FACULTEIT LETTEREN EN WIJSBEGEERTE

ACADEMIEJAAR 2007 - 2008

Direct Marketing and mailing at Voka –

Chamber of Commerce West Flanders

Elien Loncke

Scriptie voorgelegd aan de Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte tot het behalen van het diploma

van Master in de meertalige bedrijfscommunicatie.

Promotor: Prof. Dr.G. Jacobs

2

Table of contents

Table of contents ....................................................................................................................................... 2

Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... 5

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 6

1. Presentation of the company and the department .................................................................................. 7

1.1 The name ......................................................................................................................................... 7

1.2 Corporate identity ............................................................................................................................. 7

1.4 Structure of the company ............................................................................................................... 12

1.5 Products, services .......................................................................................................................... 15

1.6 Clients ........................................................................................................................................... 22

1.7 Competitors .................................................................................................................................... 23

1.8 SWOT ............................................................................................................................................ 26

2. Theoretical frame: Direct Marketing, and more specific mailing letters ................................................ 27

2.1 The choice of this subject ............................................................................................................... 27

2.2 What is direct marketing? ............................................................................................................... 28

2.3 Mailings .......................................................................................................................................... 33

2.4 Conclusion and overview ............................................................................................................... 42

3. My tasks during my internship .............................................................................................................. 44

3.1 Direct Marketing and mailings at Voka ........................................................................................... 44

3

3.2 Communication campaign .............................................................................................................. 52

3.3 Additional tasks .............................................................................................................................. 56

4.What I learnt the past year… ................................................................................................................ 57

During my internship ............................................................................................................................ 57

During my MTB-studies ........................................................................................................................ 57

Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 59

Internal sources ................................................................................................................................... 59

Theoretical works ................................................................................................................................. 59

Websites .............................................................................................................................................. 59

Attachments ............................................................................................................................................. 61

4

Onderneming Stagebegeleiders Departement Taken Talen Periode

Voka-Kamer

van

Koophandel

West-

Vlaanderen

Dhr. Brian Legein

Mevr. An

Vanhauwaert

Menselijk kapitaal

Ondernemerschap

PLATO

Meewerken aan een

communicatieproject

CRM

Nederlands 21/04/2008

Tot

10/06/2008*

* Deze scriptie handelt enkel over de periode die loopt van 21/04 tot 30/05

5

Acknowledgements

In the first place I want to express my gratitude towards Brian Legein and An Vanhauwaert, my

traineeship supervisors, for the warm welcome, the guiding during my internship and the useful

advice and help.

I also want to thank Britte, Charlotte, Els, Kaat, Lieselot, Rita and all other employees at Voka

for their friendliness and giving me a welcome feeling.

Thirdly I want to mention a word of thank to Mister Luc De Bie, for his constant efforts for us, his

enthusiasm and useful advice during the past year.

Finally I would like to thank my parents, brother and Christophe for helping and encouraging me

during my entire studies at the university. Their love, support and patience meant and mean the

world to me.

6

Introduction

In November 2007 I started to look for an organization where I could do my work practice.

Thanks to Mister Luc De Bie we received a list with a lot of organizations willing to take interns.

One offer immediately attracted my attention, namely the internship at Voka - Kamer van

Koophandel West-Vlaanderen. I knew this organization rather well, and also the tasks described

in the file looked promising. Further on it seemed like a good experience and steppingstone for

my later career, seen that I got to know more about the business world and entrepreneurship.

In this dissertation I will try to give an overview of my internship at Voka – Kamer van

Koophandel West - Vlaanderen combined with a theoretical background and some matter-of-fact

info about Voka.

In a first chapter I will present the name, corporate identity, history, structure, products and

services, clients and competitors of Voka – Kamer van Koophandel West-Vlaanderen. I will wind

up this chapter with a SWOT-analysis of Voka.

The second chapter is a theoretical approach of direct marketing and more specific the mailing

letter. By means of theoretical literature about direct marketing and mailings, I try to give a

global overview of direct marketing and mailings.

In the third chapter the theory gets matched to the practical side. I will analyze some mailing

letters that were written by employees of Voka and do small suggestions and recommendations to

improve these mailings.

In the fourth chapter I will discuss the influence of MTB on my internship and on my overall

development.

7

1. Presentation of the company and the department

1.1 The name1

The name VOKA is an acronym with evocative meaning, but without any specific full name or

form. VOKA is always followed by either Vlaams Economisch Verbond2 or Chambers of

Commerce (see 1.3 History).

For example: Voka – Kamer van Koophandel West-Vlaanderen. The “V” stands for „VEV‟3, The

“O” refers to „ondernemingen‟(enterprises), „onafhankelijk‟ (independent),„ondernemend‟

(enterprising) and „ondernemingsvriendelijkklimaat‟ (entrepreneurial friendly climate).The “K”

stands for „Kamers van Koophandel‟ (Chambers of Commerce) and „krachtig‟ (powerful). The

“A” refers to „alle ondernemingen en sectoren‟ (all enterprises and sectors).

1.2 Corporate identity

Voka is a Flemish network of numerous companies. Voka represents 18.000 companies. More

concrete this means that Voka represents 62 % of the added value in Flanders and also 62 % of

the private employment opportunities. In total more than 900.000 people are a member of the

Voka network. There is cooperation with 24 sectors. Voka tries to provide an agreeable climate

for all entrepreneurs and looks after the interests of his members.

Voka West-Flanders has 3750 members. The mission of Voka sounds as follows:

Voka - kamer van Koophandel West-Vlaanderen wil als het meest nabije,

invloedrijke en professionele netwerk van ondernemers en de representatieve

organisatie van ondernemingen in Vlaanderen een optimaal kader creëren voor

succesvol ondernemen en wil aldus fundamenteel bijdragen tot welvaart en

welzijn van de regio.4

1 Internal forum: www.kamerwvl.info/forum 2 Flemish economical union 3 Vlaams Economisch Verbond, an organization that merged with the Kamers van Koophandel to Voka (see 1.3) 4 www.voka.be , translation: Voka- Chamber of Commerce West Flanders, wants as the closest, most influential and professional network of entrepreneurs, to create an optimal situation for successful undertaking. They want to contribute to the prosperity and welfare of the region.

8

Voka is indeed the closest network seen that they have several offices in every province. They are

also influential. Voka has an important lobby wing that already succeeded in influencing local

and federal authorities. A recent example of this influence is the fact that Voka succeeded in

convincing the federal authorities to postpone the decision to do away with the lower labour cost

for French cross-border workers. A lot of West Flemish entrepreneurs have difficulties finding

workers willing to work in a production department. A lot of French workers are willing to work

in Belgium. Thanks to a favourable regulation, these cross-border workers make 10% more than

they would in their country. The federal government had plans to change this arrangement at the

beginning of 2009. A lot of West Flemish entrepreneurs fear to lose a lot of French cross-border

workers due to this decision. That is why Voka lobbied and convinced the government to

postpone their decision. Now, Voka has time to figure out his next move. (see attachment 13)

Also the last statement is correct, they are indeed professional. The employees of Voka are

scanned carefully and all have professional background.

The four major cornerstones for Voka - Kamer van Koophandel are „netwerking‟ (networking),

„belangenbehartiging‟ (lobby), „opleiding‟ (training) and „dienstverlening‟ (services). The

cornerstones are presented in the scheme below. In this scheme the two fundamental axes why

any enterprise would join Voka are presented.

A first axis is that of advantage-power: an enterprise tries to attain advantages by becoming a

member of Voka, or they try to strengthen their influence by joining a group of like-minded

people.

The second axis is that of individual-group: An enterprise aims at achieving advantages for

himself or for his group.

Voka promises actions for each combination in the scheme5:

- Individual – advantage: this entrepreneur hopes that his membership will develop in

advantages, as for example finding new customers. For these individuals Voka provides

5 Internal brochure

9

courses and services. Voka assists them on the international market, helps them to

innovate and to expand their talents.

- Group – advantage: These entrepreneurs want to build up a network and exchange

information. For these people Voka provides a network of business people and experts.

- Individual – power: These entrepreneurs find it very important that Voka represents

enterprises when important political and economical decisions are made. To provide this,

Voka has a lobby department that lobbies with the local, provincial, Flemish and federal

authorities.

- Group – power: These entrepreneurs desire that Voka protects their interests, like for

example finding new infrastructure. For these people Voka provides information and

helps them with all kinds of initiatives.

Figure that illustrates the different services of Voka – Chamber of Commerce West Flanders6

6 Translated from internal PowerPoint presentation

Respect for the

enterprising

Information and

advice

Representation on a

Flemish and local

level

Access to a unique

network of

entrepreneurs

group

power

individual

advantage The entrepreneur

10

1.3 History of VOKA

The employers‟ organization Voka is the result of the cooperation between the Chambers of

Commerce (Kamers van Koophandel) and the VEV (Vlaams Economisch Verbond). Therefore I

will treat the most important events in the history of these two organizations up until their merger

in 2002.

1.3.1 Chambers of Commerce7

Inspired by organizations in France a first initiative to protect the needs and interests of

employers arises in Flanders at the end of the 17th

century. The first Chamber of Commerce8 was

founded in 1667 in Bruges. The Chamber of Commerce in Kortrijk was founded in 1804 on

behalf of the French.

Seen that the Chambers of Commerce were rather powerful during the end of the 18th

century,

many political leaders tried to have a say in it. During the reign of Napoleon the Chambers of

Commerce were abolished. In 1802, Napoleon made this decision obsolete and he reinstated the

Chambers in 22 important cities. After the French reign Flanders got conjoined with the Northern

Netherlands to form the Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden. King William I maintained the

Chambers but used them as elements in his central politics. The Belgian Revolution did not cause

important changes in the structure or function of the Chambers.

For several years the Chambers of Commerce were able to function in a calm way up until the

1870‟s. A monument of the liberal movement, Walthere Frere-Orban, started to criticize the

Chambers very sharply. He accused them of losing all their dynamism and believed they had no

further use. In 1875 the Chamber of Representatives voted for the abolition of the Chambers.

A couple of years later a new organization with the same name arose up on the ruins of the old

chambers. During the first World War, the activities of the Chambers were reduced to a

minimum. After the Second World War it became clear that the Chambers of Commerce would

have to adapt to the challenges the ever-changing global economical situation had to offer. The

7 Based on internal brochure and forum. 8 The official name then was : Kamer van Koophandel en Nijverheid

11

Chambers reformulated their goals and values. They stated to become the regional centre for

entrepreneurs.

1.3.2 Voka:: Vlaams Economisch Verbond9

The second component of the resulting coordinating organization Voka is the VEV, short for

Vlaams Economisch Verbond. The history of this organization does not take us back as far as the

Chambers of Commerce did, as we can situate the origins of the VEV in the early decades of the

20th century. There is an important link between the VEV and the Vlaamse Beweging. From its

birth in 1926, the VEV is tied to the Flemish movement, as its mission statement encompasses

the economic interests of the Flemish population and society within the larger Belgian entity. The

first formulated aim of the VEV is to help and support the Flemish part in the economic rise of

the country. The great leader of the formation and also first president of the VEV was Lieven

Gevaert, who saw his organization expanding very rapidly: from 150 members in 1926 to 965

members in 1930.

Problems for the VEV start to arise around 1930. These problems are a consequence of the global

economical crisis caused by the First World War. But the real problems start with the beginning

of the Second World War. In this period the VEV looses a lot of his relevance because they are

not able to influence the war economy. It becomes even worse when the VEV is also unable to

prevent the majority of the Marshall funds from going to the French speaking part of Belgium.

In the seventies many people were at the same time member of the VEV and of a Chamber of

Commerce. This leads to a first degree of cooperation: the VEV would remain the voice of the

corporate world on Flemish level, whereas the Chambers of Commerce would be the voice on a

local level. In the ensuing decades, several more overtures were attempted between the

Chambers of Commerce and the VEV.

1.3.3. The merger, the birth of Voka

9 Translated and summarized from: Meyvis L., Markt en Macht, Het VEV van 1926 tot heden, Lannoo, 2004

12

The real breakthrough in the merger between these two organizations can be situated in 2001, as

the Chambers of Commerce and the VEV came together under one coordinating name: Voka.

The aim of this new organization was to be the representative employer‟s organization to

promote Flemish interests while maintaining local recognizability. On 2 December 2002:

approval of the organization arrangement (1 chairperson, 1 board of governors, 1 management

board). A mutual declaration of intent was drawn up on 21 February 2002, and in December 2003

Voka officially commenced its activities. Despite this merger and mutual name, it is important to

note that both original organizations still function as semi-separate entities: Voka - Kamers van

Koophandel on the one hand and Voka - VEV on the other hand.

1.4 Structure of the company

1.4.1 Geographical structure

The map below gives an overview of all Chambers of Commerce in Flanders. As you can see,

there are eight Chambers of Commerce in Flanders. Every Chamber on his part has several

departments. West Flanders has six Chambers. But as discussed in the interview (attachment 15)

it is possible that some of them will disappear in the future.

During my internship the decision that all Chambers of Commerce in West Flanders would come

together got published in the newspapers. The article is added in attachment (10 and 11). Voka

West Flanders will build a new building in Kortrijk, where all services will be centralized. The

Chamber of Commerce in Brugge will serve as a representative center. The Chambers of

Commerce in Oostende, Veurne, Ieper-Diksmuide and Roeselare-Tielt will disappear by 2010.

13

Voka – Chamber

of Commerce

West Flanders

Brugge

Kortrijk

Veurne

Ieper

Oostende

Roeselare

Voka – Chamber

of Commerce

East Flanders

Oudenaarde

Dendermonde

Gent

Aalst

Voka – Chamber

of Commerce

Halle-Vilvoorde

Vilvoorde

Voka-Chamber

of Commerce of

the department

Leuven

Voka – Chamber

of Commerce

Antwerpen-

Waas

Antwerpen

Sint-Niklaas

Voka- Chamber

of Commerce

Kempen

Geel

Voka-Chamber

of Commerce

Mechelen

Voka – Chamber

of Commerce

Limburg

Hasselt

14

1.4.2 Organizational structure

As can be seen in the organization chart below some services are coordinated on the Flemish

level, while others are organized on a local level. I worked on the „lerend netwerk‟ (learning

network) wing.

Voka has a general management and a board of directors that controls all Voka offices. On his

turn each office has its own director. In West Flanders that is Mister Jo Libeer.

Some departments such as the lobby department work together with all offices if they want to

influence federal authorities. When the lobby department wants to achieve something on a more

local level they work independently.

All other department work independently. The only thing they do a couple of times a year is sit

together with their colleagues to exchange ideas. A good example of this is the new PLATO

image that is now introduced in West Flanders (see chapter 3). While all other provinces still use

the old image. The organization chart of Voka10

10 Internal PowerPoint presentation

15

1.5 Products, services

Voka West Flanders offers several services on numerous economical domains.

As mentioned above, the four major cornerstones for Voka-Kamer van Koophandel are services

(dienstverlening), lobby (belangenbehartiging), networking (netwerken) and training (opleiding).

Below I will discuss the products or actually the services of Voka, and I will subdivide them

according to the cornerstone they belong.

1.5.1 Dienstverlening (services)

Wettelijke Formaliteiten en Adviesverstrekking (Legal formalities and advice)

Voka offers advice and support concerning „vennootschapsrecht‟(company law),

„wettelijkeformaliteiten‟ (Legal formalities) and „opstartformaliteiten‟(formalities for a

start up). The main target groups for this service are accountants, „fiscalisten‟ (tax

specialists) and the members of Voka. For all subscriptions and changes in the

„Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen‟, the enterprises can go to Voka.

Verkoop adressenbestand (the sale of the address file)

Voka offers its database to its members. As an enterprise you can find all useful

information here. The database is kept up to date thanks to inquiries by their members and

in companies with more than 5 employees. You have to pay for every consultation of the

database

Oorsprongsattesten en ATA (certificates of origin and ATA)

Voka provides documents for export. An „oorsprongscertificaat‟ (certificate of origin)

informs where the economical origin of the to be exported product lies. An

„oorsprongsattest‟ (certificate of origin) is for permanent or long-term exports, an ATA is

for temporary exports.

Financiële informatie (financial information)

16

Members of Voka can look into the financial information of their customers. For this

service they have to pay a small remuneration.

Globalsign

If you want to do your taxes online, you can receive a digital certificate from Voka.

Flanders Tradelink

Flanders Tradelink is an international department of Voka West Flanders. The main

purpose of Flanders Tradelink is to guide enterprises on the international market. They

want to assist international companies with the mutation to a global economy. This also

means that they promote „free trade‟, international trade, as well import as export,

announcements, prospecting, cooperation proposals till even the investing to export.

Tradelink is organized by the constant building on an international network and by

providing a network to entrepreneurs who work international.

Startersbegeleiding West-Vlaanderen ( starter‟s guidance)

In this projects Voka assists people who want to begin with a company or people who just

began with the start up of an own company. Voka assists them with their administrative

tasks. They also share their expertise with these young potentials.

Globus- internationale businessclubs

Voka helps companies with international ambitions to play a more important role in

several new markets. The key here is networking and the exchange of experiences.

1.5.2 Netwerking (networking)

Ondernemersontmoetingen ( meetings of entrepreneurs)

During these moments entrepreneurs meet each other in an informal atmosphere. Voka

organizes several of these moments to give entrepreneurs the chance to meet each other.

Some examples are „Vo-kafé‟, a business café where the Voka-members come together

with the policy makers, „Thuisbijondernemers‟ and „Trefzones‟.

17

Bedrijvencontactdagen (company meeting days)

Bedrijvencontactdagen(company meeting days) is a project that takes place every two

years in Kortrijk Xpo. The purpose is that young, SME‟s and multinationals have the

ability to meet each other here. For this project Voka works together with other

institutions.

Voka sportdag (Voka sports day)

This is a sportive outdoor game for company teams of 4 players and 1 coach. It gives

employees the chance to show what they are worth when it comes to sports.

Familiedag (family day)

An informal contact day in an informal environment where the members of Voka and

their employees can meet each other.

Nieuwjaarsreceptie (New Year‟s reception)

This is a reception for all members of Voka. Here all members and the Voka personnel

mix and mingle.

1.5.4 Belangenbehartiging (lobby)

Bedrijfsvriendelijke gemeente (entrepreneurial friendly city)

The purpose of this project is to detect the problems between enterprises and cities.

Through inquiries Voka tries to draw a picture of where the problems lie for both parties.

Then they try to offer solutions that can improve the local economical entrepreneurial

environment and the communication between the city and the enterprises.

Westindex

Westindex can be considered as the economical barometer in Flanders. Twice a year

Voka contacts several companies and asks them reoccurring socio-economical questions

and some thematic and up to date questions. The results are then treated in a paper,

accessible to all members.

18

1.5.2 Opleiding (training)

Lerende netwerken (learning networks)

Voka considers their learning networks as their core business. They communicate these

networks as their USP. In the learning networks the main purpose is to share knowledge

with kindred spirits. The starting point for conversations here is practice. The participants

get answers to concrete practical questions. These meeting take place in a confidential and

honest surrounding. By bringing together kindred spirits in a competition free

surrounding, they can learn quick and efficient from the experience of colleagues and they

can build up a network. There are several learning networks in Voka West Flanders. I will

describe them shortly.

A first one is the lerende Netwerk HR-Professionals. Here the West Flemish HR

- professionals can exchange concrete experiences and practical tips concerning

human resources management.

The purpose of het lerende Netwerk BRYO is to promote the enterprise to

„Bright Young entrepreneurs‟. They want to stimulate young entrepreneurs with

ambitions to grow as much as possible.

The purpose of het lerende Netwerk Energie is to reduce the loss of energy in a

company. Thanks to the professional network, entrepreneurs get the chance to

professionalize their energy management.

In het lerende Netwerk Innovatiemanagment, Voka assists companies with the

management of their innovation actions and they help the companies with the

annex of a good innovation strategy.

Het lerende Netwerk Kaderleden was started up on demand of some enterprises.

The purpose of this network is to exchange experience, knowledge, insights and

ideas between the staff members of big enterprises and SME ?in order to attain

better results in less time.

19

In het lerende Netwerk Management Assistants the management assistants

from diverse companies and sectors meet each other to exchange experiences and

to gain insights about their function as management assistant.

In het lerende Netwerk Meestergasten, the west Flemish foremen get the

opportunity to share experiences and ask question to kindred spirits.

Lerend Netwerk Productiechefs, is a network in which quality, productivity,

safety and people skills are the central themes. All people in charge for a

production division come together to discuss these themes and exchange

experiences.

Het Lerende Netwerk Multinationals tries to provide plant managers with

information about dealing with the labor market, how to deal with the authorities,

dealing with head quarters and also how to deal with other factor like reputation,

syndicates and schools.

PLATO is also one of the learning networks, but is a bit different than the other

ones. PLATO directs itself towards entrepreneurs, while the other networks above

direct themselves towards employees.

IVONNE is just as PLATO a learning network for entrepreneurs, but focuses on

female entrepreneurs.

I did my internship in the training department of Voka. More specifically I worked in the human

capital department. Seen that I worked in that department I will go into these product in more

detail.

The department where I did my internship can be structured as follows:

20

The department human capital (menselijk kapitaal) tries to invest in people and supports the

development and growth of employees and entrepreneurs. Almost all learning networks (lerende

netwerken) are a part of human capital, there are some exceptions such as the business clubs that

focus on international trading. These learning networks belong to international entrepreneurial

ship (international ondenemen) . Human capital is divided into two parts, namely, talent (talent)

and entrepreneurship (ondernemerschap. The learning networks belonging to talent invest in

people who are active as employees in enterprises. This can be different kinds of functions, such

as HR-professionals, sales managers, managers, … The other wing, that of entrepreneurial ship

brings managing directors together in their learning networks. In entrepreneurship there are two

subdivisions, namely PLATO and IVONNE. IVONNE concentrates on female entrepreneurs,

while PLATO has members of both sexes. I did my internship mainly for PLATO. PLATO

provides several services for entrepreneurs. The learning networks they offer deal with several

topics.

21

PLATO multithematisch is a learning network in which several topics are treated. The topics can

vary from topics about energy, ethics and financial aspects. The other PLATO- networks can be

grouped under the name PLATO mono. Mono, descending from the Greek word monos (one),

implies that all sessions are about one specific theme such as financial topics, topics about

personnel, sales topics or strategic topics. PLATO plus forms an exception, this is a service

offered to people who already participated in a PLATO network and want to build further. Just as

in PLATO multithematisch several topics are treated in these sessions.

The PLATO mono networks and PLATO plus last for one year, or 10 sessions. The PLATO

multithematisch network lasts for two years, or 20 sessions.

Jobkanaal

Jobkanaal helps enterprises with the recruitment of motivated candidates. The candidates

have a very specific profile, namely immigrants, people older than fifty and disabled

people.

Condor Finance

Condor finance is a project that helps enterprises to find money for their investments.

22

1.6 Clients11

Voka – Kamer van Koophandel West-Vlaanderen wants to reach various target groups. Voka

does not only aim at enterprises but also towards schools, the government and the labor market.

1.6.1 Enterprises

The main target groups here are all enterprises with 10 or more employees. Especially the B2B

businesses who have the desire to grow. Enterprises can decide to become a member of Voka or

not. To become a member the company has to pay a fee based on the turnover of the company. If

you are a member of Voka you have access to all activities and serviced of Voka. You also

receive a discount when you want to participate in one of the learning networks. A non-member

can also participate in some activities of Voka such as the learning networks, but a non-member

has to pay more than a member to participate.

Voka makes a first distinction between members and non-members. But they do not stop here,

they also subdivide the non-members into cold and hot prospects and ex-members. The cold

prospects are the companies where the account managers did not went yet. The hot prospects are

the people who have been visited and showed interest, but are not convinced yet. The account

managers try to follow – up the enterprises and see if there are eventual opportunities in the

future. The ex-members receive a mailing with all upcoming events and are also called up by a

call center.

1.6.2 Schools

By supporting several projects such as „mini ondernemingen‟ and „kid@Bizz‟ Voka tries to

stimulate entrepreneurship and bring schools closer together. It also serves to make the transition

between education and the labor market easier.

11 Information gathered by talking to one of Voka’s account managers

23

1.6.3 Government

Voka stays in close relation with the government. Voka keeps the local authorities up to date on

his activities and they attend activities organized by the authorities.

1.6.4 The labor market

Voka has a couple of projects that help companies with the recruitment of employees. These

projects are Jobkanaal, Bedrijven Contactdagen en Booming Business.

1.7 Competitors12

The most important competitors of Voka – Chambers of Commerce are: the sector organizations,

Unizo13

, VBO14

and VKW15

. Every organization has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some

excel more in other domains than others. I will discuss the competitors in relation with the

cornerstones of Voka: networking, defending of interests, services and training.

1.7.1 Netwerk

Most entrepreneurs only have a limited time span to invest in networking. Therefore we could

state that every network is actually a possible competitor. But in reality there are only a handful

competitors in the B2B environment.

1.7.1.1 Direct competitors

A. Unizo (Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers/ Union of Independent Entrepreneurs)

A first important competitor is Unizo. Unizo gives less weight to the concept of network, but

their great advantage is that they have a great visibility. Their core business is not the B2B but

the B2C environment.

12 Based on interview

13 www.unizo.be

14 www.vbo.be

15 www.VKW.be

24

B. VKW (Vlaamse Kristelijke Werkgeversorganisatie/ Flemish Christian Employer’s organization)

The network of VKW is more limited than Voka‟s. Their main advantage is the strong personal

connection with her members. The big disadvantage is the fact that they have a strong ideological

vision, which prevents many people to join the VKW network.

C. Federations of the different sectors

These organizations work federal and have less or no local seats, these factors make it more

difficult to form a coherent network. As Brian Legein also stated in the interview their biggest

advantage, the fact that they know a lot about a certain sector, is also their biggest disadvantage.

The network you can build up here is very limited. Every enterprise needs clients and contractors,

and that is very difficult to find if you do not have a network outside your own sector.

D. VBO (Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen/ Union of Belgian enterprises)

The VBO is an important competitor but not when concerning networking. Most members do not

see each other much. VBO‟s core business is looking for the interests of enterprises and

providing advice.

1.7.2 Belangenbehartiging (lobby)

1.7.2.1 Direct competitors

A.Unizo

In this aspect is Unizo a very strong competitor when concerning its strong federal structure, the

high membership rates and its strong marketing. The name Unizo has higher recognition than the

name Voka. Here the same comment as with networking can be made, they target the smaller

businesses.

B. Federations of the different sectors

Their biggest advantage here is the strong focus on the specific problems of the sector. Their

biggest advantage is at the same time their big disadvantage; their interest is rather narrow.

C. VKW

VKW does not have a department that takes care of the interests of enterprises.

25

D. VBO

The „Union of Belgian Enterprises‟ focuses on the protection of interests at federal level. They do

not really have strong local structures. Their target group here differs a bit from that of Voka.

They especially defend the interests of large companies, while most of Voka‟s members are

middle-sized companies.

1.7.3 Dienstverlening (services)

In this area Voka has a lot of competitors. All organizations or individuals who provide services,

advice and education can be considered as competitors, such as consultant organizations. Also the

most important competitors such as VKW, Unizo and VBO offer a lot of services to their

customers. In this area it is difficult for Voka to make a difference.

1.7.4 Opleiding (training)

1.7.4.1 Direct competitors

Actually all institutions that provide education for managers and business professionals can be

seen as competitors. The most import ones are Syntra West and Vlerick. When concerning de

lerende netwerken, Voka‟s USP there are two competitors.

A.Unizo

Unizo also brings entrepreneurs together to discuss certain topics. But here again the same

comment as with networking can be made, Unizo focuses on the smaller companies on the B2C

market, while Voka tries to reach the middle sized B2B companies. But the last years a clear shift

towards the SME-sector is visible. With themes who can be very useful for B2B SME‟s. That is

why Unizo is a direct competitor especially when concerning the small, fast growing

entrepreneurs.

B. VKW

26

Here the same disadvantage as with the networking, the network is smaller, so there are less

companies to join the lerendenetwerken. Also the themes treated here are different. VKW focuses

on rather general topics such as ethic undertaking and globalization, while the themes in „de

lerendenetwerken‟ of Voka are more specific. At Voka the participants of „de lerendenetwerken‟

can decide for themselves with themes will be treated in the sessions.

1.8 SWOT

This SWOT – analysis is based on my own findings during the analysis of the competitors and

the other aspects of Vokaand the comments made by my traineeship supervisors. I also used an

inquiry executed by Voka, which interrogated 1185 Flemish entrepreneurs about their satisfaction

over the different employers‟ organizations.

Voka has a lot of strengths. A first major strength is the fact that they have an extensive and

unique network; this is connected to the fact that their target group is more elaborate than that of

their competitors. They can provide their customers with a large network. Further on Voka has

strong local structures. Voka has an accurate and extensive client database, thanks to this

database they can follow-up their customers and give them the best services possible. In the

interrogation it became clear that entrepreneurs perceive Voka as being accessible, professional,

close, representative and directed towards the future.

Nonetheless Voka also has several weaknesses such as a weak brand awareness. Competitors

such as Unizo have stronger brand awareness. The fact that Voka has a weak brand awareness

can be seen as a consequence of another weakness namely the lack of a uniform communication.

Every department at Voka communicates by other means and with another style. Even in the

same department there is no unity. A good example of this are the different brochures used to

promote the lerende netwerken. The brochure for het lerende network BRYO (see 1.5) is in dark

blue and white, while that of PLATO is in brown and orange. No wonder people do not really

perceive Voka as „one brand‟.

Voka‟s federal structure is weaker than that of Unizo and VKW. The inquiry also showed that the

Flemish entrepreneurs think that Voka is not focused towards finding solutions.

27

There are still plenty of opportunities for Voka. A first opportunity is the uniform communication

that would also result in a higher brand awareness. Voka is trying to get all his communication

uniform. But it is a laborious process.

They can also invest in building stronger federal structures. What also deserves an effort is

customer loyalty. Voka has a growing amount of members, but it is not only important to recruit

new members. They also have to make sure that the members they already have stay loyal.

Voka has to keep in mind some threats such as the fact that their competitors score better on

advice than they do. Voka is very strong on the level of lerende netwerken, but Unizo now also

started a project for SME‟s that is comparable. Also when concerning networking they have to

keep in mind that VKW also is an important player here. In the image below I have schematized

the SWOT- analysis of Voka.

2. Theoretical frame: Direct Marketing, and more specific mailing letters

2.1 The choice of this subject

As described above Voka has a lot of services. For all these services they have to attract people

out of the business world. The Voka employees recruit people with several methods. The most

commonly used at Voka is the mailing letter. All departments at Voka send out mailings to

prospects and existing customers. There are however no clear guidelines to write these mailings.

Most people responsible for a certain department write these mailings according to their own

interpretation of a good mailing. That is why my supervisor of practical training asked me to

depict a theoretical frame of direct marketing and more specific of mailing letters. He claims that

well written and structured mailing letters are of paramount importance for an enterprise, seen

that it is the first step to convince people. After a conversation with Mister Luc De Bie, I decided

to test the theory by practical experience. My supervisor was enthusiastic about this idea and

gave me some recent mailings that I will compare to the theory in the third chapter.

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2.2 What is direct marketing?

2.2.1 Definitions and explanation

Direct marketing was born in the early sixties together with the marketing concept. Now, about

fourty years later, direct marketing is a popular term, used in a lot of different contexts. The term,

however, is not always applied in a correct way. In commonsense direct and digital marketing,

Drayton Bird gives the following definition of direct marketing:

Any advertising activity that creates and exploits a direct relationship between you and

your prospect or customer as an individual.16

The last word in that definition highlights the most important difference with advertising. While

advertising speaks to the mass, direct marketing tries to speak to people as individuals.

This concept of reaching the individual is the main purpose of direct marketing, Bird describes

this as follows:

To isolate your prospects and customers as individuals and build a continuing relationship

with them- to their greater benefit and your greater profit.17

If you want to accomplish this purpose, you have to find out how you can treat everybody as an

individual. In a first stage it is important to find out what makes each customer unique. When you

try to reach and convince a person you have to discover his likes and dislikes. After you are able

to get to an individual for the first time you have to try to construct a lasting relationship. A third

important thing to keep in mind is that you should not be afraid to test certain direct marketing

tools at first. Also Postma stresses the importance of testing your direct marketing tools. He does

not only attach great importance to the testing of the marketing tools, but he also stresses that it is

of paramount importance to measure the results of direct marketing:

16 Bird D., Commensense direct and digital marketing. Fifth edition, Kogan Page, 2007, p. 19

17 Bird D., Commensense direct and digital marketing. Fifth edition, Kogan Page, 2007 p. 23

29

Direct marketing is een vorm van gespecialiseerde marketing, die door middel van alle

directe communicatiemedia (correspondentie, advertenties, mailings, catalogi, telefoon,

beeldscherm) een structurele duurzame relatie organiseert en onderhoudt tussen

aanbieders en gesegmenteerde afnemers. Essentieel is daarbij het opwekken van meetbare

response en meetbare verkoop tegen meetbare kosten.18

In this definition all key words of direct marketing are mentioned; namely that direct marketing

serves to create a structural and more important lasting relation with the customer. The definition

also stresses that the customer is a segmented unity and that you have to measure response as

well as sales and costs.

There are several forms of direct marketing. Such as telemarketing, sales representatives, press

releases, newsletters. In this paper I will focus on one particular form of direct marketing, namely

the mailing. Seen that this is the common way of reaching clients at Voka-Kamer van

Koophandel West-Vlaanderen. I will treat digital mailing and paper mailings in this dissertation.

2.2.2 How to reach a client, prospect or suspect19

via direct mailing20

?

In the early beginnings of marketing and direct marketing, companies focused on production and

were not really occupied with the needs of the customer. Later on they realized that in order to

sell you had to keep the needs of the market in mind. This is what Postma calls first phase

marketing. In first phase marketing, clients are subdivided into segments. First phase marketing

mass media is used, and one-way communication. The last decade most companies use second

phase marketing. Second phase marketing does not direct itself to segments, but to each client as

an individual. In second phase marketing one-on-one communication, interactive communication

and response media is used. Voka wants to use the second phase marketing, because they strive

for one-on-one communication. That is why I will only discuss second phase direct marketing in

this dissertation.

18 Postma P., Handboek Direct Marketing 2.0, Kluwer, 2007, p 22

19 A prospect is somebody who has a lot of potential to become a client. A suspect is a person who has never been contacted, therefore you do not now whether he has potential or not to become a future client.

20 Translated and paraphrased from: Postma P., Handboek Direct Marketing 2.0, Kluwer, 2007, p. 41- 52

30

The key words for second phase marketing and Voka are customer value (the turnover generated

by one client), customer loyalty (how loyal is the customer), probability to buy (how much

chance is there that this particular client will buy this product),customer lifetime (how long will

he buy our products), customer satisfaction (how satisfied is the client), churn (how much

customers we lost the past year) and customer lifecycle (the events in the customers life we have

to take in mind, such as birthdays, marriages,..)

In second phase marketing all these key words have to be kept in mind. Postma constructed a

cycle in which all these key words are taken into account.

The figure below shows the process of second phase marketing. The process consists of eight

phases. The order of these phases can vary according to the company or product/service that is

offered.

The first step : The selection of clients, prospects and suspects

31

In this phase you have to attempt to identify accessible individuals. Then you have to define the

unity you are going to make contact with. This can be a company in general, or a certain

employee of that company, this can be personalized or not.

It is best when the target group is selected at random, with some basic criteria. According to

Postma it is not a good idea to try to select your target group according to so - called logical

assumptions. According to him, it has been proven in the past, that you cannot predict who will

be interested or not.

The second step : Giving an explicit form to your offer

This step differs according to the kind of product or service you are providing. If you have a fixed

product or service offer you will not have to do much in this phase. What you can do in this case

is thinking about giving special offers or discounts. If you do not have a fixed product/ service

range, you can make adjustments.

The third step: Choosing a method to convince the market.

Now, the target group and the product/ service one is going to provide is defined, one has to

decide how one is going to reach the clients, suspects and prospects. Postma states that in this

stage one can use three measurable marketing methods, namely, people, meters and media.

People are persons such as representatives, account managers and advisors, who go to a potential

buyer, trying to convince him to buy.

With meters Postma is referring to markets, shops, seminars and other places where the potential

client approaches the person or enterprise that offers the product/service.

With media he is targeting at all information carriers aiming at realizing a transaction, also

known at direct response media.

For a company it very important to make the correct combination of these three marketing

factors.

The fourth step: Convincing the market

32

Here Postma mentions three important key words, namely registration, measuring results and

reporting. Postma states that whatever marking method you use (people, meters or media) you

have to keep in mind these three key words.

Firstly registration is of paramount importance. If you use a certain marketing method or a

combination of marketing methods you have to register the costs you have made and how much

profit these costs generate. In a second step you have to measure the results. What is effective,

what is not? You have to make sure that the made investments are rewarding. In a last step there

is reporting. The people responsible for the different marketing methods have to sit together and

report to one another. Based on the results these people have to decide if they keep using the

same marketing methods or combination of marketing methods, or if adjustments have to be

made.

The fifth step: The perception by the market and target group

You have to ask yourself the question how the recipient perceives the marketing methods. In case

of marketing method people, this denotes, how does the recipient perceive my verbal skills and

body language. In the case of the marketing method meter, the customer has an opinion on the

decoration, the lighting, the presentation, etc.. For the marketing method media, lay-out and

language play an important role. With people and meter you can ask direct feedback from the

customer. With media this is extra complicated. Here you can do an audit or an inquiry with the

recipients.

The sixth step: Response

As an enterprise it is of paramount importance to follow-up all responses. You also have to try to

keep the responses on the different marketing methods separate. If there are questions from

recipients, you have to take care of these as soon as possible. This step can play in important role

in customer loyalty.

The seventh step: Fulfillment

33

Postma defines fulfillment as follows: “Fulfilment definiëren wij als geheel van activiteiten dat

moet worden uitgevoerd wanneer de aanvraag of opdracht van de klant is ontvangen.”21

Concrete

this entails that the customer expects you to do everything you promised, for example sending

brochures, making phone calls, Etc.

The eighth step: Data in the database

The last step is the input of all info and data in the database. Such data as, who did we contact,

who reacted, how did we do the follow-up and who bought eventually, are very important.

2.3 Mailings

2.3.1 First things first: Some general things to keep in mind when sending and writing mailings

2.3.1.1 Address file

A first and very important step in direct mailing is to make sure that you have a correct prospect

and target group. You have to collect an address file that is as extensive an up to date as possible.

Erik Van Vooren22

states that a good address file makes that you have up to 6 percent more

chance to succeed. A direct mailing has to be directed to one particular person, for example the

CEO, the secretary… This is also what was already mentioned above with direct marketing in

general; define your unity as precise as possible. An address file has to be more than just name,

address and phone number. The more you know about your customers the easier it gets to

persuade them. You have to make sure that your data are of an excellent quality. Erik Van

Vooren gives four important evaluation tips to make sure that your address file is up to date and

accurate. First, make sure that the data input is accurate; always check if the data are correct,

especially if the data came from different departments and sources. Gender for example is of

paramount importance. It highly unprofessional to address a person with madam if you are

addressing a man. Secondly, you have to check if all data are complete. In a third step you have

to make sure that the data are put in in a consistent way. A fourth aspect is the timing. If you put

21 Postma P., Handboek Direct Marketing 2.0, Kluwer, 2007, p 50 22 Paraphrased and translated from: Van Vooren E., Direct Marketing. Praktijkboek, Tips, cases en adviezen. Lannoocampus, 2006. P. 37 - 50

34

in certain dates, such as the birthday of the client, you have to be 100 % sure it is correct. If you

want to send out a special birthday mailing and she arrives on a totally different date, you do not

make a good impression.

2.3.1.2 Response card

A very important but highly underestimated part of the mailing is the answer or response card.

Mostly it is a simple card with a black and white printing. If you do not add a response card, it is

a missed opportunity. If you pay extra attention to this answer card you increase the chance to

receive an answer. The card has to be as remarkable as possible. Begin with a catchy title, make it

in an attractive form and lay-out and repeat your offer. The recipient will be more enthusiastic

and you will have a higher response rate.

35

Some useful tips for a good answer card can be23

:

If you send it via mail services, add an envelop

use color

use and unusual shape

use action devices (gifts)

put all useful info on the card, even when they threw away the letter, they still have all

relevant info

also offer a no – option

do not attach the response card to the brochure, but enclose the card as a separate

document

mention when the card has to be send back

personalize the response card. Mention the name of the receiver on the card

make sure that the receiver has to fill in as little as possible

2.3.1.3 Language of mailings

It is very important to write in an accessible language. Use colloquial and simple words. It is not

only important to attract the customer, but also language is an important aspect. As Professor

Jacobs24

explained, it is very important to use a language that is comprehensible by everyone. A

good starting point is trying to avoid words of more than 3 syllables. It is not because you use a

more simple language that you underestimate the intellectual capacities of the recipient. Erik Van

Vooren, a direct marketer, states that a lot of people believe that direct marketers do not consider

the intellectual capacities of the readers when they use simple language. He says that the more the

readers studied the more critical they are. These highly educated people believe that it is a

23 Paraphrased and translated from: Van Vooren E., Direct Marketing. Praktijkboek, Tips, cases en adviezen. Lannoocampus, 2006. P. 59 and Van Boogaert M., “Meer respons?”, van Dale Taalbrief, jaargang 3, November 1994, nr. 11 p1-2 24 Professor at Ghent University

36

question of contempt towards their intellect. However Van Vooren stresses that this is not at all

the case:

Wat intellectueel hoogopgeleide critici dikwijls over het hoofd zien, is dat wij werken in

een wereld van ongevraagd, actie gerichte communicatie. En dat in die wereld heel andere

spelregels gelden.25

He explains that Mark Van Bogaert already did the test. Kluwer Rechtswetenschappen had sent

out a mailing to notaries. Mark Van Bogaert rewrote the letter according to the mailing rules. A

split-run test proved that the „light‟ version scored better. The message comes across better when

written in colloquial language.

Van Boogaert also stresses that it is really important to use words that you would also use when

you are in a conversation. You have to write in the same manner you talk. This entails that you

should use short sentences, a lot of interrogative sentences, ellipses, imperatives and colloquial

testimonials.

The most commonly made mistake is trying to write an intellectual sale or prospect letter. When

using long-winded expressions, verbs transformed into substantives and „empty‟ verbs such as:

become, shall, can, have and want the reader will lose interest. A sales or prospect has to be

written in a fluent and colloquial language. A language containing a lot of verbs expressing

activity.

What is also important is to use the present tense instead of the past tense.

2.3.1.4 Structure and lay-out

Erik Van Vooren26

mentions that the first visual impression is the most important one. He states

that the subconscious forms a first impression in a twentieth of a second. That is also why you

have to use a clear and attractive structure and lay-out and start with the core message. He

advises not to use animated elements in your e-mail seen that this disturbs the reader. You have

to make sure that the mailing does not look like a classical ad. The reader reads and scans

25 www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=1898&uri=intellectuele_arrogantie.pdf

26 http://www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=189&uri=1seconde_tijdperk.pdf

37

according to an F- shaped pattern, as can be seen in the image below. A reader start to read at the

left hand side of the screen or paper and makes short jumps to the right every now and then. It is

always a good idea to keep this in mind when writing e-mails. Try to put the most important

information in this F. Another useful remark Van Vooren makes is that the text close or next to

images attracts a lot of attention. Therefore it is a good idea to limit the number ofimages you use

and put the core message around the images. For example when you have a logo, put the baseline

next or under it.

This image shows where the reader focuses on. The text close to images attracts most attention. Further on a reader

scans the text in an F-shape.

When you are writing a mailing you have to make sure that you are communicating on three

levels. The writer of a mailing has to conquer three barriers to convince the reader to read the

message.

Firstly there is what Eric Van Vooren27

calls the „selectieniveau‟ (the selection level): This are

the first 1,5 seconds in which the reader decides whether or not to read the mail. In classical

mailing this level is the envelop in a digital mailing it is the title.

Secondly you have „het glanzeniveau‟ (the gleam level) this are the 3 to 5 seconds where the

reader forms a first impression of the message. Here the lay-out can lay a crucial role.

27 http://www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=189&uri=1seconde_tijdperk.pdf

38

Thirdly there is het „leesniveau‟ (reading level) of about 10 seconds in which the mail is looked at

closer. In this stage you have to be sure that all key words and messages have a prominent place,

because these are the things the reader has to remember.

2.3.2 Over to the actual letter: what kind of mailing should I use?

After you have selected your target group, you have to ask yourself the question which kind of

mailing you need. There is an important difference between a prospect letter and a sales letter.

If your main purpose is to convince people you have to use a sales letter. If you want that the

interest of the reader is stimulated and that he should contact you if you want more information,

you should use a prospect letter.

The kind of letter you should use depends strongly on the kind of product you are trying to sell. If

you are trying to sell a rather simple product known by everyone such as a book or a CD, then

your mailing should aim at giving your customers that final push. Here the sales letter is the ideal

solution. But you have to keep in mind that a sales letter alone is not enough, you have to

combine the letter with an advantage card or a brochure, which means that you sum up all the

advantages for the client. It is also a good idea to add a response card (see 2.3.1.2).

If you sell a service or a more complex or expensive product, you will have more trouble

persuading the client. A client is not eager to buy such products right away. Here it is a better

idea to choose for the prospect letter, here you give the most important info about the service or

product to your client and you ask him to contact you if he wants more information.

2.3.2.1 The prospect letter

The prospect letter serves another purpose than the sales letter. With this kind of letter you want

to know who is interested in the service or product and you try to make up an address file based

on the responses. With a prospect letter you have to make sure that you do not give too much

information. The whole purpose of a prospect letter is to give just enough information to make

your reader curious enough to contact you.

Seen that you only give the most important information, your letter should be short and to the

point. You can also add a response card.

39

Try to make an attractive offer in your letter. Make sure that you write a clear call-to-action. The

reader should know exactly what is expected of him. You have to make sure that you spell out

the advantages for the customers and not just the characteristics of the product. Here you have to

try to be as individual as possible. Try to write as personal as possible and use colloquial

language. Also be aware of the fact that prospect letter probably will not be enough. Especially in

bigger companies you have to send several letters.

2.3.2.2 The sales letter

If we think about a strong sales letter we immediately think of the AIDA model (Attention-

Interest-Description-Action). In his book Erik Van Vooren mentions the formula to write a good

sales letter used by Robert Collier, one of the greatest American copywriters. Collier used a

variant of the AIDA model namely the AIDPPC model.

In this model the first stage is attention. You have to make sure that you attract your reader.

These days customers receive an overload of mailings, you have to make sure that yours stands

out. This can be done on several domains; you can use an attractive lay-out. But that is not

enough; you also have to construct a textual attractive mailing. It is for example a good idea to

begin your sales letter with a question.

A second step is interest. Once you captured the attention you have should try to keep his

attention. Here it is very important to know your recipient. You have to know what he wants and

how your product or service can bring him closer to what he wants.

The third step is description. Here you have to describe your service or product as accurate as

possible. You have to focus on the advantages for the recipient. Bird mentions that is of

paramount importance to quantify your advantages:

Once you have established what benefits you offer and which are most important,

quantifying them will usually make more difference to the success of your letter than

40

anything else. This is not only more convincing; it arouses greater interest and desire.

Never be vague about what you are selling.28

Fourthly you have to focus on persuasion. Here you have to create a desire in the reader. You

have to play on his emotions. Here it is very important to know the reader. You have to have

strong creative writing skills and good psychological insights to succeed in this step. You have to

put forward the great human motives such as: making friends, making money, keep fit, etc.

A fifth step is the providing of proof. You have to make sure that you are credible. You can do

this in several ways. You can insert testimonials, positive critiques from the press, test results, …

According to Collier the testimonial is the best solution and certainly when somebody who is

known by the recipient writes it. Bird also highlights the importance of testimonials:

Many-perhaps most- creative communications simply do not convince

sufficiently. As I mentioned above testimonials are extremely powerful, and any

reputable company normally gets testimonials automatically from satisfied

customers. They should be carefully collected. All these things give you product

or service credibility-which is immensely valuable.29

The final step is the close. Here you have insert a strong call to action. The reader has to know

exactly what is expected of him. You have to offer an incentive to stimulate the recipient to

answer as soon as possible.

2.3.2.3. Via e-mail

It is also possible to send mailings via e-mail. With e-mailing you should keep in mind that it

should be considered as a teaser or a reminder for the actual mailing. It is not a good idea to send

prospect or sales letters only through mail. The great advantage of e-mail is that it is cheap, but

here lies also its big disadvantages. Because it is such a low cost, a lot of people use it to send

mailings to prospect and customers. The digital consumer is only willing to grant you a couple of

minutes.

28 Bird D., Sales letters that sell, learn, second edition, Kogan Page, 2002. P. 182 29 Bird D., Commensense direct en digital marketing. Fifth edition, Kogan Page, 2007. P 305

41

Another problem with e-mails is that the place is limited; most people receive a lot of e-mails.

But e-mail is the ideal teaser or reminder of a letter. Three important guidelines have to be

considered when writing e-mails. In the first place you have to make sure you have a catchy title.

It is always a good idea to use trigger words such as: for free, limited offer, unique experience,

etc. in your title.

A second important thing to bear in mind is that the text has to be short and creative. As already

mentioned the place on a screen is limited, so you have to make sure that you put the most

important information in front of the letter. Here you can see the opposite structure of the sales

letter. In an e-mail you have to begin with a call to action and then later on explain why. You

have to spell out very clearly what has to happen. Just like with a sales letter you have to make

sure you reach the recipient in an emotional way. To achieve this you have to write a very

specific message. But in e-mail you have to be even clearer. In a very limited space you have to

try to convince your reader. You should try to sum up the advantages as concrete as possible and

mention why he should by it, why that product an why now is the ideal time. So why you? Why

the product? Why now? Seen that e-mail is mostly read very fast you have to make choices. Omit

unnecessary info and be concise. Also choose for titles between the different paragraphs. Set

these titles in bold or underline them. If you really want to send all the information to the

prospect or client you can add an attachment to the mail. Then the reader himself can decide

whether or not to read the letter. It is also a good idea to add an answer card to your mail, or to

send one in attachment. By doing this you give a clear signal to the recipient. The reader

understands that he is expected to answer. Further on it is very important to name all attachments.

Most people are not eager to open attachments that do not have a familiar name.

Here you should keep the same rule as with the letters in mind, be as personal as possible. Don‟t

use a global e-mail address but make it personal. The digital consumer only grants you a couple

of minutes. According to Erik Van Vooren 65 % of the reader‟s attention goes to who sent the e-

mail. Is it a name he knows or where he already heard of 35 % of the attention goes to the subject

line and the first lines of the message.

42

In his book Van Vooren gives some useful tips to write a strong e-mail opener30

:

2.4 Conclusion and overview

In Direct Marketing the key word you have to keep in mind at all times is „individualize‟. If it is a

prospect letter, a sales letter or an e-mail that you are sending, you have to personalize it. This act

of individualization is the most important difference with advertising. Other important things to

remember are the fact that is always a good idea to add a response card to your mailing. Another

underestimated but highly important aspect is the language. Do not write intellectual texts with

many technical or difficult words. But write in a colloquial language that is easy to read. Make

sure that you use a bit of an original lay-out, fond and envelop. It also important to keep in mind

that you have to send several reminders. One mailing is not enough. I centralized all the findings

in the scheme below. This is also the scheme I gave to the employees at Voka. It can be used as a

useful starting point to write mailings in the future.

30 Van Vooren E., Praktijkboek, Tips, cases en adviezen. Lannoocampus, 2006. P. 222

5 tips and tricks to have a strong e-mailopener

1. Open your mail with a question, to which the reader can find an answer in the text

2. Try to put the main focus on the most important advantage for the customer

3. Try to import up-to-date elements

4. Start with the first sentence of a story

5. Challenge your reader, by adding for example „test yourself‟

43

Scheme I made for the employees at Voka i

44

3. My tasks during my internship

As already mentioned in the previous chapter, Voka sends out a lot of mailings. These mailings

do not have a unified character. That is why my traineeship supervisors asked me to make a

theoretical and practical study on mailings. In this chapter I will scrutinize some mailings written

by Voka employees. I will analyse them by means of the theory written down in chapter 2.

Further on I also designed a useful scheme for all Voka employees that will help them in

conceiving the difference between a prospect and a sales letter. It can also help them to write

mailings that will have greater impact on the receiver. I inserted this scheme under 2.4.

Next to this theoretical and practical analysis of mailings I also assisted to the theoretical plotting

and practical development of a brand new PLATO communication campaign. I will also discuss

this campaign and my contribution to it in this chapter.

3.1 Direct Marketing and mailings at Voka

In a first step I will compare the marketing strategy of Voka with the second phase strategy of

Postma, that is discussed under 2.2.2. Later on I will shift the focus to one specific marketing

method namely media and more specific mailings at Voka.

3.1.1 Direct Marketing at Voka compared to the second phase strategy of Postma.

The first step, namely the selection of clients is done at Voka as described by Postma. Voka has a

database containing all enterprises in West Flanders. When they start up a project, a list is drawn

from this database. This happens at random with some basic restrictions. For example company

size and sector. Also the unity to whom the media is directed is defined excellently. When it is a

project for HR-professionals, the mailings are sent out to the HR-Managers of the companies.

The second step is not really applicable to Voka seen that they have a fixed service offer. Also

discounts and gifts are not used at Voka.

The third step, choosing a method to convince the market is applicable to Voka. The methods

most commonly used here are people and media. Seen that Voka does not offer products they do

not have shops. They are visible at some events that could be considered being meters, but this is

not their core place to convince prospects. Voka West Flanders has 4 account managers who visit

45

the clients and prospect on a regular basis. They try to find out in which services they may be

interested. Voka also uses media to convince people. Such as mailings, magazines, brochures …

The fourth step, namely the convincing of the market with the three key words registration,

measuring results and reporting, is not that commonly executed at Voka. Most things get entered

in the database, but they are not linked to specific marketing methods. For example when there is

a recruitment going on for a new learning network several marketing methods are used. In a

concrete manner that means that the account managers try to convince people, but Voka also

sends out mailings. When people subscribe it is not registered why they subscribed. Is it thanks to

the mailing, or to the effort of the account manager or the combination? The results are measured,

but as mentioned not in detail. It is visible to see how many people reacted and subscribed, but

not why they did it. The reporting is done on a regular base at Voka. The different departments sit

together often to discuss how they can improve the combination of marketing methods.

The fifth step the perception by the market is, as mentions above, difficult to estimate. Voka does

not do audits by the recipients of media. What is a good controlling device is the fact that thanks

to a counter, you can see how many people opened a digital mailing.

The sixth step, response, is fulfilled rather good at Voka. The response as kept in a database, but

as already mentioned there is no subdivision between the responses on the different marketing

methods. What is done very accurately is giving a response to people who have certain questions

or demands.

The seventh step fulfillment is perceived as being very important at Voka. All employees make

sure that all promises made towards clients are kept. Or if something goes wrong, they make sure

that the people are informed about this fact.

The last step, putting the data in the database is done, but as already mentioned not in relation to

the different marketing methods.

46

3.1.2 Mailings at Voka

3.1.2.1 Analysis of: Wervingsmail starter (attachment 1)

Addressing and individualization

The addressing of the mailing is made not personal. Not even the sex of the recipient is

determined. This is understandable seen that the mail is directed towards new members, and

probably not yet in the database. But it would be a good idea to use a more original or personal

addressing such as, „geachte ondernemer‟. The useVoka of „u‟ gives the mailing a very formal

character.

Language

The writer did not use colloquial language; words as “vehikel” en “eerstelijns” are too complex to

use in a sales letter. They would never be used when the writer would speak to the entrepreneur

directly. It would be better to replace them by words or expressions such as „Voka is de manier

bij uitstek om als groeiende ondernemer nog efficiënter en effectiever vooruit te gaan.‟ By using

such phrases, you stay positive, because you imply that the entrepreneur is already working in an

efficient and effective way, but he can do even better than he is already.

Lay-out

The lay-out of the letter is a bit weak. The writer also used an old-fashioned font. It was a good

choice of the writer to give the Voka logo a prominent place. People who know the brand will be

most likely to read the mailing. The mailing is a bit too long, the recipient will loose interest. The

writer should have used more titles to create more variety in the text. She did not use the F-model

of Van Vooren (see chapter 2). The text is inconveniently arranged.

On the other hand is the lay-out of the response card very good. The writer immediately starts

with a very positive message. It is made easy for the recipient, he does not have to fill in much.

Content

The implied format is a sales letter, seen that the purpose is that the recipient subscribes into the

program.

47

Seen that this is a sales letter the AIDA or the AIDPPC formula should be used. The first step

Attention is not that clear. The writer tries to wake interest by stating that they can help the

starting entrepreneur.

The third step, description, is worked out very strongly. The writer spells out all the advantages

for the recipient and describes the provided services very accurate. For example the first

advantage spelled out is “de gratis starterskrant”. The word free is always a good idea, it is a

good incentive and putting it in bold highlights it. It was also a good idea to use bullet point and

lists. By doing this the receiver immediately notices that there is not one advantages but that there

are several.

There is an aim to provide the fourth step namely persuasion. The writer tries to play on the

emotions of the reader by mentioning the fears of every beginning entrepreneur, namely the need

of funds and financial uncertainty and the fear not to succeed.

The fifth step, proof, is not that strong. The writer mentions some statements, but here it would

be a good idea to insert a testimonial of a former beginning entrepreneur who participated in the

program.

The final step, the close and call to action are very good. The writer clearly states out what she

wants from the reader. He has to fax the answer card back. Maybe it would even be better if she

repeated why now is the ideal moment to subscribe.

3.1.2.2 Analysis of: Uitnodiging Vo-kafé (attachment 2)

Addressing and individualization

This letter is much too formal. Especially when considering that this is an invitation to an

informal event. The writer did not use an addressing. She also neglected to put a greeting or name

under the invitation. She mentions here name only once, in a minor font on top of the page. For

the recipient it is very unclear who send the letter. The word „u‟ is used may too many times. By

doing this the invitation gets a very formal character.

Language

48

A first negative point here are the spelling mistakes such as „elk regio‟ en „krijgt kennismaking.‟

Further on as already mentioned, the language used is much too formal. She uses words that

would never be used in a face-to-face conversation. Words as for example „repititieve‟,

„ingeschrevenen‟ and „reeds‟ are better replace with the more colloquial variants: „regelmatig‟,

„mensen die al hebben ingeschreven‟ en „al‟.

Lay-out

The lay-out of this mailing is not a good way to attract attention, there should be more spacing.

Now, the reader will conceive this text as a wall of text, that is not attractive to read. She also

made the mistake to highlight the wrong words. The call to action „teken vandaag reeds in‟ is not

highlighted, why other less important things are.

Content

This is an example of a sales letter. The writer of the mailing tries to convince the members to

come to the activity. But the structure and content of the letter is not that of a sales letter. There is

no intention to attract attention. The advantages are not clearly stated and no proof is delivered.

There is however a call to action, but he does not stand out enough.

3.1.2.3 Analysis of: Uitnodiging bedrijfstheater (attachment 3)

Addressing and individualization

The addressing is good. If the sender has the data of the recipient he will personalise the mailing,

otherwise they will put dear Voka-member. What is a missed opportunity is the fact that they did

not add the Voka-logo. That is something the recipient would recognise. And as seen in the

theory, when he knows the sender, he is more eager to read it.

Language

The language of this mailing is rather attractive. The sender used good trigger words such as

„persoonlijk‟ en „gratis‟. Also the sentence „wij hebben u uitgekozen‟ is very well chosen. It gives

the receiver the impression that he is special. Nonetheless, the sender sometimes uses expressions

and words that are too formal for a mailing and that would never be used in a spoken dialogue.

49

Sentences such as „ graag zien wij uw antwoord tegemoet‟ en „als blijk van onze erkenning‟ are

too high-flown for a mailing.

Lay-out

The lay-out of this mailing is really good. The image immediately attracts the necessary attention.

Further on the sender used titles on the right placed. When we take tke F-model of Van Vooren

into consideration, we can see that the necessary information is on the right spot. „Beste Voka-

lid‟ and „programma‟ are put on prominent places.

What would have been a good idea was adding the Voka-logo in the mailing.

Content

This is a mailing send via e-mail. The most important things to remember with e-mailing is that

the text has to be short, catchy and to the point. That is clearly the case with this mailing. The

first paragraph is immediately to the point; you know where it is about. He is short, but contains

all necessary information. Also the call to action is exactly what he should be. The date is

mentioned explicitly and how you should subscribe.

3.1.2.4 Analysis of: Wervingsmail LN Sales (attachment 4)

Addressing and individualization

The addressing is personalised and also the writer is known. The company comes back at the end

of the letter, which is a good idea to keep the attention of the reader. What is a missed

opportunity is the fact that they did not add the Voka logo.

Language

The mailing is written in a rather colloquial and fluent style. The sender uses a lot of verbs that

express action such as : mikken, uitwisselen, informeren, intekenen, inzoomen… The sender

succeeded in using a vivid language. The sentences are kept short en written in the present tense,

which reinforces the feeling of action.

Lay-out

50

The lay-out is a bit weak. There is too much text in a too limited space. It would have been better

to remove the response card and add it as an extra. By doing this, the letter would not seem that

full.

Content

This is an example of a prospect letter. The writer is trying to convince the recipient to come to

an information session where he will get all necessary information. This is a good prospect letter,

as already mentioned the recipient is approached in a very personal way. They try to speak to the

recipient by saying how he can become even better in what he already does. The advantages are

spelled out very clear. The services are explained shortly, but not everything is said, what is also

a good thing otherwise they would not be motivated to come to the sessions. There is also a

strong call – to –action. The recipient knows what is expected of him. This call-to-action is

intensified by adding a response card. It would be an even better idea to send the answer card as

something extra instead of adding it to the letter. They added a brochure with additional

information, which is a good idea. In that way you give the recipient the choice whether or not he

wants to read this additional info.

3.1.2.5 Analysis of: Creatieve mailing (attachment 5)

Addressing and individualization

There is no addressing on the invitation. The envelope was personalized, but the addressing is not

repeated in the invitation self. Maybe it would have been better to write „PLATO nodigt U uit‟.

By doing this the invitation would have being more personal.

Language

The writer succeeded in creating a vivid language by using active verbs such as: werken,

uitstippelen, inspireren,… All „empty‟ verbs are avoided. The invitation contains a lot of

interrogative sentences. This contributes to the attractiveness and fluency of the invitation.

Lay-out

A very good example of a mailing where is thought about overcoming the three levels Van

Vooren discusses. The first level „het selectieniveau‟ (selection level) is certainly fulfilled. An

51

attractive envelope that looks like a mirror will certainly attract the recipient‟s attention. It is still

no guarantee that they will open the envelope. But in any case you do stand out. Further on, the

Voka logo is also printed on the envelope. This is important, seen that the envelope could suggest

that it contains advertising. People who recognise the logo will be eager the open the envelope.

Also in the second level „het glanzeniveau‟ (the gleam level) is put a lot of thought. As said by

Van Vooren lay-out can play a crucial role in this phase. Seen that the invitation has an original,

colorful prospect it has a better chance at surviving this level than other mailings.

There is also a creative solution for the third level, „het leesniveau‟ (the reading level). The text is

kept limited, and the most important words stand out thanks to a gradation in color.

Content

The recipient gets all necessary information. There is also a clear call-to-action that tells the

reader exactly what to do if he wants to receive additional information. Adding a response card

strengthens the call-to-action. It was a very good idea not to attach the response card, but instead

add it as an extra in the envelope. As mentioned in the theoretical part, individual response cards

have a higher success rate. The recipient sees them immediately as a gift.

Nonetheless, not everything is good in the mailing. We received reactions of several

entrepreneurs stating that it was not really clear what the invitation was about. If it was for an

actual first PLATO session or an info session for this project. They believed there was not

enough practical information on the invitation.

Another aspect that can be considered negative is the discrepancy between the playful lay-out and

formal language. Expressions as „smeedt vriendschappen‟ en „geeft zuurstof‟ sound high-flown.

3.1.3 Which one is the most successful?

Eager to know if a creative mailing really has more success than a „regular‟ one. I contacted three

people in the database, who received a mailing last year and this year. These three people did not

sign up for the sessions last year, but did so this year. I wondered what would be the reason of

this sudden interest. Could the creative mailing have something to do with it?

The first person I contacted was Mister Vanneste, owner and manager of a production company.

When I asked him why he subscribed now and last year he had shown no interest he answered: “I

52

cannot remember ever having received any information about these sessions in the past, this was

the first invitation I received.”

This can imply two things, or all former invitations when lost in the mail. But that seems rather

impossible. Therefore it seems to imply that all earlier mailings did not stand out enough and did

not survive „het selectieniveau‟. The creative mailing did stand out and made it to „het

leesniveau‟.

The other two people I contacted, Mister Desmet and Mister Baeke, told me that they had seen

the invitation last year. But that their business at that time was still in full expansion and that they

believed they were not ready to join a lerend network.

Seen that only Mister Vanneste had been influenced by the creative mailing I gave him two of the

mailings I evaluated and asked him to spell out the positive and negative points of both mailings.

These evaluations can be read in attachment 15.

Based on the evaluation of Mister Vanneste and based on the theory from chapter 2, I rewrote

„uitnodiging voor vo-kafé‟ (see attachment 15). A first thing I did was wtrite a catchy addressing.

By adding „dynamisch‟ I hope to attract the receiver. I begin the text with two questions. This is

to wake interest. After I waked the recipients‟ attention I try to convince him with rational

reasons, such as new customers. Then I go on and try to convince the recipient in a more

emotional way, and I tried to strengthen this by inserting a testimonial. To end I spell out all

necessary practical information.

The biggest difference is that I tried to make it less formal than the original one. I did this by

omitting „u‟ and replacing it by „je‟. I also tried to use colloquial words, which can be used in

face to face conversations. I made the mailing also more personal by adding an addressing and a

close. Finally, I also closed off with a firm call-to-action. I tried to strengthen the call-to-action

by adding a personal element: „tot gauw‟. By which I want to imply that they will see me there

and disappoint me if they do not show up.

3.2 Communication campaign

During my internship I assisted with the theoretical outline and the practical working out of a

new PLATO communication campaign. In November of this year a new PLATO project starts

up. My two supervisors of traineeship each have to convince 85 entrepreneurs to join this project,

53

which is 25 entrepreneurs more than other years. Seen that this is no evident task they decided

that a big marketing campaign was necessary to reach their goal. The campaign can be split up in

several phases.

The first step: The theoretical outline

In a first phase we sat together with a communication agency to discuss the different possibilities.

The new campaign needed to be modern but it was also important that the new campaign fitted to

the Voka house style. The new PLATO style had to be recognisable for all Voka members. A

first radical decision that was made was the development of a new logo. The old logo was to old-

fashioned and conservative. We tried to convert the old logo to a more modern one that was still

in line with the recognisable Voka house style. That is why we decided to keep the face in the

logo. But the face got a modern look. The old logo was not always clear to everyone seen that it

were two faces next to one another. To clarify the logo we decided in dialogue with the

communication agency to add a baseline to the logo. The colors of the logo mirror the Voka

house style, the orange that is used in the Voka logo is kept, but the grey made room for a

warmer and more progressive brown. By doing this everybody can lay a link with Voka but still

conceives PLATO as a freestanding Voka product.

Now that we changed PLATO‟s image we had to decide how to convince entrepreneurs to join

the PLATO network. Seen that PLATO has to attract progressive and ambitious entrepreneurs

that want to grow and want to keep up to date by networking, the campaign also had to radiate

these characteristics. A standard letter is nt enough to convince people. That is why we decided to

send out a creative mailing. This mailing had to be an example for the new PLATO image:

modern, to the point and informative. Further on we also decided to create a PLATO magazine.

This magazine had the purpose to inform potential participants in an informal manner. A last

communication tool we decided on was the writing pad. This was an idea from the

communication agency. They believed that it would be a good idea to distribute PLATO writing

pads during the PLATO info sessions. The entrepreneur will take this pad home and maybe use it

and every time he sees or uses it he will be remembered of PLATO.

The second step: The practical development of the creative mailing

One thing we knew from the start: this mailing has to stand out. Not only when concerning

content, but also as far as lay-out it had to stand out. I wrote a concise text for this mailing that

54

contained all key words for PLATO. We decided not to use too much text, the main purpose was

to lure the entrepreneurs to the info sessions. When you give too much information in the

invitation they do not have a reason to come.

The lay-out was constructed in such a way that the new logo got a prominent place. Also the

colors were very important. The orange, the typical Voka color is the main color of the invitation.

Not only the lay-out of the invitation itself was important, we also brainstormed on the envelope

where the invitation would be put on. Based on the theory a first thing we decided was to put the

Voka and PLATO logo on the envelope. As mentioned in the second chapter a receiver is more

eager to read something when it comes from an entity he knows and trusts. But putting the logo

on a standard white envelope would not reflect the new and modern PLATO image. That is why

we decided to put the invitation in a mirrorlike envelope. This envelope should evoke the feeling

of looking at yourself and compare yourself to others.

The third step: the practical development of the PLATO magazine

The main purpose of this magazine was to convince entrepreneurs in a playful and leisurely

manner. It had to attract but at the same time give the necessary information.

We inserted several testimonies of former PLATO participants. I formulated three questions that

each of them had to answer as concise as possible. I based these questions on what I would

consider important when I would be the one that should decide whether or not to join. „Why did

these old participants join?‟, „Did the investment of their time and money pay off?‟ and „Why

should I do this?‟. All witnesses were also asked to send in their testimony together with a

picture. According to me a testimony has greater effect when you can connect a face to it.

We decided also to insert a photo strip seen that photos attract a lot of attention, as also

mentioned in the theory of chapter two.

The centre of the magazine is filled with a round-table conference. This article contains the most

important advantages and disadvantages of PLATO. We considered it as being important that the

magazine was not a simple add. It is also important to mention some disadvantages of the project,

by doing this the entrepreneurs can make a sold decision. I contacted two people who are not at

all convinced of the impact that PLATO can have on a company. I found these people in the

Voka database.It were two people whi had been visited by the Voka account managers but

55

showed no interest and did not believe in networking. I also contacted a PLATO participant and a

PLATO godfather. A PLATO godfather is somebody who guides the PLATO sessions thanks to

his experience and knowledge. I also invited Mister Libeer, head of Voka West Flanders. My

traineeship supervisor An Vanhauwaert was the moderator during the conference. And and me

together decided that we should start with a general question and then we would see where the

discussion went. The conference passed off well. I took notes during the conference and poured it

into an article. This was not an easy task. I had to make sure that the article reflected the tone of

the conversation. I also had to achieve a balance between text and photographs. If you use too

much text, you create a so-called wall of text that scares people to wanting to read it. If you use

too much pictures it does not seem a serious article.

A third kind of articles inserted in the magazine are interviews. Thanks to PLATO a lot of people

start to work together on certain projects. We selected two of these cooperations and I went to

interview these duos.

The fourth step: CRM and being persistent

After the creative mailing was sent, subscriptions started to come in. I entered these subscriptions

in the database with as much info I could collect.

Further on I also wrote several recall letters to the entrepreneurs. As discussed in the theory it is

important to be persistent. Most of the time one mailing is not enough. You have to remember the

receiver to the event.

The fifth step: preparation for the info sessions

It is not only important that people show up at the info session, but here you have to convince

them to become a PLATO participant. Me and my supervisors of traineeship sat together and

decided on what should be said during these sessions. We also decided on the powerpoint text

and lay-out. I made the powerpoint and adjusted him so he would fit the new PLATO style. We

also decided on the text that had to be written on the filing card that had to be inserted into the

writing pads. I made the text and the lay-out for these writing pads.

The fifth step: Analysis of the result

I wanted to see for myself which communication tools were most effective. I listed the results in

a table. This is an exercise I made for myself, because I wanted to see if putting so much effort in

a mailing really makes such a big difference. These results may not be generalized.

56

Communication tool Number that

was sent out

People who

opened

mailing

People that

subscribed

Percentage

Creative mailing 4000 Unknown 39 0,98%

Reminder mailing

sent by

communication

agency

6000 2040 (34%) 18 0,003 %

Personalized mailing 150 Unknown 25 16,66 %

Mailing sent out by

Voka

8772 1300 (15%) 15 0,17 %

This table „proves‟ that individualization does work. About one sixth of the recipients of a

personalized mailing subscribed. What is also clear is that the creative mailing scores better than

the digital mailing. But here it would be a good idea to weigh to results to the investment. The

creative mailing was a rather high cost, while the digital mailings are free. What is also proven

that you have to remind people. The recipients of these mailings overlap. All people who

received a personalized mailing also received a creative mailing. So it seems that these 25 people

did not react on the creative mailing, but were convinced by the personalized mailing.

3.3 Additional tasks

Next to the communication campaign, I mostly assisted with managing the CRM database. I

revised and wrote several invitations and brochures. I developed for example the brochure for het

lerende netwerk energie. ( attachment 7).

57

4.What I learnt the past year…

During my internship

My internship was not only an enrichment for my professional development, but also for my

personal one. I first lesson I saw confirmed here is the fact that theories sound very good, but that

the actual practice is different. I made a theoretical study on mailings in which I mention that it is

of paramount importance to personalize mailings. When doing this in practice I experienced soon

enough that this is a very labor-intensive job. It is possible to do this when it is a rather limited

mailing, but when you have to send out a mailing to 4000 people it is practical and financial

impossible.

Another important lesson I learnt is that you have to plan and structure. When you are working

towards a certain target you have to pin point deadlines and structure your agenda around these

deadlines, which is the only way to avoid stress.

What I learnt on a personal level is that I am a team player. I liked working together with the

people here at Voka. It is not that I disliked the tasks that I had to fulfill on my own, but for me

teamwork is an extra motivation.

During my MTB-studies

The MTB program has helped me during my internship on several levels. In the first place it

helped me with my overall know-how. Thanks to the guest lectures and the classes in the first

term I broadened my horizons a lot. During my internship I met different kinds of people with

various backgrounds and interests. During these meetings I was really grateful that I had received

such a large background about the business world.

A second thing that was really useful where the English courses by Prof. Jacobs and Miss

Michels. Here I got the necessary info about sales letters, newsletter and sales presentations.

Things I needed a lot during my internship and my dissertation. They helped me with the basic

info and from there on I had an excellent starting point to do further research.

58

What I consider to be the most useful during the MTB program are the group works. During

these projects, you learn how to formulate your opinion in a constructive way. You also learn

how to make decision efficiently.

The many courses and projects in MTB also contribute to your sense of perspective. Sometimes it

seemed like everything would get messed-up. But thanks to planning and good teamwork

everything always felt into place.

I only can say positive things about the past year. Choosing for MTB is one of the choices in my

life I will never regret. I did not only broaden my professional horizon, but was also blessed to

meet great people.

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Bibliography

Internal sources

Internal brochure 2004.Voka-Vlaamsnetwerk van ondernemingen.

Intranet

Internal PowerPoint presentation.

Theoretical works

Bird D., Commensense direct en digital marketing. Fifth edition. Kogan Page. 2007.

Blakeman R., Integrated marketing communication, creative strategy, from idea to

implementation,Rowman& Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2007.

Crystal D., Language and the internet, Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Kotler P., Principles of Marketing, fourth European edition, Pearson Education Limited, 2005

Meyvis L., Markt en Macht Het VEV van 1926 tot heden, Lannoo, 2004.

Postma P., Handboek Direct Marketing 2.0, Kluwer, 2007.

Thomas B. en Housden M., Direct Marketing in practice. ButterworthHeinemann. 2002.

Van Boogaert M., “Meer respons?”, van Dale Taalbrief, jaargang 3, November 1994, nr. 11

Van Vooren E., Direct Marketing, praktijkboek, tips, cases en adviezen,Lannoocampus, 2006.

Websites

http://www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=189&uri=1seconde_tijdperk.pdf

http://www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=189&uri=marketing_psychologie.pdf

http://www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=189&uri=media_indigestie.pdf

http://www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=189&uri=intellectuele_arrogantie.pdf

60

http://www.vanvooren.be/nl_BE/index.php?n=189&uri=terreur.pdf

www.voka.be

www.unizo.be

www.vkw.be

www.vbo.be

www.wikipedia.org

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleID=IM1SRCEJ (geraadpleegd op zaterdag

7 juni)

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleID=TT1SSKTE (geraadpleegd op zaterdag

7 juni)

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Attachments

1. Wervingsmail starters

2. Uitnodiging Vo-kafé

3. Uitnodiging bedrijfstheater

4. Wervingsmail LN Sales

5. Creatieve mailing

6. Fiches voor atomamap

7. Lerend network energie

8. PowerPoint

9. PLATO magazine

10. Artikel Nieuwsblad 1

11. Artikel Nieuwsblad 2

12. Bevestigingsbrief

13. Persbericht

14. Evaluatie door ondernemer

15. Interview

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