Optimize Your Mailing List For Better Results

A list of customers who have previously bought from you is your most important asset. These are the customers who will provide you with return business, which is more profitable than the first sale. Are you getting the most from your customer list? There are some secrets you should know, so you can squeeze the most benefits out of your mailing list.

Most business' customer lists consist of this information: Name, Address, City, State, Zip. That's it. Unfortunately, this mailing list is almost worthless. You need to have more information in your files than just that. I have 32 information fields in my customer database! You should be able to set these up in your computer's database, or, if you don't use a computer (you REALLY should), all this information should fit on a large size index card in a card file. Here are the fields I have in my customer database:

Product Code Publication Issue Purchase LastName Of Customer FirstName of Customer Address1; Address2 / POBox City; State; Zip; Amount Paid Ship Date Phone Number

Almost any address possible can be put into my database without having to leave out information or abbreviate. The next three are for phone numbers. You MUST have your customer's phone numbers, when possible, to be able to follow up quickly and efficiently. Making one phone call can be the difference between a big sale or NO sale.

The InqDate field is where I record the date the customer first inquired about my products and services, and the date I sent the information, since it's always the same day (there's no excuse not to follow up your inquiries on the same day you receive them). This information, coupled with the ReferSource field, tells me when my ads are hitting, and how quickly people are responding to them. If I see that inquiries are coming in slowly, or long after the ad is out, I know that I need more action incentives in my next ad. The ReferSource field is where I enter the "key" from my ad. I use a letter code after my street address to indicate which publication and issue the inquiry comes from. I also code my mailings, for the same reason.

I enter a date into the two FollowUp fields to indicate when I want to send follow up literature to customers who don't order on the first try. I usually put a date two weeks from the InqDate in FollowUp1, and one two weeks later than that in FollowUp2. Then, every day, I run a search on these two fields to pull up any records that have today's date as a follow up date. I can then print labels and put them on the envelopes and literature I have ready for follow ups.

I use the next three fields (SubDate, SubAmount, RenewDate) for the newsletter I publish. These would have the date I receive their subscription, the amount they paid (I sometimes run special prices), and the date I want to send subscription renewal information (usually 10 1/2 months from the SubDate). I can then print labels in the same manner as I do for the FollowUp fields.

Next come the Purchase fields. I have three sets of purchase fields, one for each purchase the customer makes. In the Purch1 field, I enter a code for the product they have purchased. The other two fields get the date and amount of the purchase. The second and third sets of fields get the same information for the customer's second and third purchases. The best customers to mail offers to are the ones that have purchased within the last 90 days, so I don't have to worry about many customers making more than three purchases during that time period (though I hope they will!). If someone does make a fourth purchase, I move the second and third sets of data up to the first and second lines, and enter the new purchase information in the third data set.

These fields are extremely important. I can instantly pull up a list of customers that have purchased within the past 90 days, or 60 days, or 30 days, or even 15 days. When you rent out your house mailing list, like I do, this information is vital. The rental amount you can charge increases as the amount of time since the customer's purchase decreases.

The Comments field is used to store any miscellaneous information about the customer that I think is important to know.

I use the final field, Cust#, for a specially coded customer number that I assign each customer. I use this code to identify the recipient of any commissions I may pay to customers who have brought business my way.

That's a lot of information, and you may be wondering why I would need all of that. Well, I've already told you how I use the purchase data fields for identifying the "age" of the customers. I can also use the TotAmount field to compile a list of customers who have bought more than a certain amount from me. Together, these field searches can be used to produce a customized mailing list of, for example, customers who have bought more than $50 in the past 30 days. These would be the most responsive people to mail to, and would render the highest rental rate.

I can also use certain mailing list fields to identify people who should be dropped from my list. For example, I can search for customers with FollowUp2 dates that are four weeks past today's date, and TotAmounts of zero. These customers could be erased from my list. Or, I could leave them on file, and put a word or two in the Comments field reminding me not to mail anything else to them, in case they inquire again. This saves me the cost of mailing something to someone who probably won't respond. They might, but chances are they won't.

Finally, if I get a customer who has returned too many orders, or has defrauded me in some way, I can put that information in the Comments field. Then, if they order again, when their file comes up, I will see their history, and can use extra caution with them.

As you can see, if you use foresight when initially setting up your customer list, you will have a valuable tool that you can use to increase your order potential, increase your income through specialized list rental, and decrease your mailing costs by eliminating "deadwood" from your list. This is one of the most important methods you can use to increase your chances of success.

Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer

Note to editors:
To show my appreciation to the editors that use my articles, I offer a free solo ad. Simply send an email to me by using the form on the contact me page on my website to tell me the url the article was used on or send me a copy of the ezine it was used in.

This article may be redistributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
DeAnna is the publisher of the ezine, Prospecting and Presents.
Subscribers get one free ad per week.
Subscribe today by visiting http://www.pnewsletter.com
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

---

The Art of Successful Branding

Branding: it's a term that carries great weight in the... Read More

Go Ask Alice

One of fiction's finest marketing minds, The Cheshire Cat, once... Read More

Brand Lo-o-o-o-o-ve...

So... how have you been building your brand lately?Now, I'm... Read More

Branded Email: Email Branding is the Next Generation of Email

All You Need is Branded Email Or Always Branded Email... Read More

Brand Image - Brand Identity - Brand Strategy - Brand Identity Guru

Consumers perceive and accept many brands within a certain trade... Read More

Your Identity Speaks Loudly...What Are You Saying?

Your corporate identity is a graphic expression of who you... Read More

Naming Names... How to Name your Business

Sometimes the best inspiration comes from hearing about the deconstruction... Read More

How a Great Tagline can Help your Business

"Just do it." "We try harder." "The Ultimate Driving Machine."... Read More

Understand Brand

Branding has been defined, explained and examined extensively. There are... Read More

The Trust Issue In Marketing

One of the prime motivating factors in the purchase decision... Read More

Strategic Moves In The Branding Gamble!

The so called 'globalisation' has cluttered the world markets with... Read More

Importance of Branding - Whats in a Name?

Branding is perhaps the most important facet of any business--beyond... Read More

Strategy and Tips for a Successful Logo Design

Visual processing is the most important way for gathering information... Read More

Product Positioning for Enterprise Software and Information Technology Companies

Good marketing positioning is like good lying. No, we're not... Read More

Branding Strategy - Brand Identity

Today, in many organizations around the world, branding is treated... Read More

Which Of These Words Attract Your Clients

Whether it's your business card, tagline, article title, web site... Read More

Play it Again Sam

The marketing director for one of my longtime clients used... Read More

Create a Niche: Stoke Your Market With Affiliate Branding

Propose success, demand performance, and brand your market with appeal.... Read More

The Importance of Branding - Can It Really Make a Difference?

As consumers, we don't really think about the importance of... Read More

Build Customer Loyalty by Promoting Your Customers

Do you want to attract new customers while building greater... Read More

Living Your Brand on the Web - Part 1

OK, so you took the plunge and purchased your internet... Read More

Intelligent Design comes from Brand & Account Planners

I've been reminded recently, rather forcefully, that not all reality... Read More

Could Ray Kroc have founded McDonalds in the Era of Sarbaines Oxley?

Over regulation of our free markets is stifling our growth... Read More

Optimize Your Mailing List For Better Results

A list of customers who have previously bought from you... Read More

Don?t Overlook Your Email When Considering Your Brand Identity

You wouldn't skip letterhead when sending out a sales letter... Read More