Newsletter Archive

DATE:10-19-01
SUBJECTs:Business In Bad Times - E-mail Marketing

The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com
The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter
This issue is for Friday, October 19, 2001

Table of Contents
01. Business In Bad Times
02. E-mail Marketing

Welcome to The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter. Last week's article on partnerships generated several responses with some first-class analysis on the subject. I want to share one paragraph from what I found to be a very insightful e-mail from John Erla.
John wrote:
"I believe that stated principles and defined business purpose help form the partnership between co-workers and customers alike, and are a big part of a business "identity". Personal and commercial success in business(life)depends to some extent on everyones perception of this identity."

I want to thank John and all the others who send in their feedback on the newsletter last week.

Chuck Arning (chuck@inter800.com)

*01 Doing Business in Bad Times (or using Bad Times as an Excuse?)

Like most of the others in the US, I have been extremely moved by the way that the people have come together in this time of crisis. Coincidentally, just prior to 9/11, I had finished reading a book by Tom Brokaw, entitled The Best Generation, which had personal significance to me because my father was a ball-turret gunner in WWII on a B-17 for an incredible 58 missions. After reading that book, I thought that the title was totally apropos, but now I think that even Brokaw will agree to an update.

EXCEPT FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY!

I am sick and tired of people telling me that business is so bad that they can't do anything. Most of them are using this crisis as an excuse to be lazy, in a time when they need to work their hardest. Such as, "Well, I can't call that guy, because in these times he just won't be able to buy. I guess I'll just play another round of solitaire on my computer and hope I'll survive." With that attitude, employer or employee, then your company should not survive. This is the time to suck it up and redouble your efforts to survive, not hide in a 1950's fall-out shelter. Waiting for people to call you or to walk through the door will make you even more morose - maybe even comatose.

I know that it's hard. Please allow a couple of other personal experiences to put this experience into perspective. In 1974, when the nation had its first energy crisis, I ran a truck line, a charter airplane business and a Chrysler dealership that was selling 4 miles-per-gallons behemoths. I not only drove one but sold a few to my used-to-be best friends. Talk about financial crisis. What do you know? We survived. In 1976, when the first bank since the depression went under due to the real-estate-oil and gas and financial crush, I was in real estate and owed money to that bank. We survived. In 1989, when I lost every banking relationship I had for over 20 years due to 28% APR, the eradication of the S&Ls and lots of banks, and the ultimate takeover by the worst Federal atrocity, ever, upon the business community, the RTC, we survived. In all those times, I heard the same whining. In all of those times, there was only one answer - Work harder, work smarter, or die whining. ("In with a bang, out with a whimper.")

I am also sick and tired of certain big-business companies, such as Boeing, that use these desperate times as an excuse to lay off 6,000 employees that maybe they should have laid off in the gravy times. These people are neither patriots nor morally conscious. It is true that every employee has a responsibility to his or her employer to do the best he or she can in their job. They owe them that for the roof over their heads. It is also true that every employer has the same responsibility to maintain its fiscal well-being in order to look out for the employees that contribute to the revenues and profits. That's Capitalism 101. Take a look at SW Airlines. They do it. Why can't others?

If you've read this far then you're probably saying, "Ok, big shot, give us some tips." Ok, here goes:

First, change your attitude. You're still alive. I forgot who said this, but "Who told you that life was fair? It's just more fair than death." One of the mental ticks that I use is to attempt to think of the worst thing that can happen to me. Go to prison? Loss of your wife or child? Get eaten alive by a monster? I still can't think of anything so bad that would want me not to keep living. Quit making excuses or using these times as one.
Get creative. In good times, we all have a tendency to just let it ride. Think of things you needed to do or wanted to do when you started your career, then tackle them. I hate that hackneyed expression about the "box", so I've altered it to "Think outside of what your mind ordinarily forces you to think, out of habit." It really is a cranial exercise.
Examine your core business. Maybe, in these times, there are certain things that your competitors are doing that you are not, but should be. Maybe there are some things that you have been doing for years that you shouldn't or that you can change, in order to make more money.
Don't quit doing the things that made you successful. This is similar, but different to the core business approach above. Do not quit promoting or advertising. In fact, attack your market, not put it on a shelf. Make the best deals you can and proudly, staunchly keep your image and chin up. Your competitors that pull inside their shells are the ones that will fail.

Steve Jackson (saj@gotollfree.com)

*02 E-mail Marketing

According to a report from eMarketer, email is the ideal medium for online marketing. Studies have shown that roughly 90 percent of web users connect to the Internet primarily to view and send email. In its analysis, eMarketer advised online marketers to continue using email as a way to solicit new customers and to communicate with existing customers.

The Internet 800 Directory's newsletter is emailed to over 15,000 subscribers every week. Most have been faithful subscribers for over a year. Based on the feedback we've received, our newsletter is not only read every week, but many look forward to receiving it, often forwarding it to co-workers, peers, etc.

If you are looking to attract visitors to your site, I invite you place your ad (toll free number & URL) in our newsletter. If you're like many, you've already invested hundreds, if not thousands of dollars into your site. Simply put, you will not see a return on this investment until someone actually visits the site. People will not visit your site if they are not aware of its existence. At a rate of less than 3.5 cents per reader, this is an extremely cost effective method of delivering your message.

I would like to give a special shout out to those expecting an increase in sales due to the holiday season. It's no secret that more and more people are taking to the Internet for their holiday shopping. From the beginning of November 2000 through December 17, 2000, holiday shoppers spent $8.7 billion online. That's up 108% from 1999's figure of $4.2 billion. Obviously, this year's expectations are even higher. If you're looking to capture some of this market, NOW is the time to get your message in front of your prospective customers. I strongly recommend placing an ad in the newsletter, as well as a priority positioned Enhanced ad within the directory.

At the risk of sounding cliche, I'll close by saying, "Space is limited, so call to reserve yours today (or Monday, if you're reading this on the weekend)".

George Paul (george@gotollfree.com)

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