PREFACE
First Principles
CHAPTER 1 • REAL MARKETING:FIRST PRINCIPLES OF
EFFECTIVE, SUCCESSFUL MARKETING MANAGEMENT 1
The Importance of Salesmanship in Marketing Management
and Advertising 2
Marketing Managers and the Tradecraft of Marketing 4
Real Marketing: First Principles of Successful Marketing Programs 5
Ten Principles of Real Marketing 6
1.) Execution is the most important part of marketing 6
2.) Any good marketing project, well-executed, beats any
great marketing project, poorly executed 8
3.) Marketing is not creativity, branding, or design. It’s salesmanship 10
Your Market Wants Reality, Not Someone’s Idea of Creativity 10
Your Enthusiasm Sells Products 10
4.) Stamp out the “Y Factor” in your marketing program 12
5.) A plain, clear, persuasive sales message always
eliminates the “Y Factor” 12
Plain Words and Basic Appeals Sell Products 12
Great Sales Copy Works in Any Marketing Project 14
6.) Learn to see with “New Eyes” 16
7.) Most marketing is ineffective in most markets 20
8.) Always pick the boldest marketing option 20
9.) No matter how bleak the situation,
there is always something you can do 24
10.) Any marketing program can be improved
by applying these principles 25
How to Use this Book 25

CHAPTER 2 • YOUR MARKETING PLAN:
CHARTING THE COURSE OF YOUR MARKETING PROGRAM 27
Developing Your Company’s Marketing Plan 28
1. Your Marketing Assessment 29
Performing Your Marketing Assessment 30
2. Determining Your Marketing Mix 38
Determining Your Marketing Plan’s Marketing Mix 38
Sample Marketing Plan 42
Budgeting for Your Marketing Plan 44
3. Planning Beyond Your Plan: “Targets of Opportunity”
and the Unexpected 45

CHAPTER 3 • TOOLS OF THE TRADE:MARKETING METHODS, DELIVERABLES, AND MEDIA 47
To Find the Best Marketing Methods, Make Use of All Marketing Tools 47
Finding the Best Ways to Market Your Company’s Products 49
Identifying Your Company’s Sales Prospects 49
Locating Your Company’s Sales Prospects 50
Applying the Best Marketing Tools to Reach the Prospects
in Your Company’s Market 50
Overview of Marketing Tools and Media 50
Direct Mail 50
Print Display Advertising 52
Trade Shows 53
Web Sites 53
Public Relations 54
Sales Support 55
Evaluating the Marketing Tools Used in Your Company’s Current
Marketing Program 56
What are the Best Marketing Tools to Use in Your Company? 57
Professional Development for Marketing Managers 59
Real Marketing

CHAPTER 4 • HOW TO WRITE ADVERTISING (OR MANAGE THOSE WHO DO): DISCOVERING, DEVELOPING AND PRESENTING YOUR PRODUCT’S MOST EFFECTIVE SALES MESSAGE 61
Effective Ad Copywriting Means Research and Execution 62
Part 1: The Information-Gathering Stage 63
Step 1: Listen to Your Company’s Sales Reps 63
How to Debrief a Sales Rep 63
Learn Which Benefits Work Best 64
How Do Your Salespeople Counter Common Sales Objections? 65
What Else Do Your Salesmen Have to Say? (Plenty!) 66
Ask Your Top Sales Reps: “What’s Your “Elevator Pitch?” 66
Elevator Pitch Examples 66
What Do Your Sales Reps Think of Your Company’s Marketing? 67
Step 2: Check Your Competition 68
Step 3: Get Your Competitor’s Sales Information Kit 69
Step 4: Research Trade Publications in Your Industry 69
Part 2: Writing Effective Advertising and Promotional Copy 71
How Prospects See Your Advertising 71
Anatomy of a Effective Ad 73
Headline 73
Subheads 74
Body Copy 75
Call to Action 76
Writing Effective Advertising: Three Advertising Copywriting Exercises 76
Step 1: The Laundry List 77
Sales Benefit Attributes 77
• Speed • Efficiency • Productivity 77
• Quality • Comprehensiveness • Richness 77
• Low cost • Savings • Value for money 78
• New • Updated • Improved • Upgraded • Different 79
Step 2: The Park Bench Story 79
Step 3: Your Elevator Pitch 81
What You Have Accomplished by Completing these Exercises 82

CHAPTER 5 •MARKETING DELIVERABLES:COPY,
LAYOUT, & EXECUTION OF EFFECTIVE ADS, MAILINGS,
AND PRINT COLLATERAL 83
Part 3: The Execution Stage 84
Converting Benefits to Headlines: Examples 84
Your Subheads for Sales Copy 85
Your Ad’s Body Copy 86
Call to Action 88
This Writing Process Opens Infinite Possibilities 88
Part 4: The Layout Stage 88
Taking Back the Advertising Layout Process 89
Using Color in Print Display Advertising 92
Four-Color Advertising Layout Techniques 94
Creative and Black and White Ad Design Options 96
Use These Techniques, Trust Yourself, and Your Marketing Team 98

CHAPTER 6 • DIRECT MAIL PLANNING:GENERATING INQUIRIES
AND SALES THROUGH DIRECT MAIL AND DIRECT RESPONSE 99
Advantages of Direct Mail 99
Direct Mail Applications 101
Part 1: Mailing Lists: The Heart of Your Company’s
Direct Mail Marketing Activities 103
Assessing Mailing Lists 103
Elements of a Winning Mailing List 104
Mailing Lists: Self-Compiled and Rented Mailing Lists 105
Self-Compiled Mailing Lists 105
Self-Compiled Mailing List Sources 105
The “Dumb Assistant” List Compiling Method 106
List Compilation: Set Your Database Up Right the First Time 108
Rented Mailing Lists 110
Where to Find Mailing Lists to Rent: SRDS Direct Mail List Source 112
How to Look for Mailing Lists in SRDS Direct Marketing List Source 112
Types of Trade Publication Mailing Lists 113
Compiled Mailing Lists 115
How Much Response Should You Get from Your Mailings? 115
Mailing List Rentals and Policies 115
Part 2: Direct Mail Packages 116
Direct Mail Package Elements 116
Outer Envelope 119
The Sales Letter 120
Elements of Successful Direct Mail Sales Letter Copy 122
Lead Paragraph 122
Key Sales Benefits and Sales Bullets 123
Sales Letter Close and Call to Action 124
Layout Tips for Sales Cover Letters 125
Brochures for Direct Mail Packages 126
Direct Mail Response/Business Reply Cards (BRCs) 127
The “Buck Slip” 128
The Call to Action: Direct Mail Premiums to Get Inquiries and Orders 129
Other Promotional Offers for Direct Mailings 130
Self-Mailer Formats: Brochures, #10 Mailers and Four-Color Postcards 131
Self-Mailing Postcards 132

CHAPTER 7 • DIRECT MAIL TESTING:REDUCING MARKETING RISK AND EXPENSE IN YOUR COMPANY’S DIRECT MAIL PROJECTS 133
What You Can Test 134
Typical Mailing Tests 134
When to Test 135
Deciding What to Test 135
Your Testing Benchmarks 136
Testing Sample Sizes: How Small is Too Small and How Big is Too Big? 137
Minimum List Sample Size 137
Finding List Sample Sizes: The “Statistics Professor” Method 138
The “Real World” Sampling Method 138
List-Testing and Sampling: A Typical Example 140
Planning Your Direct Mail Test Program 142
Selecting Mailing Lists to Test 142
“Nth-Name” Mailing List Selection 143
Testing Direct Mail Packages 143
Testing Different Promotional Offers 144
Preparing Your Direct Mail Test 144
Create a Test Panel Matrix 144
Key-Coding Your Direct Mail Pieces 145
Developing a Key Code System for Your Mailings 146
Where to Print Key Codes 147
Developing Procedures for Collecting and Reporting Key Codes 148
Developing a “Response Curve” for Your Mailings 148
Analyzing Results of Your Test Mailings 151
Direct Mail Troubleshooting: What To Do If Your Test Mailings Fail 154
Testing is a Continuous Process: Test Always, and Test Often 156
Rolling Out: Scaling Up Your Mailings After Your Direct Mail Tests 156
Scaling Up: Determining Your Range of Response to a Mailing 157
Test Mailing Rollouts: How Many Pieces to Mail Next? 157
Extending Your Direct Mail Program: Timing and Execution 159

CHAPTER 8 • DIRECT MAIL EXECUTION:CREATING, DEVELOPING, AND EXECUTING SUCCESSFUL DIRECT MAIL PROJECTS 163
Putting Direct Mail to Work: A Mailing for
Most Every Marketing Situation 163
Marketing Situation #1: Mailings to Rented Mailing Lists 164
Marketing Situation #2: Tactical Mailings for Sales Promotions 168
New Product Announcements, and Other “Targets of Opportunity” 168
Marketing Situation #3: Inquiry-Generation Postcard Decks 169
Marketing Situation #4: The Sales Rep’s Sales Kit 174
Marketing Situation #5: Sales Inquiry Bounceback Package 175
Executing Your Company’s Direct Mail Projects 177
Step 1: Mailing List Selection 178
Internal Mailing Lists 178
External Mailings: List Execution for Rented Mailing Lists 180
Step 2 : Direct Mail Package Design, Copy and Production 182
Direct Mail Package Development for New Mailings 183
Direct Mail Production: Timing and Mechanics 184
Step 1: Sketch out Requirements and Sales Copy Points 184
Step 2: Direct Mail Package Copy, Development and Production 185
The Proofing Cycle 185
Step 3: The Print Production Process 187
Step 4: Lettershop and Mailing 188
Mailing List Processing 190
CHAPTER 9 • ADVERTISING: PLANNING & EXECUTION:
MAKING TRADE PRINT ADVERTISING PAY OFF
IN YOUR COMPANY’S MARKETING PROGRAM 193
The Trouble with Advertising 193
Should Your Company Be Advertising at All? 194
Key Elements of Your Company’s Print Advertising Program 196
Your Advertising Program’s Goals 196
Planning Your Company’s Print Advertising Programs 197
The Advertising Layout, or Deliverable 197
The Goal of Your Print Display Ad: Direct Sales vs. Lead Generation 198
Consider Your Lead-Generation Options 198
Always Test Every New Advertising Program 199
Whenever You Run an Ad, Track It 200
Ad Size: What’s Best for Your Advertising Program? 200
The Full-Page Ad Myth 203
Don’t Run a Full Page Ad When a Smaller Size Will Do 204
Sales vs. Inquiries from the Ad: Best Fractional Ad Sizes 204
Publication (Trade Media) Choices: Where to Advertise? 205
Trade Media Placement in Your Industry: Usually, Two Publications Rule 205
Standard Rate & Data Service (SRDS) 205
How to Select Publications 206
Media Kits and Sample Issues 208
Frequency: How Often Should We Advertise? 210
Other Advertising Planning Issues: Ad Scheduling, Positioning
and Tracking Response 211
Your Advertising Schedule 211
Display Advertising Positioning 212
Getting the Best Ad Position in a Publication 213
Publication Editorial Schedules 214
Tracking Your Ad Placement Schedule 215
Planning and Executing a New Print Advertising Campaign:
Overview of Key Elements 215
Advertising Creative Development and Production 216
Step 1—Your De-Brief to the Agency 216
Step 2—The Ad Agency Presentation 216
Step 3—Final Ad Production 220
Step 4—Space Reservations and Ad Submissions 220
Ad Materials Submission 221
Electronic Proofs of Your Advertising 222
CHAPTER 10 •WEB SITE PLANNING & DESIGN:
PLANNING YOUR COMPANY’S INTERNET STRATEGY 223
The Marketing Manager’s Role in a Company’s Internet Strategy 224
The Internet Extends a Company’s Real-World
Sales and Marketing Activities 224
How Your Company Can Use the Internet 225
Your Prospects and Customers Will Find Your Company on the Internet
—Whether You Like It Or Not 226
The Web Spectrum: Types of Web Sites 226
What Should Your Company’s Web Site Do? 228
Your Company’s Web Site: Web Design and Production
for Marketing Managers 229
A Web Site’s Three Most Important Functions 229
Characteristics of First-Rate Business Web Sites 231
Web Development Ground Rules: A Basic Design Template for Success 232
Basic Web Design, Layout and Production Techniques
for Marketing Managers 232
Your Two Best Web Development Tools: Pencil and Paper 234
Creating a Rough Draft of a Web Site Layout 234
Left-Hand Sidebar Layout: A “Standard” Site Template for the Web 236
The “Information Hole” 236
Your Web Site’s Home Page 238
What’s Your Key Selling Objective? 238
How to Lead Off Your Home Page 239
Online Product Catalog/Direct-Order Web Site 239
Service, or Information-Based, Web Site 240
Other Important Link Options for Information and Service-Based Sites 241
Industrial or Manufacturing Web Site (High Ticket, Long Selling Cycle) 241
Software, Systems, or High-Tech Product Web Site 242
Making Home Page Lead Sales Content Choices: An Overview 243
When All Else Fails, Lead With Your “Elevator Pitch” 244
CHAPTER 11 • WEB SITE EXECUTION & LAUNCH:
RAPID PROTOTYPING, SKILLED EXECUTION,
AND SMOOTH LAUNCHES OF WEB SITE PROJECTS 245
Get a Prototype of Your Web Site Up, as Fast as You Can 245
Once Your Web Prototype is Up and Running,
Push its Development Through to the Final Version 246
Start Testing Your Web Site Early in the Development Process 249
Web Site Design Basics 249
Web Site Design Tips for Non-Designers 250
Trust Your Web Design and Production Team 253
Your Web Site’s Multimedia Options:
Video, Audio and Flash Web Video 254
Examples of Web Site Video Applications 254
Web Video Content: All You Need is
Simple Presentation, and a Great Script 255
Which Comes First, the Video, or the Script? 257
Web Video Production: The Video Track 257
When Thinking Web Video, Think: “Slide Show” 258
What About Flash? 261
Audio on Your Web Site 263
Establishing Connections with Your Web Site’s Visitors:
Your Site’s E-Mail Newsletter 263
Topics and Content for Your Company’s E-Mail Newsletter 264
Implementing an E-Mail Newsletter on Your Company’s Web Site 266
CGI Scripting and Your Company’s Web Site:
What Marketing Managers Should Know 267
Using “Cookies” on Your Company’s Web Site 268
Adobe Acrobat .PDF Files 270
Selecting Printed Marketing Materials for Use
as Adobe Acrobat .PDF Files on Your Web Site 270
The Final Step: Testing, Staging,
and Launching Your Company’s Web Site 272
What to Test 273
Do-It-Yourself Web Site Testing 273
How—and What—to Test 274
Flipping the Switch: Bringing Your Company’s Web Site “Live”
on the Internet 276
CHAPTER 12 • INTERNET RESEARCH & EXECUTION:
USING THE INTERNET AS A SALES PROSPECTING,
RESEARCH, AND PRODUCTION TOOL 277
Using the Internet for Research 277
What You Can Find on the Internet—and How to Find It 278
Google: The Go-To Site for any Internet Research Task 279
Keyword Searching on Google 280
How to Develop Keywords for Your Google Search 280
Step 1: Ask a Question 280
Step 2: Enter the Question, or Find and Enter Just Keywords 281
Step 3: “Reading” Your Keyword Search Results 282
The Two-Page Rule: If It’s Not on the First Two Pages
of Your Google Search, Search Again 283
Step 4: Search and Learn, and Then Search Again 283
Start General, Then Go Specific 283
Internet Newsgroup Searching 284
Benefits of Searching Internet Discussion Newsgroups 285
Newsgroup Search Examples 286
Using Google to Search Newsgroups 287
Reading Newsgroup Threads in Google 287
WHOIS: The Salesman’s (and Marketer’s) Best Friend 288
The Internet as a Marketing Execution Tool 290
Advantages of the Internet for Marketing Execution 290
Using the Internet as a Tool for Executing Common Marketing Projects 292
Keep it Digital—Until it Meets a Printing Press 292
Electronic Advertising Transmission and Submission 293
Internet File Transmission Options 296
CHAPTER 13 • TRADE SHOW MARKETING:MAKING A SUCCESS
OF YOUR COMPANY’S TRADE SHOW OPPORTUNITIES 299
Trade Shows: Where Markets Come Alive 299
Locating the Best Trade Shows in Your Market 300
Trade Show Timing and Planning 301
Evaluating Trade Show Opportunities 302
Selecting a Trade Show Booth: Location and Size 303
Choosing the Best Trade Show Booth Location 303
Selecting Your Booth Size 304
Getting Your Company Into the Show 305
Trade Show Booth Options 307
Trade Show Booth Backdrop 307
How Show Attendees Wander a Trade Show
—and How to Get Them to Your Booth 309
Producing Your Company’s Trade Show Backdrop Design 310
Small Booth Aisle Signs 312
Trade Show Sales Video on a Flat-Panel Display 316
Trade Show Pre-Marketing: What to Do Before the Show 319
Trade Show Postcard Mailings 319
E-Mailing Show Announcements/Invitations
to Existing Sales Prospects Advertising in Trade Show Dailies 323
Printed Marketing Collateral for Trade Shows 324
Trade Show Premiums and Drawings 324
Trade Show Logistics 326
Getting Your Booth and Materials to the Show 326
Booth Setup Day 328
Major Trade Show Emergencies 329
The Show Begins: How to Work a Trade Show 330
When the Show Ends 331
CHAPTER 14 • PUBLIC RELATIONS:
USING TRADE AND BUSINESS MEDIA TO GENERATE INQUIRIES
AND SALES IN YOUR MARKETING PROGRAM 333
Public Relations Serves Marketing, But By Itself,
Public Relations is Not Marketing 333
Benefits of PR and Media Management 334
How Trade and Industry News Is Made 335
How to Use PR in Your Marketing Program 336
First Principles of Successful Public Relations in Your Company 336
Think of the Person Who Will Be Reading Your Press Release 337
Will Your News Contribute to Sales? Deciding What Makes News
in Your Company 338
Major News Events 339
Secondary News Events 339
News that Doesn’t Lead to Sales 340
How to Write a Press Release (or Manage Those Who Do) 341
Turning Your Company News Into a Press Release 341
1. Think Like an Editor 341
2. Answer the Big Questions 344
3. Press Release Lead Paragraph 346
4. Filling In the Details: The Body of Your Press Release 349
Writing Style Tips for Press Releases 350
Writing Your Press Release Headline 351
Other Press Release Elements 352
Developing Media Contact Lists 353
Your Media Contact List 353
Compiling Your Company’s Media Contact Lists 354
Establishing Top Trade Media Contacts 355
Establishing Contacts in General Business Media 356
Fitting Your News to the Size of the Story:
Types of PR Announcements 357
Execution of Your Company’s PR Program 359
Countdown to a News Announcement:
Execution Steps for Public Relations Projects 359
CHAPTER 15 • VIDEO & MULTIMEDIA:USING THE POWER
OF SPOKEN WORDS AND MOVING IMAGES TO SELL
YOUR COMPANY’S PRODUCTS 367
Typical Video and Multimedia Applications 367
High-End Vs. “Industrial” Video Projects 369
The Desktop Video Revolution 370
The Video Producer 371
How to Evaluate the Producer’s Demo Reel 371
How to be Your Own Executive Producer 372
Decide on Your Video Project’s Application and Goals 373
Trade Show Booth Videos 373
Sales Videos 373
Video News Releases 374
Writing The Script: What Marketing Managers Should Know 376
What to Look for in a Video Script 377
Basic Sales Video Script Structure 379
Your Video Production Checklist: Executing Video Projects 380
Basic Elements of a Video Project 381
The Final Edit: Working with a Video Producer 386
Start-Ups • Product Launches • Marketing Turnarounds
CHAPTER 16 • START-UP MARKETING:MARKETING
FOR START-UPS, NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES,
AND NEW MARKETS 389
Riding the Tiger 389
Markets Turn on a Dime in Every Start-Up
or New Product Launch—So Be Ready 390
Marketing in Start-Ups and New Product Launches
Means Continuous Testing 390
The Federal Express Story: Fast Response
and Marketing Execution Saves the Day 392
Start-Up and New Product Marketing: The Important Thing
is Knowing What You Don’t Know 393
Marketing Assumptions Used for a Start-Up’s Financial Projections 394
Estimating Market Response Before Market-Testing Your Product 394
Step 1: Market Gap Analysis 396
Step 2: General Market Assessment Checklist 397
Start-Up Marketing Manager’s Analysis and Action Plan 398
1.) General Issues: 398
2.) Background Research and Action Items: 400
3.) Marketing Deliverables 401
Development of Rough Marketing Deliverables for Market Testing 402
4.) Market Testing 404
5.) Targets of Opportunity 406
CHAPTER 17 •START-UP TESTING & LAUNCH:
MARKET TESTING AND RESPONSE FOR START-UPS
AND NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES 411
Two Stages to the Testing Process for Start-Ups
and New Product Launches: Informal and Formal Tests 413
First Principles: There Is No Such Thing as Failure, Only Failure to Test 413
The “Informal” Market Test: The First Step in Testing
Marketing Deliverables and Sales Copy for Your Start-Up
or New Product Launch 414
Step 1: Finding Respondents for Your Start-Up’s Informal Market Test 415
Step 2: Preparing Marketing Deliverables for Your Informal Test 416
Step 3: Executing the Informal Market Test 417
Step 4: Assessing the Results of Your Informal Market Test,
and Adapting Your Marketing Deliverables and Marketing Plan 419
The “Live” Market Test (or, the First Stage
of Your New Product Launch) 420
Execution of Your Start-up’s “Live” Market Test 423
Open for Business: Executing Your Start-Up’s First Market Test 424
Tools of the Trade: Elements of Your Start-Up’s
Initial Test Marketing Program 425
Direct Mail 425
Sales Force Support 427
Your Start-Up’s Web Site 428
Trade Shows 429
Print Display Advertising 430
Factors Influencing Your Market Testing Decisions 431
Market Testing Tools: How to Select the Right Marketing Tools
to Use in Your Initial Market Test 433
1.) Trade Shows 433
2.) Sales Force Marketing Support 434
3.) Direct Mail-Only Market Testing 436
4.) Print Advertising 436
Executing Your Test and Tracking Results 437
Tracking Results 438
Listen Closely to “Anecdotal” Results During Your Test 439
The Marketing Report Card: Assessing The Final Result
of Your Start-Up’s Initial Market Test 440
CHAPTER 18 • START-UP TURNAROUNDS:WHEN YOUR MARKETING PROGRAM HITS THE WALL: TROUBLESHOOTING AND CORRECTING POOR SALES RESPONSE 441
Landing in the Grey Middle 441
There’s Always Something You Can Do 442
What Went Right? Examining Where Marketing Projects Go Wrong:
Common Causes of Poor Marketing Response 445
Marketing-Related Problems 445
Copy and Deliverable Problems 445
Market and Prospect Selection 448
Direct Mail 448
Sales Support 450
Print Advertising 452
Clarity 453
Boldness 454
Marketing Execution 456
Solving Execution Problems 458
Product-Related Problems 459
More and Better Marketing Skill Will Never Save a Bad Product 460
How to Get Product Feedback 460
Common Product-Related Causes of Poor Market Response 461
Crisis Marketing: Taking Action When the Product is Ahead of Its Time 463
Saving a Product That is Ahead of its Time 464
Common Changes to Marketing Strategy and Deliverables
When a Product is Retooled 465
Distribution and Market Size Problems 465
Common Distributor Problems 466
Solving Distributor Problems 467
Sales Meetings 467
Adding and Improving Distributor Sales and Marketing Deliverables 468
Greater Involvement, Training and Communication
Improve Distributor Sales Performance 470
Uncontrollable Factors Revealed by Your Test 470
Action is the Cure for Adverse Market Conditions 472
APPENDIX 473