Attention!!

Most readers love to employ a Vendor-Centric Marketing Management System. If you don't believe me, read all the vendors the Internet Retailer Top 500 leverage just to run a website ... modern commerce has been overwhelmed by the Vendor-Centric Marketing Management System.

This means that there are myriad opportunities to do things that are not promoted by the Vendor-Centric Marketing Management System folks.

Look at your own data - you'll quickly see that the first eight weeks after a first purchase are THE MOST IMPORTANT timeframe in the life of the customer. There's no arguing this ... just look at your own data. I've yet to have a client where this isn't the case.

So if we know this is a fact, then ask your 1,493 vendor partners to bend their tools in your favor. Ask them to innovate ... ask them to provide solutions designed to get the first-time buyer to buy for the second time in a rapid manner. Pay them bonuses when they do an above-average job of quickly converting customers with unique solutions that they design for your specific situation.

And Attention All Vendors:  The first eight weeks following a first purchase are the most critical eight weeks in the customer life cycle. Period. You have a HUGE OPPORTUNITY to make your clients happy while padding your bottom line by modifying your products to capitalize on this critical customer window. Be creative. Be innovative! Help people, ok?!!

Customer Awareness and Prospect Capture

If there is one thing that Google ruined, it is Customer Awareness.

Seriously ... ask a professional what their Customer Awareness program is, and you'll frequently hear "Search Engine Optimization".

No, that's not Customer Awareness. That's stepping in front of somebody else who created a Customer Awareness program.

Somebody has to create demand. Google's job is to re-direct demand to either the highest bidder or to the party that plays the optimization game the way Google wants it to be played. 

Demand Creation and Customer Awareness go hand-in-hand.

Digital is HORRIBLE at creating demand. Well, that's not true. Instagram when applied properly to the right audience by the right people works wonders. But most forms of digital marketing are fabulous at steering demand that has already been created.

Offline marketing is great at generating customer awareness ... ask Uber and Facebook as they eschew their digital prowess and instead use TV to apologize for all of their problems.

Break your customer acquisition efforts into two pieces.

1. Customer Awareness.
2. Prospect Capture.

It's likely you are investing close-to-nothing in Customer Awareness and are instead spending your money on Prospect Capture. It's also likely you aren't spending nearly enough on Prospect Capture.

My Marketing Management System prioritizes Customer Awareness and Prospect Capture.

Most Marketing Management Systems prioritize Customer Loyalty. This type of system can work if your annual repurchase rates are north of 50%. But if your annual repurchase rates are under 40% (as they are for so many e-commerce and traditional catalog brands), you need a credible Customer Awareness and Prospect Capture program.

Business Principle #16 (The Last One)

Business Principle #15

National Mail Order Catalog Day

Did you know that Saturday was National Mail Order Catalog Day?

The junk mail never stops. Why would it? Happy #NationalMailOrderCatalogDay! https://t.co/8hX3igjPh6

— Marketplace (@Marketplace) August 18, 2018

Notice that the article was two years old. And referred to catalogs as junk mail. And they were being positive.

We have Amazon generating $3,000,000,000 to $4,000,000,000 for Prime Day. Nordstrom wrapped up their Anniversary Sale, generating Christmas-level business in the second half of July (which, by the way, is hard to do).

A quick scan of Twitter showed maybe three or four dozen tweets, world-wide. A mention from Catalog University (click here). A mention from Lands' End Business.

Those in the catalog industry know and understand a fundamental truth ... the industry struggles with Awareness Programs. It's hard to acquire customers when you don't have a credible Customer Awareness Program. Heck, the industry cannot even capitalize on a day dedicated to it.

And it's hard to have a credible Customer Awareness Program when you don't value Creative Professionals. Creative Professionals do work that does not translate to immediate ROI (like, say, Google can). That doesn't mean you don't hire Creative Professionals, or hire the right agency to do your work. Ask Duluth Trading Company what the ROI is on Creative Advertising.

Business Principle #14

Business Principle #13