This one's for the people, people

We've had some challenges this week with a project...yeah yeah i know that some of my readers were on the front line of this one! As we were wrapping the whole thing up the DM guy pipes up with "i know my Cost per Aquisition (CPA) and your calculation is just plain wrong!"

Now when you get into the DM methodology, you quickly find out that they know who they mail, where they live etc but they never really know response - its all assumed. The thing is they continue to bang you over the head because they think they are the most accountable marketing channel

They say its the media and the message...like this:

Dear Valued Blog Reader,

How does that make you feel? My guess is like a piece of s**t. And yet, there are thousands of well-paid Direct Marketing professionals starting pieces of communication like this every day.

This is typically how they speak to us:

Dear Valued Customer.

As part of our ongoing improvement initiative we are centralising data, in order to provide a more streamlined service. We are also taking this opportunity to realign customer sales and are, therefore, in the process of updating our information. Enclosed you will find a Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire. Complete the FREEPOST form and send it back before June and you could WIN A HOLIDAY FOR TWO TO THE BAHAMAS..YES THATS RIGHT! THE BAHAMAS.

That is a parody of real letter. From a company. It says only one thing: companies don’t care about you, they want your money and, at the end of the day, you are nothing more than a name on a list in a huge database.

People, on the other hand…speak like this:

Dear Paul,

Since I was promoted, I feel sheltered from bad news, i'm not on the frontline anymore. Now, I may just be paranoid, but I have the suspicion that elements of our service aren’t as good as they could be. So, who better to ask than someone who uses it every day? Are we as good as we could be, or are there areas where we’re letting you down? Go on, give it to me straight – because, ultimately, my job depends on you being happy.

Notice the difference? It’s human, I feel valued and I might even be prepared to reply without the bribe....although it is the BAHAMAS!

It doesn’t have to be this way. The new digital dawn should be the Direct industry’s birthright, because the digital space is all about relationships.But most DM companies are still folding paper or, at best, doing banner ads.

With the ability to cultivate relationships in an online environment comes a huge opportunity to create engaging bespoke communication. Stuff that could genuinely add value to consumers’ lives.

But I haven't seen anything like that - have you? No. Well, if you want to retire rich, there’s the opportunity.

Rant over. I hope we get through this guy. Have a good weekend all