LA2M 07.22.09
A Really, Really Old-School
Marketing Method That Works
Really, Really Well
Presented by:
Chris Kochmanski
DesignHub, Inc.

First…
We’re not that old-school.

The Seven Words You Can’t Say at LA2M

Referrals

Trade Shows

Prospecting

Direct Mail

Brochures

Tchotchkes

Telemarketing

What Bill James, the baseball statistics guru,
can teach us about marketing

Traditional sportswriters and sports commentators
start with a POSITION
“Sabermetricians” start with the QUESTION

POSITION:
“Willie Mays was better than Mickey Mantle.”
QUESTION:
“Who was better – Mays or Mantle?”

Where the answer stands right now
Peak value: Mantle
Career value: Mays
However…

POSITIONS
“We need a search-optimized website.”
“We need to invest in a Google AdWords program.”
“We need to go to trade shows.”
“We need to advertise in trade publications.”
“We need to get into social media.”
“We need a stronger brand identity.”
“We need to build a database for direct marketing.”
“We need an e-newsletter.”
“We need videos and podcasts on our website.”

QUESTION
“What will work most effectively and efficiently to help you find, win,
and grow profitable customer relationships?”

WHO can tell you HOW
WHY can surprise
WHAT prevents sales?

“Ninety percent of success is SHOWING UP.”
“Markets are CONVERSATIONS.”

Highly Targeted, High-Impact
DIRECT MARKETING

CASE STUDIES
Phenomenal results!
Results right out of Plan 9 from Outer Space
(“Can you prove it didn’t happen?”)
Disappointing, but still useful results

Ideation’s Objective
Find 50 qualified prospects

What Ideation Assumed
Our market is: 55,000 to 60,000 gift retailers (Or is it?)
Our message is: “Increase sales by 10% to 40%” (Or is it?)

What We Learned
Prime target: 700 core prospects
Prime message: “Better Products + Better Image + Peer Group”

What Ideation Did
SELECT the 700 core prospects to whom Ideation would...
SEND a “Gift Marketing Success Guide” and a cover letter promising
a follow-up...
CALL, in which the Ideation salesperson would use a “Solution
Selling”-style call guide to help…
QUALIFY the prospect, and arrange a…
VISIT with the prospect, in which the Ideation salesperson would then
proceed with the company’s usual relationship-building process.

Ideation’s Results
700 follow-up phone calls in 3 days
64 qualified prospects
Tom Ungrodt’s verdict:
“Phenomenal!”

Bank of Washtenaw
250 targeted prospects
Deliver a cake – as inspired by BoW’s “Hometown Favorites”
ad campaign… and my dentist’s office
30 cakes delivered
And the results were…

Bank of Washtenaw
30 customer visits
The bank’s biggest commercial loan

WebIDS
Target: 750 hospital pharmacies
Mail an executive white paper,
with a promise to call
Only eight contracts signed, but…

WHO can tell you HOW
WHY can surprise
WHAT prevents sales?

Critical Success Factors for Direct Marketing
LIST – 40%
OFFER – 40%
EXECUTION – 20%

Ask your customers or clients…
Why did you hire us in the first place?
What do we do that others don’t?
What’s missing from our industry?
What could we do that would thrill you?
What do you find yourself simply
putting up with in this industry?
What would you do if you owned a business like ours?

What prevents sales?
AWARENESS
USAGE
FREQUENCY

“Ninety percent of success in life is SHOWING UP.”
“Markets are CONVERSATIONS.”

“Solution Selling” Call Guide
“Hi, this is Scott McCreadie from McCreadie Group. We haven’t
spoken before, but our company has been working with hospital
pharmacies to help them manage their investigational drug services
more efficiently and accurately…
“One of the chief concerns we’re hearing from directors at hospital
pharmacies is their frustration with the great amount of staff time and
effort it takes to manage IDS protocols using manual processes.
We’ve been able to help our customers streamline IDS operations
and get their IDS professionals more focused on research. I’d like to
share with you how we do this. Would that be OK?”

Questions?