SECRETS OF

SUCCESSFUL
BUS I NES S - TO- BUS I NES S
DI RECT MARKETI NG
How t o I nc r e a s e Le a d s
a nd S a l e s Whe n Ma r ke t i ng
t o Bus i ne s s Pr o s p e c t s
By Robert W. Bly
590 Delcina Drive, River Vale, NJ 07675
(201) 505-9451, Fax (201) 573-4094
E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.bly.com
Special Report $29.00
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TableofContents

Section1 WhatMakesBusinesstoBusinessMarketing
DifferentThanConsumer? ................................................ 3
Section2 6MoreWaysBusinesstoBusinessMarketingisDifferent
ThanConsumerMarketing.................................................. 5
Section3 BusinessBuyersareLookingforPersonalBenefits ......... 8
Section4 23TipsforCreatingBusinesstoBusinessMailings
ThatWork............................................................................. 12
Section5 EstimatingResponsetoBusinesstoBusiness
DirectMail............................................................................. 17
Section6 50LeadGeneratingTips .................................................... 20
Section7 SixThingsIKnowforSureAbout
MarketingtoEngineers ...................................................... 24
Section8 10TipsforWritingMoreEffectiveIndustrialCopy...... 28
Section9 HowtoWriteMoreEffectiveProductBrochures .......... 35
Section10 CantFindGoodNewsletterItems?
Hereare29GoodPlacestoLook...................................... 41
Section11 TenWaystoStretchYourAdvertisingBudget............... 44

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Section1

WhatMakesBusinesstoBusinessMarketing
DifferentThanConsumer?

Afteraquarterofacenturyinbusinesstobusinessmarketing,Ithink
Ivefinallyfiguredoutanaccurate,authoritativeanswertothequestion,
Whatsthedifferencebetweenbusinesstobusinessmarketingandbusinessto
consumermarketing?
Theanswer,inmyopinion,isthis:
Thebusinessbuyerneedsyourproducttheactual,physicalproduct,not
justitsbenefitsandwantstospendhismoneyonit.
Yes,thebenefitsarecritical.Butheneedsmorethanjustthebenefitsor
advantages;healsoneedstheactualproductafaxmachine,personalcomputer,
domainname,creditline,pollutioncontrolsystemitself.
Theconsumerwantsthebenefitsyourproductdelivers,butdoesnotwant
theproductitself.Nordoeshewanttopartwithhismoneytoobtainit.
Letscomparetwodifferentproducts;abusinessproductanda
consumerproduct.
Theconsumerproductisamonthlyfinancialnewsletterthattells
individualinvestorswhatstockstobuy.
Thebusinessproductisavalveusedinthechemicalprocessindustry.
Inthecaseofthevalve,yourcustomer,anengineerletscallhimPeteis
notmerelylookingforasetofbenefits(e.g.,theabilitytocontrolfluidflow).
Peteislookingspecificallyforavalve.Hisprocessingplantusesmany
valves,andwhenonehasfailedortheplantisbeingexpanded,heneedsanother
valve.Nothingelsewilldo.
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Petewantstobuyavalvethephysicalproductandheknowswhat
hewants.
Hemostlikelydoesnothavetobesoldontheideaofusingvalves;he
alreadyusesthem.
(Yes,theremaybeexceptions,suchaswhenanotherpieceofequipment
couldbeusedinplaceofavalve.)
Petedoeshavetobesoldonwhethertobuyyourvalvevs.another
brandormodel.
AlthoughPetemayhaveabudgetthatconstrainshisselectionofvalve
manufacturerandmodel,heisnotopposedtotheideaofspendingmoneyon
valves.Hedoesnotresistit.
Asaplantengineer,spendingmoneyonvalvesisactuallypartofPetesjob
description:tonotbuyvalveswouldbeparamounttoaderelictionofdutythe
dutytokeeptheplantoperatingreliablyandefficiently.
SoPetewantstobuy,andhewantstospendhiscompanysmoneyto
acquirethisproduct.
NowletstakePetesfather,Tom,alsoanengineerbutnowretired.
Tomspendsagoodpartofhisretirement,asdomanywhitecollarmen
whohavebeensuccessful,managinghisstockportfolioandotherinvestments.
Tomhasseveralthingshewants.Oneistomakemoneywithhisstocks.
Anotherisnottolosethegainshemakes.Sohedesiresprofitandsafety.
Tomdoesnotneedastockmarketnewsletter;thousandsofAmericans
tradestockseverydayhavingneversubscribedtoafinancialadvisory.AsBill
BonnerofAgoraPublishingisfondofsaying,Nobodywakesup,shakesthe
otherpersonsleepinginthebed,andsays,Honey,weneedtogetmore
newsletterstoday!
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WhatTomisafteristhebenefitoftheproductincreasedstockmarket
profitswithgreatersafety.

Section2

6WaysBusinesstoBusinessMarketingisDifferent
ThanConsumerMarketing

Whenaskedifhecouldwriteaneffectivedirectmailpackageonacomplex
electroniccontrolsystem,awellknowndirectresponsecopywriterreplied,No
problem.Itdoesntmatterwhattheproductis.Youaresellingtopeople.And
peopleareprettymuchthesame.
Heswrong.
Yes,therearesimilarities.Buttherearealsodifferencesinsellingto
businessandprofessionalbuyersvs.thegeneralpublic.Infact,herearesixkey
factorsthatsetbusinesstobusinessmarketingapartfromconsumermarketing:
1.Thebusinessbuyerwantstobuy.Mostconsumeradvertisingofferspeople
productstheymightenjoybutdontreallyneed.Howmanysubscription
promotions,forexample,sellpublicationsthatthereadertrulycouldnotlive
without?Ifwesubscribe,wedosoforpleasurenotbecausetheinformation
offeredisessentialtoourdaytodayactivity.
Butinbusinesstobusinessmarketing,thesituationisdifferent.The
businessbuyerwantstobuy.Indeed,allbusinessenterprisesmustroutinelybuy
productsandservicesthathelpthemstayprofitable,competitive,andsuccessful.
Theproofofthisistheexistenceofthepurchasingagent,whosesolefunctionisto
purchasethings.
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2.Thebusinessbuyerissophisticated.Businesstobusinesscopytalkstoa
sophisticatedaudience.Yourtypicalreaderhasahighinterestinand
understandingofyourproduct(oratleastoftheproblemitsolves).
Importantly,thereaderusuallyknowsmoreabouttheproductandits
usethanyoudo.Itwouldbefolly,forexample,tobelievethatafewdaysspent
readingaboutmainframecomputerswilleducateyoutothelevelofyourtarget
prospectasystemsanalystwithsixorsevenyearsexperience.(Thisrealization
makesbusinesstobusinesswriterssomewhatmorehumblethantheir
consumercounterparts.)
Thesophisticationofthereaderrequiresthebusinesstobusiness
copywritertodoatremendousamountofresearchanddiggingintothemarket,
theproduct,anditsapplication.Thebusinessaudiencedoesnotrespondwellto
slogansoroversimplification.
3.Thebusinessbuyerwillreadalotofcopy.Thebusinessbuyerisan
informationseeker,constantlyonthelookoutforinformationandadvicethatcan
helpthebuyerdothejobbetter,increaseprofits,oradvancehiscareer.
Ourprospectsareturnedoffbycolorful,advertisingtypesalesbrochures,says
themarketingmanagerofacompanysellingcomplexsystemssoftwareproducts
tolargeIBMdatacenters.Theyarehungryforinformationandrespondbetterto
lettersandbulletinsthatexplain,infairlytechnicalterms,whatourproductisand
howitsolvesaparticulardatacenterproblem.
Dontbeafraidtowritelongcopyinmailers,ads,andfulfillment
brochures.Prospectswillreadyourmessageifitisinteresting,important,
andrelevanttotheirneeds.Anddonthesitatetouseinformationalpiecesas
responsehooksforadsandmailers.Theofferofafreebooklet,report,or
technicalguidecanstillpullwelldespitetheglutofreadingmatterclogging
theprospectsinbasket.
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4.Amultistepbuyingprocess.Inconsumerdirectresponse,copywriters
feesaregearedtowardproducingthepackageanelaboratemailingthat
doesthebulkofthesellingjobforapublication,insurancepolicy,orothermail
orderproduct.
Butinbusinesstobusinessdirectmarketing,theconceptofpackageor
controlisvirtuallynonexistent.Why?Becausethepurchaseofmostbusiness
productsisamultistepbuyingprocess.Avicepresidentofmanufacturingdoesnt
clipacouponandordera$35,000machinebymail.Firstheasksforabrochure.
Thenasalesmeeting.Thenademonstration.Thena30daytrial.Thena
proposalorcontract.
Thus,itisnotasinglepieceofcopythatwinsthecontractaward.Rather,it
takesaseriesofletters,brochures,presentations,ads,andmailerscombined
withtheeffortsofsalespeopletoturnacoldleadintoapayingcustomer.
5.Multiplebuyinginfluences.Youdontusuallyconsultwithateamof
expertswhenyouwanttobuyafastfoodhamburger,asoda,bottleofshampoo,
orapairofshoes,doyou?Inmostconsumersellingsituations,thepurchase
decisionismadebyanindividual.Butabusinesspurchaseisusuallyateam
effort,withmanyplayersinvolved.
Forthisreason,abusinesspurchaseisrarelyanimpulsebuy.Many
peopleinfluencethedecisionfromthepurchasingagentandcompanypresident,
totechnicalprofessionalsandendusers.Eachoftheseaudienceshasdifferent
concernsandcriteriabywhichtheyjudgeyou.Tobesuccessful,yourcopymust
addresstheneedsofallpartiesinvolvedwiththedecision.Inmanycases,this
requiresseparatemailingstomanydifferentpeoplewithinanorganization.
6.Businessproductsaremorecomplex.Mostbusinessproductsandtheir
applicationsaremorecomplexthanconsumerproducts.(Forexample,clientsI
nowserveincludeacommercialbank,amanufacturerofelevatorcontrolsystems,
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adataprocessingtrainingfirm,adatabasemarketingcompany,amailinglist
broker,ageneralcontractor,andasemiconductormanufacturer.)
Businesstobusinesscopycannotbesuperficial.Clarityisessential.You
cannotsellbyfoolingtheprospectorhidingtheidentityofyourproduct.Half
thebattleisexplaining,quicklyandsimply,whatyourproductis,whatitdoes,
andwhythereadershouldbeinterestedinit.Inhightechdirectmail,thekeyis
toeducatetheprospect,sayMarkToner,whomanagestheadvertisingprogram
forAmano,amanufacturerofcomputerizedtimeclocksystems.Withaproduct
likeours,mostcustomersdontevenknowofitsexistence.
Inshort,inbusinesstobusinessmarketing,therulesaredifferent.Inthe
monthstocome,wellexplorewaystoincreaseresponseandprofitsinthis
excitingandchallengingmarketplace.

Section3

BusinessBuyersareLookingforPersonalBenefits

InacolumntitledThe6KeyDifferencesbetweenBusinessToBusiness
andConsumerMarketing,Idescribedthesixkeyfactorsthatsetbusinessto
businessmarketingapartfromconsumermarketing.Theyare:
1.Thebusinessbuyerwantstobuy.
2.Thebusinessbuyerissophisticated.
3.Thebusinessbuyerisaninformationseekerwhowillreadalotofcopy.
4.Businesstobusinessmarketinginvolvesamultistepbuyingprocess.
5.Thebuyingdecisionisfrequentlymadebyacommitteeandnotby
anindividual.
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6.Businessproductsaregenerallymorecomplexthanconsumerproducts.
Recently,IhaveformulatedaseventhprinciplewhichIwouldlike
toaddtothelist;
7.Thebusinessbuyerbuysforhiscompanysbenefitandhisown.
Therearetwopartstothisprinciple.Letstakethemoneatatime.

TheBusinessBuyerBuysforHisCompanysBenefit
Thebusinessbuyermustacquireproductsandservicesthatbenefithis
company.Thismeanstheproductorservicesavesthecompanytimeormoney,
makesmoney,improvesproductivity,increasesefficiencyorsolvesproblems.
Letssay,forexample,thatyousellatelecommunicationsnetworkand
yourprimaryadvantageoverthecompetitionisthatyoursystemreduces
monthlyoperatingexpensesby50percent.Ifaprospectisspending$40,000a
monthforyourcompetitorsnetwork,youcanreplaceitandprovidehiscompany
withthesamelevelofserviceforonly$20,000amonth.
Thecompanybenefitsbecauseitsaves$240,000ayearincommunications
costsmorethan$1millioninafiveyearperiod.
Yet,despitethistremendousbenefit,youfindthatprospectsarenot
buying.Theyseeminterested,andyougetalotofinquiries.Butfewsales
areclosed.
Why?Becauseinadditiontobuyingforhiscompanysbenefit,theprospectalso
buysforhimself.

TheBusinessBuyerBuysforHisOwnBenefit
Thesecondpartofprinciple#7isthat,whilethebuyerislookingtodoright
byhiscompany,hehasanequal(ifnotgreater)concernforhisownwellbeing
andselfishinterests.
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Althoughtheideaofsaving$240,000ayearwithyourtelecommunications
systemisappealingtoyourprospect,histhoughtprocessisasfollows:
RightnowIhaveanAT&Tsystem.YoursystemsoundsgoodbutIdont
knowyouoryourcompany.IfIswitchandsomethinggoeswrong,Iwillbe
blamed.Imayevengetfired.Mybosswillsay,Youshouldnthavegambledon
anunprovenproductfromanunknownvendorwhydidntyoustickwithgood
olereliableAT&T?Hewillsaythiseventhoughheapprovedmydecision.Soto
besafe,Iwillstickwithmycurrentsystemeventhoughitcostsmycompany
anextra$240,000ayear.Afterall,Idratherseethemspendanextra$240,000a
yearthanmelosemy$60,000ayearjob!
Thisplayitsafementalityisonlynatural,anditaffectsbuyingdecisions
dailyincorporationsthroughoutthecountry.Dataprocessingprofessionalsare
fondofsaying,NobodyevergotfiredforbuyingIBM.BuyingIBMensuresthe
prospectthatnoonecancriticizehisdecision,evenifbrandXisthebetterchoice
fromabusinessandtechnicalpointofview.
Acorporatepensionfundmanager,writinginMoneymagazine,notedthat
nomoneymanagerevergotfiredforlosingmoneyinvestedinabluechipstock.
Adifferentexample,buttheprincipleremainsthesame.

TheBusinessBuyerIsForHimself
Concernformakingthesafe,acceptabledecisionisaprimarymotivationof
businessbuyers,butitisnottheonlyreasonwhybusinessbuyerschoose
products,servicesandsuppliersthatarenotnecessarilythebestbusinesssolution
totheircompanysproblem.
Avoidingstressorhardshipisabigconcernamongprospects.For
example,aconsultantmightofferanewsystemforincreasingproductivity,butit
meansmorepaperworkfortheshippingdepartmentandespeciallyforthe
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headoftheshippingdepartment.Ifhehasanythingtosayaboutit,andthinksno
onewillcriticizehimforit,theheadofshippingwill,inthiscase,worktosway
thecommitteeagainstengagingtheconsultantorusinghissystemeventhough
thecurrentproceduresarenotefficient.Thedepartmenthead,already
overworked,wantstoavoidsomethingheperceivesasahassleandaheadache,
despiteitscontributiontothegreatergoodoftheorganization.
Fearoftheunknownisalsoapowerfulmotivator.Amiddlemanager,for
example,mightvoteagainstacquiringdesktoppublishingandputtingaterminal
oneverymanagersdeskbecausehehimselfhascomputerphobia.Eventhough
herecognizesthebenefitsuchtechnologycanbringtohisdepartment,hewantsto
avoidthepainoflearningsomethingheperceivestobedifficultandfrightening.
Again,personalbenefitoutweighscorporatebenefitinthissituation.
Fearoflossisanotherpowerfulmotivator.Anadvertisingmanagerina
companythathashandleditsadvertisinginhouseforthepastdecademayresist
hispresidentssuggestionthattheyretainanoutsideadvertisingagencytohandle
thecompanysrapidlyexpandingmarketingcampaign.Evenifherespectsthead
agencyandbelievestheywilldoagoodjob,theadmanagermaycampaign
againstthem,fearingthatbringinginoutsideexpertswilldiminishhisownstatus
withinthecompany.
Intheseandmanyotherinstances,thebusinessbuyerisforhimselffirst;
andhiscompany,second.Tobesuccessful,yourcopymustnotonlypromisethe
benefitstheprospectdesiresforhiscompany;itshouldalsospeaktothe
prospectspersonalagenda,aswell.
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Section4

23TipsforCreatingBusinesstoBusiness
MailingsThatWork

1. Shortlettersoneortwopagesusuallyworkbest.Executivesdonthave
timetowadethroughalengthysalespitch.Exceptions:subscriptions,
seminars,andsomeothermailorderoffers.
2. Ifyoucanpersonalize,great!ButformlettersaddressedtoDearExecutive
orDearEngineercanalsopullwell.
3. Shouldbusinessmailingstakeaconsumerapproach?
*Somemailersarguethatexecutivesarehumanbeingsbeforetheyare
businesspeoplehence,allconsumerDMtechniquescanapplyto
businessmail.
*Butremember,inadditiontobeingpeople,executiveshaveprofessional
responsibilities.Andtheytaketheirworkseriously.Sobusinessmailings
mustaddresstheirneedsasprofessionals.Noteveryconsumergimmick
isappropriateforbusinessmail.
4. Inparticular,avoidbusygraphics(e.g.,PublishersClearingHouse).Use
graphicsthatmakeyourmailingimmediatelyclear,easytofollow,andeasy
toread.
5. Ifanenvelopeisfilledwithtoomanyinserts,thebusyexecutiveismore
inclinedtothrowthewholethingaway.Astandardpackagewithaletter,
brochure,andreplycardseemstoworkbest.
6. ThebiggestmistakeyoucanmakeinwritingbusinesstobusinessDMisto
assumethatthereaderisasinterestedinyourproductorindustryasyouare.
Whenwritingcopy,assumethatyourproductisthelastthingonthereaders
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mind.Heorshemayneverhavegivenasecondthoughttoproblems,issues,
technology,andcompetitiveproductsthatyouworryabouteveryday.
7. Anothermajorerroriswritingcopythatspeaksonalaymanslevelwhenyour
mailingistargetedtoindustryprofessionals.Forexample:DPprofessionals
knowwhatCICS,MVS,andISDNare.Youdontsothenaturaltendencyis
towanttoexplaintheminyourcopy.Butbeingtooelementaryturnsreaders
offandsignalsthatyourenotreallyintouchwiththeirbusiness.Howwould
yourespondtoamailingthatbegan,Directmailisanexcitingwayofselling
products?Yawn.
8. Makeyourmailinglookprofessionalabusinesscommunicationfromone
executivetoanother.Alettercrammedwithfakehandwriting,arrows,
popups,andothergimmicksstrikesmanybusinessreadersasundignified
andunprofessional.
9. Onerulethatappliesequallytobusinessandconsumermail:sellyouroffer.
Ifyouoffera30daytrial,sellthereaderonaskingforthetrial.Explainthe
benefitsandthatthereisnoriskorobligation.Ifitisaninvitationtoa
seminar,selltheknowledgetobegainedattheseminarandnottheproduct
beingpromoted.
10. Acorollaryto#9isthattheremustbeanappealingoffer.
Aleadgeneratingpackageshouldneverselljusttheproduct.Itshouldalso
pushtheoffer.
Andthereisalwaysanoffer.Thebestofferissometypeoffreetrial,free
analysis,freeconsultation,orfreesample.Premiumscanalsoworkwell.At
minimum,offerafreebrochureofsimplyfreeinformation.Freeinformation
isanofferanditdoeswork.

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11. Writecopythatenhancestheperceivedvalueofyouroffer.
Examples:Aproductcatalogbecomesaproductguide.Asoftwarecatalog
becomesaninternationalsoftwaredirectory.Acollectionofbrochures
becomesafreeinformationkit.Achecklistbecomesaconventionplanners
guide.Anarticlereprintedinpamphletformbecomesournew,informative
bookletHOWTOPREVENTCOMPUTERFAILURES.Andsoon.
12. Manyclientsbeginplanningbysittingaroundatableandsaying,Wewantto
doamailingonproductX.Shouldweuseamailingtube?Abox?Amessage
inafortunecookie?Whatgimmickworksbest?
Inmyopinion,theyareaskingthewrongquestion.Therightwaytoget
startedistoask,Whatisthekeysalesappealofthisproduct?Ideally,thisis
somethingtheproductdoesbetterthanotherproductsandsolvesamajor
problemoraddressesakeyconcernofthecustomer.
13. Clientsoftenask,Shouldntwedosomemarketresearchandfocusgroup
testingtouncoverkeysalespointsandappealsbeforewedothemailing?
Theyprobablydontrealizethatdirectmailisagoodresearchtoolformany
productsandoffers.Forafewthousanddollars,youcantestanofferand,
withinweeks,knowwhetherprospectswillrespond.
14. Postcarddecksgeneratealargenumberofresponsesatlowcost.Directmail
packagesaremorecostlyandtimeconsumingtoproducebutgenerateabetter
qualitylead.Theonlywaytoknowforcertainistosetupaleadtracking
systemandtestbothtypesofmailings.
15. Selfmailersgenerallydontpullaswellaspackageswithseparateletters,
brochures,andreplycards.Theyworkwell,however,forseminars.Also,
theycanaddanattentiongrabbingchangeofpacetoaseriesofmailings.One
adagencyIknowhasusedselfmailersforyearstogeneratenewbusiness,
withgreatsuccess.Onereasonwhyselfmailersdopoorlyisthatmostarenot
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giventhesamelevelofattentionthatbusinessesputintotheirregular
DMpackages.
16. Aboutgimmicks,suchaspopups,fancyfolds,3Dobjects,andsoon:They
generallyworkonlyifthereisastrong,logicaltieintotheproduct,oroffer,
andsalesappeal.Sendingapairofsunglassesdoesntmakemuchsensefora
valvemanufacturer.Itmakesbettersenseforatravelagentofferingapackage
cruisetotheCaribbeanorforatanningparlorprospectingfornewbodies.
17. Anothermistakeistomakethecopywriterbaseyourpackagearoundsome
artificialthemeorslogan.Acompanysellingindustrialpumps,forinstance,
insiststhatthethemeofitsmailingsbequality.Amanufacturerofmetal
buildingswantsafuturisticimage,withcopyfullofreferencestoouterspace
andsciencefiction.Thisisadeadlyerror.Perhapsadvertisingcanbetied
effectivelytosuchweakthemes.Butresponsegettingmailofferscant.
Mailingsthatgetresultspushproductbenefits,costsavings,freeoffers,and
noriskguaranteesnotimagesorthemes.Toforceamailingtofitsome
predeterminedconceptisdifficult,trickyandoftenfataltoresults.
18. ABRCthatrestatestheofferandasksfortheorderisdoingonlyhalfthejob.
Replyelementsshouldalsobeusedtogatherinformationthathelpsqualify
prospects.Forinstance,ifyouresellingaccountsreceivablesoftware,theBRC
shouldask:Whattypeofcomputerdoyouhave?Whatisyouroperating
system?Howmanyinvoicesdoyouwriteamonth?Iftheadvertiserseeks
detailedfacts,useaseparatequestionnaireorspecificationsheet.And
includeaBRE.
19. Isthereanyadvantagetousingbusinessreplycardsandenvelopesin
industrialmailings?asksoneclient.Afterall,thebusinesspersondoesnt
careaboutafewcentspostage,andhissecretaryhasplentyofstampshandy.
True,butusetheBRC/BREanyway.Why?Becausesuchcardsandenvelopes
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looklikeresponsedevices.Theysignalthereaderthataresponseisrequired.
Thesameholdstruefor800numbers.Sure,theexecutiveisntpayingforthe
calloutofhisownpocket,soheslessmotivatedbyafreecallthanthe
consumer.Butthe800numberleapsoffthepageandsays,Hey,pickupthe
phonewewantyoutorespondtothisoffer!Regularnumbersdonthave
thiseffect.
20. Thetrendtodayistoaddperceivedvaluetonumbersbyturningtheminto
hotlines.Filterite,amanufacturerofchemicalfilters,advertisestollfree
filtrationhotline800FILTERS.Agoodidea.However,Isuggestyouprintthe
numberinnumeralsalongwiththeletterversion.Somepeopledontliketo
translatelettersintoaphonenumbertheycandial.
21. ApopulartechniqueistoaddtotheperceivedvalueoftheorderformorBRC
bycallingitanInformationRequestForm,TrialRequestForm,orNeeds
Analysis.Thisstillworksbutislosingimpactasmoreandmoremailersuse
thetechnique.
22. Responsegoesupwhenyougivethereaderchoices.Forinstance,include
bothaBRCandatollfreenumber.Andallowformultipleresponses,suchas:

[]Reservemyfree30daytrial
[]Haveasalesrepresentativecall
[]Sendbrochurebymail
[]Notinterestedrightnow,butaddmetoyourmailinglist

23. Tellthereaderthatthereisnocostorobligationorthatnosalesmanwill
callifthesestatementsaretrue.

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Section5
EstimatingResponsetoBusinesstoBusinessDirectMail

WhatkindofresponsecanIexpectfrommyleadgeneratingmailingand
whatpercentageisconsideredgoodforbusinesstobusinessdirectmail?
Thisisoneofthemostfrequentlyaskedquestionsinbusinesstobusiness
marketing.Letsseeifwecanshedsomelightonthetopic.
PercentageResponse
Thenumberofinquiriesproducedperthousandpiecesmailed
variesdramaticallydependingonanumberoffactors,someofwhichwell
discussshortly.However,basedonrecentresults,wecanmakethe
followinggeneralizations:
Ifyourmailinghasahardoffer,youcanexpectaresponserateintherange
of1percentto1.5percent.Idefineahardofferasanyresponsechoicethatforces
theprospecttotrytheproductorhavedirectcontactwithasalesperson.These
includemeetings,demonstrations,presentations,socalledfreeconsultations
(salesmeetingsindisguise),demodiskettessellingfornominalfees,and30day
trialoffers.
Ontheotherhand,ifyouhaveasoftoffersuchastheofferofabooklet,
gift,orspecialreportyoucanexpectaresponsefrom1percentto4percent;
somemailerswithgoodoffersandhighlytargetedlistsevenget5percent
ormore.
Sales
Somepractitionersobjectthatpercentagesareirrelevantandthatsales
resultsaretheonlytruemeasureofdirectmailsuccess.
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Theproblemis,salesaremoredifficulttotallyinleadgeneratingprograms
thaninmailorder.Onereasonisthatthedirectmailpiecedoesnotdothewhole
jobofselling;manyotherfactorscontribute.Whatsmore,manycompaniesdo
nothaveanadequatesystemfortrackingleadsthroughtosalesandreportingon
theresults.
Still,ifyouareabletotracksales,thenpercentageresponsemaynotbeas
importanttoyou.Oneclient,forexample,sellsaproductsohighlyspecialized
thathispercentresponseisminisculeasmallfractionof1percent.Yetthelarge
dollaramountofeachsalemorethanpaysforthecostofmailinglargequantities
togetthosefewhotleads.
EstablishingaBaseline
IoftentellnewclientsthatIdontknowwhatagoodresponseisuntilwe
doourfirstmailing.
Thefirstmailinggivesusabaselinewhichwecanmeasurefutureefforts
against.Ifwearepleasedwiththelevelofresponsegeneratedbymailing#1,then
weconsiderthatagoodresponseforourproductinourmarketplace.Ifmailing#2
equalsorexceedsthatlevelofresponse,weconsideritawinner;ifnot,itsaloser.
Thisbaselineconceptisespeciallyimportantifyourproductisonenot
widelypromotedthroughthemail.Magazinepublishersandfundraiserscan
citetypicalresponseratesof1percentand2percentbecausemillionsofsuch
solicitationsaremailedeverymonth,andsotheresponseratesarepretty
wellknown.Butifyouwerethepioneerinyourfieldthefirsttousedirect
mailpromotiontosellyourtypeofproductthenthereisnoknowntypical
responserateyoucananticipateandyouwillbesettingthestandards.Goodluck!
Products
Thenatureoftheproductitselfhasadramaticeffectonresponserates.If
yourproductisusedbyalargenumberoftheprospectsyoumailto,responsewill
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behigher(anexamplemightbeamailingsellingbandagestohospitalpurchasing
agents).Ontheotherhand,ifyourproductishighlyspecializedandofinterestto
onlyasmallportionofthemarket,theresponsewillbesignificantlylower(an
examplemightbeaspecializedtypeofheartmonitorofinteresttoonlyone
hospitalin100).
Formatcanmakeabigdifferenceinhowwellyourmailingpulls.Asarule,
saleslettersmailedinbusinessenvelopespullbetterthanselfmailers.But
sometimesthisisnotthecase.
Format
IliketouseletterswhenIhavetomakeanappealtotheprospectsrational
mindoremotionalsideinordertobuildhisinterestintheproduct.
But,ifheisalreadypredisposedtobuytheproductifitssomethinghes
familiarwith,andhedoesnthavetobesoldonitsmeritsthenaselfmailer,
featuringaphotographthatreadilyidentifiestheproductbeingsold,maydoas
wellorbetter.
Offer
Asstatedearlier,thespecificofferbeingmadeinthemailingcanmakea
bigdifferenceinresponserates.
Oneareaofindecisionamongmailersiswhethertousethepopularfree
bookletstrategy.Inthistypeofmailing,thereaderisofferedanincentivea
freebooklet,report,orotherhelpfulinformationhewillreceivebyreturnmail
forresponding.
Usuallythebookletorreportoffershelpfulhowtoortechnical
informationthereadercanuseonthejob.Forexample:HowtoImproveDirect
MailResultsfromafirmofferingdirectmailservices.
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Theseofferscanboostresponseandareespeciallyeffectiveinmarkets
whereprospectsarefloodedwithdirectmailoffersorarenotexcitedabout
servicesandproductsandneedanextraincentivetotakeaction.
Thekeyistoknowhowtointroducethebookletofferwithout
overstressingit.Ifthewholemailingisbasedaroundthebookletoffer,youwill
getahighvolumeoflowqualityleadspeoplewhojustwantafreebookletbut
donotwanttohearaboutyourproduct.
Abetterapproachistotalkaboutthereadersproblemsandhowyour
company,service,orproductcansolvetheseproblems.Thenbringinthebooklet
offerasanextrasalesincentive,withoutputtingtotalemphasisonit.Experiment
withcopyapproachesuntilyouachievetherightbalancebetweenqualityand
quantityinyourresponse.

Section6

50LeadGeneratingTips

Whatshouldyouknowwhenplanningaleadgeneratingdirectmail
program?Hereareafewpointerstoguideyouintherightdirection:
1.Howmanystepsarethereinthebuyingprocessforthisproduct?Whereinthis
processdoesmymailingfit?
2.WhatcanItellmyprospectthatwillgethimtotakethenextstepinthe
buyingprocess?
3.CanIreducesellingcostsbycreatingamailingdesignedtoproduceadirect
sale(amailorder)insteadofaninquiry?
21
4.HowmanyleadsdoIwanttogenerate?Dowewantalargequantityof
softleads?Orarewebetteroffgettingasmallernumberofmorehighly
qualifiedleads?
5.Whathappensifthemailingproducestoomanyleads?Toofew?
6.Isthereageographicregionthatmysalesforcedoesnotcover?HowcanI
respondtoinquiriesfromthisregion?
7.Whatistheprimarymarketformyproductorservice?(Whichindustryneeds
itmost?)
8.Arethereanysecondarymarketsfortheproductlargeenoughtojustifya
customtailoredversionofthemailing?
9.Whoismyprimaryprospectwithinthetargetindustry?Whatishisorherjob
title?Function?
10.Whoaretheotherpeople(byjobtitle)involvedinthepurchasedecisionfor
thisproduct?Whataretheirroles?(Whorecommendstheproduct?Who
specifiesit?Whohasauthoritytoapprovethepurchase?)
11.Mustwereachalloftheseprospects?Orcanwegeneratethedesired
salesresultbytargetingonlyoneortwokeydecisionmakersateach
prospectorganization?
12.Ifwedontknowwhoweshouldbemailingto,howcanwefindout?From
oursalesrepresentatives?Marketresearch?Directmail?
13.Ifwedontknowwhatweshouldbetellingourpotentialcustomersaboutour
product,howcanwefindout?
14.Shouldwetailorversionsofoursaleslettereithertoverticalmarketsor
variousjobtitlesorboth?
15.Shouldwetailorourbrochuretospecificmarketsorjobtitles?
16.Whatofferareweusinginourcurrentmailing?Isthereawaytomakethe
offerstrongerorbetter?
22
17.Istheprospectinneedofinformationaboutourproductortheproblemit
solves?Canwepackagethisinformationinabookletorreportandofferitasa
responsepieceinourmailing?
18.Doesoursalesprocessinvolveafacetofacemeetingwiththeprospect?Can
welegitimatelycallthissalesmeetingafreeconsultationandfeatureitasthe
offerinourmailing?
19.Doweallowtheusertosampleourproductonafreetrialbasis?Shouldwebe
stressingthisfreetrialofferinourmailing?
20.Doweofferourmailcustomersafreegift,pricediscount,freeshippingand
handling,orothermoneysavingincentiveforrespondingtoourmailing?Ifnot,
whynot?
21.WhatreasonorincentivecanwegivethereadertorespondNOWand
notlater?
22.Canweusetelemarketingtoqualifysalesleadsgeneratedbyourdirect
mailprogram?
23.Canweusetelemarketingtoturnnonrespondersintoresponders?
24.Canweusetelemarketingtoidentifyandpresellprospectsbeforewesend
themourmailingpackage?
25.Whatformatisbestforourmailing?Fullblowndirectmailpackage(letter,
brochure,replycard)?Orsalesletteronly?
26.Isthereanybenefittopersonalizingthemailing?
27.Whatgraphictreatmentisappropriateforouraudience?Shoulditbe
businesslikeorbrightandloud?Shoulditbedisguisedaspersonal
correspondenceorclearlymarked(byuseofteaserandgraphics)asdirectmail?
28.WhatcopyapproachshouldIuse?Seriousorbreezy?Educationaland
informativevs.hardsell?
29.Doesmyreaderwantorneedalotofinformation?
23
30.CanIuseaselfmailerformat?
31.Ispostcarddeckadvertisingappropriateformyoffer?
32.ShouldIuseasinglemailingoraseriesofmailings?
33.HowmanymailingsshouldIsendtomylistbeforegivinguponpeoplewho
donotrespond?
34.Inaseriesofmailings,amIusingavarietyofdifferentsizesandformatsto
gainattentionformymessage?
35.Arerequestsformoreinformationfulfilledwithin48hours?
36.Arehotsalesleadsseparatedforimmediatefollowupbysalesrepresentatives
ortelephonesalespeople?
37.Whatistheconversionratio(thepercentageofmailgeneratedinquiriesthat
resultinasale)?
38.Areoursalespeoplecompetent?Ifnot,whatcanwedotoensurebetter
handlingofsalesleads?
39.Dosalespeoplefollowuponallleadsprovided?Ifnot,whynot?
40.Dosalespeoplewelcomedirectmailleadsordotheygrumbleabout
them?Why?
41.Aretherequalifyingquestionswecanaddtoourreplyformtohelp
salespeopleseparategenuineprospectsfrombrochurecollectors?
42.Canweaffordtosendabrochuretoeveryonewhorequestsit?
43.Dowehaveasufficientquantityofsalesbrochuresonhandtofulfillall
requestsformoreinformationassumingwegeta10percentresponseto
ourmailing?
44.Dowegetabetterqualityleadbyrequiringtheprospecttoputastamponthe
replycardratherthanofferingapostagepaidbusinessreplycard?
45.Dowegetbettersalesresultsfromprospectswhorespondbytelephoneversus
thosewhomailinreplycards?
24
46.Doesourfulfillmentpackageorsalesbrochureprovidetheprospectwith
theinformationheaskedfor?Anddoesitdoagoodjobofsellingourproduct
orservice?
47.Doweincludeacoverletterwiththebrochuresanddatasheetswesendin
responsetomailgeneratedinquiries?
48.Doweincludeaquestionnaire,specsheet,orsomeothertypeofreplyform
withourinquiryfulfillmentpackage?
49.Doweautomaticallysendfollowupmailingstoprospectswhodontrespond
totheinquiryfulfillmentpackage?
50.Shouldwebemorevigorousinourprogramoffollowupmailingsand
phonecalls?

Section7

SixThingsIKnowforSureAboutMarketingtoEngineers

Iamachemicalengineerandhavebeenwritingcopydesignedtosell
productsandservicestoengineersfor25years.HereswhatIknowabout
appealingtothisspecialaudience:
1)Engineerslookdownonadvertisingandadvertisingpeople,forthemostpart.
Engineershavealowopinionofadvertisingandofpeoplewhosejobitisto
createadvertising.
Thelessonforthebusinesstobusinessmarketer?Makeyouradvertising
anddirectmailinformationalandprofessional,notgimmickyorpromotional.
Avoidwritingthatsoundslikeadcopy.Dontuseslickgraphicsthat
immediatelyidentifyabrochureorspecsheetasadvertising.Theengineerwill
bequicktorejectsuchmaterialasfluff.
25
Engineerswanttobelievetheyarenotinfluencedbyadcopyandthat
theymaketheirdecisionsbasedontechnicalfactsthatarebeyondacopywriters
understanding.Letthembelieveitaslongastheyrespondtoouradsandbuy
ourproducts.
2)Engineersdonotlikeaconsumerapproach.Thereisaragingdebateabout
whetherengineersrespondbettertoastraighttechnicalapproach,clever
consumerstyleadsorsomethinginbetween.Thosewhopreferthecreative
approachargue,Theengineerisahumanbeingfirstandanengineersecond.He
willrespondtocreativityandclevernessjustlikeeveryoneelse.
Unfortunately,thereismuchevidencetothecontrary.Inmanytestsofads
anddirectmailings,Ihaveseenstraightforward,lowkey,professionalapproaches
equaloroutpullglitzyadsandmailingsrepeatedly.Oneofmyclientstested
twolettersofferingafinancialbookaimedatengineers.Astraightforward,
benefitorientedletterclearlyoutpulledabellsandwhistlescreativepackage.
AndIseethisresultrepeatedtimeandtimeagain.
Engineersrespondwelltocommunicationsthataddressthemas
knowledgeabletechnicalprofessionalsinsearchofsolutionstoengineering
problems.Hardsellfrequentlyfallsondeafearshereespeciallyifnotbacked
byfacts.
3)Theengineerspurchasedecisionismorelogicalthanemotional.Mostbooks
andarticlesonadvertisingstressthatsuccessfulcopyappealtoemotionsfirst,
reasonsecond.
Butwiththeengineeringaudience,itisoftentheopposite.Thebuying
decisioniswhatwecallaconsideredpurchaseratherthananimpulsebuy.
Thatis,thebuyercarefullyweighsthefacts,makescomparisonsandbuysbased
onwhatproductbestfulfillshisrequirement.
26
Certainly,thereareemotionalcomponentstotheengineersbuying
decision.Forinstance,preferenceforonevendoroveranotherisoftenbasedmore
ongutfeelingthatactualfact.Butforthemostpart,anengineerbuyinganew
pieceofequipmentwillanalyzethefeaturesandtechnicalspecificationsinmuch
greaterdepththanaconsumerbuyingastereo,VCR,CDplayerorother
sophisticatedelectronicdevice.
Copyaimedatengineerscannotbesuperficial.Clarityisessential.Donot
disguisethenatureofwhatyouaresellinginanefforttoteasethereaderinto
yourcopy,asyoumightdowithaconsumermailorderoffer.Instead,makeit
immediatelyclearwhatyouareofferingandhowitmeetstheengineersneeds.
4)Engineerswanttoknowthefeaturesandspecifications,notjustthebenefits.In
consumeradvertisingclasses,wearetaughtthatbenefitsareeverything,andthat
featuresareunimportant.Butengineersneedtoknowthefeaturesofyour
productperformancecharacteristics,efficiencyratings,powerrequirementsand
technicalspecificationsinordertomakeanintelligentbuyingdecision.
FeaturesshouldespeciallybeemphasizedwhensellingtoOEMs(original
equipmentmanufacturers),VARs(valueaddedresellers),systemsintegratorsand
otherswhopurchaseyourproductwithanintentiontoincorporateitintotheir
ownproduct.
Example:Anengineerbuyingsemiconductorstouseinadeviceheis
buildingdoesntneedtobesoldonthebenefitsofsemiconductors.Healready
knowsthebenefitsandisprimarilyconcernedaboutwhetheryoursemiconductor
canprovidethenecessaryperformanceandreliabilitywhilemeetinghis
specificationsintermsofvoltage,current,resistanceandsoforth.
5)Engineersarenotturnedoffbyjargoninfact,theylikeit.Consultants
teachingbusinesswritingseminarstellustoavoidjargonbecauseitinterferes
withclearcommunication.
27
Thiscertainlyistruewhentryingtocommunicatetechnicalconceptstolay
audiencessuchasthegeneralpublicortopmanagement.Butjargoncanactually
enhancecommunicationwhenappealingtoengineers,computerspecialistsand
othertechnicalaudiences.
Whyisjargoneffective?Becauseitshowsthereaderthatyouspeakhis
language.Whenyouwritedirectresponsecopy,youwantthereadertogetthe
impressionyourelikehim,dontyou?Anddoesntspeakinghislanguage
accomplishthat?
Actually,engineersarenotuniqueinhavingtheirsecretlanguagefor
professionalcommunication.Peopleinallfieldspubliclydenouncejargonbut
privatelyloveit.Forinstance,whoasidefromdirectmarketershasanyideaof
whatanixieis?Andwhyusethatterm,excepttomakeourworkseemspecial
andimportant?
6)Engineershavetheirownvisuallanguage.Whatarethevisualdevices
throughwhichengineerscommunicate?Charts,graphs,tables,diagrams,
blueprints,engineeringdrawings,andmathematicalsymbolsandequations.
Youshouldusethesevisualdeviceswhenwritingtoengineersfortwo
reasons.First,engineersarecomfortablewiththemandunderstandthem.
Second,thesevisualsimmediatelysaytotheengineer,Thisissolidtechnical
information,notpromotionalfluff.
Thebestvisualsarethosespecifictotheengineersspecialty.Electrical
engineerslikecircuitdiagrams.Computerprogrammersfeelcomfortablelooking
atflowcharts.Systemsanalystsusestructureddiagrams.Learnthevisual
languageofyourtargetaudienceandhaveyourartistusethesesymbolsand
artworkthroughoutyourad,brochureormailer.

28
Section8

10TipsforWritingMoreEffectiveIndustrialCopy

Whenaskedifhecouldwriteaneffectivedirectmailpackageonacomplex
electroniccontrolsystem,adirectresponsecopywriterreplied,Noproblemit
doesntmatterwhattheproductis.Youresellingtopeople.Andpeoplearepretty
muchthesame.
Hismessagewasclear:Indirectmail,industrialcopywritingandconsumer
copywritingareprettymuchthesame.
Heswrong.
Yes,therearesimilarities.Buttherearealsodifferencesinsellingto
technicalbuyersvs.thegeneralpublic.Andthemajordifferenceis:technicalpeople
wanttechnicalinformation.Theindustrialcopywriterissellingtoengineers,
managers,purchasingagents,andothertechnicalpeoplepeoplewhose
understandingofandinterestincomplexproductinformationisinherentlyfar
greaterthantheaverageconsumers.
Belowaretentimetestedtipsforwritingindustrialcopythatsells.
Applythemtoyournextad,mailer,orcatalog,andwatchthereplycardscome
pouringin.
1.Betechnicallyaccurate.Industrialmarketerssellsystemstosolvespecific
problems.Copymustaccuratelydescribewhattheproductcanandcannotdo.
Beingaccuratemeansbeingtruthful.Industrialbuyersareamongthemost
sophisticatedofaudiences.Technicalknowhowistheirforte,andtheyllbelikely
tospotanyexaggerations,omissions,orwhiteliesyoumake.
Beingaccuratealsomeansbeingspecific.Writingthatapieceofequipment
canhandleyourtoughestinjectionmoldingjobsisvagueandmeaninglesstoa
29
technician;butsayingthatthemachinecanhandlepressuresofupto12,000
poundsishonest,concrete,anduseful.
Onewaytoachievespecificityinyourwritingistopreferconcreteterms
(righthandcolumnbelow)togeneralterms(lefthandcolumn).

General Concrete
badweather rainandsnow
heavy morethan15tons
experimental gaschromatographs
apparatus adozen

And,justasastainonasleevecanruinthewholesuit,asingletechnical
inaccuracycandestroythecredibilityoftheentirepromotion.InTechnicalWriting:
Structure,Standards,andStyle(McGrawHill),theauthorspointoutthatTechnical
writingthatcontainstechnicallyinaccuratestatementsreflectsinadequate
knowledgeofthesubject.Allthepersuasivewritingskillintheworldwont
motivatetheindustrialbuyerifhefeelsthatyoudontknowwhatyoure
talkingabout.
2.Checkthenumbers.Manyofusbecamewritersjusttogetawayfrom
havingtodealwithnumbers;allthemathwhizzesinourclasswentonto
becomecomputerprogrammers,accountants,andmediabuyers.Buttowrite
effectiveindustrialcopy,youvegottoapproachnumberswithanew
foundrespect.
Justthinkofthedisasterthatwouldresultifamisplaceddecimalinasales
letterofferedaoneyearmagazinesubscriptionat$169.50,tentimestheactual
priceof$16.95.Youcanseewhythiswouldstopsalescold.
30
Well,thesamegoesforindustrialcopy.Only,intechnicalpromotions,a
misplaceddecimalorothermathmistakeislessobvioustothecopywriter,since
thematerialissohighlytechnical.YouandIwouldsuspectanerrorinamailer
thatadvertiseda$169.50magazinesubscription.Buthowmanydirectresponse
writerscouldsay,ataglance,whethertheporesizeinareverseosmosisfilter
shouldbe0.005or0.00005or0.0005microns?(Howmanyofusevenknowwhata
micronis?)Yet,tothechemicalengineer,theporesizeofthefiltermaybeas
crucialasthepriceofthemagazinesubscription.Getitwrong,andyouve
lostasale.
Allnumbersinindustrialpromotionalliteratureshouldbecheckedand
doublecheckedbythewriter,bytheagency,andbytechnicalpeopleonthe
clientside.
3.Beconcise.Engineersandmanagersarebusypeople.Theydonthavethe
timetoreadallthepapersthatcrosstheirdesks,somakeyourmessagebriefand
tothepoint.
Takealookatsomeindustrialdirectmail.Lettersareseldommorethana
pagelong,andyoualmostneverseeafourpageletterinindustrialselling.
AsStrunkandWhitepointoutinTheElementsofStyle,conciseness
requiresnotthatthewriteravoidalldetailandtreathissubjectsonlyin
outline,butthateverywordtell.(italicsmine.)Inotherwords,cramyour
industrialpromotionsfullofproductinformationandstrongsalesarguments.But
avoidredundancies,runonsentences,wordyphrases,andotherpoorstylistic
habitsthattakeupspacebutaddlittletomeaningorclarity.Forexample,dont
writewaterdropletscondensedfromatmosphericvaporandsufficientlymassive
tofalltoearthssurfacewhenyouretalkingaboutrain.
4.Simplify.Thekeytosuccessfulindustrialcopywritingistoexplain
complexconceptsandproductsclearlyanddirectly.Avoidoverlycomplicated
31
narratives;writeinplain,simpleEnglish.Inthefirstdraftofcatalogcopyforaline
ofpollutioncontrolequipment,theproductmanagerwrote:

Itisabsolutelyessentialthattheinteriorwallsurfaceoftheconduitbemaintained
inawetcondition,andthatmeansbeprovidedforwettingcontinuallytheperipheral
interiorwallsurfaceduringoperationofthedevice,inordertoavoidtheaccumulationof
particulatematterabouttheinteriorsurfacearea.

Hereshowthecopywritersimplifiedthisbitoftechnicalgobbledygookto
makeitmorereadable:

Theinteriorwallmustbecontinuallywettedtoavoidsolidsbuildup.

Onewaytoachievesimplicityinyourindustrialwritingistoavoidthe
overuseoftechnicaljargon.Neverwritethatamanufacturersnewdentalsplint
stabilizesmobiledentitionwhenitsfunctionistokeeplooseteethinplace.
Whenyouredecidingwhethertouseaparticulartechnicalterm,remember
SusanneK.Langersdefinitionofjargonaslanguagemoretechnicalthanthe
ideasitservestoexpress.Neverletyourlanguagemakethingsmorecomplex
thantheyalreadyare.
5.Talktotheuserstodeterminetheirneeds.Elaboratemarketingresearchis
oftenunnecessaryinindustrialselling.Bytalkingwithafewknowledgeable
engineers,thecopywritercanquicklygraspwhatmakesatechnicalproduct
usefultoindustrialbuyers.
Becausetheproductsarehighlytechnical,youcantrelyonyourown
feelingsandintuitiontoselectthekeysellingpoints.Thebenefitsofbuyinga
kitchenapplianceorjoiningarecordclubareobvious,buthowcanalaymansay
32
whatfeaturesofamultistagedistillationsystemareimportanttothebuyer,and
whicharetrivial?
Byspeakingwithtechnicalandmarketingpeopleontheclientside,you
canfindoutwhichproductfeaturesshouldbehilightedinthecopyandwhythey
appealtothebuyer.Then,applyyourusualskillinpersuasivewritingtoturn
thesefeaturesintosalesorientedreasonwhytheyshouldbuycopy.Thekindof
copythatgeneratesleadsgoodwillordersandmoney.
Recently,Iwasgiventheassignmentofwritingapackageonawater
filtrationsystemtobesoldtotwodifferentmarkets:themarineindustryandthe
chemicalindustry.Inthecourseofconversationwithafewcustomersineach
field,Idiscoveredthatmarinebuyerswereconcernedsolelywithqualityand
price,whilechemicalengineersconsideredtechnicalcompetencethenumber
onesellingfeature.Theywantedtoknoweverydetailedspecificationdowntothe
lastpump,pipe,fan,andfilter.Sellingtheproducttothetwomarketswould
requiretwocompletelydifferentsaleslettersbutIdneverhaveknownthisifI
hadntasked.
6.Understandhowthepromotionfitsintothebuyingprocess.Thesaleofan
industrialproductcanrequiremanylengthysteps;machineryisseldommarketed
bymailorder.Sometimesyourpackagecanbeusedtogeneratethelead.Orit
mayhelpqualifyprospects.Manyindustrialmarketersusesaleslettersto
distributecatalogs,remindcustomersoftheirproducts,oranswerinquiries.Know
whereyourcopyfitsintothebuyingprocesssoyoucanwritecopytogeneratethe
appropriateresponse.
7.Knowhowmuchtotell.Differentbuyersseekdifferentlevelsoftechnical
information.Ifyourewritingfortopmanagement,keepitshortandsimple,and
pileonthebenefits.Ifyourepitchingtotechnicians,besuretoincludeplentyof
meatytechnicalinformation.
33
HeresadescriptionofaDryFGDSystem(alargepieceofindustrial
equipment)fromapromotionaimedatplantengineers:

TheaverageSO2emissionrateasdeterminedintheoutletductwas0.410lb/106
Btu(176ng/J).AllemissionratesweredeterminedwithFfactorscalculatedfromfluegas
analysesobtainedwithanOrsatanalyzerduringthecourseofeachtestrun.

Thiswillsatisfythetechnicallycuriousbuyerwhowantstoknowhowyou
determinedyourproductspecifications,notjustwhattheyare.Butmanagershave
littletimeorinterestinthenittygritty;theywanttoknowhowtheproductcan
savethemmoneyandhelpimprovetheiroperations.AbrochureonthissameDry
FGDSystemaimedatmanagementtakesalighter,moresalesorientedtone:

TheDryFCDSystemisacosteffectivealternativetoconventionalwetscrubbersfor
cleaningfluegasincoalfiredboilers.Flyashandchemicalwasteareremovedasaneasily
handleddrypowder,notawetsludge.Andwithdrysystems,industrialandutilityboilers
canoperatecleanlyandreliably.

8.Dontforgetthefeatures.Byallmeans,stresscustomerbenefitsinyour
copy.Butdontforgettoincludetechnicalfeaturesaswell.Intheindustrial
marketplace,apressureratingortheavailabilityofcertainmaterialsof
constructionoftenmeanthedifferencebetweenabuyornobuydecision.
Althoughthesefeaturesmayseemboringormeaninglesstoyou,theyare
importanttothetechnicalbuyer.
Directresponsecopywritersoftenworkupalistofproductfeaturesandthe
benefitsthatthesefeaturesoffertheconsumer.Then,thebenefitsareworkedinto
thesalesletter.
34
Inindustrialcopywriting,wedothesamething,exceptweincludethe
featuresinthecopy.Featuresandtheirbenefitsareoftenpresentedincauseand
effectstatements,suchas:

BecausethesystemusesLbandfrequencyandimprovedMTI(movingtarget
indication),itcandetecttargetsupto50timessmallerthanconventionalSbandradars.

Nomechanicalsystemsormovingpartsarerequired.WhichmeansthatHydro
Cleanconsumeslessenergyandtakeslessspacethanconventionalpumpdrivenclarifiers.

Thegeometricshapeofthesealringamplifiestheforceagainstthedisc.Asthe
pressuregrows,sodoesthevalvessealingperformance.

9.Usegraphs,tables,charts,anddiagramstoexplainandsummarizetechnical
informationquickly.Putstrongsellcopyinyourheadlines,subheads,andbody
copy;relegatedullercataloginformationtotables,sidebars,charts,andinserts.
Anddonthesitatetousevisuals;photographsaddbelievability,anddrawings
helpreadersvisualizecomplexproductsandprocesses.
10.Includecasehistoriestodemonstrateprovenperformance.Industrialbuyers
wanttoknowthatyourproducthasprovenitsperformanceinreallife
applications.Casehistoriesconciseproductsuccessstoriesareasurefire
waytoputthebuyersmindatease.
Inmailorder,asimpleonelinetestimonialfromGKinPortlandorthe
JackReedsinJerseyCityisallthatsneededtodemonstrateaproductssuccess.
Butindustrialbuyersneedtoknowmore,andthetypicalcasehistorytellswhat
theproblemwas,howtheproductsolvedit,andwhattheresultswereinterms
ofmoneysavedandimprovedplantperformance.InanadfortheHitachi
35
chillerheater,aunitthatcoolsandheatsbuildings,GasEnergy,Inc.usesa
seriesoftightlywrittenoneparagraphcasehistoriestoshowreadersthatthe
productworks.Heresasample:

MiamiHospital(300,000sq.ft.).Linkingagasturbinegeneratorwithone450
tonHitachiCogenerationunitproducesallcoolingandheatingandsaves$360,000yearly
vs.purchasedelectricityandthepreviouselectriccentrifugalsystem.

Thecasehistoryapproachisoneareawhereindustrialandconsumer
writersagree.Afterall,everydirectresponsewriterknowsthatthebest
advertisingisasatisfiedcustomer.

ReprintedfromDirectMarketingMagazineMay1983
224SeventhStreet,GardenCity,NY11530(516)7466700

Section9

HowtoWriteMoreEffectiveTechnicalProductBrochures

WhenIwastheadvertisingmanagerforaprocessequipment
manufacturer,oneofmyresponsibilitieswastoserveasliaisonbetweenthe
advertisingagencywehiredtowriteouradsandproductbrochuresandour
staffengineers.
Theengineers,becauseoftheirtechnicalexpertiseinthesubjectmatter,
wereresponsibleforreviewingtheagencyswork.
Asisoftenthecaseinourindustry,theengineerscomplainedthatthose
adtypesattheagencydidntunderstandtheproductortheaudienceandthat
theircopywaswayoffbase.
36
Theagencycounteredthatengineersmayknowtechnologybutdontknow
writing,marketing,design,orsellingandthattheywantedtocramthe
brochureswithtoomuchunnecessarydetailthatwoulddilutethesalesmessage.
Whowasright?Thefactis,bothargumentshavesomemerit.
Ontheagencyside,adagencyfolkoftenhaveaflairforcreative,colorful
communication,whichcanhelpabrochuregainattentionandbenoticed.
Ontheotherhand,clientsespeciallytheengineerswhoreviewthe
agencysbrochurecopyoftencomplain,sometimescorrectly,thattheagencys
brochurecopyissuperficial.
Lazinessisoftenthecause.Thewriterdidnotdosufficientresearchto
understandthetechnologyandtheneeds,concerns,andinterestsofthetarget
audience.Thecopyhewritesreflectsthislackofunderstanding.Whenyoureadit,
youimmediatelythink,Thispersondoesntknowwhatheistalkingabout
andyouareprobablyright.
Anotherproblemwithprofessionaloragencywrittenproductliterature
isatendencytowardclevernessforthesakeofbeingclever.Becreative!the
clientinstructstheagency.Butthereaderoftendoesntgetthejoke,pun,or
referenceintheheadline,thecreativitygoesoverherhead,andsheisturnedoff
ratherthanengaged.
Engineerswhowritetheirownbrochurecopyarerarelysuperficial;they
usuallyhaveasolidunderstandingoftheproductanditstechnology.However,
engineerstendtoassumethatthereaderknowsasmuchasthewriter,speaksthe
samejargon,andhasthesamelevelofinterestinthetechnology.Andoftenthisis
notthecase.
Takejargon.Peopletodayfrequentlyusethetermopensystems
architectureinsalesliterature.Butdotheyreallyknowwhatthismeans?Write
downyourowndefinition,askfivecolleaguestodothesame,andcompare.
37
Iguaranteetheywillnotbethesame.Engineerswhowriteoftendontstrivefor
clarity.Sotheyfallbackonbuzzwordsandclichsthat,unfortunately,dontget
acrossthemessagestheywishtoconvey.

6TipsforWritingBetterTechnicalProductBrochures

Giventheseconditions,howcanyouasanengineerormanagerwho
eitherwritesbrochurecopy,editscopy,approvescopy,orprovidesinputforad
agenciesorfreelanceindustrialcopywritersdoyourjobbettersothefinished
brochureisthebestonepossible?
Herearesomesimpleguidelinestofollow:
1. Definethetopic.Isyourbrochureaboutasolution?Asystem?Aproduct
line?Aproduct?Aspecificmodelofthatproduct?Aspecificindustry
useorapplicationofthatproduct?Thesupportservicesyouofferfor
thatproduct?Theaccessories?
Definewhatthepieceisabout.Thenarrowerthetopic,themorefocused,
specific,andeffectiveyourbrochurecanbewithinthelimitedspaceavailable.
Tip:Yourbrochuredoesnthavetocovereverything.Youcanalways
decidetohaveotherpiecesofsalesliteraturethatgointomoredepthoncertain
aspectsoftheproduct.
Forinstance,youcantalkaboutsatisfiedusersincasehistories.Youcan
expandonspecificationsinaspecsheet.Somemarketersuseapplicationbriefsto
focusonaspecificapplicationorindustry.Othersdevelopseparatesellsheetson
eachkeyfeature,allowingmoreindepthtechnicaldiscussionthanispossibleina
generalproductbrochure.
2. Knowyouraudience.Areyouwritingtoengineersormanagers?The
formermaybeinterestedintechnicalandperformancespecifications.
38
Thelattermaywanttoknowaboutsupport,service,easeofuse,
scalability,anduserbenefits,orreturnoninvestment.
Ifyouarewritingtoengineers,aretheywellversedinthisparticular
technology?Ordoyouhavetobringthemuptospeed?Justbecausesomeoneisa
chemicalengineerdoesnotmeantheyknownearlyasmuchaboutindustrial
knives,turbineblades,corrosionresistantmetals,ballvalves,oryourparticular
specialtyasyoudo.Indeed,theyprobablydont.
Whenindoubt,itisbettertoexplainsoeveryoneunderstandsthanto
assumethateveryonealreadyunderstands.Noengineerhasevercomplainedto
methatabrochureIwrotewastooclear.
3. Writewithyourobjectiveinmind.UnlikeaVictoriaSecretscatalog,which
givesthebuyeralltheinformationsheneedstoplaceanorder,most
technicalproductbrochuressupportthesellingprocessbutarenot
designedtocompleteitontheirown.
Istheobjectiveofthebrochuretoconvincetheprospectthatyourtechnical
designissuperiortoyourcompetition?Orshowthatyouhavemorefeaturesata
betterprice?Ordemonstratethatyoursystemwillpaybackitscostinless
than6months?
Establishacommunicationobjectiveforthebrochureandwritewiththat
goalinmind.Forinstance,iftheobjectiveistogetameetingforyoutosell
consultingservicestotheclient,youonlyneedtoincludeenoughtoconvince
themthatthemeetingisworththeirtime.Anythingmoreisprobablyoverkill.
4. Includethetwothingseverybrochureshouldcontain.Thesesimplyare(a)
thethingsyourprospectsneedandwanttoknowaboutyourproductto
maketheirbuyingdecisionand(b)whatyouthinkyoushouldsayto
persuadethemthatyourproductisthebestproductchoiceandyour
companyisthebestvendor.
39
Thethingsaprospectwantstoknowaboutanindustrialproductmight
includeweight,dimensions,powerrequirements,operatingtemperature,and
whetheritcanperformcertainfunctions.
Thingsyoumightwanttotellthemincludehowtheperformancecompares
withcompetitivesystemsinbenchmarktests(ifyouwerethewinner,ofcourse)or
thefactthatitwascitedasBestProductbyanindustrypublication,orwonan
awardfromatradeassociation,oristhemostpopularproductinitscategorywith
aninstalledbaseofmorethan10,000units.
5. Beselective.Whileadagencycopyissometimestoolightandtellsthe
readertoolittle,engineercopyoftenmakestheoppositeerror,
attemptingtocrameverylasttechnicalfactandfeatureintoafouror
eightpagebrochure.
Keepinmindthatyourprospectisbombardedbymoreinformationthan
hecanhandleonadailybasis.Everyonehastoomuchtoread,andnotenough
timetoreadit.AccordingtoastudybytheSchoolofInformationManagement&
SystemsatUCBerkeley,eachyearthehumanraceproducesabout1.5exabytesof
uniqueinformationinprint,film,optical,andmagneticcontentworldwide
roughly250MBofnewinformationforeveryman,women,andchild.
Beselectiveinyourpresentation.CopywriterHerschellGordonLewishasa
formula,E
2
=0.OrasLewissays,Whenyouemphasizeeverything,you
emphasizenothing.Ifeveryfactaboutyourproductisgivenequalweightinthe
brochure,thekeyfactsthatmakethemostpersuasivecaseforbuyingtheproduct
willnotstandout.
6. Understandthesellingenvironment.Therearethreebasicsellingsituations
forprocessequipment,chemicals,andotherindustrialproducts.You
mustknowwhatsituationyourproductfallsinto,soyoucanmarket
iteffectively.
40
Thefirstsituationisthattheprospectisnotacutelyawareoftheproblem
hehasthatyourproductcansolve.Orheisawareofitbutdoesnotconsiderit
apriority.Inthissituation,togetyourprospectsattention,yourbrochuremust
dramatizetheproblemanditsseverity,andthenpositionyourproductas
thesolution.
Example:Mainframecomputeroperatorsdidnotrealizethatcertain
operationsaccidentallyoverrodeanderasedfilesstoredonmagnetictapes.A
brochureforautilitythatpreventedthisoperationfromoccurringbegan,Did
youknowthatyourstoragedevicesmaybeaccidentallywipingoutimportant
filesevenasyoureadthissentence?Italertedthemtotheproblemina
dramaticway.
Oncealertedtoaproblemtheydidntknowexisted,thereaderswereeager
tofindasolution,whichtheutilityhandilyprovided.Saleswerebrisk.
Thesecondsituationisthattheprospectisawareoftheproblemorneed
yourproductaddresses,butisnotatallconvincedthatyourtypeofproductisthe
bestsolution.
Example:Achemicalmanufacturerwarnedwastewatertreatmentplants
thattheircurrentactivatedcharcoalbedsystemsweretoocostly.
Theplantmanagersbelievedthat,butdidntbelievethatthe
manufacturersalternativefiltertechnologywasaviablesolution.Apaper
reprintinglabtestresultsplustheofferofafreetrialovercamethedisbeliefand
gotfirmstousethenewfiltersystem.
Thethirdsituationiswhentheprospectknowswhathisproblemis,
believesyourtypeofproductistherightsolution,butneedstobeconvincedthat
yourproductisthebestchoiceinthecategory,andbetterthansimilarproducts
offeredbyyourcompetitors.
41
Onewaytodemonstratesuperiorityiswithatablecomparingyour
productwiththeothersonafeaturebyfeaturebasis.Ifyouhaveamorecomplete
featuresetthantheydo,suchatablemakesyoulooklikethebestchoice.
Anothertechniqueistogivespecificationsthatproveyourperformanceis
superior.Ifthiscannotbequantitativelymeasured,talkaboutanyunique
functionality,technology,ordesignfeaturethatmightcreateanimpressionof
superiorityintheprospectsmind.
Therearemanyothercopywritingtechniquesavailabletoproducea
superiortechnicalproductbrochureinanyofthesethreesituations;thisiswhy
Ivedevotedthepast20years,myentireprofessionallife,topracticingand
studyingcopywritingjustlikeanengineerpracticesandstudieshisspecialty.
Butifyoufollowthebasicsinthisarticleanddonothingelse,Iguarantee
animprovementinyourbrochuresthatyou,yoursalesreps,andyourcustomers
willappreciate.Youmightevensomedayreceivethatrarecompliment:You
know,Iactuallyreadyourbrochure.Itwasntboring,andittoldmewhatI
neededtoknow!

Section10

CantFindGoodNewsletterItems?
Hereare29GoodPlacestoLook

Comingupwithgoodstoryideasisoneofthetoughesttasksinpublishing
acompanynewsletter.Heresachecklistofstorysourcestostimulateeditorial
thinkingandhelpidentifytopicswithhighreaderinterestthathelptopromote
thecompany.

42
1. Productstories:Newproducts;improvementstoexistingproducts;new
models;newaccessories;newoptions;andnewapplications.
2. News:Jointventures;mergersandacquisitions;newdivisionsformed;new
departments;othercompanynews.Also,industrynewsandanalysesofevent
andtrends.
3. Tips:Tipsonproductselection,installation,maintenance,repair,
andtroubleshooting.
4. HowToarticles:Similartotips,butwithmoredetailedinstructions.
Examples:Howtousetheproduct;howtodesignasystem;howtoselecttheright
typeormodel.
5. Previewsandreports:Writeupsofspecialeventssuchastradeshows,
conferences,salesmeetings,seminars,presentations,andpressconferences.
6. Casehistories:Eitherindepthorbrief,reportingproductapplicationsuccess
stories,servicesuccesses,etc.
7. People:Companypromotions,newhires,transfers,awards,anniversaries,
employeeprofiles,customerprofiles,humanintereststories(unusualjobs,
hobbies,etc.).
8. Milestones:e.g.,1,000thunitshipped,Salesreach$1millionmark,
Divisioncelebrates10thanniversary,etc.
9. Salesnews:Newcustomers;bidsaccepted;contractsrenewed;satisfied
customerreports.
10. Researchanddevelopment:Newproducts;newtechnologies;newpatents;
technologyawards;inventions;innovations;andbreakthroughs.
11. Publications:Newbrochuresavailable;newadcampaigns;technicalpapers
presented;reprintsavailable;neworupdatedmanuals;announcementsofother
recentlypublishedliterature.
43
12. Explanatoryarticles:Howaproductworks;industryoverviews;background
informationonapplicationsandtechnologies.
13. Customerstories:Interviewswithcustomers;photos;customernewsand
profiles;guestarticlesbycustomersabouttheirindustries,applications,and
positiveexperienceswiththevendorsproductorservice.
14. Financialnews:Quarterlyandannualreporthighlights;presentationsto
financialanalysts;earningsanddividendnews;etc.
15. Photoswithcaptions:People;facilities;products;events.
16. Columns:Presidentsletter;letterstotheeditor;guestcolumns;regular
featuressuchasQ&AorTechTalk.
17. Excerpts,reprints,orcondensedversionsof:Pressreleases;executivespeeches;
journalarticles;technicalpapers;companyseminars;etc.
18. Qualitycontrolstories:Qualitycircles;employeesuggestionprograms;new
qualityassurancemethods;successrates;casehistories.
19. Productivitystories:Newprograms;methodsandsystemstocutwasteand
boostefficiency.
20. Manufacturingstories:Newtechniques;equipment;rawmaterials;production
linesuccesses;detailedexplanationsofmanufacturingprocesses;etc.
21. Communityaffairs:Fundraisers;specialevents;supportforthearts;
scholarshipprograms;socialresponsibilityprograms;environmentalprograms;
employeeandcorporateparticipationinlocal/regional/nationalevents.
22. Dataprocessingstories:Newcomputerhardwareandsoftwaresystems;
improveddataprocessinganditsbenefitstocustomers;newdataprocessing
applications;explanationsofhowsystemsservecustomers.
23. Overseasactivities:Reportsonthecompanysinternationalactivities;profiles
offacilities,people,markets,etc.
44
24. Service:Backgroundoncompanyservicefacilities;casehistoriesof
outstandingserviceactivities;newservicesforcustomers;newhotlines;etc.
25. History:Articlesofcompany,industry,product,communityhistory.
26. Humanresources:Companybenefitprograms;announcementofnew
benefitsandtrainingandhowtheyimproveservicetocustomers;explanations
ofcompanypolicies.
27. Interviews:Withcompanykeyemployees,engineers,servicepersonnel,etc.;
withcustomers;withsuppliers(toillustratethequalityofmaterialsgoinginto
yourcompanysproducts).
28. Forums:Topmanagersanswercustomercomplaintsandconcerns;service
managersdiscusscustomerneeds;customerssharetheirfavorableexperiences
withcompanyproducts/services.
29. Gimmicks:Contests;quizzes;puzzles;games;cartoons.

Section11

TenWaystoStretchYourAdvertisingBudget

Mostbusinesstobusinessadvertisershavesmalleradbudgetsthantheir
counterpartsinconsumermarketing.Hereare10waystogetmoreoutofyour
advertisingdollarswithoutdetractingfromthequalityandquantityofyourads
andpromotions.Insomecases,theseideascanevenenhancetheeffectivenessof
yourmarketingefforts.
45
ONEUseyouradsformorethanjustspaceadvertising.Adsareexpensiveto
produceandexpensivetorun.Buttherearewaysofgettingyouradvertising
messageinyourprospectshandsatafractionofthecostofspaceadvertising.
Theleastexpensiveistoorderanamplesupplyofreprintsand
distributethemtocustomersandprospectseverychanceyouget.Whenyousend
literatureinresponsetoaninquiry,includeacopyoftheadinthepackage.This
remindsaprospectofthereasonherespondedinthefirstplaceandreinforcesthe
originalmessage.
Distributeadsinternallytootherdepartmentsengineering,production,
sales,customerservice,andR&Dtokeepthemuptodateonyourlatest
marketingandpromotionalefforts.Makesureyoursalespeoplereceiveanextra
supplyofreprintsandareencouragedtoincludeareprintwhentheywritetoor
visittheircustomers.
Turntheadintoaproductdatasheetbyaddingtechnicalspecificationsand
additionalproductinformationtothebackoftheadreprint.Thiseliminatesthe
expenseofcreatinganewlayoutfromscratch.Anditmakesgoodadvertising
sense,becausethereadergetsdoubleexposuretoyouradvertisingmessage.
Adreprintscanbeusedasinexpensivedirectmailpieces.Youcanmailthe
reprintsalongwithareplycardandasalesletter.Unlikethead,whichiscastin
concrete,theletteriseasilyandinexpensivelytailoredtospecificmarketsand
customergroups.
Ifyouvecreatedaseriesofadsonthesameproductorproductline,
publishboundreprintsoftheadsasaproductbrochure.Thistacticincreases
prospectexposuretotheseriesandislessexpensivethanproducingabrand
newbrochure.
46
Ifyouradsprovidevaluableinformationofageneralnature,youcanoffer
reprintsasfreeeducationalmaterialtocompaniesinyourindustry.Or,ifthead
presentsastrikingvisual,youcanofferreprintsthataresuitableforframing.
Reuseyouradsagainandagain.Youwillsavemoneyandincreasefrequency
intheprocess.
TWOIfsomethingworks,stickwithit.Toomanyindustrialmarketers
scraptheiroldadsandcreatenewonesbecausetheyreboredwiththeir
currentcampaign.
Thatsawaste.Youshouldntcreatenewadsorpromotionsifyour
existingonesarestillaccurateandeffective.Youshouldrunyouradsforaslong
asyourcustomersreadandreacttothem.
Howlongcanadscontinuetogetresults?TheLudlowCorp.rananadfor
itserosionpreventingSoilSavermesh41timesinthesamejournal.After11years
itpulledmoreinquiriesperissuethanwhenitwasfirstpublishedin1966.
Ifaconceptstillhassellingpowerbuttheadcontainsdatedinformation,
updatetheexistingaddontthrowitoutandstartfromscratch.Thisapproach
isntfunfortheadmanagerortheagency,butitdoessavemoney.
THREEDontoverpresentyourself.Astrangethinghappenstoindustrial
advertiserswhentheygetalittleextramoneyintheadbudget:theyseefancy
fourcolorbrochures,goldembossedmailers,andfatannualreportsproducedby
Fortune500firms.Thentheysay,Thisstuffsurelooksgreatwhydontwedo
somebrochureslikethis?
Thatsamistake.Thelook,tone,andimageofyourpromotionsshouldbe
dictatedbyyourproductandyourmarketnotbywhatothercompaniesinother
businessesputout.
Producingliteraturethatstoofancyforitspurposeanditsaudienceisa
wasteofmoney.Anditcanevenhurtsalesyourprospectswilllookatyour
47
overdoneliteratureandwonderwhetheryoureallyunderstandyourmarketand
itsneeds.
FOURUsemodularproductliterature.Onecommonadvertisingproblem
ishowtopromoteasingleproducttomanysmall,diversemarkets.Eachmarket
hasdifferentneedsandwillbuytheproductfordifferentreasons.Butonyour
budget,youcantaffordtocreateaseparatebrochureforeachofthesetiny
marketsegments.
Thesolutionismodularliterature.Thismeanscreatingabasicbrochure
layoutthathassectionscapableofbeingtailoredtomeetspecificmarketneeds.
Afterall,mostsectionsofthebrochuretechnicalspecifications,service,
companybackground,productoperation,productfeatureswillbethesame
regardlessoftheaudience.Onlyafewsections,suchasbenefitsoftheproductto
theuserandtypicalapplications,needtobetailoredtospecificreaders.
Inamodularlayout,standardsectionsremainthesame,butnewcopycan
betypesetandstrippedinforeachmarketspecificsectionofthebrochure.This
way,youcancreatemanydifferentmarketspecificpiecesofliteratureonthe
sameproductusingthesamebasiclayout,mechanicals,artworkandplates.
Significantsavingsintimeandmoneywillresult.
FIVEUsearticlereprintsassupplementaryliterature.Admanagersare
constantlybombardedbyrequestsforincidentalpiecesofproductliterature.
Engineerswantdatasheetsexplainingsomeminortechnicalfeatureingreat
detail.Repssellingtosmallspecializedmarketswantspecialliteraturegearedto
theirparticularaudience.Andeachcompanysalespersonwantssupport
literaturethatfitshisorherindividualsalespitch.Buttheadbudgetcanonly
handlethemajorpiecesofproductliterature.Notenoughtimeormoneyexiststo
satisfyeverybodysrequestsforcustomliterature.
48
Thesolutionistousearticlereprintsassupplementarysalesliterature.
Ratherthanspendabundleproducinghighlytechnicalorapplicationspecific
pieces,haveyoursalesandtechnicalstaffwritearticlesonthesespecialtopics.
Then,placethearticleswiththeappropriatejournals.
Articlereprintscanbeusedasinexpensiveliteratureandcarrymore
credibilitythanselfproducedpromotionalpieces.Youdontpayfortypesetting
orproductionofthearticle.Bestofall,thearticleisfreeadvertisingforyourfirm.
SIXExploreinexpensivealternativesforgeneratingleads.Manysmaller
firmsjudgeadeffectivenesssolelybythenumberofleadsgenerated.They
arenotconcernedwithbuildingimageorrecognition;theysimplycount
bingocardinquiries.
Ifthatdescribesyourapproachtoadvertising,perhapsyoushouldnt
beadvertisinginthefirstplace.Notthatleadgeneratingisntalegitimateuse
ofspaceadvertising.Butifleadsareallyoureafter,therearecheaperwaysto
getthem.
Newproductreleasesleadthelistasthemosteconomicalmethodof
generatingleads.Once,forlessthan$100,Iwrote,printed,anddistributedanew
productreleasetoahundredtradejournals.Withinsixmoths,thereleasehad
beenpickedupby35magazinesandgenerated2,500bingocardinquiries.
Yoursecondbestinquirygeneratoristhedirectactionpostcardpack.
Youcanwriteandtypesetyourownpostcardforlessthan$200.Andrunningthe
cardinatradejournalspostcardpackgenerallycostsfrom$800to$1,200.But
thatsame$800to$1,200wouldprobablybuyonlyasixthorathirdofapagein
themagazine.
Iveseenasinglepostcardmailingpullnearly500inquiries,andyoud
haveahardtimedoingthatwiththeaverageonethirdpagead.
49
SEVENDontoverbookoutsidecreativetalent.Hirefreelancersand
consultantswhosecredentialsandfeesfitthejobandthebudget.
Topadvertisingphotographers,forexample,get$1,000adayormore.
ThismaybeworththefeeforacorporateadrunninginForbesorBusinessWeek.
Butitsoverkillfortheemployeenewsletterorapublicityshot.Manycompetent
photographerscanshootagoodblackandwhitepublicityphotofor$200or
evenless.
Whenyouhireconsultants,writers,artists,orphotographers,youshould
lookforsomeonewhoselevelofexpertiseandcostfitsthetaskathand.
EIGHTDoityourself.Routinetasks,suchasmailingpublicityreleases,
duplicatingslides,orretypingmediaschedulescanbedonecheaperinhouse
thanoutside.Savetheexpensiveagencyorconsultantfortasksthatreallyrequire
theirexpertise.
Evenifyoudonthaveaninhouseadvertisingdepartment,considerhiring
afulltimeadministrativeassistanttohandlethedetailworkinvolvedin
managingyourcompanysadvertising.Thisisamoreeconomicalsolutionthan
farmingadministrativeworkouttotheagencyordoingityourself.
NINEGetthemostofexistingart,photography,andcopy.Photos,illustrations,
layouts,andevencopycreatedforonepromotioncanoftenbeliftedandreusedin
otherpiecestosignificantlyreducecreativecosts.Forexample,copycreatedfora
corporateimageadcanbeusedastheintroductiontotheannualreport.
Also,youcansaveroughlayouts,thumbnailsketches,headlines,
andconceptsrejectedforoneprojectandusetheminfutureads,mailings,
andpromotions.
TENPayvendorsontime.Youllsavemoneybytakingadvantageof
discountsandavoidinglatechargeswhenyoupayvendorinvoicesontime.
50
And,youllgaingoodwillthatcanresultinbetterserviceandfairerpriceson
futureprojects.

Abouttheauthor:
BOBBLYisanindependentcopywriterandconsultantwithmore
than20yearsofexperienceinbusinesstobusiness,hightech,industrial,and
directmarketing.
Bobhaswrittencopyforover100clientsincludingNetworkSolutions,ITT
FluidTechnology,MedicalEconomics,Intuit,Business&LegalReports,and
BrooklynUnionGas.AwardsincludeaGoldEchofromtheDirectMarketing
Association,anIMMYfromtheInformationIndustryAssociation,twoSouthstar
Awards,anAmericanCorporateIdentityAwardofExcellence,andtheStandard
ofExcellenceawardfromtheWebMarketingAssociation.
Heistheauthorofmorethan50booksincludingTheCompleteIdiotsGuide
toDirectMarketing(AlphaBooks)andTheCopywritersHandbook(HenryHolt&
Co.).HisarticleshaveappearedinnumerouspublicationssuchasDMNews,
WritersDigest,AmtrakExpress,Cosmopolitan,InsideDirectMail,andBits&Pieces
forSalespeople.
Bobhaspresentedmarketing,sales,andwritingseminarsforsuchgroups
astheU.S.Army,IndependentLaboratoryDistributorsAssociation,American
InstituteofChemicalEngineers,andtheAmericanMarketingAssociation.He
alsotaughtbusinesstobusinesscopywritingandtechnicalwritingatNew
YorkUniversity.
Bobwritessalesletters,directmailpackages,ads,emailmarketing
campaigns,brochures,articles,pressreleases,whitepapers,Websites,
newsletters,scripts,andothermarketingmaterialsclientsneedtoselltheir
51
productsandservicestobusinesses.Healsoconsultswithclientsonmarketing
strategy,mailorderselling,andleadgenerationprograms.
Priortobecominganindependentcopywriterandconsultant,Bobwas
advertisingmanagerforKochEngineering,amanufacturerofprocessequipment.
HehasalsoworkedasamarketingcommunicationswriterforWestinghouse
Defense.BobBlyholdsaB.S.inchemicalengineeringfromtheUniversityof
RochesterandhasbeentrainedasaCertifiedNovellAdministrator(CNA).Heisa
memberoftheAmericanInstituteofChemicalEngineersandtheBusiness
MarketingAssociation.
BobhasappearedasaguestondozensofTVandradioshowsincluding
MoneyTalk1350,TheAdvertisingShow,BernardMeltzer,BillBresnan,CNBC,
WinninginBusiness,TheSmallBusinessAdvocateandCBSHardCopy.Hehas
beenfeaturedinmajormediarangingfromtheLATimesandNationsBusinessto
theNewYorkPostandtheNationalEnquirer.
ForaFREECopywritingInformationKit,orafree,noobligationcost
estimateoncopywritingforyournextproject,contact:

BobBly,Copywriter
590 Delcina Drive,River Vale, NJ 07675
Phone(201)505-9451,Fax(201) 573-4094
Email:[email protected]
Web:www.bly.com