We've been talking about the importance of testing your direct mail the past two weeks.  Here are 7 specific variable that I consider If I’m trying to beat
a control.

1. The offer
2. The guarantee(s)
3. The urgency of response
4. The big idea or big promise
5. The overcoming of skepticism ie. credibility and believability
6. The style or tone of the writing itself
7. The look of the piece

By the way, little, very testable things DO sometimes make very big differences.  Recently I saw an example in a marketing newsletter of a guy who just added four rubber stamped words to the outside of his envelope,
and beat his control by 300%.

I've also seen a TV infomercial come back from the dead by raising the price of the product.  Gary Halbert saved the Pearl Cream advertising by adding a particular bonus.  A dentist in Sacramento changed five words on his Val-Pak
coupon and went from getting two or three new patients a month to 15 to 20.  This is the sort of thing that makes direct-response advertising as frustrating as golf.

Obviously, you can’t test if you can’t, won’t or don’t collect accurate data.  You have to code every offer, and track where every ounce of business comes from.  If you have employees who are lax about this, you must educate them
about the importance, discipline them if they goof it up, and ultimately can’em if they won’t do it right 100% of the time.

I confess that I fly by the seat of my pants in my business more than I should, but I can’t fire me, God knows there are days I should.  Anyway, I can assure you: the clients I have with the best profits and incomes possess the best information about where their business comes from.