Cover -- Contents -- List of Plates -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Beginnings -- THE AMATEUR APPROACH -- THE DIFFICULT APPROACH -- SOME VALUABLE DISCOVERIES -- THE MYSTERIOUS RISE OF DIRECT MARKETING -- A PARADOX -- YOUR TIMING IS GOOD -- TO MAKE LEARNING EASIER -- 2 The Three Graces of Direct Marketing -- SHORT-TERM THINKING -- TO MAKE AND KEEP A CUSTOMER -- WHAT IS DIRECT MARKETING? -- THE THREE GRACES OF DIRECT MARKETING -- HOW YOUR CUSTOMER IS CHANGING -- CONTROLLABILITY: AN IMPORTANT BENEFIT -- GIVING YOUR CUSTOMER A BETTER SERVICE -- THE SPIRAL OF PROSPERITY -- 3 Direct Marketing Can Do More Than You Think -- WHAT CAN YOU SELL? -- THE ROLE OF DIRECT MARKETING -- FIVE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF DIRECT MARKETERS … -- … AND FOUR WAYS TO ACHIEVE THEM -- WHICH NAMES ARE BEST? -- 4 How to Get Started -- DOES YOUR BUSINESS HAVE A CONTINUING RELATIONSHIP BUILT IN? -- SALES-FORCE HELP -- SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS -- USE YOUR NAMES -- RETAIL PROBLEMS -- THE KEY TO PROFIT -- EMPLOYERS AND SHAREHOLDERS -- WHO COMPLAINS? -- WHAT MAIL ORDER TEACHES -- THREE MAJOR ERRORS -- WHAT SHOULD YOU SELL? -- CAN YOU OFFER A GOOD DEAL? -- ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS -- HOW DOES IT COMPARE? -- PAY THE RIGHT PRICE -- DON'T OVER ORDER -- WHERE TO LOOK -- 5 Positioning and Other Mysteries Explained -- SOUND ADVICE ON BOASTING -- WOULD A SALESPERSON DO THIS? -- ADDED VALUE -- UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION -- POSITIONING: TODAY'S THEORY -- CHANGING THE RULES -- GENERAL ADVERTISING AND POSITIONING -- 6 How to Plan Well -- ELEVEN STEPS TO SUCCESS -- FIVE QUESTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER -- KEEP IN TOUCH -- HOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMERS BETTER -- WHO KNOWS WHERE OR WHEN? -- WHERE YOUR MONEY WILL DO MOST GOOD -- 7 Media: A Different, More Flexible Approach -- WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE? -- FIVE MAJOR DIFFERENCES -- THE MEDIA RECIPE -- TIMING CRITICAL -- THE EIGHT TRADITIONAL MEDIA AT YOUR DISPOSAL.

OTHER MEDIA -- INTERACTIVE, PERSONALISED MEDIA -- SUCCESSFUL MEDIA SELECTION -- PROVEN PRINCIPLES OF NEGOTIATION -- TEN GOOD DEALS -- 8 Digital Marketing: The Internet and E-mail -- GETTING IT RIGHT FROM THE START - SEVEN THINGS YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR SITE -- A-Z OF BUILDING AND MANAGING A WEBSITE -- YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC SITE - WHAT NEXT? -- DON'T BE BAMBOOZLED: COMMONSENSE ONLINE TECHNIQUES -- HOW YOUR TRAFFIC HELPS IMPROVE YOUR AIM -- JUST A REMINDER: IT'S ACCELERATED DIRECT MARKETING -- WHOSE WEBSITE IS IT ANYWAY? -- WHAT'S MAKING MONEY - AND WHY -- AN EXTRAORDINARY, RARE OPPORTUNITY -- 9 Your Greatest Asset -- THE VALUE OF A NAME -- THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE LIST -- TWELVE CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING LISTS -- YOUR DATABASE AND HOW TO BUILD IT -- WHERE TO FIND THE BEST NEW CUSTOMERS -- LIFESTYLE DATABASES -- COMPILED LISTS -- JON EPSTEIN'S 11 DESIDERATA -- 10 Where Ideas Come From and How to Express Them Persuasively -- THE BIRTH OF AN IDEA -- GETTING ORGANISED -- CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING -- NATIONALITIES AND SOCIAL GROUPS -- MEDIA VARY -- PRINCIPLES DON'T -- HOW TO BUILD CONVICTION -- THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF GOOD CREATIVE COPY -- CREATIVITY IN ACTION -- TWO SECRET INGREDIENTS -- 11 How to Make Your Creative Work Virtually Foolproof -- TWENTY-FIVE POINTERS BEFORE YOU WRITE A WORD OR SKETCH A LAYOUT -- PLANNING YOUR CREATIVE TREATMENT -- ELEVEN UNCREATIVE (BUT TESTED) WAYS TO MAKE YOUR LAYOUT WORK HARDER -- THIRTEEN ATTENTION-GRABBERS -- TRICKS AND TECHNIQUES THAT KEEP PEOPLE READING -- CHARITY ADVERTISING: A SPECIAL CASE -- WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN BROADCAST -- NOW THAT YOU THINK IT'S PERFECT HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ANYTHING? -- 12 How to Test - and Evaluate Your Results -- TESTING: THE FIRST DUTY -- FOURTEEN WAYS YOU CAN LEARN BY TESTING -- A FAIR TEST? -- A TRUE AND PROPER RECORD -- WHAT TESTING ACHIEVED FOR ME.

13 Testing Versus Research - and Other Matters -- TESTS THAT GAINED AN ACCOUNT -- TWO LAWS OF TESTING -- STARTLING RESULTS -- NINE TESTING OPPORTUNITIES -- HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU TEST? AND WHEN? -- A FAMOUS CASE-HISTORY -- 14 How to Choose Your Agency - and When to Do Without One -- AGENCY OR NOT? -- SPECULATIVE PRESENTATIONS -- ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURE -- PLAYING THE FIELD -- HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD PAY -- MONEY AND TALENT -- TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS -- 15 Client and Agency: the Unequal Partnership -- THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM -- JOY RIDE? -- TWO TYPES OF RELATIONSHIP -- WHERE THINGS GO WRONG AND HOW TO GET THEM RIGHT -- OTHER TROUBLE SPOTS -- 16 The Future of Marketing: Ten Predictions - and a Health Warning -- LITTLE MORE COMPETENCE -- HONESTY -- FULL CIRCLE -- Index.