But it doesn’t work well for small accounts (under $10,000) when the client is just buying “campaign parts": a website or an identity face-lift.

In these situations there is no big strategic communications plan to fit these marcom bits into – so I talk about my process and I show them my work.

I show them five, sometimes ten options “in process” and get feedback (before I waste my time finishing any one piece). This process works wonders because it allows me to blend the client’s POV into the final design.

The products I end up with are rarely “award winning”, but they sell the 1st time round and the clients love the work because the work embodies their ideas.

I don’t worry about the ad not being an “award-winner” for a few reasons:

• There is no correlation between award winning and sales award winning ads.
• Neither good nor “bad” ads will increase sales if they are not an integral part of a smart operations plan – which is based on an insightful marketing plan.
• This is not about me or my ability to win awards. This is about me helping my clients achieve their (realistic) objectives.

In the last few weeks I’ve listened to and read a lot of economic doom + gloom headlines and articles including these ROB headlines:

• Ten days of pain
• When bulls become bears it’s time to fret
• The upside of a dropping dollar
• Oils plunge raises spectre of deeper cuts

It appears Chicken Little is directing the newsroom and would have us believe that the end is , very near.

I suppose that for all those who live in the financial moment and believe all the b.s. they're fed, life must be hell.

I learned a long time ago that what goes about, comes about, what goes up, comes down and that turmoil represents opportunity. I was also taught that nothing lasts forever - neither the good times nor the bad. 

To me the real challenge is one of timing and positioning because good things come to those who wait and to those who are prepared to seize the moment it comes.

Instead of a quarterly performance reviews + metrics, look at your asset’s long term contribution to your objectives from multiple perspectives: oblique, direct, qualitative and quantitative. I think it’ll change your perspective, your attitude - and what you attract to your life and business because, for better or worse,

thoughts become things.   

Like all of you, while on “my road” I hit a rough patch, spin out, get confused, lick my wounds and wonder what I should do next.

In my car my GPS helps. In my business and my life it’s my annual plan.

Here are a few good reasons why you need to have one, why to keep it close at hand – and why it needs to be kept current.

1.   Taking Action Without Planning  

When it comes to your goals and the future, impulsiveness is the mother of regret. Considerable thought should be given to the ends as well as the means of your strategy.

2.   Planning versus Action  

Planning without action is worse than action without planning. It’s better to be first than to be perfect.

3.   Unrealistic Timeframes and Expectations  

Life is a process not an event. Nothing great was ever built in a day. Exercise wisdom and learn to be patient. Unfortunately most things in life take longer and cost more than the best-laid plans anticipate.

4.   Motive

Why you want to achieve a goal is far more important than the goal itself.

• The rabbit running for his life is more motivated than the fox who is running for his dinner.

5.   Denial  

“Denial is a river in Egypt” and an extremely popular destination for those looking for an easy way out – or a simple solution. Solid success required solid, reliable information. When you deny reality for whatever reason, you discount the importance and the integrity of good information and invite personal + business failure.

6.   Conflicting Values  

When you have not defined your reasons and motives for success you default to and are motivated by the definitions of others. At some mission-critical junction your values will be in conflict with those of others and your progress will STOP!

7.   Diffusion of Energy

Doing too much too soon is a recipe for mediocrity and failure. Do an excellent job on the fundamentals and build solid track for your future endeavors.

8.   Lack of Focus  

Success demands focus. It is the hallmark of all truly great people. Your ability to get and remain focused over the long haul is a key determinant of your success.

9.   Fear Of Failure  

Fear resides where knowledge does not; the more you know, the less intimidated you’ll feel. Replace your fears with knowledge and watch your performance leap.

For a long as I can remember my mother has been sending out hand written thank-you notes. So does my older sister. My wife and I mix it up with e-mails and phone calls, but I admit it’s not the same thing.

One of our sales coaches swears by the value of written notes. An international business executive who jets around North America in his own lear jet, he devotes at least a 1/2 hour each day to writing hand-written notes to his core clients. This is in addition to a multi-million dollar on and offline campaign to promote his business.

Yesterday I received a tax receipt, form letter, U+A survey, pre-paid return envelope AND a hand written note from Second Harvest Food Rescue. The note thanks me, tells me how many people my donation will help and encourages me to stay in touch. It’s a very nice touch.   

I know enough about NFP, and direct mail to tell you four things:

1.  Handwritten inserts can easily double DM response rates.

2.  2HFR would not be employing this media tactic if it wasn’t offing them a (statistically) significant lift in DM response rates.  

3.  DM when designed properly and employed by the right brand for the right reasons is still a very powerful advertising tool.

4.  Generalizing (think best practices) about DM or any other (on or offline) medium is pointless because the holistic context is fundamental to an insightful and effective media campaign. (Meaning it takes a pro to set it up and make it work properly.)