Database Problems in Marketing
I have been working on a direct mail campaign for our team in many areas and we are finding that the yellow page listings and business list CDROMS contain so many closed companies that we are spending too much on the mailings, which are opened a little less because of the anthrax scare. Even customized lists are of little value. No one is keeping these lists fresh and deleting the ole data. Book of Lists are outdated as soon as they come out, CDROMS rip people off by disallowing lots of search downloads, yellow pages forget it. Phone numbers are wrong, addresses are wrong as a matter of fact most business parks are 30% unoccupied, downtowns about 15% and industrial areas about 28% nationwide, so with all these jobs and companies gone, there is no one keeping track of the data.
Yet we are told the recession is over? Whatever.
Are we judging by the stock market? Because it is not real either. T
he NASDAQ de-listed any company that might bring the market down over the last year and a half, except right after 9-11. It is a gambling casino anyway and the market always leads the real economy by 6 months. So if the market is just now going back up from its 9-11 average then we still have 6 months to get back to where we were then, which was terrible, remember all the lay offs before 9-11, starting back this time last year? Companies sell us lists all the time, the lists are wrong and rather than change the lists and update, they sell us old data and say we do not have the staff to fix the data more than once a year. Yet it needs to be changed every three months to even be + - 15% real. Yet if your Direct mail nets you only 1% we are really hurting. Direct Mail also termed junk mail is what pays for over 75% of the US Mail budget.
So if we lose the direct mail marketing technique we also raise our postal rates by that same percentage. Less mail means even higher prices. Big problems, since this is a major us infrastructure we need to keep civilization strong in America. If we replace the mail with e-mail then we will get tons of junk e-mail. Then important e-mails will be buried in 300 e-mails a day.
Why doesn't the FTC look into the list makers and their advertising, they are way off when they tell you that their data bases are updated and are (+) (-) 2%.
Small businesses are being hurt and that hurts America, since 2/3 rds of Americans are employed by small business and not by government.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs
weekly home cleaning Highland Park ..The choice to incorporate a small business in Florida has... Read More
Grow your Professional Organizer business by branching out into related... Read More
Free money! Receive up to $25,000 that never has to... Read More
1. Leadership Is Learned ? While many people appear to... Read More
The way you manage your money is one of the... Read More
Cash is the lifeblood of any business. As humans need... Read More
Whether you operate a chain of restaurants, a mom-and-pop convenience... Read More
Nothing can drive a business down faster than customers who... Read More
Think the best way to get more customers is to... Read More
It's a commonly quoted statistic: 80% of all small businesses... Read More
Franchising has made the world look really small. The well... Read More
Paper Shredding Business Opportunities are blossoming up everywhere because in... Read More
Here are just a few ways to increase and diversify... Read More
Starting the blind cleaning business is one of the best... Read More
Often smart entrepreneurs look for out of the way businesses,... Read More
As small business managers, we juggle limited resources in a... Read More
The bad things starts with the letter 'O'?.like Obstacles, Obstruction,... Read More
One of the major complaints in the QSR Quick Service-Fast... Read More
When the recent Games of the XXVIII Olympiad came to... Read More
Don't let your customer satisfaction research initiative collect dust on... Read More
On June 8, 2004, the world witnessed what no one... Read More
To wash an airplane there are many items you will... Read More
When is the Chamber ideal for your business?Joining a Chamber... Read More
How do window cleaning franchise businesses start? It is a... Read More
Sometimes when you run a business you feel as lonely... Read More
whole house cleaning Park Ridge ..I started working with another new client last week. He... Read More
Last week's question from Anthony R. on how to choose... Read More
Unfortunately for all buyers, each selling organization and their individual... Read More
COLLABORATIVE NEGOTIATING:Collaborative negotiating is a win-win strategy that can focus... Read More
My 16 year-old daughter said, "Gee Dad! You look just... Read More
Ask anyone trapped in a cubical about their entrepreneurial dream... Read More
In this paper, I will:1. provide a framework for creating... Read More
If you ask most small business owners what priority CRM... Read More
Franchisor expansion policies are not as simple as one might... Read More
(Although this article is geared towards small business owners, the... Read More
One way to determine your companies mission statement is based... Read More
BioTechs even with the latest news had shed over 1000... Read More
Most small business owners seek advisors who can help them... Read More
Paper Shredding Business Opportunities are blossoming up everywhere because in... Read More
Don't you find that there are so many decisions you... Read More
Many people ask how many graphs or charts they should... Read More
Top 3 Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Server Consulting... Read More
Paul Leonard's BirthdayCards2Go.com paid greeting card service offers convenience when... Read More
Should your business have a toll free number for customers... Read More
So what exactly is a "Small Business Lone Ranger?" A... Read More
Senior citizens are generally not a large marketing segment for... Read More
Most small businesses will not even try to advertise on... Read More
Thinking of starting a business on line? If so there... Read More
Self-cleaning glass has been talked about a lot, with such... Read More
Never underestimate the power of perception! Perception plays a major... Read More
Small Business |