The Toppled Bollard: radical direct marketing in practice

This week, I went to lunch with a sales director who had a vision.  “We are a company that breaks the rules,” she told me.  “We don’t research markets – we create them.  Exceeding customer expectations comes in our stride.  When there’s a new campaign needed we clear the decks, and start afresh.   It never matters what the rule book says, if we can run it up the flagpole we’ll see who salutes it.”

I must admit I wasn’t quite clear as to what all that meant, but it did sound inspirational.  As she paused to consider the Skull and Magpie patent menu scribbled on a blackboard by our resident publican and Elvis impersonator Bert Starbuck, I saw an opportunity and launched into my sales patter re direct mail, blogs and emails.

I explained the concept – we could set up a web site, add a blog, and start writing a daily news service based around her oompany.   We could then also email the text to her email list of existing and potential customers.  We could move over to conversational selling, rather than SHOUTING ABOUT THE DISCOUNTS THIS WEEK.

“So what’s new then?” she said.  She was sharp, I had to admit that.

“Nothing,” I agreed.  “And everything.  We have huge amounts of data on how the text you use affects the blogs, emails, and direct mail you send out.  It is important to use this knowledge – and to use every medium, and to experiment all the time.  Never ever say, ‘its not right for us’.

“But if you could come up with a totally new approach to direct marketing it would be really interesting.  I love to see anyone break the rules and really make it all work.”

“So what are the rules?” she asked.

“Talk to your customers in a conversational style.  Write to them at least once a week.  If you can find enough to say, write to them each day – but in that case, make sure they opt in to the service.  Become the source of information and news in your industry.”

“And is this what everyone does?”  She ordered steak and kidney pie.  A risky choice; I admired her style.  “Does everyone follow the rules?”

“No.  In fact most firms don’t which is what gives those that do the great opportunity.  Most direct marketing is quite poor, most firms don’t have blogs, most firms don’t email their current customers every week.   They follow the rules of five years ago.  So if you can turn everything up and down again, that’s great.  I will learn some more.”

“So you want me to do a promotion in my own style, and you suspect I will fail because you know everything!” she said.  “What sort of salesman are you Tony?”

I was flummoxed, bemused, shocked, amazed.  I didn’t think that was what I was saying at all.  I protested that experimentation was essential, and although it would sometimes fail, it was only through experimentation that I had learned about the need to write in a conversational way.  It was the only way I had learned how to use emails and blogs.  I experiment all the time, I protested.  That is how I am able to help my clients get their advertising response rates up.

I looked at her again.   She was eating the pie!  I sipped the wine, specially imported from the Toppled Bollard. And waited.

Suddenly she left.

That’ll teach her to argue with me.

Tony Attwood

PS:    If you are happy with how your marketing is going, that’s fine.  If you want to know how to make blogs, emails and direct mail work in the new financial environment, without running up flagpoles to see who salutes, and without spending a fortune, give me a call on 01536 399 013.  You won’t have to visit the Skull and Magpie.  Or eat the pie.  There’s more stuff on the How To guides section at www.hamilton-house.com – click on the link on the left.

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