Do you have an open mind? Or, are you closed off to new ideas?

Try new things

If you sometimes feel like you’re stuck, or that your key employees are stuck, and that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, then you’d probably be interested in a fascinating piece in the New York Times that was entitled: “Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?”

In the article, it affirms that ”brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.”

Moreover, “rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside our comfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.”

The Open Mind

“The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination with wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of “The Open Mind”. Dawna, in case you don’t recognize the name, co-authored what many people call one of the most inspirational little books of all time: “Random Acts of Kindness“, and she is now an executive change consultant with Professional Thinking Partners.

“But we are taught instead to ‘decide,’ Markova says, ‘just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider.’ ” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”

Undoubtedly, Ms. Markova would agree and appreciate that the concept of testing in Direct Mail and e-Marketing is not only a good way to stimulate brain cells and foster innovation, but that it can also help lower the costs of acquiring and keeping customers, and that keeping an open mind can improve your bottom line.

If you have an open mind and are looking for some ideas to help you grow your business, contact me today.

You want to know how to get better results?

"I don't want to..."

Everyone says they want better results.

So why aren’t companies more adventurous when it comes to trying new things? Do they want to know how to get better results?

It’s the “I hate brocolli” syndrome of marketing and business.

If you ask the average CEO, “What’s the rationale for the way you’re currently marketing your services?”  Many say: “It’s what we’ve always done.”

The sad truth is that many companies are engaging in the same old tried marketing tactics rooted in strategies that were developed eons ago (a.k.a. 2007).  They’re wasting money on tactics that are not rooted in any real, current strategy – or based on the realities of today’s marketplace.

How to get better results: Higher response rates and higher conversions

“Nothing fails like success.”

There an old saying: “Nothing fails like success.” People get a little taste of success. They get lucky because they tried something, and it worked, so they naturally think that if they just keep doing whatever it was that made them lucky, they’ll keep enjoying success.

Unfortunately, times change.  So what worked once, at one moment in time, may not work today. That’s why it’s important to continually test new ideas. 

Any Direct Marketing old timer will tell you that the secret to getting and maintaining high response rates and higher conversions is: “Test. Test. Test.”

In fact, there are some who say that  30% of your budget should be set aside for testing.

If you’re testing new ideas agains the old ones it’s the only way to know for sure that you’re marketing is continually improving. That’s how to get better results.

Apply the principles of continual improvement to your marketing. In Direct Mail it’s called “A/B Splits and Multivariate Testing.” In Google Web Optimizer it’s called “Marketing Experiments.”

Test everything. Test in order of importantance. Your offer, your keywords on your pay-per-click ads, your landing pages.

Or if you don’t really want new and better results, you can just keep doing what you’re doing — what you’ve always done.

Posts related to “How to get better results”:

• 12 Marketing Ideas to Grow Sales

If you’d like someone to help you test some new ideas and show you how to get better results, please contact me today.