An ASTECH InterMedia Reference Article

Can You Read Between the Lines?

by Tom Ratkovich

Mr. Saul Lushen, enlightened sales representative for the Daily Planet, recently visited the marketing director for a regional consumer electronics retailer. Her name is Ms. Penny Pincher.

Saul: Good morning, Ms. Pincher. Is this a convenient time to talk about growing your business?

Ms. Pincher: Well, Saul, I must say it's refreshing to hear that you want to talk about my business instead of your newspaper. As a matter of fact, I do have a few moments…but you may regret that you asked.

Saul: I'll take my chances. You've been a valued customer of the Daily Planet since you entered this market three years ago. So I want to do what I can to find you more customers.

Ms. Pincher: Well, let me make it real simple for you. Saul. Business is tough right now. What I need from you is three simple things. Write these down.

First, Ineed better execution. Get my ads right. Run them when they're supposed to run. Don't wait to the last minute to tell me there's a problem. Pretty simple stuff, right?

Second, I need better placement of my ads. I sell computers, audio systems and big screen TV's. I don't want to be on page eight of the Community News section…I need to be on the back page of Sports or High Tech.

Finally,I need better pricing. Let's face it…you're expensive, and your circulation hasn't exactly kept pace with your rate increases. In fact, one keeps going up while the other's going down. And in case you haven't been reading your own business section, times are tough. We need to sell smarter. Any questions?

Saul: Yes, but before I ask them, I want to make sure I heard you correctly.

The first thing you need is the type of service that reflects your value as a customer. I would like to come back around to this issue after we reach consensus on the next two items.

Your second request is to communicate your value proposition to as many customers and prospects as possible. Because you see me as someone selling ink on paper, you see it as a placement issue.

Ms. Pincher: But isn't that what you do…sell me ink on paper?

Saul: Not anymore. I'm going to try to convince you that the Daily Planet can do a lot more than put your ad or preprint in the paper. We can use the best channel for getting your message to your target audience. Not just the newspaper, but direct mail, e-mail, telemarketing…whatever it takes to help you build your business.

Ms. Pincher: Why would I want the Daily Planet to handle my direct mail? I already have a company that does that for me.

Saul: That is a very good question, and gets to the heart of issue number three. When you ask for better pricing, I think what you're really seeking is a better return on your advertising investment across all channels, the newspaper and direct mail included.

Ms. Pincher: So you can help me improve the results of my direct mail?

Saul: I know I can make your direct mail more productive by integrating it with your newspaper advertising. For example, by working together, we can eliminate most of the duplication between the two. That's easy, but we can do even better. We can leverage our marketing database technology to help you define the specific characteristics of your best prospects, locate them and communicate with them in the most efficient manner possible. So you get a better return on your advertising investment.

Ms. Pincher: I'm certainly intrigued. What's next?

Saul: I would like to bring our database and direct mail consultants in to present a comprehensive solution to your need for better advertising production…and to show you just how much we value you as our customer.

Reproduced here from IDEAS Magazine, the publication of the International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA), April 2001. Tom Ratkovich is the president and founder of ASTECH InterMedia. He can be reached at 303.296.9966 x11.

© 2005 ASTECH InterMedia, Inc.