Direct Views: May 2010

MAY 2010 | PDMA directviews | 1

2 | PDMA directviews | MAY 2010


PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Directly Speaking

Judy Arnold, SEI

The heart of all direct marketing is data. The list. The marketing history. Response results. Media preferences.

Trend reporting. Online behavior. Accurately gathering data, tracking and analyzing it, helps us refine our targeting, make better decisions, adjust our media buys, stop unsuccessful campaigns, and implement more of the ones that work.

Data is what allows us to produce measurable marketing. Performance marketing. Results.

To effectively manage data, you need a CRM system. According to David Bernard, managing director of DB Marketing Technologies, the typical underlying objective of CRM practices is to improve marketing performance and strengthen customer relationships, making them more profitable. And, he has proven that effectively auditing and managing a firm’s CRM can save millions. (www.dmnews.com, January 20, 2010)

The trick is to select a CRM system suitable for your business and sales methods. If you can sell direct through media, ecommerce functionality is a critical component. And, you have to implement a system that will actually be used by the marketing and sales groups. If you generate business through a direct sales force, having management support from the top down, and buy-in from all of the sales teams, is absolutely necessary for success. The CRM becomes the primary data source to identify suspects, prospects, and valuable clients. That means data integrity — contact updates, corporate financials, marketing results, purchase history, and regular cleansing — is essential.

After all, remember the tried-and-true “40-40-20” rule made popular by direct marketing guru, Ed Mayer, in the 1960s. It still drives most direct marketing campaigns today. Success is based on 40% list, 40% offer and 20% creative. If you don’t target the right audience, even the best copy and design doesn’t have a chance. Again, it comes down to data.

As a direct marketer, I believe that now more than ever, if you can’t track it and prove a return on your investment, then you shouldn’t do it. I recognize the results of some marketing efforts are harder to quantify than others. But, you can assess the total impact of your integrated efforts of public relations, image advertising, and social media buzz, along with direct response campaigns, to see an overall impact on sales. If the business you generated covers your expense, it’s a win. With the right data, you should also look at the lifetime value of your clients and determine benchmarks of what a new customer is worth. That data can drive the development of your direct marketing budget.

Table of Contents President’s Message .............................................................................. 3

A Direct Marketing Manager’s Guide to Cross Marketing ................................................................................ 4

Direct Mail in a Digital Age ................................................................. 5

Developing and Marketing Your Personal Brand ...................... 6

What Does Marketing Mean to Your Company? ......................... 8

Hollis Thomases Helps Marketer Avoid Web Marketing Pitfalls ...........................................................11

News & Notes ........................................................................................11

Best Practices for Nurturing Frontline

Sales and Customer Service Teams ...............................................12

Celebrate the Bennys and Direct Marketer of the Year ..........13

Welcome New Members ...................................................................13

Knockout Networking ........................................................................14

Get the Visibility You Need ...............................................................15

The 2010 Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference ...........................................15

You Are Invited Visit the PDMA Web site at www.the-PDMA.org and

n Check out the NEW Career Center (jobs posted locally and nationally).

n Register for an event or meeting.n Download valuable case studies or white papers … and more!

This issue of Direct Views provides commentary to support the importance of data, the value of maintaining clients and increasing business among customers, and refining CRM efforts. I hope these articles, and our ongoing monthly programs, help you stay on top of the many facets of direct marketing. We welcome your perspectives. Send us your thoughts at [email protected]. n


The traditional “one-size-fits-all” marketing campaign is a dinosaur

lumbering towards extinction. Consumer expectations challenge marketers to send targeted, relevant messages, and to send those messages in the format consumers prefer: mail, e-mail, the Internet, instant messages, etc. These customer expectations will only grow. Enter cross-media marketing.

To qualify as cross-media marketing, a campaign must: • integrate several direct response

channels, while sticking with a consistent campaign message and goal

• offer the end user various channels by which to respond

• employ automated response triggers that maximize cause-and-effect relationship marketing For instance, in cross-media

marketing, a consumer who answers “yes” to a direct mail offer will receive a predetermined follow-up. The person who does not respond may also be

contacted again, but via a different predetermined channel and message. By the same token, the person who visits a website and says “yes” will be contacted in a way targeted to Internet responders. Throughout the process, respondents’ behaviors trigger the next step. Meanwhile, information is being gathered, analyzed, and measured.

It’s easy to confuse cross-media marketing with multi-channel marketing but objectives differ for each.

Multi-channel campaigns deliver thematic messages across multiple channels, including electronic, print, and broadcast media. Multi-channel marketing works well for such efforts as new product exposure, branding, or name recognition. Cross-media campaigns also employ multiple channels, but use a response mechanism that can deliver measurable results.

In short, cross-media marketing affords the opportunity to automate response, collect data, measure results, and adjust— often in real time. Like

all effective direct response channels, cross-media marketing quickly discloses “what’s really working,” and delivers specific, measurable, profitable results.

What does it take to execute a successful cross-media campaign? Eight steps: a goal, a clear strategy, market segmentation, data collection, well-chosen media, a budget, a detailed

A Direct Marketing Manager’s Guide to Cross-Media Marketing

Crystal Uppercue

continued on next page

1. Event Registrationn Shorter, customized conference

brochures or customized event materials

n Tracking and managing attendee lists

2. Tradeshow Marketingn Lead distribution and pre-show

sales involvementn Personalized show giveawaysn Increased booth traffic

3. Lead Generation/Acquisitionn Online (or offline) data capturen Collect e-mail addressesn Qualify leadsn Generate regular and timely

follow-up materials and additional communications

n Automate lead assignmentn Convert to sales

4. Lead Nurturingn More cohesive, targeted approach to

repeat communication attempts

n Less administrative work (internally) to execute communications

n Automatic notifications about campaign activities

n Tracking and reporting for campaign monitoring

5. Loyaltyn PURLs can be permanently assigned

for each list member and routinely updated with relevant information

n Online and offline updates about rewards and points

n Communications and PURLs customized with information based on each person’s history

n Continuous data collectionn Loyalty Program Renewal

6. Membership Renewaln Communications can be customized

with chapter informationn Automated communications can

remind members to renew their membership

Nine Direct Marketing Projects Where Cross-Media Fitsn Customized membership materials

and automated fulfillment

7. Donation and Special Appealsn Customized pledge forms onlinen Allow for back-end personalized

premiumsn Online visuals provided to donors to

track campaign success

8. Survey/Data Collection Campaignn Personalized survey site onlinen Capture data in real timen Plan automated campaigns based on

responses

9. Product Announcement/Brandingn Track unique page visitsn Collect product interest onlinen Provide personalized follow ups and

offers based on visits

Crystal Uppercue is marketing director of EU Services, a mid-Atlantic based direct marketing production firm. Contact [email protected] for a copy of “Seven Magic Numbers and Four Ways to Impress the CFO,” or for more information, contact Crystal at (302) 230-3362.


A recent column in Adweek.com got me thinking about cross media

marketing. I find it fascinating that “pure players” like Amazon.com and Zappos.com are looking to build their businesses with traditional mass media tactics.

With all the buzz about how the Internet and social media have changed the way we communicate and live our lives, and thus market our products and services, tried and true marketing tools like advertising and direct response are experiencing some well-deserved limelight.

A lot of people have been pumping up the volume on the requiem for the funeral of direct mail. Instead of Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor, however, I prefer to tune into Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor “Ode to Joy.”

For starters, according to the Envelope Manufacturing Association’s (EMA) midsummer (2009) report, envelope shipments between May and June realized their first up tick since February, with both shipments and new orders of envelopes on the rise. And while the EMA is quick to acknowledge that the recession is not over, they believe it may have bottomed out.

At the time of the report, the envelope market was down 15 percent over last year, with no clear picture of how the recovery might look or how much this drop might be mitigated by year end.

Ode to Joy! While it may be on life support, direct mail still has a pulse and its vital signs are improving! The outlook for envelopes (and direct mail),

will continue to improve as our nation continues the slow climb out of the most dreadful 12 months our economy has endured since the Great Depression.

What about digital, you say? Even as the economy improves, isn’t direct mail being driven into extinction by digital media? Instead of a funeral for direct mail, should we declare it an endangered species?

Not on your life! Pure digital does not sell as hard as

letter mail. Direct mail is tangible and makes more sense for many campaigns and many audiences. More often than not, to grab the attention of today’s busy consumers, we need to use an integrated platform.

When crafting our messages, we must consider not only whom to send them to, but how the respondent wants to be communicated with and how they want to respond back.

Direct mail is a great way to start the conversation with consumers, and when tied to personalized landing pages and e-mail campaigns, they are proven to lift response rates better than any single media.

According to a recent article in MediaWeek, the Internet is forcing some not-so-lucky media, including newspapers, local TV, radio, print, Yellow Pages, and local regional magazines to rethink their business models in order to survive. For them: Mozart.

The lucky media — direct mail, outdoor, cable TV, and digital/online interactive — will only need to ride out

a brutal economy. For them: Beethoven. Ode to Joy! n

Ed Glaser is director of marketing at Colortree, a Richmond, Va. based envelope manufacturer with over twenty years of responsive and reliable service to DMA members. For more information, visit www.colortree.com. Reach Ed at 804-545-2566 or [email protected]

Direct Mail in a Digital AgeEd Glaser

timeline, and measurement.Most direct marketers are already

implementing multi-channel marketing. The more sophisticated ones can also do one-to-one marketing. But, to date, fewer have attempted to create cross-media campaigns. That’s changing, because as with all direct marketing, cross-media allows direct marketers to measure response … which allows us to predict better, which leads to improved results. n

A Direct Marketing Manager’s Guide to Cross-Media Marketingcontinued from page 3


continued on next page

Developing & Marketing Your Personal Brand How to Stand Out from Your Competition

Birgitta Sama

Today’s job transition is not what it was a few years ago. Technology and

a challenging economy are responsible for changing how we execute our search. There is LinkedIn along with a plethora of online job sites that scream for your attention and offer to rewrite your resume that will guarantee interviews, headhunters and recruiters – certainly no shortage of resources. However, one thing has not changed – getting noticed, being the needle in the haystack, cutting through the clutter.

As marketers, we’ve all used the tools of the trade and proven techniques to successfully market our clients’ brands and garner high response rates. So it only makes sense to use this knowledge and experience to create and market our own personal brand to prospects, in this case, potential employers.

Creating a personal brand is an

essential component of today’s job transition as the market place is competitive and crowded. You have to make your mark and, in order to do so, you must clearly articulate what you’re all about, how you can solve a need, what makes you different along with building trust. Here are five steps to develop and market your personal brand:

1. The Brand Developing a personal brand involves

defining who you are and what you stand for — creating that emotional connection with your prospects (employers). It’s all about self-assessment and taking charge of how you want people to perceive you. To build trust, you must be authentic, consistent, and clear. Remember, people have to get to know you and your great work before making a hiring decision.

2. The USP As with any brand, it’s important

to distinguish yourself from the competition. Ask yourself what sets you apart from the crowd — employers want to know what you can do or help them get. It’s taking examples from your experience and parlaying them into the job at hand — showing the prospect how you can solve their need and making it easy for them to make the decision to hire you. For example, your prospect is looking for someone to help expand its customer base, increase visitation, and generate revenue. Using your experience to successfully transform a business into a consumer-centric model through enhancing the loyalty program, building a brand strategy and robust website that increased customer retention by 15 percent is a great case study and speaks directly to the prospect’s need.


continued from page 6 happen is that they say no. People are very willing to help you or point you in the right direction. Once you’ve secured a meeting, whether it’s by phone or in person, be prepared. This shows the prospect that you’re interested and have taken the time to understand not only their business but how you can solve their need using pertinent examples.

5. The Follow UpAfter your meeting, send a thank

you note. This can be done in an e-mail or sent through the mail or both and here’s why — it shows the prospect that you appreciated their time and each correspondence is another opportunity to sell your personal brand and keep you top-of-mind. It sounds like a lot of work and it is. However the more time and effort you put into your search — the more successful you will be in finding your next opportunity. It’s amazing that even in today’s competitive job market, only about one-third of people send a follow-up note! Be in that third because all things being equal, it can be the deciding factor in who gets hired.

In summary, creating your personal brand will:n Differentiate you from the competitionn Build credibility and trustn Keep your personal brand message

focusedn Develop relationships

Personal branding is essential in today’s competitive job market, and using the marketing tools and applying the techniques you already have gives you a jumpstart. n

3. The Plan Once you’ve developed your personal

brand, USP, and identified your targets, you’re ready to map out your plan of attack. You have one shot to make a good first impression, so it’s important to be thoughtful in your execution. Research and learn about your target — go that extra step and troll through their company website, press releases, and key players. Pepper in a couple of elements not found in the job posting. Decide how you want to package your personal brand so that it stands out and gets noticed. For example, I created a dimensional promotional piece and sent it out to prospects (Please note: It’s important to follow each organization’s

application process in addition to any other elements you send). Next, develop a relationship with your prospect by opening up a dialogue. E-mail is very effective. In some cases, it takes two to three e-mails to get a response and it’s appropriate to contact your prospects every 7–10 days. Remember, your prospects are busy and appreciate your diligence because it shows your enthusiasm for wanting to join their team. Approach it as being the grease on the squeaky wheel. It can be done without being perceived as pushy.

4. The MeetingOnce you’ve opened up a dialogue

with your target, go ahead, ask for a meeting. The worst thing that can

Birgitta Sama is the Tork Brand Marketing Manager for SCA North America, a global paper company that develops and produces personal care products, tissue, packaging solutions, publication papers and solid-wood products in more than 90 countries. Birgitta can be reached at [email protected].

Pictured are the contents from the author’s self promo piece that targeted specific job opportunities and were housed in a metal tin. Approximately three days after delivery, a confirmation email was sent to the recipients requesting a meeting.


continued on page 9

Imagine this scenario happening at work one day:“Frank! Tim fell asleep in the break

room again. Who should I report this to?”Which area of your business would

handle this issue? Most people would say human resources. Similarly, if you wanted to cut a check for a vendor, you’d go to the finance department; the shipping department would ship a package for you; and so on and so on. Pretty obvious, right?

For many small and mid-sized companies, marketing isn’t as straightforward. Who takes care of marketing? Who is responsible for marketing activities? How much or how little marketing should be taking place? The answers to these questions can get a little fuzzy sometimes. But why?

The challenge is that marketing covers lots of different areas, and that, in turn, makes the idea of marketing difficult to understand. Most of us are familiar with TV and print advertising, so a lot of people confuse advertising with marketing. While advertising is one of the tools that a marketer uses, they are not synonymous with one another. Advertising, public relations, event marketing, internet marketing: these are all individual tactics that can comprise one marketing program.

So, now you know what a marketing program can contain, but you still don’t know how to define and execute it for your business. Maybe we can get help from the experts at the American Marketing Association. Let’s see how they define marketing:

“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large.” (October 2007)

Did that help you? Probably not — you may now have a general idea of the concept of marketing, but the definition

What Does Marketing Mean to Your Company?

Eric Keiles

lacks precision, and doesn’t give a good example of exactly how marketing works, and what it can and can’t do for you.

At our firm, we talk with hundreds of business owners every single month, and they are all over the spectrum with their opinion of what marketing is, what it means to them, and how it impacts their business. That’s a problem. You can’t talk about improving something unless both parties in the conversation have a common point of reference.

All this confusion gave us an idea for a tool. We call it the Reality Marketing™ Continuum, and its purpose is simple: to give a more detailed, universal understanding of marketing beyond a textbook definition. Look at the diagram below, following it from left to right and bottom to top.

Take a look at the “results” line. At the bottom left of the graph, it’s there, but it’s thin and small, demonstrating that you

can get a little bit of marketing started with a minor investment and a small amount of effort and time. It’s not bad marketing — it’s just a small amount of it.

A single lawyer with a new law practice is a good example of someone who would fall into this area. He might want a logo, business cards, a three-page website, and a printed direct mail announcement unveiling his new practice. Seasoned entrepreneurs and marketers know a program like that will generate just a few new leads and opportunities to do business. Nevertheless, those leads are essential for our lawyer friend who is just starting out, and consequently, this small investment makes sense for him.

Fast forward two or three years, and the lawyer’s practice has gotten off the ground and is humming along nicely. However, he’s realizing that in order


to sustain growth, he’s going to need something more than the static collateral items he started with. Fortunately, he now has more capital to invest in marketing, and he’s willing to put forth a bit more time and effort to keep things moving. Now, he’s ready for the next benchmark on the continuum: adding a marketing plan and a strategy.

Companies — particularly small companies — that create a marketing plan are far ahead of their competition. Consider this: only about 20% of small businesses in America take the time to develop a marketing plan each year. Those who do gain a serious competitive advantage over the 80% who don’t, and help to ensure the success of their business with intelligent, prudent marketing and decision-making.

So, back to our lawyer. His practice and their marketing firm have decided to create a comprehensive marketing plan to outline new messaging and a detailed marketing strategy for the next year. They include supporting tactics like a website refresh, an email campaign,

and some educational events. The investment was a little higher, and the creation of the plan took some time and effort, but the practice is now seeing increased activity as a result. Still, there is not a large amount of outreach to the practice’s target market. Think of marketing as a giant industrial machine; the more cogs in the machine, the faster you can get it turning, and the more sales you can generate. At this point, the lawyer has a machine, but it’s turning slowly.

The machine continues its slow-but-steady work for the next few years,

during which time the lawyer’s practice experiences more growth. He now has his eyes firmly set on complete dominance of the local market, and by now, he knows the drill: more investment, time, and effort to move up the continuum. At this level, the practice re-examines their marketing machine, fleshing out their strategy and adding tactics like sales outreach, event marketing, online promotion, public relations, referral programs, video marketing and more. The entire effort takes about a year, but in the end, the results are three to four times more leads per month and a perception of leadership in the local marketplace.

Our little law practice that could has conquered an entire local region, but could it make a move to being competitive on a national — or even international — scale? It’s possible, but to do so, they’ll need to move to the far end of the results spectrum (at the top and right of the diagram a few paragraphs up). Here, we find companies that are willing to fully commit to making almost every single thing they do remarkable — even if it means blowing up aspects of the business and starting over. Think Starbucks. Think Disney. Think Apple. These elite corporations share a common thread: their teams have the freedom and internal drive to make them not only the best in their respective spaces, but unique, groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting.

Tailoring your strategyHere’s a great example of a company

that really gets this top-right space: American Eagle. This retail clothing chain caters to young buyers, so they decided to take advantage of their demographics enthusiasm for social media. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity: anybody who buys anything in the chain’s New York City location in Times Square has the option of having their photo taken. Within 15 minutes, the customer’s picture — along with their name and a 50 character message of their choice — will be posted on a 10-story electronic billboard above the store for all of Times Square to see. This information will also be added to the American Eagle Facebook page, encouraging customers and prospects alike to “friend” the

“It’s important to know

where you fit on the

marketing continuum,

and make sure your

strategy fits with

your position.”

continued on page 10

continued from previous page


company and get involved.The main objective here, as it always

is (and should be) for American Eagle, is to sell clothes. But in order to compete amongst the best clothing retailers for young people, American Eagle’s marketing department knows that a simple print ad or a “10% off” coupon alone is not going to cut it. Instead, they took the time to create and execute something that at the very least will get people talking, and at most will become a must-do activity in Times Square. The end result? Not just millions of dollars in revenue, but millions of dollars worth of free exposure, both traditionally and online.

Even without being privy to the exact planning and internal execution of this exercise, it’s obvious that it was anything but easy for American Eagle. This fantastic, seemingly-simple marketing idea is the result of years of work to identify the company’s core values, messaging, and audience, then developing a sound strategy to

aren’t Fortune 500 players right after they’re first founded. Remember that marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires careful attention on a monthly, weekly and daily basis to become part of your standard operating procedures. In time, its place in your company will feel as natural as the shipping department. n

Eric Keiles ([email protected]) is the Chief Marketing Officer at Square 2 Marketing. Square 2 Marketing practices Reality Marketing™, a realistic way small- and medium-sized businesses can generate more revenue — without the “fluff.” More information and free resources to help your business can be found at www.square2marketing.com.

communicate to that audience. After that, it took a considerable investment of time, effort, and capital to organize and execute this campaign, from the construction of the electronic billboard all the way down to the coaching of store staff on how to encourage customers — in a way consistent with American Eagle’s brand and messaging — to get their picture taken. It took a lot of effort, but its effort that will pay out big dividends in the end.

The takeaway here is simple: it’s important to know where you fit on the marketing continuum, and make sure your strategy fits with your position. If you’re expecting to double your sales, are you really willing to make the investment in time and effort necessary to do that? If not, it’s okay! That just means you aren’t ready for that kind of growth yet. Re-align your goals with your real intentions, and then make sure your marketing falls in line perfectly.

As we saw from our lawyer example, it’s also okay to gradually move up the results line on the Reality Marketing Continuum — after all, most companies

There are many PDMA membership benefits and services that you might want to take advantage of and so receive full value for your dues! Here are just a few:

Printed & Online Membership DirectoryReceive our wired-bound membership directory with members listed alphabetically and by company. Each company is also encouraged to provide a company description. This year’s directory will soon go to print, so don’t delay.

PLUS — Access the online web directory, in the members-only area, you may search for members by last name or company. This is a member’s only resource to get new business and make new contacts.

Career Center Online www.the-pdma.orgYou can find employees in our PDMA Career Center … or a new position for yourself. As a PDMA member, you may post your resume or job listing locally for free.

Non-members pay a fee for this service — your PDMA membership is covered

with just one posting! PDMA members can also post jobs nationally for a reduced fee.

PDMA members may also post their resumes locally for free and then discounted, nationally.

Benny DiscountsYour membership also earns you a discount on every Benny entry you enter in this prestigious industry award competition. If you submit just four entries, you cover your annual dues!

Member Meeting Discounts & Special ServicesPDMA meetings address real business issues affecting the direct marketing industry as well as providing great networking opportunities. Members can attend these business building meetings at a discounted rate. That’s a savings of $15 off the non-member rate. Attend just 10 meetings and you have more than covered your annual dues. PLUS — as an attendee at any of our monthly meetings, only members receive the meeting attendance list with contact information. n

Did You Know?

continued from previous page


Presentation chock-full of best practices marketers can use to make

immediate improvement to Web marketing ROI

“The beauty of the Web is that everything is measurable,” said

Hollis Thomases before a room of direct marketing professionals attending the March 16, 2010 networking & lunch meeting hosted by the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association.

“Marketers need to leverage the measurability of the Web, and that starts with developing a holistic strategy,” she continued. “Mistake number-one is not having a clear, measurable objective and instead diving right into a tactic.”

Hollis Thomases Helps Marketers Avoid Web Marketing Pitfalls

Thomases, a Web expert, author, and President & CEO of Web Advantage, Inc., delved deeply into this and five other “deadly sins” that keep Web sites from being effective and able to drive ROI. Energetic and full of immediately implementable best practices, Thomases offered advice in several key areas:

uStrategy — Marketers must establish a baseline for tracking and measuring. Make sure objectives and timelines match the budget. Define what conversion means up front. Ensure that online efforts complement offline ones.

uAnalytics — Look at the bigger picture to determine what the trends are…where do visitors go on the site, how long do they stay, from where do they exit? Use Google Analytics or other services to set up and use conversion funnels. Establish analytics standards across the organization and be sure tracking is properly set up so that you can compare apples to apples.

uSearch Engine Optimization — Is your Web site killing your rankings?

Want to tell the direct marketing industry your great news, promote your new employees, or publicize your marketing successes? Then e-mail your information to PDMA and we will tell the DM world all about it! All submissions must be e-mailed and received two months prior to the publication month (e.g., November 10 for the January issue).

ICT Group has now officially merged with SYKES. The newly merged company provides an array of customer contact management solutions to Fortune 1000 companies around the world. For more information, visit www.sykes.com. n

News & Notes

March Speaker: Hollis Thomases, President & CEO, Web Advantage, Inc. and author of the book, Twitter Marketing: an Hour a Day, reveals web sins at the March luncheon.

From left: Marcia Thompson of Malvern Communications, Inc., Denise Williams of BellaPizzelle, one of the meeting sponsors, and William Stuart of Diamond Technology Services enjoy the networking.

Amanda Peregin of Group G Direct gets her luncheon table involved.

From left: Alex Martin of Hanson Associates, Laurie Allen of Aquent, and Geff Rapp of Group G Direct enjoy the pizzelles!

continued on page 14


“What is your role as marketing professionals and how are

you maximizing the performance of your frontline sales and customer service teams?” asked Chris Brown of the marketers attending the PDMA’s February 17, 2010 networking & lunch meeting.

“Today we all fight against commoditization,” said Brown, senior vice president of Frontline Performance Group and business book author. “Where we can be distinct, however, is through the performance of our frontline service teams. Focusing inward is important to retention and loyalty. It has tremendous potential for driving profit.”

Brown reviewed his blueprint for developing an effective frontline team. First, employees must believe in the inherent value of the product or service they’re selling. They must believe that the price is fair and they must feel confident that the sales program has integrity. Beyond this, companies must feed their teams with the proper tools, training, recognition, support, and education if they are to achieve peak performance levels.

“People hunger for recognition,” said Brown. “Part of ensuring performance

Best Practices for Nurturing Frontline Sales and Customer Service Teams

February Speaker Shares How to Improve Bottom-Line Profit

is creating the right environment and that includes important factors such as providing opportunities, facilitating relationship building, instilling trust, opening up communications, and supporting and recognizing efforts. Feeding the team through constant positive reinforcement should be a top priority.”

Chris Brown, senior vice president of Frontline Performance Group and business book author shares insights.

Dale Flannery of Direct Marketing Alliance and Bernie Coughlin of Group G Direct, Inc. enjoy the luncheon program.

From left: Ann Conlin of Conlin’s Digital Print & Copy Center, Amy Altmann of Boardroom, Inc. and Valerie Schlitt of VSA, Inc. enjoy the networking luncheon.

Jennifer Scholz of Wedgewood Pharmacy shares with her table at the February luncheon.

Brown concluded that most companies have tremendous people working for them — diamonds in the rough. It is how we as marketers nurture these key contributors that will improve their performance, deliver more revenue, and ensure an improved customer experience. n

Thank you to the February meeting sponsor – VSA, Inc.

For more information, contact Valerie J. Schlitt, 441 Station Avenue, Haddonfield, NJ 08033; (856) 240-8100; [email protected]


Welcome New PDMA Members

Thursday, June 3, 6 - 9 p.m.

The Farmhouse at People’s Light & Theatre 39 Conestoga Rd Malvern, PA 19355

Awards Update!The 2010 Direct Marketer of the Year will be Lisa Formica of fmi direct, inc.

The PDMA Lifetime Achievement Award for 2010 will be bestowed on James M. Capanna of The Total Mailing System.

Celebrate the Bennys and the Direct Marketer of the Year

10. A night out with colleagues(I worked on that entry, I should get to go!)

9. A chance to see old friends (Perfect, then I will see you there.)

8. Social “Networking” (Who is that cutie at the bar?)

7. Rub elbows with some of the greats of the industry (I remember when postage went up to 10 cents and it was a crisis.)

6. Free food, free parking & two free drink tickets (Did you see it’s at The Farmhouse at People’s Light & Theatre again?)

5. Recruit new talent (Yeah, we landed the new account. NOW we actually have to get what we promised done! YIKES!)

4. Find a better job (I hear they just landed a really big account and need someone with your kind of background.)

3. Land new work (Just between you and me, outsourcing is something we specialize in.)

2. A night away from it all (No kids, adult drinks and free parking.)

1. Find out who won! (And the winner is…………)

Check out the list above for the top 10 reasons why everyone, even if you didn’t enter, should come to the awards party on Thursday, June 3. Anyone that can say YES to at least one reason is guaranteed a good time. So go to www.the-pdma.org to reserve your spot. n

Top 10 reasons why YOU should come to the Benny Awards Party!

Thomas KruegerVice PresidentNational Fulfillment Services100 Pine AveHolmes, PA 19042(610) [email protected]

Nicole PriceDrexel University Student229 N. Odessa AveEgg Harbor City, NJ 08215(609) 432-1824

New Platinum Member

United Health Group680 Blair Mill RdHorsham, PA 19044(215) 902-8682www.uhc.comJames B. [email protected]

Benny Awards Event Sponsorships Available!

Contact Lou Yager at (610) 664-7374.

Information is also available at www.the-pdma.org.


New York’s Michael Goldberg, an author, highly-rated speaker and

amateur boxer, introduced some 100 sales and marketing professionals to full-contact networking on March 4th at the Radisson Valley Forge Hotel.

An energetic, enthusiastic presenter, Michael put participants through two rounds of practice networking with attendees at nearby tables.

First, though, he introduced his 21 “Pool Rules of Networking,” down-to-earth tips that have been mentioned in the Harvard Business Review.

Both parties should benefitThe first three tips provide a look into

his networking philosophy: • No selling – ever!• Everyone is NOT a prospect.• It is never about you.

Michael noted that the purpose of networking is to help each other, and that 76% of jobs are filled through networking.

One big no-no: shaking hands with your card in your hand. That’s a huge turnoff.

Knockout Networking Marketers go two full rounds at the Radisson

Michael introduced the crowd to a quick, easy-to-use formula for meeting people that clearly positions you as a valuable resource:

Profession: Tell who you are, what you do and for whom. Try to make your opening different, memorable, compelling, and interesting.

Expertise: Include what you know and broad aspects of your background and expertise.

Environment: Pinpoint your target market; who do you serve best, and who do you want to serve more?

Call to action: Spell out the people you want to reach in specific areas, such as marketing, accounting or purchasing, and the like. Be specific.

Michael also suggests putting notes right on business cards (with permission) as you meet people, so you recall later what you have in common.

He breaks networking into four main steps: Preparation, presentation, follow up, and maintenance.

He personally follows up with personal notes within 24 hours.

You need a plan you can stick to; that helps you make networking successful for both parties, he says. He summed up the need for a plan with a quote from former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson: “Everyone has a plan 'til they get punched in the mouth.”

The networking event was jointly sponsored by PDMA, Philadelphia American Marketing Association, and sales and marketing executives from SMEI of Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania. A portion of the evening’s proceeds went to Haiti relief efforts.

Michael’s latest book, titled Networking is a Contact Sport will be published this May. It will be available at all major stores, including Amazon. For more info about Michael, go to his Web site: www.BuildingBlocksConsulting.com. n

Proper keyword selection is critical. Use Web analytics to determine what keywords drive traffic now. Then compile a mega list of potential words including language from marketing materials. Be careful not to use your own jargon; rather, think like the user and what the user is looking for.

uPaid Search Campaigns — Paid search can be effective if common blunders are avoided. Dull copy will quickly kill a paid search campaign along with poor campaign set-up and inadequate tracking.

u E-mail Content — There’s not much worse than sending e-mail that’s not

worth opening. Subject lines must generate attention; 35% of recipients open e-mail based on subject line alone!

u Social Media — Social media can build brand, increase site traffic, and boost online sales, but there are best practices to follow for success. Listen to the audience. Give more than you get. Be transparent. Welcome feedback. Match metrics to objectives.

“Think like direct marketers: establish objectives; create an infrastructure for measurement; do analysis; and refine efforts based on the findings. This is the path to successful Web marketing.” n

Hollis Thomases Helps Marketers Avoid Pitfallscontinued from page 11

Thank you to our contributing meeting sponsor — BellaPizzelle, LLC and the owner, Denise Williams, (866) 858-6384; www.bellapizzelle.com

Thank you to our premium meeting sponsor — KDI — Keystone Digital Imaging and their representative, Michael O’Brien, Senior Account Executive, Three Parkway, 1601 Cherry St., Ste 1450, Philadelphia, PA 19102; (215) 563-5015, ext. 107; www.kdi-inc.com


ABC Mailers page 9Anthony Bucolo at (856) 241-2100

IBSDirect page 10 Donna Mastrangelo at (610) 265-8210

Intelligencer Printing FSI Contact Todd Foster at (800) 233-0107

Japs-Olson Company page 2Debbie Roth at (952) 912-1440

Nova Label page 11Randy Fine at (800) 246-0506

THANK YOU TO THE ADVERTISERSin this issue of Direct Views.

Please utilize these Direct Response Experts when you can:

To join this impressive list of direct marketing experts, place your ad today with Lou Yager at (610) 664-7374. PDMA 2009-2010 Board of Directors

President Judy Arnold SEISecretary Jim Murphy Jim Murphy CommunicationsTreasurer Jim Toohey Direct GroupChairperson Lisa Formica fmi direct mail, inc.Board Members Phillip Barnes Wedgewood Pharmacy

Marie Caldwell GMR Group James Covelens United Health Group

Karen Keenan Associates Graphic Services

Charlie Ohanesian The WordTech Group

Geff Rapp Group G Direct

Birgitta A. Sama SCA North America

Valerie Schlitt VSA, Inc.

Ken Shirey Direct Group

Joanna Smith Philadelphia Protestant Home

Richard Travaglini RGT Direct

Joyce VanRavenswaay ACE-INA

Denise Williams Goodman Marketing Partners

MARCH 2010PDMA DirectViews is published bimonthly by and for members of the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association and other interested direct marketers. For more information, visit www.the-pdma.org.

Editors Marie Caldwell Joanna SmithDesign/Layout Gotwald Creation, inc.Printing Global Direct ColorLettershop fmi direct, inc.

PDMA Office4520 City Line Avenue, Suite 301Philadelphia, PA 19131

Voice (215) 473-1668FAX (215) 477-1109E-Mail [email protected] site www.the-pdma.org

AdvertisingFor advertising rates and schedules for all PDMA publications and sponsorships, contact Lou Yager at 610.664.7374. All ads must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to the publication month.

Global Direct Color page 6Mike Dubowitch at (215) 671-1353

Print Art Inc Back Cover Frank Nardi at (609) 645-1940

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Inc. page 13 John Caruso (610) 539-5100

Valley Forge Tape & Label Co page 5Paul Myers at (610) 524-8900

The 2010 Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference

July 26 - 28

Gaylord National Conference Center National Harbor

Washington, D.C.

At this year’s Bridge Conference you’ll find new and results oriented

solutions to all of your direct marketing and fundraising challenges. Dozens of dynamic and groundbreaking sessions with expert speakers will arm you with the skills and strategies you need to meet — and exceed — your goals.

Produced by the DMAW and AFP/DC, these two major organizations have collaborated with seven education co-sponsors, including PDMA, to be able to offer a high profile educational program.

PDMA members will be particularly interested in sessions on: applying social media in a highly regulated business context; how online data is changing direct marketing; understanding direct marketers’ role as part of a multi-channel integrated campaign; and more.

This is the regional conference for direct marketers and fundraisers.

PDMA is an educational co-sponsor!

More information at www.bridgeconf.org

At the 2010 Bridge Conference you’ll experience:

• 6 Pre-Conference Workshops• 5 Plenary speakers• 70 educational sessions• 7 education co-sponsors• 2 Social networking receptions• Hundreds of providers exhibiting in

the Solutions Showcase• Countless opportunities to learn new

techniques, improve skills, generate more ideas

Don’t miss your opportunity to learn how to maximize your results in your direct marketing and fundraising programs from the best in the business. n

Documents

Direct Views: May 2010