Posts by Bob Bly
Are You Taking Advantage of the “Business Within Your Business”?
Your first business is your main one — the one you know you are in. Your second business is the one you automatically qualify to be in as a result of the knowledge you have to possess in order to deliver your main product or service. You can tap into that “hidden profit center” and…
Read MoreNon-Profit Marketing Secrets of the World’s Greatest Fundraiser
An ETR reader recently wrote to us with this question: “I am working on increasing the success of a nonprofit American Cancer Society telethon in my hometown. I am hoping to use effective marketing to increase its profit and success, and I have a year to do so. As a marketing expert, do you have…
Read MoreHow to Charge a Premium Price
“Competition is a painful thing, but it produces great results.” – Jerry Flint I have never liked the discount business or any business operating on a tiny profit margin. To me, it’s more rewarding to command a higher price, charge premium fees — and get paid very, very well for what you sell. But in…
Read MoreClose More Sales by Quoting a Price Your Buyer Can Afford
In the movie “Tin Men,” starring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito, an aluminum-siding salesman goes into a car dealership to buy a new Cadillac. “How much is it?” he asks the car salesman about the car he wants to buy. “How much do you want to pay?” the car salesman asks back. Disgusted by what…
Read MoreA Lead-Generating Idea That (Almost) Always Works
“Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done right.” – Walt Disney If you need sales leads but don’t know how to get them — or if your marketing efforts aren’t generating enough of them — here is a proven lead-generating program that almost always works.…
Read MoreProfessional Consulting
Did you know you can take your own expertise… and turn it into a lucrative and flexible career? You give advice. People pay for it. Handsomely. I’m talking about the business of professional consulting. According to the American Consultants League, consultants typically make $50,000 a year, even those that work at home. Some people I…
Read MoreAn Honest Way to Make a Buck
“Honesty is the best image.” – Tom Wilson (in his “Ziggy” cartoon strip) Legendary adman James Webb Young, who started selling fruit by mail around the same time that Harry & David did, tells the story of an apple-growing season that nearly ruined him. Violent hailstorms bombarded his apple trees with ice pellets, bruising and…
Read MoreA Fundraising Tip that Can Help Direct-Mail Promotions
“Funny how the new things are the old things.” – Rudyard Kipling When I first got into direct marketing, I took a course in direct-mail copywriting with legendary copywriter Milt Pierce at New York University. One day, a student asked, “Professor Pierce, why is it that as soon as I give a donation to a…
Read MoreHow to Increase Responses
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” – Mark Twain Experienced direct marketers know this — even though businesspeople who are not direct marketers find it hard to believe: The way you state your offer can make an enormous difference in response…
Read More3 Things You Must Know About Mailing Lists Before You Do Direct Mail
“Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes.” – James A. Froude A common mistake made by novice direct marketers is to create a promotion and then, almost as an afterthought, look for a list to mail it to. They have it backward. The right way to do direct mail is to first understand,…
Read MoreThe Magic of a Dollar
“You can stroke people with words.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald It’s common knowledge that the word “free” is the most powerful word in the sales-and-marketing lexicon — and that the free offer is almost always irresistible. But experienced marketers know that, at times, charging a dollar can be more effective and pull even better than…
Read MoreTapping the Hidden Profit Center in Your Company: The “Business Within Your Business”
Your first business is your main one — the one you know you are in. Your second business is the one you automatically qualify to be in as a result of the knowledge you have to possess in order to deliver your main product or service. You can tap into that “hidden profit center”…
Read More