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A low-cost, possibly even no-cost, way to improve the results of your direct response campaigns ...
                                      
Hello, my name is David Foley and my job is to help you sell more stuff ... raise more money ... or get more people emotionally attached to your worthy cause ...  using proven direct response and database marketing tactics. Whether through the mail or online, the fundamentals of success are the same.
Most direct response practitioners, including me, use list, offer and creative as the building blocks for promotions. But, I believe that the more relevant the mailing, the higher the response rate will be -- and "relevance" often comes by segmenting your mailing list.
For many products and services, the simplest, quickest and least expensive segmentation is by gender. This statement often brought howls of protest at my  Direct Marketing and Database Marketing seminars at the Schulich Executive Education Centre, York University -- because it's not politically correct, I suppose -- even though it is absolutely true.
Women purchase products in a different way than men, so the obvious question is: Why not reflect those differences in the letter (or e-mail)? All other components of the mailing -- brochure, reply card, lift note and reply envelope or e-mail attachments -- are common to both genders.
Here's a quick example -- you sell photocopiers to small and medium sized businesses* and have a complete and accurate list of same in your territory.
Your plan is to send a simple letter mailing to each business owner offering a no-cost, no-obligation analysis of their photocopying costs. (I realize this offer is as old as the hills, but it still works!) 
Rather than send the same letter to everyone on the list, you write gender-specific versions (or have them written by a professional copywriter). 
For male recipients, the letter focuses on his need to make decisions ... to be a leader ... by taking advantage of something that is both free and potentially valuable to his organization. One quick call and the alpha male can turn to other important decisions. What's for lunch? 
For female recipients, the letter focuses on other women who have benefited from this free offer -- using their testimonials throughout the copy. If permission has been obtained in advance, include their contact information as well because women are much more likely to research purchases (by engaging  others and learning their opinions) than men. The letter understands and supports her decision-making process. 
That's it: Two letters -- one for men, the other for women, based on their specific behaviours -- ready to generate leads for you as no single letter could. Chances are your copywriter will charge only a small premium to craft two letters instead of one. 
However, this story also illustrates another aspect of my consulting practice: database.
Since most photocopiers are purchased or leased over a multi-year period, mailing everyone on the list will probably be a waste of time and money. The better way would be to append data to the list by finding out ...
1. who has the thankless job of choosing the next photocopier,
2. which brand(s) and model(s) are currently at the location, and
3. the end-date of the current copier lease.
By having this knowledge, you can improve the timeliness of your mailings, be more specific in the copy and confident that your message is going to the right person at the right time. Each of these should improve response while all of them should improve response considerably. There's a second benefit -- since your mailings are sent in small waves, you are better able to manage the follow-up and, hopefully, sell more!  
While transforming "data" into rich veins of usable insights takes time and costs money, it may be the strategic decision that gives your organization an edge over its competitors. Please feel free to contact me if my team can be of assistance to you -- 416-253-1224. Thank you.
David Foley, The Database Marketing CoachTM 
 
* According to Stats Canada, 60% of all businesses in the country have between 1 and 4 employees; 22%, 5 to 9, and 9% between 10 and 19 people. Conclusion: 9 of 10 businesses in Canada have 19 employees or less.
David Foley Associates Inc.
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