For example, think about your business and three key benefits you consistently deliver to the marketplace. The headline or opening on your message in a bottle letter could be as easy as adding one of those benefits onto the question that starts with, Thirsty for.... Another easily adaptable opening for a message in a bottle letter is this one:

“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. First, the bad news: This Message in a Bottle won’t show you the way to buried treasures and untold wealth. Now for the good news: It will lead you to (insert your irresistible offer and/or compelling benefits here.)”

As for the bank bag, all you have to do is think about how your product or service generates an ROI, saves people money, or both. Finally there’s the trashcan, what I call the “fish or cut bait” mailer.

In my own marketing, and for clients, I’ve never seen the trashcan not be able to break down the resistance of at least a few more highly desirable prospects. Most people think it’s funny and while it’s not always a wise choice to use humor in direct mail, in this case it seems to work.

You can also use the trashcan as a one-time mailer. For example, your headline or opener might read something like this:

“Since I know there’s a good chance you’re going to t

Trade Show Booth Rentals
Today, Trade shows are an integral part of the promotional campaign of a business. The particular activity becomes a necessity if the business or company is introducing a new service or launching a new product. Trade shows provide proper exposure to the product and service. First Trade Show provides different types of trade show products and printing services like trade show exhibit rentals.A trade show is an occasion where the business comes in direct contact with the customers; it can therefore solve any doubts or queries in the customer’s mind and remove any misconceptions they may have. A trade show can thus create a lasting impact on the customer which can convert in positive consumer behavior in future.First Trade Show provides different exhibit and trade show products like table top displays, portable exhibits, banner stands, custom exhibits etc. The portable exhibits are easy to install and easy to transport. Table top displays are perfect when the display space is limited.If you have limited budget or time, you can utilize the trade show booth rentals to save time and money. In such cases First Trade Show provides you with solutions that fit your trade show budget and adequately suffice your trade show needs. It has huge in-house printing capabilities to customize any type and size of rental booths and prepare custom trade show booth and stock 10’ pop-up displays. Trade show exhibit rentals come in various sizes, 10’x10’, 20’x20’ and 10’x20’.First Trade Show offers creative implementation of the trade show projects

Want a big boost in response and quick sales from your next direct marketing effort? Then take your direct mail program to the extreme. What do I mean by extreme? I mean unconventional, break the mold, out-of-the-box, reaches-out-and-grabs-people-by-the-lapels marketing.

When you take your marketing to the extreme many people will love it and a few will hate it. But you won’t be ignored. With a well thought out, well executed extreme marketing program it’s a good bet you’ll pull a response rate in the double digits –- and, close business relatively fast.

Extreme marketing: A case study
Positive Response helped a leading call center operation put together an extreme marketing program targeting collision repair shops nationwide. What I’m going to do now is share with you the pertinent details of this campaign. Then I’ll give you a few specific ideas about how you can use a similar approach to generate leads and sales for your business, plus a few other direct marketing nuggets.

CSi Complete, (www.csicomplete.com) is the leading provider of phone-based customer satisfaction indexing services to the collision repair industry. After getting their attention –- and a meeting –- with my own extreme marketing efforts they engaged Positive Response to help them put together their program.

John Webb, Vice President of Marketing for CSi, reasoned this way: "It worked on me. So I figured it might work on somebody else. They [the mailers] are creative and impossible to ignore." What we decided on for CSi was a three-step campaign aimed at 300 collision repair businesses throughout the United States.

Step one: Message In a Bottle
CSi Complete’s first mailer was a Message In a Bottle –- a 32-ounce squeeze water bottle like the type you would take to the gym. The outside of the bottle was printed with an eye-catching graphic along with their logo and complete contact information.

Inside the bottle, which also served as the envelope, was a letter. The headline on the letter read, “Thirsty for more repair orders? Get ready to drink up!” Body copy talked about the many benefits of using the firm’s CSI services.

More importantly, the letter offered readers a free gift for talking with the company’s Director of Sales, and 13 months of service for the price of 12 if they signed up for CSi’s service by a specific date.

Step two: Bank bag mailing
Approximately a week later CSi sent out a second mailer. Mailer two was a 5.5” x 10.5” bank pouch imprinted with the words, “PUT MORE MONEY IN THE BANK.” It arrived in a 9-by-12-inch full-window envelope with the imprinted side of the pouch facing the window.

(Another attention-grabbing way of mailing this item is to mail it without using an envelope. To do this you simply tape down the zipper-pull and affix a mailing label and postage to the blank side.)

Inside the pouch was a letter. This time the headline read, “How to write more repair orders while lowering your overhead and improving workplace performance. And you can take that to the bank!”

This letter highlighted three ways CSi Complete helps collision repair shops bank more profits and reiterated our two-pronged offer.

Step three: Trash can mailing
After each mailing CSi’s telemarketing staff made follow-up phone calls to book tele-meetings with the company’s Director of Sales, Erich Keller. After two mailings and two phone calls a number of people had either booked a tele-meeting or indicated they were not a serious prospect for CSi’s service.

The remaining group, 208 companies in all, was sent a third and final mailing: a miniature trash can mailed in a box.

Inside the trash can was a wadded up letter with the headline, “Can do? Yes! CSi Complete CAN help you run a more profitable business.” An overline –- copy positioned after the name and address but before the salutation –- read in part:

“In case you’ve been throwing my letters into the trash, I wanted to do it for you this time. But before you trash this, my final letter, consider the story of A. Pake Zane. Why? Because it’s relevant.” Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

(A. Pake Zane is a gentleman I read about on the internet. He saw a box of rocks that somebody had put out with the trash. He thought they looked interesting so he hauled them off. As it turns out they were ancient stone artifacts which he later sold for $1,000.)

Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

Campaign Results
The campaign generated a healthy number of new accounts in a short period of time. All totaled the company’s Director of Sales conducted 42 tele-meetings (a 14% response) and closed sixteen new pieces of business.

Better yet, he closed more than half of this business –- nine accounts –- within the first three months. What’s more, we were able to generate several feature articles about the campaign in leading trade publications, including DM News, Target Marketing, Direct and Sales & Marketing Management.

How your business can use these mailers
The bottle, the bank bag and the trashcan is a tried and true trio of mailers that can be used by just about any business.

For example, think about your business and three key benefits you consistently deliver to the marketplace. The headline or opening on your message in a bottle letter could be as easy as adding one of those benefits onto the question that starts with, Thirsty for.... Another easily adaptable opening for a message in a bottle letter is this one:

“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. First, the bad news: This Message in a Bottle won’t show you the way to buried treasures and untold wealth. Now for the good news: It will lead you to (insert your irresistible offer and/or compelling benefits here.)”

As for the bank bag, all you have to do is think about how your product or service generates an ROI, saves people money, or both. Finally there’s the trashcan, what I call the “fish or cut bait” mailer.

In my own marketing, and for clients, I’ve never seen the trashcan not be able to break down the resistance of at least a few more highly desirable prospects. Most people think it’s funny and while it’s not always a wise choice to use humor in direct mail, in this case it seems to work.

You can also use the trashcan as a one-time mailer. For example, your headline or opener might read something like this:

“Since I know there’s a good chance you’re going to th

Continuing Professional Development
More and more professionals now have a mandatory requirement for Continuing Professional Development. Others just decide to make a conscious decision to embark on a journey of development. At the end of the day if you fail to continually develop yourself you run the risk of not fully exploiting to your professional and earnings potential.Many people claim that they don't have the time or the money to invest in their development. With advances in technology we have such a range of options open to us to support our development, many of which are free or low cost. Here are just a few examples:• Internet• Classroom Courses• Workshops• Coaching• Mentoring• Shadowing senior people• E-Books• On-Line Courses• Audios• Professional Associations• Clubs related to your interest• Magazines and journalsWhen considering your own development and what resources to utilise, think about the following:1. What areas do I want to develop?2. How do I learn best?3. How much time have I got available to devote to the areas I want to develop?4. What is the most effective way of acquiring the skills I want?5. What do I love doing and would make development fun?6. What do I loathe doing and would make development a real turn-off?7. What is the cost to me of not developing?8. What are the benefits to me of investing in my development?9. Who can help me stay on track?10. How can I make it fun?At the end of

for CSi, reasoned this way: "It worked on me. So I figured it might work on somebody else. They [the mailers] are creative and impossible to ignore." What we decided on for CSi was a three-step campaign aimed at 300 collision repair businesses throughout the United States.

Step one: Message In a Bottle
CSi Complete’s first mailer was a Message In a Bottle –- a 32-ounce squeeze water bottle like the type you would take to the gym. The outside of the bottle was printed with an eye-catching graphic along with their logo and complete contact information.

Inside the bottle, which also served as the envelope, was a letter. The headline on the letter read, “Thirsty for more repair orders? Get ready to drink up!” Body copy talked about the many benefits of using the firm’s CSI services.

More importantly, the letter offered readers a free gift for talking with the company’s Director of Sales, and 13 months of service for the price of 12 if they signed up for CSi’s service by a specific date.

Step two: Bank bag mailing
Approximately a week later CSi sent out a second mailer. Mailer two was a 5.5” x 10.5” bank pouch imprinted with the words, “PUT MORE MONEY IN THE BANK.” It arrived in a 9-by-12-inch full-window envelope with the imprinted side of the pouch facing the window.

(Another attention-grabbing way of mailing this item is to mail it without using an envelope. To do this you simply tape down the zipper-pull and affix a mailing label and postage to the blank side.)

Inside the pouch was a letter. This time the headline read, “How to write more repair orders while lowering your overhead and improving workplace performance. And you can take that to the bank!”

This letter highlighted three ways CSi Complete helps collision repair shops bank more profits and reiterated our two-pronged offer.

Step three: Trash can mailing
After each mailing CSi’s telemarketing staff made follow-up phone calls to book tele-meetings with the company’s Director of Sales, Erich Keller. After two mailings and two phone calls a number of people had either booked a tele-meeting or indicated they were not a serious prospect for CSi’s service.

The remaining group, 208 companies in all, was sent a third and final mailing: a miniature trash can mailed in a box.

Inside the trash can was a wadded up letter with the headline, “Can do? Yes! CSi Complete CAN help you run a more profitable business.” An overline –- copy positioned after the name and address but before the salutation –- read in part:

“In case you’ve been throwing my letters into the trash, I wanted to do it for you this time. But before you trash this, my final letter, consider the story of A. Pake Zane. Why? Because it’s relevant.” Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

(A. Pake Zane is a gentleman I read about on the internet. He saw a box of rocks that somebody had put out with the trash. He thought they looked interesting so he hauled them off. As it turns out they were ancient stone artifacts which he later sold for $1,000.)

Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

Campaign Results
The campaign generated a healthy number of new accounts in a short period of time. All totaled the company’s Director of Sales conducted 42 tele-meetings (a 14% response) and closed sixteen new pieces of business.

Better yet, he closed more than half of this business –- nine accounts –- within the first three months. What’s more, we were able to generate several feature articles about the campaign in leading trade publications, including DM News, Target Marketing, Direct and Sales & Marketing Management.

How your business can use these mailers
The bottle, the bank bag and the trashcan is a tried and true trio of mailers that can be used by just about any business.

For example, think about your business and three key benefits you consistently deliver to the marketplace. The headline or opening on your message in a bottle letter could be as easy as adding one of those benefits onto the question that starts with, Thirsty for.... Another easily adaptable opening for a message in a bottle letter is this one:

“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. First, the bad news: This Message in a Bottle won’t show you the way to buried treasures and untold wealth. Now for the good news: It will lead you to (insert your irresistible offer and/or compelling benefits here.)”

As for the bank bag, all you have to do is think about how your product or service generates an ROI, saves people money, or both. Finally there’s the trashcan, what I call the “fish or cut bait” mailer.

In my own marketing, and for clients, I’ve never seen the trashcan not be able to break down the resistance of at least a few more highly desirable prospects. Most people think it’s funny and while it’s not always a wise choice to use humor in direct mail, in this case it seems to work.

You can also use the trashcan as a one-time mailer. For example, your headline or opener might read something like this:

“Since I know there’s a good chance you’re going to t

Used Conveyors
There is a flourishing business in Used Conveyors and conveyor parts. Original users sell them for various reasons, like expanding, streamlining or modernizing their facilities. Dealers with large storage space buy secondhand equipment for resale. These are sometimes sold as they are or, in many cases, reconditioned or rebuilt. Such transactions benefit all three segments, the first user, the dealer and the buyer. Almost all parts and complete conveyor systems are available through this channel.Some dealers have expert consultants and undertake turnkey assignments for small as well as large projects. Generally the quality is good, and the equipment gives trouble-free service for long periods. There are dealers who offer warranties for what is bought from them, and service contracts so that the maintenance costs can be kept low. Some even provide training. With certain dealers a lease option is also available.Normally, the dealers are dependable and honest businesspeople. Nevertheless, it is prudent to take certain precautions when you sell or buy used machinery.If you are selling, keep the following points in mind. One practice in this business is that the dealer collects the items that are for sale and keeps them on a consignment basis in his store. You are paid when they are sold, after deducting the dealer’s cut. This procedure has obvious drawbacks. It is better to sell on cash down basis. Another important aspect is the time that is taken for dismantling the machines and removing them from your facility. Stipulate a fixed perio

of mailing this item is to mail it without using an envelope. To do this you simply tape down the zipper-pull and affix a mailing label and postage to the blank side.)

Inside the pouch was a letter. This time the headline read, “How to write more repair orders while lowering your overhead and improving workplace performance. And you can take that to the bank!”

This letter highlighted three ways CSi Complete helps collision repair shops bank more profits and reiterated our two-pronged offer.

Step three: Trash can mailing
After each mailing CSi’s telemarketing staff made follow-up phone calls to book tele-meetings with the company’s Director of Sales, Erich Keller. After two mailings and two phone calls a number of people had either booked a tele-meeting or indicated they were not a serious prospect for CSi’s service.

The remaining group, 208 companies in all, was sent a third and final mailing: a miniature trash can mailed in a box.

Inside the trash can was a wadded up letter with the headline, “Can do? Yes! CSi Complete CAN help you run a more profitable business.” An overline –- copy positioned after the name and address but before the salutation –- read in part:

“In case you’ve been throwing my letters into the trash, I wanted to do it for you this time. But before you trash this, my final letter, consider the story of A. Pake Zane. Why? Because it’s relevant.” Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

(A. Pake Zane is a gentleman I read about on the internet. He saw a box of rocks that somebody had put out with the trash. He thought they looked interesting so he hauled them off. As it turns out they were ancient stone artifacts which he later sold for $1,000.)

Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

Campaign Results
The campaign generated a healthy number of new accounts in a short period of time. All totaled the company’s Director of Sales conducted 42 tele-meetings (a 14% response) and closed sixteen new pieces of business.

Better yet, he closed more than half of this business –- nine accounts –- within the first three months. What’s more, we were able to generate several feature articles about the campaign in leading trade publications, including DM News, Target Marketing, Direct and Sales & Marketing Management.

How your business can use these mailers
The bottle, the bank bag and the trashcan is a tried and true trio of mailers that can be used by just about any business.

For example, think about your business and three key benefits you consistently deliver to the marketplace. The headline or opening on your message in a bottle letter could be as easy as adding one of those benefits onto the question that starts with, Thirsty for.... Another easily adaptable opening for a message in a bottle letter is this one:

“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. First, the bad news: This Message in a Bottle won’t show you the way to buried treasures and untold wealth. Now for the good news: It will lead you to (insert your irresistible offer and/or compelling benefits here.)”

As for the bank bag, all you have to do is think about how your product or service generates an ROI, saves people money, or both. Finally there’s the trashcan, what I call the “fish or cut bait” mailer.

In my own marketing, and for clients, I’ve never seen the trashcan not be able to break down the resistance of at least a few more highly desirable prospects. Most people think it’s funny and while it’s not always a wise choice to use humor in direct mail, in this case it seems to work.

You can also use the trashcan as a one-time mailer. For example, your headline or opener might read something like this:

“Since I know there’s a good chance you’re going to t

Logo Design Companies - What To Look For In A Logo Design Company
Logo design companies are plentiful these days and those not familiar with the design process may not know what to look for. This article describes some of the things you ought to look for in a logo design company.The ProcessWhen you order a logo from a design company, they will get one or more designers to come up with one or more concepts based on what you have told them.You will select the concept you like most and tell the logo design company of any alterations you require to the logo.The logo design company will make alterations to the logo as per your request. This process of revisions will happen one or more times before a final logo is delivered to you.The whole process can take anything from 24 hours to 5 days depending upon the particular logo design company in question and the amount of concepts and revisions that take place.Do You Just Get A Logo?On the low-end packages, yes.On mid-range packages you can expect business cards too and on the higher-rated packages you'll also get a web site design thrown in. All this will be based off your logo design so that the same corporate identity theme runs throughout.PricesBefore going any further it's probably worth commenting on prices. From a good logo design company, you can expect prices to range as follows:- Low end, just a logo design: $200-$300- Mid-range, logo design + business cards: $500-$600- High-end, logo design + business cards + w

, my final letter, consider the story of A. Pake Zane. Why? Because it’s relevant.” Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

(A. Pake Zane is a gentleman I read about on the internet. He saw a box of rocks that somebody had put out with the trash. He thought they looked interesting so he hauled them off. As it turns out they were ancient stone artifacts which he later sold for $1,000.)

Body copy in this letter punched up the key selling points made in previous letters and once again highlighted the two-pronged offer.

Campaign Results
The campaign generated a healthy number of new accounts in a short period of time. All totaled the company’s Director of Sales conducted 42 tele-meetings (a 14% response) and closed sixteen new pieces of business.

Better yet, he closed more than half of this business –- nine accounts –- within the first three months. What’s more, we were able to generate several feature articles about the campaign in leading trade publications, including DM News, Target Marketing, Direct and Sales & Marketing Management.

How your business can use these mailers
The bottle, the bank bag and the trashcan is a tried and true trio of mailers that can be used by just about any business.

For example, think about your business and three key benefits you consistently deliver to the marketplace. The headline or opening on your message in a bottle letter could be as easy as adding one of those benefits onto the question that starts with, Thirsty for.... Another easily adaptable opening for a message in a bottle letter is this one:

“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. First, the bad news: This Message in a Bottle won’t show you the way to buried treasures and untold wealth. Now for the good news: It will lead you to (insert your irresistible offer and/or compelling benefits here.)”

As for the bank bag, all you have to do is think about how your product or service generates an ROI, saves people money, or both. Finally there’s the trashcan, what I call the “fish or cut bait” mailer.

In my own marketing, and for clients, I’ve never seen the trashcan not be able to break down the resistance of at least a few more highly desirable prospects. Most people think it’s funny and while it’s not always a wise choice to use humor in direct mail, in this case it seems to work.

You can also use the trashcan as a one-time mailer. For example, your headline or opener might read something like this:

“Since I know there’s a good chance you’re going to t

Direct Mail Lift Notes: Boost Response by Breaking the Lift Letter Rules
Do lift notes still lift response rates in business-to-business mailings? Yes, as long as they stand out.A lift note, of course, is an extra component slipped into a direct mail package to lift response. It’s also called a lift letter. Publishers call it a publisher’s letter, because it’s usually signed by the publisher.The classic lift note is a sheet of paper that folds in half. On the front is usually a teaser. And on the inside is a note, usually written by someone other than the person who signed the letter.In the olden days, lift notes invariably lifted response. Direct mail marketer Harry Walsh says lift notes, usually reiterating the no-risk guarantee, used to boost response by around 11 percent no matter what copy was used. Amazing but true.Not so today. Your prospects are much more savvy to the devices that direct mail marketers use to boost response. Their Phoniness Filters are on 24/7. So we have to do something different than simply enclose a note from Donald Trump.Direct mail marketer Barbara Harrison says the best rule for using lift notes today is to abandon the rules. For her client, the Tuft’s School of Veterinary Medicine, Barbara once wrote a lift note from a dog.The lift note was one of two found in the package (which promoted the school’s newsletter, “Your Dog”). That’s one rule she broke. The first lift note was from the dean of the school, and drew attention to the expertise and credentials of its canine authorities.The second lift note, the one written by the mutt, described w

business.

For example, think about your business and three key benefits you consistently deliver to the marketplace. The headline or opening on your message in a bottle letter could be as easy as adding one of those benefits onto the question that starts with, Thirsty for.... Another easily adaptable opening for a message in a bottle letter is this one:

“I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. First, the bad news: This Message in a Bottle won’t show you the way to buried treasures and untold wealth. Now for the good news: It will lead you to (insert your irresistible offer and/or compelling benefits here.)”

As for the bank bag, all you have to do is think about how your product or service generates an ROI, saves people money, or both. Finally there’s the trashcan, what I call the “fish or cut bait” mailer.

In my own marketing, and for clients, I’ve never seen the trashcan not be able to break down the resistance of at least a few more highly desirable prospects. Most people think it’s funny and while it’s not always a wise choice to use humor in direct mail, in this case it seems to work.

You can also use the trashcan as a one-time mailer. For example, your headline or opener might read something like this:

“Since I know there’s a good chance you’re going to throw my letter in the trash I thought I’d go ahead and do it for you. But before you trash this letter for good, consider the story of A. Pake Zane.”

Suit the mailer to the target
These are just a few examples of how these three extreme marketing dimensional mailers can be put to work to generate leads and quick sales. As for other ideas, you are limited only by your imagination.

But keep this thought in mind. You want to suit the mailer to the type of prospect you are targeting and the level of commitment or sale you may be seeking. In CSi's case we were targeting owners and principals at collision repair shops, which are primarily small businesses. And we were asking them to make an initial commitment of only $2,000 - $3,000 spread over 12 months.

On the other hand, if your market is senior executives at Fortune 500 companies and the value of an average sale is $50,000 you'll want to make your mailers more reflective of that fact. For example, at this level maybe your message in a bottle mailer is an engraved martini shaker mailed in a box.

Inside your martini shaker is a letter with an opening along the lines of, "Time to shake things up? Let us help you mix up a winning combination for...(whatever key benefits your company's product or service delivers.)"

Here's another high-end example: One successful campaign targeting CEOs revolved around a "secret agent" theme. Each prospect received a locked metal briefcase. An accompanying note directed the prospect to a Web site.

At the web site, after entering a special code and reviewing some product and promotional information each CEO received the combination to the briefcase. Inside the briefcase was their reward, a handheld GPS unit. The program was highly successful.

Bigger impact means fewer mailers
Now let's talk about cost. Because you know for sure that purchasing and mailing a trashcan or a martini shaker calls for a bigger investment than...rolling out your basic direct mail package in a number ten envelope.

But keep this in mind. It's been said that the typical executive gets 175 pieces of mail a week. So if you're targeting business owners and upper level executives, especially those with larger companies...it's important that you make sure your mail will bust through the clutter and demand attention.   Otherwise your marketing effort may be a bust.   Also, because your response rates are going to be substantially higher, you won't have to mail as many pieces. Plus, in many cases people will hang on to your mailers and put them to good use. So even if you don't make a sale right away your selling proposition will be reinforced every time the prospect sees your mailer.

And then one day you'll get a phone call or an email that eventually leads to business.

Key factors will impact your success
Attention is the first step in both the sales and advertising process and an extreme marketing program will attract attention. But direct marketing is a three-legged stool and in order to maximize your success you'll want to make sure all three legs of your stool are strong and sturdy. Those three legs are -

1. List – Make sure you send your mail to the right people at the right companies. Your list can account for up to 40% of your success.

2. Offer – Make sure you have an offer that gives the prospect a reason to talk with you or meet with you. And the offer isn’t what a great job your product or service is going to do for your prospect. Your offer is the stimulus for action. It's the “deal.” The quid pro quo. “I'll give you a free video, a premium, a special report, a chance to win if you’ll....”

The use of a premium, the proverbial “free gift,” has historically proven to be a very strong offer, pulling four times as many responses as typically is the case without a premium offer. And this is important. Because your offer can account for up to another 40% of your success.

3. Copy – If you invest good money using memorable, attention grabbing mailers...but give short shrift to the sales copy that goes with them, then all you have working for you is a GIMMICK. And a GIMMICK will only take you so far. So my advice is always this (and yes, I understand it's self-serving, but it's still good advice):

Unless you would hire yourself (or your staff member) out for pay as a professional direct response copywriter please DON’T write your own copy. The additional response you’ll gain by using the services of a skilled, experienced professional will be well worth the investment.

Especially when you consider that your copy accounts for up to 20% of your success.

Love and hate (but mostly love)
As I wrote at the beginning of this article, when you take your marketing to the extreme a lot of people will love it and a few will hate it. But hardly anyone will be able to totally ignore it.

For example, in a recent effort of my own I had two diametrically opposite phone calls in the same day. One call was from a somewhat irritated man who wanted his company removed from my mailing list.

No problem I said. A couple of hours later I had another call from a gentleman with a big smile in his voice chuckling to me about “the really cool mailers you’ve been sending me.” He scheduled a meeting.

Research has shown that well done extreme