After breaking out a refreshing Virginia Slim I thought to myself...well...at least they got my car preference correct but they might want to suppress their customers before sending out a $6 direct mail piece that makes me want to light up and reminds me that I could have saved a bundle if only I’d been smart enough to buy used.
For me at least opt-in email, as a marketing vehicle, continues to get it right. I receive daily offers that are relevant to my business interests…mostly DM and list centric. But it’s not just business emails. ProFlowers, Sprint and countless others peak my consumer interests. So why is email succeeding where the other channels fail? Because like many other desk jockeys, it’s my channel of choice and I’m very active in it. Marketers that reach me via email have had the opportunity to learn from my responses. Unlike mail and telemarketing…I simply don’t respond (positively at least) so they haven’t been given the chance. Still, there is lesson to be learned for those terrestrial list marketers. Whether it’s the most basic of practices of suppressing your customers (duh) or suppressing non-responders…know your customers and know your prospects.
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