The Works of Marketing with Ray INDEX
June 24 & July 1, 2003 • Volume 3 Issue 3
An “ole fashioned” story
Stickers have been around since paper and glue came together. Sometime way back when.
Jack Renton, credit manager at a construction company in Sydney, Australia “discovered” stickers in 1965. And a business is born.
This is one of those garage / attic / kitchen table stories. Really! Jack started his own business because, although he liked the idea of colorful and enticing stickers to remind customers to pay their bill, he didn’t like the designs available. So, being a true entrepreneur, he started his own company and did something about it. Soon his wife Patience and their three kids were involved.
It wasn’t long before part-time became full-time, and the kids, including Peter Renton, are making it their life work. There is an exploratory look at small New Zealand ... and a big time interest in the huge United States. Peter lands in the USA October 7, 1991. Within a week the first mail-order package is in the post, and the rest is marketing history.
First, a little about “why stickers”. Paying bills is never fun. Yet, for a business getting paid for product and service is what it’s all about. The bottom line. Cash flow is life blood. When it dries up big time problems happen. Lack of income is particularly painful for small companies - it can hurt a larger organization, too.
For very human reasons, a fun and colorful message on a sticker slapped on an invoice gets attention. It is out of the ordinary. It is seen. It is different. It is kind and polite. It can be inviting. It gives a message in a very few words. And it makes an impact. It can even be a part of building relationships with customers. Each a very good thing.
Collection telephone calls are never welcome. Frequently unpleasant. And can be embarrassing. Yet, a simple sticker that “pops” off the page with a friendly reminder message that money is owed, can, and does work. And work well. Much of the time.
So, stickers that remind customers to pay their bill is the business. Simple. “Ole fashion”. And a true direct marketing story.
Peter Renton comes to the States. He looks at San Diego, Portland, and picks Denver as his base. A dozen years later he still writes his direct mail letters with a pinch of humor and a major touch of personality. Here is an example;
“G’day everyone,
“Sometimes they get it right. For days the weather forecasters had been warning of this monster winter storm that was going to hit Denver. And what a monster it was.
“As I sit in my office today it is still snowing lightly and we have already had almost three feet of snow here at work. Some areas have had more (up to 7 feet!), some less, but everywhere has had at least two feet of snow. There are no cars on the roads; I see the occasional snow plow come trundling by.”
This story continues for 5 more paragraphs! Not a bit of news about business. No pitch. It’s not until the final 25 words of a full page letter that a comment is made about the sales flyer enclosed. And that message is softly nestled against a graphic of their Koala bear mascot.
You undoubted noticed the salutation; G’day. Peter plays his Australian heritage to the hilt. Not in place of real marketing and business ... as an asset with it.
This letter arrives in a simple, plain, white with black corner card window business size #10 envelope, with a presort USPS postage indicia. No teaser copy. Inside is a four color flyer filled on one side with their “Most Popular Collection Stickers”, and on the other with “Say Thank You All Year Long” examples. The pricing is summarized in a box. The 4 East Ways To Order info (phone, fax, mail, internet) is adjacent. Oh, there is a one color/one side order form - no BRE.
Talk about basic direct mail!
A while back I visited Peter in his Colorado office. And saw tens of thousands of stickers - and truly hundreds of variations. In a most tasteful way Peter has created a new variety of red/white/blue flag, 4th of July and other patriotic stickers, window decals and bumper stickers. The timing is right - he is there.
The web is a major part of Renton’s Inc. There are several pieces of the site you may find worthy of a visit ...
- The base is www.rentons.com.
- Online specials are available @ Renton's Online Catalog rentons.com/commerce/productcategory.asp?NUMBER=38
- If you’d like to exchange with mascot Sydney the Koala rentons.com/Extras.htm is the place to go. He has his own E-mail address, too. And there is a Dictionary of Aussie Slang on these pages as well. Some most interesting stuff here.
- Back issues of the Renton's Quarterly Newsletter are available on line at rentons.com/quarterly-news.asp - and you can sign-up to get a copy delivered to your E-mail box.
The signature block of the last E-mail I received from Peter closes with his name, title, the 800#, web site URL ... and this; “America’s largest selection of Collection, Thank You and Holiday stickers.”
I believe him.
. . . a loose thought
I used to believe
. . . is a collection of ideas adults thought were true when they were children.
It will remind you what it was like to be a child, fascinated and horrified by the world in equal parts. These pages reassure you that the things you used to believe weren't so strange after all.
For instance . . . "My brother and I used to fight over the chicken legs whenever my mom would cook it. So Mom would always buy an extra package of legs when she bought a whole chicken. She and had my brother and me convinced that all this had come from a six-legged racing chicken.”
For more of the “I used to believe” site and stories, "click" here - www.iusedtobelieve.com.
Speaking of Speaking
Almost forever ago I met Lilly Walters.
She reminds me it was in South Africa. If YOU are interested in ways to enhance your speaking skills, and how to be a terrific presenter at your next meeting ... or want to look at the world of paid professional speaking - Lilly Walters can help.
She is the author of four best selling books on the subject. And Lilly has an interesting website, too: http://www.motivational-keynote-speakers.com/.
Drop in and visit. And tell Lilly "Ray sent me".
"It IS What's Next!"
It's become known as "the story".
I've shared it with a number of health care organizations, a database marketing business, a direct marketing firm, a publishing organization, a DM association - and several others. And I'm ready to bring it to your group. (Visit It IS What's Next!)
When you have a need for a 40-60 minute program, I'll give you this different, interesting, meaningful, warm and true action presentation. If you want a half-day interactive seminar, that can happen, too. For your club. Your company. Your organization. Your association. Your school or University. Any group you have. At any place. At any time. For any reason.
It IS What’s Next! is available to you as a Keynote Address. As a special program. As an opening or closing presentation. As a different / unique session.
Interested? Visit the web site @ It IS What's Next! And E-mail me Ray@RayJutkins.com and let's make it happen. I look forward to hearing from you. Soon.
Thank you!
A FREE Audio Tape for YOU!
Because Ray Speaks ... it is expected he'll have audio and video tapes.
Why? To share with speakers bureaus, meeting planners and others interested in what he may have to say. So "yes", there is an audio tape. And he'll be happy to send you a copy. FREE. No strings attached.
The tape is a selection from several speaking gigs. A few case histories, some "how to..." ideas. And such. About an hour's worth of chatter ... some of it actually very entertaining!
If you'd like you very own copy, send an E-mail to ...
Ray@RayJutkins.com
with your complete mailing address.
Your tape will be on the way to you within the day.
Oh, when you have a need for a speaker, and feel a demo video tape could be valuable to you, just ask for a copy. Not much use for video these days - with the Web - still, we'll be happy to forward one to you.
Anonymous
This E-zine is hopefully a communication missile. Sometimes, it probably is not.
This pair from Anonymous fit that later thinking.
“I wish people who have trouble communicating
would
just shut up!”
And . . .
“Without wisdom,
knowledge is more stupid than ignorance.”
"Quotes with Direction" has been a part of my web site collection from day one. If you like quotes visit the archives ... www.rayjutkins.com/quotes/. There's a new batch up every 4 weeks.
Magic Marketing Minutes
How You Use Direct Mail
What does Direct Mail do? Direct Mail can do these 5 things:
Help you get new customers. Because Direct Mail is target--specific you can identify and reach your market specifically every time. This allows you the opportunity to reach out into the marketplace and find yourself some new business.
Direct Mail can help you keep the customers you've already got. Your best source of new business is your current customer base. Because you know who those people are, you can us Direct Mail to reach out and ask them to come back again. And again! And continue to grow your business from you current customers.
Direct Mail allows you to upgrade your current customers to a higher level. When people are already doing business with you, and they're satisfied, it's not unusual that you can upgrade them to a higher level. An upscale model. A more advanced technology. Better quality. Direct Mail helps you upgrade.
Direct Mail opens the door for you to cross-sell your customers. If they buy hardware, you sell them software. If you sold them a hamburger how about some french fries. Cross-sell your customers.
Direct Mail allows you to reach out to your customers and keep them coming back for more. And more. And more! Direct Mail offers the opportunity to continue to stay in touch with your customers and let them know you do care about them.
5ive ideas on how to use Direct Mail. Give them a try one-by-one.
... another Idea
New business friend Gerry Sacks of Houston, Texas sent me here. It turns out this leading information resource from the financial world offers a collection of marketing & sales ideas. Still, no matter your business, you will find good material here. Offered by 80+ experts (including me!) ... visit ProducersWEB.com