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Email is awfully invasive, no way around it these days, but it's also awfully effective for all types of communication and response. One of the ways that I've found to get a little bit of control over the beast, while also making sure that my responses are well crafted, is to pre-write email responses to many of the common requests I receive. The Read More

Years ago when Seinfeld was a new television show, Jerry Seinfeld was still a touring comic. At the time, I was hanging around clubs doing open mic nights and trying to learn the ropes. One night I was in the club where Seinfeld was working, and before he went on stage, I saw my chance. I had to ask Seinfeld if he had any tips for a young comic. W Read More

Organizations are demanding ever-higher performance from their workforces. People are trying to comply, but the usual method--putting in longer hours--has backfired. They're getting exhausted, disengaged, and sick. And they're defecting to healthier job environments. Longer days at the office don't work because time is a limited resource. But p Read More

Now that we're in the new era of consumer control, it's a good time to rekindle discussion of the role of emotion in marketing. Dan Hill, president of Sensory Logic, a Minneapolis-based research consultancy specializing in sensory-emotive strategies, just published a new book, "Emotionomics: Winning Hearts and Minds."

Feelings matter, Hill Read More

There's been a lot of talk recently about Generation Y. Its members, born between 1982 and 2005, are known for their sense of entitlement, outspokenness, inability to take criticism, and technological sophistication. Fortune deemed Generation Y in its May 28, 2007, issue the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation i Read More

Even though it's one of the most powerful ways to build your business, most business owners don't send out personal cards because they don't know when it's appropriate, what to say, or they feel it doesn't apply to them because their business is DIFFERENT.

In order to create a bond, clients need individual attention, acknowledgement and a Read More

In his DMA 07 Conference and Exhibition presentation, “Running Red Lights: The Keys To Creating Dazzling Direct Mail,” Steve Penn, CEO and executive creative director of Penn Garritano Direct Response Marketing, said he likes to think of the direct mail package as a touchpoint for the entire brand experience. Copywriters always should “tell a stor Read More

Personalized e-mails boost open rates, according to a MailerMailer study. The e-mail service provider found that personalized "subject" lines in particular increased the number of times recipients opened their mailings. The "subject" line is so important that, even when marketers have recipients' permission, the wrong line can still mean trou Read More

According to the latest Annual Holiday Survey commissioned by Deloitte, gift cards are seen as the top gift purchase for four consecutive years, with 69 percent of the consumers planning to buy them this year, compared with only 66 percent in 2006. The respondents plan to buy an average of 5.5 cards, compared with the 4.6 cards last year, at $36.2 Read More

No matter how much customer care training we conduct, some customers will dislike our service. They may become so irate that they confront us face-to-face, venting their frustrations--at times rather loudly and accusingly.

How are we likely to respond? By habit, we become defensive. We talk plenty. We contradict them, and tension rises. Far fro Read More