Do you believe in magic?
Marketers tend to. They are suckers for miracle cures – and here’s why.
We all know our customers are lazy. That’s why the words “quick” and “easy” always increase readership of any headline.
Show them how they can do something – lose weight, learn a language – with less effort, and you probably have a winning proposition.
You must package it well, though – preferably with an impressive name.
So it’s not listening to and repeating words and phrases; it’s “programmed learning”. That makes you feel you’re doing something important, doesn’t it?
And guess what? Marketers are just as lazy as customers – hardly surprising, as they are customers every day. Most (as I learned from asking them to define it in many countries) are is too lazy to even learn what marketing is – let alone what “direct marketing” means.
Anyhow, that word “direct” … doesn’t it sound distressingly close to direct mail? And we all know what that means, don’t we? Junk. Ugh. That certainly doesn’t sound very flattering, does it?
CRM sounds much better. People love it. Though I cannot for the life of me see how it differs from what I’ve always done.
Mind you, it took me about nine years to get any good at what I do, whereas a few years ago Oracle’s ads said: “Start today and have global customer relationship management in 19 days.”
Sounds a lot better than hard work, doesn’t it? Mr. Super CRM would whiz into their office and take care of everything for them! No wonder it took off.
Many firms started CRM divisions before even knowing what the heck it really was – or meant to their business.
No wonder that a few years after it first came into fashion, the US magazine Advertising Age reported that over 70% of firms who tried it said it didn’t work.
I shall discuss why in a moment, with some good, practical advice you can act on from somebody who has specialised in this field.
In the meantime, here’s a little reminder that miracles only happen in the movies.
The word ‘loyalty’ is often used about CRM. But as a former chairman of Marks & Spencer observed, “Customers are not loyal nor should they be. We have to earn their loyalty every day”.
His firm forgot that and it nearly ruined them.
Sober people know the obvious: nobody sane wants a relationship with their bank or supermarket. They have enough trouble getting on with their families. And a “programme” won’t cure any dodgy relationship.
But the intelligent use of data does pay. Here is a good example. Ocado sent my partner Marta this, based on things she had bought before.
CRM schemes fail above all because your business lives or dies on its attitude to customers. And a quick fix doesn’t change attitudes.
So here is check list for you. It was put together by my associate Peter Hardingham, who has worked with me on and off for 20 years, and revised by me because I interfere with everything that leaves this office.
Is CRM right for you? A 15-minute quiz
Step 1
Unless you have answered these four questions, there is absolutely NO point in boarding the good ship CRM.
- Do you really know what your customers want?
- Do you know what they think you promise them? Are they the same things?
- Can you clearly identify these desires and beliefs, before and after they have become customers?
- How will you find out? Do so before anything else!
Step 2
Set realistic expectations, and deliver what you promise or you can end up worse off than if you never started.
- Can you deliver what your customers want – and, just as important, what they think you promise?
- If not, what can you deliver now, and in the future?
- If it is in the future, how quickly? And how will you keep them happy in the interim?
Step 3
A customer in the dark is an angry customer. A customer in the know can end up buying more.
- At what points in the purchase process will you tell your customers what they want to know
- About their order?
- To reassure them?
Step 4
- Can you identify the points from step 3 in every customer transaction?
- Are you sure your IT team can deliver?
- If you have retail outlets, can the staff get this information – quickly and easily?
Step 5
Many firms still have separate databases for customer and transactional information If your marketing database can’t access both, you’re in trouble.
- Can you record what happens at all every point in the transaction?
- On a database all those who may need to know can access?
The moment of truth.
Did you answer the first 5 steps mostly ‘yes’? If so, you stand a chance of CRM working for you. If you said mostly ‘no’, stop right now and get it right.
If you’re talking to CRM consultants politely ask them to leave. Their time is expensive, and you’ll lose your shirt.
Step 6 – start the ball rolling
- Tell your customers what you plan to do
- Manage their expectations
- Involve, motivate and train all your
- Make sure everyone – particularly retail staff – gets the same respect
Step 7 – attend to detail
Remind yourself what you’ve promised, and deliver it. Often, essential processes are not part of firms’ structures. They don’t appreciate what skills and structures you need.
- If this is an incentivised scheme, how will points, miles or other benefits be allocated, captured, and communicated to the customer?
- How will redemptions be handled?
Step 8
Most customers won’t tell you they are unhappy. They tell their friends – and walk away.
- Set up a monitoring process in your company
- Make sure you identify any weak links that appear in the chain
Step 9
- Ask your customers how they think you’re doing
- Loyalty can improve just by making it easy for them to tell you what they think
- Allow your customers to suggest improvements. It’s the best research you’ll ever get
Step 10 – it doesn’t stop
Don’t imagine this is something you just “put in place”.
- Keep listening to your customers
- Keep learning from your customers
- Keep refining your system
- Keep training and re-training your people
When should you refer to these questions?
When your IT director says, “We’ve got this wonderful CRM software…”
When the board says, “That’s a brave move you’re making there, this CRM stuff…”
Just take out this quiz, and re-read it. You’ll know more than many CRM consultants. You might even keep your job.
If that interested you, you might find half an hour with Peter worth your while. I sent him along to three clients a while ago, and all wanted to know more. One – a travel destination – had him on a plane within a week.
Best,
Drayton
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com
Filed under direct marketing, Drayton Bird, marketing by on Sep 27th, 2010. 1 Comment. 
Do you believe in magic?
Marketers tend to. They are suckers for miracle cures – and here’s why.
We all know our customers are lazy. That’s why the words “quick” and “easy” always increase readership of any headline.
Show them how they can do something – lose weight, learn a language – with less effort, and you probably have a winning proposition.
You must package it well, though – preferably with an impressive name.
So it’s not listening to and repeating words and phrases; it’s “programmed learning”. That makes you feel you’re doing something important, doesn’t it?
And guess what? Marketers are just as lazy as customers – hardly surprising, as they are customers every day. Most (as I learned from asking them to define it in many countries) are is too lazy to even learn what marketing is – let alone what “direct marketing” means.
Anyhow, that word “direct” … doesn’t it sound distressingly close to direct mail? And we all know what that means, don’t we? Junk. Ugh. That certainly doesn’t sound very flattering, does it?
CRM sounds much better. People love it. Though I cannot for the life of me see how it differs from what I’ve always done.
Mind you, it took me about nine years to get any good at what I do, whereas a few years ago Oracle’s ads said: “Start today and have global customer relationship management in 19 days.”
Sounds a lot better than hard work, doesn’t it? Mr. Super CRM would whiz into their office and take care of everything for them! No wonder it took off.
Many firms started CRM divisions before even knowing what the heck it really was – or meant to their business.
No wonder that a few years after it first came into fashion, the US magazine Advertising Age reported that over 70% of firms who tried it said it didn’t work.
I shall discuss why in a moment, with some good, practical advice you can act on from somebody who has specialised in this field.
In the meantime, here’s a little reminder that miracles only happen in the movies.
The word ‘loyalty’ is often used about CRM. But as a former chairman of Marks & Spencer observed, “Customers are not loyal nor should they be. We have to earn their loyalty every day”.
His firm forgot that and it nearly ruined them.
Sober people know the obvious: nobody sane wants a relationship with their bank or supermarket. They have enough trouble getting on with their families. And a “programme” won’t cure any dodgy relationship.
But the intelligent use of data does pay. Here is a good example. Ocado sent my partner Marta this, based on things she had bought before.
CRM schemes fail above all because your business lives or dies on its attitude to customers. And a quick fix doesn’t change attitudes.
So here is check list for you. It was put together by my associate Peter Hardingham, who has worked with me on and off for 20 years, and revised by me because I interfere with everything that leaves this office.
Is CRM right for you? A 15-minute quiz
Step 1
Unless you have answered these four questions, there is absolutely NO point in boarding the good ship CRM.
- Do you really know what your customers want?
- Do you know what they think you promise them? Are they the same things?
- Can you clearly identify these desires and beliefs, before and after they have become customers?
- How will you find out? Do so before anything else!
Step 2
Set realistic expectations, and deliver what you promise or you can end up worse off than if you never started.
- Can you deliver what your customers want – and, just as important, what they think you promise?
- If not, what can you deliver now, and in the future?
- If it is in the future, how quickly? And how will you keep them happy in the interim?
Step 3
A customer in the dark is an angry customer. A customer in the know can end up buying more.
- At what points in the purchase process will you tell your customers what they want to know
- About their order?
- To reassure them?
Step 4
- Can you identify the points from step 3 in every customer transaction?
- Are you sure your IT team can deliver?
- If you have retail outlets, can the staff get this information – quickly and easily?
Step 5
Many firms still have separate databases for customer and transactional information If your marketing database can’t access both, you’re in trouble.
- Can you record what happens at all every point in the transaction?
- On a database all those who may need to know can access?
The moment of truth.
Did you answer the first 5 steps mostly ‘yes’? If so, you stand a chance of CRM working for you. If you said mostly ‘no’, stop right now and get it right.
If you’re talking to CRM consultants politely ask them to leave. Their time is expensive, and you’ll lose your shirt.
Step 6 – start the ball rolling
- Tell your customers what you plan to do
- Manage their expectations
- Involve, motivate and train all your
- Make sure everyone – particularly retail staff – gets the same respect
Step 7 – attend to detail
Remind yourself what you’ve promised, and deliver it. Often, essential processes are not part of firms’ structures. They don’t appreciate what skills and structures you need.
- If this is an incentivised scheme, how will points, miles or other benefits be allocated, captured, and communicated to the customer?
- How will redemptions be handled?
Step 8
Most customers won’t tell you they are unhappy. They tell their friends – and walk away.
- Set up a monitoring process in your company
- Make sure you identify any weak links that appear in the chain
Step 9
- Ask your customers how they think you’re doing
- Loyalty can improve just by making it easy for them to tell you what they think
- Allow your customers to suggest improvements. It’s the best research you’ll ever get
Step 10 – it doesn’t stop
Don’t imagine this is something you just “put in place”.
- Keep listening to your customers
- Keep learning from your customers
- Keep refining your system
- Keep training and re-training your people
When should you refer to these questions?
When your IT director says, “We’ve got this wonderful CRM software…”
When the board says, “That’s a brave move you’re making there, this CRM stuff…”
Just take out this quiz, and re-read it. You’ll know more than many CRM consultants. You might even keep your job.
If that interested you, you might find half an hour with Peter worth your while. I sent him along to three clients a while ago, and all wanted to know more. One – a travel destination – had him on a plane within a week.
Best,
Drayton
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com
In october 2006 I decided I’d had enough.
I’d had enough of working for other people and making them the kind of money I could only dream about.
I’d had enough of people looking over my shoulders constantly to ensure they squeezed every drop of blood for the pittance they paid me… even though I worked my butt off.
In fact, in one job my manager actually told me if all the other guys together did half as much work as I did by myself, he’d be a happy bunny. There were eight other people in the team.
Did that satisfy the bosses of the company?
Does spiderman really exist? (Okay, I only used that because I’m a die-hard comic book fan. But you know what I mean).
Anyway, in October 2006 I decided I was going to be self-employed. I was going my own way.
So I called up the relevant government department and told them so.
And I’ve been self-employed ever since.
Although I think the term self ‘unemployed’ would be more suitable.
You see, I tried to learn how to make money on the internet. I bought one course after another.
Each time the promise was:
- I had to spend money to make money
- “Our course is the best one. And you’ll definitely make money with it”
Three years and about $50,000.00 later (no typo), all I had to show for myself was a huge debt, with no ability to pay it back.
I was desperate.
Then, in October 2008 Drayton Bird held his first course in Direct and Digital Marketing through EADIM (European Academy of Direct and Interactive Marketing).
The cost was 3,000 Euros. I couldn’t afford it.
So I ended up wasting more money trying to learn more stuff that was no good And getting even deeper in debt on my credit cards.
(funny how we can’t afford to pay for something sensible, but can afford to get even more in debt, huh?).
Then in August 2009 I decided enough really was enough.
I borrowed the money from my brother and enrolled on that year’s EADIM course.
Was it worth it?
It was the single best investment I’ve made in all these years of struggling.
In fact, I made back my investment at least 5 times since. And more.
I was so enthusiastic about this course that Drayton Bird himself sent me an email and offered me the chance to work with him.
The result?
Check out this site: www.directmarketingcourse.com
I had a big hand in that copy.
This is what Ross Bowring, a fellow copywriter on the Warrior Forum, said of the copy on this site…
“Rezbi… Bravo! And I’ve never said “Bravo” to anyone before (!) That’s a very nicely written letter. Skillfully communicates benefits with no hype whatsoever. Read the whole thing. Never usually do that. Mightily impressed.”
And this is what Drayton said of the same…
Enthusiasm without knowledge is useless. Rezbi is one of those rare and valuable people – a genuine enthusiast who studies. He was hugely valuable to me in working on the promotion for EADIM. The (very complex) landing page is a good example of his work, a great joint effort!
All I can say is this – I got the opportunity to work on this, and on others, as a direct result of going on that course last year. It is, in my opinion, the best course on direct and digital marketing that exists today.
And, if ANYONE is really serious about their career, online or offline – no matter which industry they are in – they would be jumping to get on this course.
Now my question is: How serious are you?
Don’t waste any more time or money. Get on this course and – finally – start making a success of your business and career.
If nothing else, at least go and check out the site to see how much I’ve accomplished as a result of doing this course. And how much you could, too: www.directmarketingcourse.com
Oh, I nearly forgot… if you book before the end of the year, you also get a HUGE 34% discount.
And, if you can’t afford that measly sum, you can even pay by monthly installments.
Check it out: www.directmarketingcourse.com
Best,
Rezbi
Filed under direct marketing, Drayton Bird, internet marketing, marketing by on Aug 26th, 2010. Comment.
In october 2006 I decided I’d had enough.
I’d had enough of working for other people and making them the kind of money I could only dream about.
I’d had enough of people looking over my shoulders constantly to ensure they squeezed every drop of blood for the pittance they paid me… even though I worked my butt off.
In fact, in one job my manager actually told me if all the other guys together did half as much work as I did by myself, he’d be a happy bunny. There were eight other people in the team.
Did that satisfy the bosses of the company?
Does spiderman really exist? (Okay, I only used that because I’m a die-hard comic book fan. But you know what I mean).
Anyway, in October 2006 I decided I was going to be self-employed. I was going my own way.
So I called up the relevant government department and told them so.
And I’ve been self-employed ever since.
Although I think the term self ‘unemployed’ would be more suitable.
You see, I tried to learn how to make money on the internet. I bought one course after another.
Each time the promise was:
- I had to spend money to make money
- “Our course is the best one. And you’ll definitely make money with it”
Three years and about $50,000.00 later (no typo), all I had to show for myself was a huge debt, with no ability to pay it back.
I was desperate.
Then, in October 2008 Drayton Bird held his first course in Direct and Digital Marketing through EADIM (European Academy of Direct and Interactive Marketing).
The cost was 3,000 Euros. I couldn’t afford it.
So I ended up wasting more money trying to learn more stuff that was no good And getting even deeper in debt on my credit cards.
(funny how we can’t afford to pay for something sensible, but can afford to get even more in debt, huh?).
Then in August 2009 I decided enough really was enough.
I borrowed the money from my brother and enrolled on that year’s EADIM course.
Was it worth it?
It was the single best investment I’ve made in all these years of struggling.
In fact, I made back my investment at least 5 times since. And more.
I was so enthusiastic about this course that Drayton Bird himself sent me an email and offered me the chance to work with him.
The result?
Check out this site: www.directmarketingcourse.com
I had a big hand in that copy.
This is what Ross Bowring, a fellow copywriter on the Warrior Forum, said of the copy on this site…
“Rezbi… Bravo! And I’ve never said “Bravo” to anyone before (!) That’s a very nicely written letter. Skillfully communicates benefits with no hype whatsoever. Read the whole thing. Never usually do that. Mightily impressed.”
And this is what Drayton said of the same…
Enthusiasm without knowledge is useless. Rezbi is one of those rare and valuable people – a genuine enthusiast who studies. He was hugely valuable to me in working on the promotion for EADIM. The (very complex) landing page is a good example of his work, a great joint effort!
All I can say is this – I got the opportunity to work on this, and on others, as a direct result of going on that course last year. It is, in my opinion, the best course on direct and digital marketing that exists today.
And, if ANYONE is really serious about their career, online or offline – no matter which industry they are in – they would be jumping to get on this course.
Now my question is: How serious are you?
Don’t waste any more time or money. Get on this course and – finally – start making a success of your business and career.
If nothing else, at least go and check out the site to see how much I’ve accomplished as a result of doing this course. And how much you could, too: www.directmarketingcourse.com
Oh, I nearly forgot… if you book before the end of the year, you also get a HUGE 34% discount.
And, if you can’t afford that measly sum, you can even pay by monthly installments.
Check it out: www.directmarketingcourse.com
Best,
Rezbi
Filed under copywriting, direct marketing, Drayton Bird, internet marketing, marketing, Online Business by on Aug 26th, 2010. Comment.
This video may sound a bit like it was recorded in a municipal swimming baths (actually it was my partner Al’S quaint West Country residence) but once you’ve got over that, you may find it useful.
That’s because it deals with something I must have been asked a thousand times: how often should I mail/email my clients?
This reminds me of another hoary old favourite: how long should the copy be?
And both remind me of the philosopher Bertrand Russell’s remark that “What men seek is not knowledge, but certainty.”
Some people think they should be talking more often, lest their customers think they are being ignored; others think they should talk less for fear of boring them.
The truth is, as so often, that it depends on a myriad things. In this 2 minute 6 second clip I get pretty excited about the subject – but don’t let that put you off.
By the way, I have just finished putting together the examples for the first How to Write Proper webinar.
Best,
Drayton
www.eadim.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com
Filed under copywriting, Drayton Bird, marketing by on Jul 1st, 2010. Comment.
This video may sound a bit like it was recorded in a municipal swimming baths (actually it was my partner Al’S quaint West Country residence) but once you’ve got over that, you may find it useful.
That’s because it deals with something I must have been asked a thousand times: how often should I mail/email my clients?
This reminds me of another hoary old favourite: how long should the copy be?
And both remind me of the philosopher Bertrand Russell’s remark that “What men seek is not knowledge, but certainty.”
Some people think they should be talking more often, lest their customers think they are being ignored; others think they should talk less for fear of boring them.
The truth is, as so often, that it depends on a myriad things. In this 2 minute 6 second clip I get pretty excited about the subject – but don’t let that put you off.
By the way, I have just finished putting together the examples for the first How to Write Proper webinar.
Best,
Drayton
www.eadim.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com
Filed under copywriting, direct marketing, Drayton Bird, Email Marketing, marketing, sales copy by on Jul 1st, 2010. Comment.
If you read these serpentine ramblings you know I greatly admire the Venerable Denny Hatch.
Denny, with almost demented dedication, has over the last 26 years created the world’s largest organised direct mail library – over 200,000 samples.
But what is more important, he knows what worked – and what didn’t, and can tell you why, because he knows more than anyone about the subject.
18 years ago I rang his wife, Peggy (who is as able as he is!) to ask how many mailings he read a month.
“Between one and two thousand,” she replied. “Mind you, he doesn’t read all of them all through.”
“I should bloody well hope not,” I thought. “The poor man would end up in a loony bin if he did.”
Anyhow, since that time, Denny’s mammoth compendium of the best mailings ever - Million $$$ Mailings, created with Axel Andersson - has been my secret weapon.
I use it to cheat.
I thumb through it for inspiration – and for ideas to steal, adapt and use in seminars. It contains 71 of the most successful mailings ever written. Only last month I wrote something that pulled like an express train based on one line I spotted and “improved”.
I refer to it more than Caples, more than Hopkins, more than Ogilvy.
The only problem is, it is a WHACKING GREAT TOME, 477 pages long – I yearn to beat up recalcitrant clients with it. I can’t find the ideas I want quickly. And it is 18 years old, so some important new stuff is not in it.
Now, praise the Lord, Denny has come up with something that’s bang up-to-date, and a lot shorter. So I can find tested ideas to steal in minutes.
It’s a report called The Secrets of Emotional Hot-ButtonCopywriting. You can get it at http://hotbuttoncopywriting.com/.
But to call it a report does it too little justice. It is atreasure trove. I flipped it open just now and immediately saw an extraordinary opening line “I’m sitting in my wheelchair today, mad as hell” … imagine what that could do for your e-mail opening rates!
(Do not think for a second that what applies in direct mail does not apply online. It is pretty much all relevant – and the examples you see are from the best of the best in a business that has been around for centuries, not decades).
As the title says, the report is based on the turbulent, gnawing human emotions – the hot buttons – that make your customers buy. And it features the best mailings of the last 20 years. Only Denny could have put it together, because only Denny has this astonishing archive of material.
And Denny does something so many fail to do: he tells you WHY things work. You will never get this from some of the hyped-up piffle that sails into your inbox every day.
A friend just forwarded me (as a joke) one of those emails that say “all you need is this set of DVDs and booklets and your copy will “write itself” automatically.
What drivel!
Here, for $89, you can get what you really need – theCopy Thieves’ Almanac. I may use one of the mailings in a speech I make in a week’s time. I will certainly adapt another for some work I have to do for an investment client.
Here again is where to order: http://hotbuttoncopywriting.com/.
Why not make it the next thing you do? Just one idea could double the response from your next effort. I have seen it happen. I know.
Best,
Drayton
http://directmarketingcourse.com/
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com
Filed under advertising, copywriting, Drayton Bird, marketing by on Jun 29th, 2010. Comment.
