In our previous columns, we have talked a great deal about direct selling expenses, i.e., paper, printing, postage, list rental, etc., and why these expenses need to be separated on the income statement. This month, we want to take a slightly different twist by...
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Renting Your Customer List… Is It The Right Thing To Do?
Several catalog companies today still choose not to rent their customer list. What’s more, many of these catalogers will also not agree to exchange their list with other reputable firms. While it is more common for business-to-business catalogs to disallow others from...
Prospecting Cost Effectively using Alternate Media
Historically, catalogers have relied almost exclusively on outside prospect lists to generate new buyers. However, it is becoming more difficult to find “good” lists and “fresh” prospect names. What’s more, list universes are flat or declining. Today, catalogers need...
Promotional Offers… What You Need to Know
Promotional offers such as free shipping, 10% off, $5.00 off, a free gift and more can be extremely effective when used properly. But, are you using promos correctly? And, are you over using them? Many catalogers are offering promos across the board to all customers...
Promos… What Really Works
Over 50% of all catalogs offer some type of promotion. Approximately 20% offer free shipping as an incentive to get people to order. Promos have become a regular part of doing business and something the consumer expects today. This month, I want to review what really...
Printing And Paper Efficiencies That Will Save You Money!
In this day and age of rising costs and lower than expected response rates, it is important to know how best to maximize your catalog print manufacturing, paper and postage efficiencies. These costs represent, on average, approximately 80% of total catalog selling...
Plan Ahead for Holiday Shipping with UPS
To help you plan ahead and better serve your customers this holiday season, UPS is offering the following advice: From November 21 to December 30, a limited number of UPS Ground and UPS Standard shipments with transit times of three or more days and with specific...
P&L Key Ratio Guidelines Controlling Costs in a Difficult Economy
I have always believed that you put dollars in the bank, not percentages. For example, it is not so much the percent of net income that’s important but rather the total dollars of profit achieved. However, in order to maximize profit dollars, it is important to manage...
Multichannel Catalog Marketing… What is Really Driving the Business?
Catalogers typically traced 80% to 85% of their business to a specific source or key code prior to the Internet just a few short years ago. We knew where the business was coming from and we could make good sense of the results as reported by the source code report. We...