By Stephen R. Lett How do you know if a list you're testing for the first time will work, or if it's even the right list to test? Obviously, there's no way to know for sure prior to mailing. But studying the list data card in advance and really understanding what it tells you can help minimize the risk of testing. This month, I'll review what a list data card says about a file and how you can better interpret this important information. <Market and demographic profile. The main considerations for list usage are the product category/ market and the demographic profile of
Stephen R. Lett How
Steve Lett graduated from Indiana University in 1970 and immediately began his 50-year career in Direct Marketing; mainly catalogs.
Steve spent the first 25 years of his career in executive level positions at both consumer and business-to-business companies. The next 25 years have been with Lett Direct, Inc., the company Steve founded in early 1995. Lett Direct, Inc., is a catalog and internet consulting firm specializing in circulation planning, plan execution, analysis and digital marketing (Google Premier Partner).
Steve has served on the Ethics Committee of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and on a number of company boards, both public and private. He served on the Board of the ACMA.  He has been the subject of two Harvard Business School case studies. He is the author of a book, Strategic Catalog Marketing. Steve is a past Chairman of both the Catalog Council and Business Mail Council of the DMA. He spent a few years teaching Direct Marketing at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
You can contact Steve at stevelett@lettdirect.com.
By Stephen R. Lett How to improve planning and forecasting. As circulation professionals, we know that when sales are good, it's the merchandise. Yet, when sales are off plan, we tend to feel responsible. Is it the lists mailed to, the mail date or the way the merge was run? Just what's causing the sales shortfall, and what can be done to avoid this in the future with proper advanced planning? In this column, I identify some pitfalls circulation professionals may encounter in the planning and forecasting stages, and provide tips on how to reduce the risk of failure. 1. Manage Outside Prospect List
By Stephen R. Lett How to improve planning and forecasting. As circulation professionals, we know that when sales are good, it's the merchandise. Yet, when sales are off plan, we tend to feel responsible. Is it the lists mailed to, the mail date or the way the merge was run? Just what's causing the sales shortfall, and what can be done to avoid this in the future with proper advanced planning? In this column, I identify some pitfalls circulation professionals may encounter in the planning and forecasting stages, and provide tips on how to reduce the risk of failure. 1. Manage Outside Prospect List
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