This letter arrives in my email 3-4 times each week.

From: I-Sales@gs2.revnet.com
To: I-Sales@gs2.revnet.com
Subject: I-Sales Digest #652 -- John Audette
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 18:49:24 -0500
Originator: I-Sales@gs2.revnet.com
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...................................................................
Internet Sales Discussion List

I - S - A - L - E - S D - I - G - E - S - T

"Data -> Information -> Knowledge -> Wisdom"
...................................................................
List Moderator: Supported by:
John Audette Multimedia Marketing Group
ja@mmgco.com http://www.mmgco.com
...................................................................
April 16, 1998 Digest # 652
...................................................................

.....IN THIS DIGEST.....


// -- MODERATOR COMMENTS -- //

    "Marketing with E-Mail"
        ~ John Audette

// -- FEATURED POST -- //

    "Marketing Properly with E-Mail"
        ~ Noah St. John

// -- CONTINUING DISCUSSION -- //

    "Marketing Properly with E-Mail"
        ~ Dana Blankenhorn
        ~ Rick Smith
        ~ Nick Gassman

    "Selling B2B Over the Web"
        ~ Ed Alexander

    "Web Privacy"
        ~ Deirdre' Straughan

// -- BULLETIN BOARD -- //

    "Color Coded Web Sites"
        ~ Shari Thurow


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// -- MODERATOR COMMENTS -- //

Hi Everyone.....

First of all, a hearty I-Sales Welcome to the more than 500 new
subscribers so far this week. TipWorld must be widely followed.

As you know, we've just concluded an outstanding discussion on what
constitutes spam as opposed to using e-mail to properly market B2B.
I'd like to continue the discussion in a somewhat different context
-- how to effectively and properly use e-mail for Internet
marketing. Here are some of the ways that possibly qualify:

    o publishing a newsletter or discussion list
    o participating in discussion lists
    o sending personally addressed B2B inquiries

I'm sure that we will come up with others. I still think that
e-mail is the true killer app of the Internet. Let's discuss how it
can be used appropriately to market online. Maybe Wired will
interview me again. <g>

We'll get things started with the following post by Noah St. John.

YSM,
John


// -- FEATURED POST -- //

From: "Noah St. John" <noah@preparetowin.com>
Subject: Marketing Properly with E-Mail

Dear John and The I-Sales Team,

This discussion has raised several interesting
viewpoints regarding what constitutes spam, as well
as Netizens' reaction to it.

Alex's original point, however, was that he was trying
to send people information about his product. Fair enough.

May I suggest the following 3-step process, which has
enabled me to have my articles published in many of
the Net's most prestigious publications, as well as
gotten me radio interviews nearly every time I've sent
it out?

1. Read, read, and then read some more -- but be
*very selective*.

Only read publications that involve people who might
actually be interested in -- and able to purchase --
what you're selling.

2. When you come upon a post that resonates with you
or your situation/product/service, write directly to
the person who wrote it. That means *one message at a
time, directly to that person, for a specific reason*
(180 degrees from spam).

3. This is the really cool part.

Instead of asking them to buy or what they can do for
you, ask them if the people who they represent or have
influence over might be interested to learn more about
your product or service, because of the benefit to *them*.

Here's an example of an actual message that I've used, with
outstanding results:

"Dear xxxx,

Thank you for xxxxx. Your newsletter is well-written,
informative, and very helpful.

Would you mind if I ask you a quick question?

What topics would your listeners like to hear more about?
What do you think is on the minds of your listeners, that
you think they might like to learn more about?

Hope I'm not being too nosy...

The reason I ask is because as the President of The
Success Clinic of Hadley, Massachusetts, I help
people understand and cure "success anorexia," a
serious condition that prevents people from becoming
successful or enjoying their own success.

I also happen to be the person who discovered success
anorexia, and developed the only treatment program that's
currently available to help people cure this condition.

If you think this information might be of benefit to your
listeners, would you please let me know how I can be of
service to you and your listeners?

Please feel free to call me at 1-413-587-0514 or reply to
this email at your convenience.

Also, please feel free to visit The Success Clinic's Web site
http://www.preparetowin.com

Thank you once again, xxxxx. I genuinely look forward to
hearing from you.

Warmly,
Noah (with the rest of my sig file)"

----------------------------------

90% of the recipients of this message have responded within
24 hours -- and I've usually been booked for a show in the
next 5 days.

Do you see why this works? Instead of coming across as
blatantly self-promotional, my entire message was geared
towards finding out how I could help the recipient and
their listeners.

You can use this message as a template for your inquiries.
Just substitute your information for mine.

Bonus points: Remember to talk about why you liked their
post or enjoy their newsletter. I've yet to meet the person
who gets tired of hearing how wonderful they are. <g>

Again, I'm not tossing out theories here. My articles have
appeared in The SmallBiz Hotline, Momentum Online, TalkBiz
News, and others, as well as led to one-hour radio interviews.

I hope this inspires you to do what it takes to stand out from
the crowd, and to get the attention -- and the results -- that
you want for yourself and for your business.

As always, thank you, John, for all of your striving.

Warmly,
Noah St. John
noah@preparetowin.com

Do You Have *Success Anorexia?*
Stop starving yourself of the success you deserve.
Get our FREE newsletter that teaches you the secrets of
letting yourself succeed. mailto:succeed@preparetowin.com
The Success Clinic http://www.preparetowin.com 413.587.0514


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Costello: Yeah, it's called the A-List, a free software
program. It's so good that they gotta be crazy to be
giving it away for nothing.

Abbott: What's the catch, Lou? If it's free they can't
work for Microsoft.

Costello: That's what I'm trying to figure out, Abbott.
Go get it at http://www.mmgco.com/alist.html and
let's figure out what they're up to.

=====================================


// -- CONTINUING DISCUSSION -- //

From: Dana Blankenhorn <Dana.Blankenhorn@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: E-mail Marketing

I want to respond to John's note on the Vanderbilt study and the
ongoing thread about spam.

If you're reading this, look around. Where are you? Probably you're
in a private room, and alone. We all feel part of a community, but
in fact most of us are alone in our rooms.

There is a great expectation of privacy when you're alone in a
room. And this is a key point in looking at all Internet privacy
issues -- whether it's registration, spam, cookies, you name it.
None of us wants a future "Ken Starr" (insert prosecutor's name
here) using the behaviors we exhibit in a private room against us.
We consider our private activity in a private room private, and
resent the idea it could be traced. We don't want people getting
back to us unless we ask them to. When this expectation of privacy
is violated in any way -- especially via e-mail -- we feel violated.

I think Seth Godin of Yoyodyne has it about right. Yoyodyne runs
contests. When you get into a contest, you enter a relationship
with the vendor sponsoring the contest. But you only enter into a
relationship with *that* vendor, and that relationship can end when
*you* want it to.

The failure (often refusal) of many Internet merchants to follow
this kind of policy -- by spamming, selling lists, tracking users'
clicks, etc. -- is behind the present demand by users in both the
U.S. and Europe that government *do something* to protect Internet
privacy.

I don't sell my list. You probably don't either. We don't aggregate
personal data on our users or buyers into personal profiles aimed
at getting them to buy more. But the fact is many companies --
large and small -- are doing these kinds of things. The fact is that
law enforcement does want to be able to trace potential suspects
(defined by them) online.

The Internet has worked on the Honor System. But there are many who
are dishonorable among us. They won't change. So we, as users, want
solutions. Rather than denying the problem, I think we need to
consider what those solutions should be, or we won't be heard in
the coming debate. And when you consider those questions, before
you send them out, look around again. Will what you propose work
for you as a merchant and as a user? Even if you aren't the kind,
wonderful, honorable person I know you are?.

Dana Blankenhorn @Have Modem, Will Travel
Home of A-Clue.Com
http://www.a-clue.com http://www.ppn.org/clue
404-373-7634


++++ next post ++++

From: Rick Smith <gcompute@compuserve.com>
Subject: E-Mail Marketing

First off, let me say that I don't think that Alex spammed anyone.
And let me also say that I hate spam as much as the next person.
But I'm getting tired of the vigilantism that caused Alex to get
locked out of his ISP. (I think most of us at least on this list
are getting tired of this approach.) A similar thing nearly
happened to me but I was able to avoid disaster. And in my case I
had sent a newsletter issue to someone that had requested it. It
happened not once but twice to me.

It might interest you to know that there is e-mail software that
will individualize your e-mail for you. It works just like mail
merge in a word processor or contact manager.

Most of the contact managers now support this and Arial Software
has a product out called Campaign. (I'm not affiliated with them
in any way. I just know of their existence.) The same concept
applies as in direct mail. A personalized e-mail will get a better
response than a generic e-mail.

Someone suggested sending an e-mail to ask permission to send
e-mail. But I always wonder about sending a short e-mail to ask
permission to send another e-mail.<g> If the receiver considers
the regular e-mail to be spam, won't they consider the permission
request to be spam as well?

Rick Smith, "The Guerrilla Computer Consultant"
+++ Free Newsletter Shows You How To Competition+++
+++ Proof Your Business in 180 Days +++
Small business owners, subscribe now to Rick's free online
newsletter to learn how to competition proof your business.
Send any e-mail to
<mailto:gcompute@bigfoot.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE%20NEWS>


++++ next post - new topic ++++

From: EdA@mail.eagleview.com
Subject: Selling B2B over the web

Ron S. Lavine asked who has successfully sold "big ticket" items
via the web.

We're not a storefront, so our web sales results might be (?)
unusually low (anybody have stats?) due to ticket price and an
abnormally skeptical marketplace (burned by others etc), however we
have done a few sales without meeting face to face. We have not
attempted to take ordering info via web forms, since a demo us
usually necessary and, by that time, we have exchanged detailed
contact info.

I would rate our successfull sales methods and results thusly:

1. Phone Phlogging plus in-phace demo: 85% of sales
2. Web site generated lead plus in-face demo: 10% of sales
3. Web site generated lead plus online demo: 5% of sales

"Big ticket"? Our price ranges from $1900 to upwards of $10K.
Biggest sale via web (method 3 above) was in $5K range.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Ed Alexander
Director, Sales and Marketing

SelectCandidate(tm) Network
http://www.eagleview.com ~ mailto:eda@mail.eagleview.com
toll free: 800-528-7380 ~ 781-672-6006 ~ fax: 781-672-6019
Someday, all hiring will be done this way.


++++ next post ++++

From: Nick Gassman <nick@netwiz.demon.co.uk>
Subject: E-mail Marketing

Alex Khayutin asked an excellent question. The way that I would
phrase it is slightly different. I think at the core of it is 'how
do I make an unsolicited business approach over the Internet'.

Rick Wiley has given the answer that (of those I've seen so far)
best fits with my own thoughts. Make it personal.

I receive online business approaches mainly through two channels -
to my personal email at this address, and through the feedback form
at the British Airways Web site. Most of the time (98%??) the
communication is so poor that I don't even bother looking at the
product. I reckon that if someone can't communicate adequately that
we don't want to do business with them. I don't have time to follow
every lead.

Sometimes I receive mails that start 'Nick, I saw your post in xxx
mailing list...' That keeps me going to the next line. Such posts
are obviously not mass emails (whether they are junk is another
question).

It's then a question of whether the mail contains information I am
interested in, and appears to be relevant to me and my company. If
someone wants to sell pretzel sticks for use on the aircraft -
that's not my job, and the vendor hasn't made any effort to find
out whose job it is.

I can recognise Alex's approach as a recipient. I'd suggest that a
better approach would be a short mail to each company briefly
stating what's on offer, and a reply address if the recipient wants
more information. Don't send attachments, you don't know if they
can be read.

And don't make any assumptions about who is going to read your
mail. It might be the boss, and it might be the office junior.

Nick Gassman - Internet Consultant - nick@netwiz.demon.co.uk
Selling more world class air travel to more countries than any other airline
http://www.british-airways.com or http://www.us.british-airways.com


++++ next post - new topic ++++

From: "AdaptecCD-R (Deirdre' Straughan)"
<adaptec_cdr@wnt.dc.lsoft.com>
Organization: Adaptec Software Products Group
Subject: Web Privacy

That research would seem to me to overstate the case. I've
registered on dozens of Web sites, most of them within the last
month or so (I've been out surfing for research purposes). I have
not received increased spam or anything else except newsletters
which I *asked* to receive. Most of the sites have good privacy
policies, clearly stated. And there seems to be a consensus across
the Web industry that protecting users' privacy is absolutely
necessary if we want people to provide meaningful information so
that we can customize Web sites and target our marketing efforts.
If visitors are nervous, it's our job to let them know that we are
taking active measures to protect their privacy and that we will
not sell or give their information to anyone else. And if we do, in
violation of our own policies, they should sue us.

>From the personal point of view, I'm a woman who's fairly well
known (and known to be female) in some corners of the Internet, and
when I participate in public forums (e.g., Usenet) I always use my
real name and e-mail address. So far I have not suffered any
harassment, except what anyone doing software marketing online can
expect in the normal line of duty. <grin>

Best regards,
Deirdre' Straughan
"Largo al factotum del CD-R"

Adaptec Software Products Group
Got a question about CD-R? http://www.adaptec.com/cdrec
Get help from other users through the Adaptec CD-R list.
http://listserv.adaptec.com/


// -- BULLETIN BOARD -- //

From: Shari Thurow <shari@grantasticdesigns.com>
Subject: Color-coded Websites Needed

Hi all--

This post is to all website designers or to anyone who has a
color-coded website.

I have alot of client inquiries about creating color-coded
websites, and I need to show them sites that are well done. Since
I show other designers' work all the time (Digital Spinner is my
other favorite design firm), I have no problems giving references
to other designers.

Are there any of you out there who wouldn't mind me pointing out
their good color-coded websites? I usually use
http://www.laidlaw.com, but their graphics take way, way too long
to download. I am looking for websites with pages between 40-100K
each. If so, please e-mail me directly.

Thank you so much for your help.

Take care,
Shari Thurow

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grantastic Designs-Custom Illustration and Graphics
For free design and marketing tips, visit us at:
http://www.grantasticdesigns.com
info@grantasticdesigns.com

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