“Direct mail is out. Full-page, 4-color, space ads in general business magazines are out. That 20×20 trade show booth teeming with minions in your company t-shirt is out. And while email marketing is less expensive, you probably can’t find enough tightly targeted lists, so that’s out too.”

“Alan Morrison and Dan Burke have written the first meaningful post-mortem on the New Economy in their new book Business @ the Speed of Stupid. At its core the book clearly explains how the disregard for strategy and sound management principles doomed many a company and Internet project. If this sounds like a lot of other books currently hitting the shelves, then I should point out that Business @ the Speed of Stupid is one of the only books not willing to pull punches.”

“Built to Last was one of the most significant business books of the nineties, but the book didn’t leave much hope for companies that got off to a less than ideal start. What if your company wasn’t lucky enough to be founded by the likes of David Packard, Sam Walton, or George Merck? Jim Collins throws these businesses a life raft in his new book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t.”

“THE PROBLEM: Acquiring clients and finding employees on a limited budget. THE PRACTICE: Relentless networking and community involvement. THE PAYOFF: Referrals aplenty…”

“THE PROBLEM: Acquiring clients and finding employees on a limited budget. THE PRACTICE: Relentless networking and community involvement. THE PAYOFF: Referrals aplenty…”

“In a world where many of last year’s vaunted B2B exchange sites are going belly-up, Liquidation.com ‘The Complete Solution for Business Surplus’ is still going strong. We contacted the Company’s Director of Online Marketing, Asad Haroon to learn how he’s successfully driven highly targeted business traffic to the site. His answers are interesting reading for all B2B marketers out there, whether your company is offline or on, because Haroon’s tested almost everything under the sun!”

“In direct marketing campaigns — the kind designed to provoke a response of some kind — creative often takes a back seat to other factors. In the 60-20-20 rule (or any of its countless variations), Audience is essential… Offer is Everything… Creative is merely Compulsory. Fine. Nevertheless, Copy is still King. Here’s why: without good copy, your perfectly-targeted audience might never understand that wonderful offer of yours — or, even if they’re suitably impressed, may not summon up the energy to do anything about it.”

“Reward your frequent buyers with a loyalty program that will keep them coming back for more.”

“Several years ago, my clever friend Roy Williams created a list of the 12 common mistakes advertisers make. With his permission, I’ve taken his sound ideas and recast them to apply to your email campaigns. Email marketing is, after all, a form of advertising. But it goes beyond conventional advertising, because it is also your princial pathway to building a long-lasting relationship with your customers. You really don’t want to mess that up, do you?”

“He invented the electronic spreadsheet — but saw little profit from the invention. He also created four start-ups. So Dan Bricklin can talk with some insight into what can make or break an entrepreneur.”

“Several years ago, my clever friend Roy Williams created a list of the 12 common mistakes advertisers make. With his permission, I’ve taken his sound ideas and recast them to apply to your email campaigns. Email marketing is, after all, a form of advertising. But it goes beyond conventional advertising, because it is also your princial pathway to building a long-lasting relationship with your customers. You really don’t want to mess that up, do you?”

“FSB’s Direct Marketing Diva shows you how to craft sales letters that get results… It’s involving, compelling and designed along one of the direct mail copywriter’s best guidelines: AIDA, and I don’t mean the opera! A-I-D-A stands for Attention, Interest, Development and Action. It’s a useful guideline for the elements that should go into your letter, as well as the order in which they should appear.”

“FSB’s Direct Marketing Diva shows you how to craft sales letters that get results… It’s involving, compelling and designed along one of the direct mail copywriter’s best guidelines: AIDA, and I don’t mean the opera! A-I-D-A stands for Attention, Interest, Development and Action. It’s a useful guideline for the elements that should go into your letter, as well as the order in which they should appear.”