Website Help Needed aka Chris Denham Business Masterclass

[johnnyboy]

Johnnyboy, if for example I wanted to fax broadcast to specific groups (like theatre and television chief electricians), would your company be able to locate contact details, or would you need a prepared database?

We're currently expanding our operations and certainly your service looks more cost effective than the one we are undertaking.

If this is a little off topic, feel free to address me by PM or in the staff room.

We can fax buldings/offices as opposed to people, Gav.

So, say we faxed a theatre or theatrical production company. It would definitely get there, but it would arrive at the office fax. Most of the time, if a fax is relevant, it gets passed to the correct person anyway.

[sales head on]

Faxing works for most companies (our success rate is 85%), but not for all. One thing's for sure, though, it's a very cheap method to try out, and if it works, the cost of leads can be up to 80% less than other forms of direct marketing.

[/sales head off]

If you think it could work for you, Gav, I could phone you or if you give me the name of the marketing person, it'd be interesting to find out.

95%+ of our campaigns are very samey. It's the 5% that makes the work interesting.

[cdd]

Fax marketing... YUK, it's something I hate. whereas mail marketing and email marketing use their paper, fax marketing uses one's own. I usually make it my business to tape a loop of A4 paper with some expletives written on and going out to tea while it endlessly faxes the sender.

[johnnyboy]

Fax marketing... YUK, it's something I hate. whereas mail marketing and email marketing use their paper, fax marketing uses one's own. I usually make it my business to tape a loop of A4 paper with some expletives written on and going out to tea while it endlessly faxes the sender.

That's mature.

Why do people feel the need to make up stories like these to make themselves appear wise/clever/big? It's obvious bollocks.

[James Hatts]

You could use this to make yourself a nice new standards-compliant CSS menu.

[cdd]

Fax marketing... YUK, it's something I hate. whereas mail marketing and email marketing use their paper, fax marketing uses one's own. I usually make it my business to tape a loop of A4 paper with some expletives written on and going out to tea while it endlessly faxes the sender.

That's mature.

Why do people feel the need to make up stories like these to make themselves appear wise/clever/big? It's obvious bollocks.

It's theoretical too given that tireless computers churn out these things. It can work wonders for smaller businesses though! Like the TPS and MPS, the FPS does absolutely NOTHING to stop unwanted faxes.

I never understand fax marketing -- phone calls aren't cheap, are they?

"A good product sells itself".

[Nick Harvey]

I usually make it my business to tape a loop of A4 paper with some expletives written on and going out to tea while it endlessly faxes the sender.

I HAVE, quite truthfully, done that ONCE, many years ago to some company that kept wasting my time and hogging my fax machine when others wanted to transmit to it.

Don't think I'd try it nowadays as most of the fax return numbers seem to start 09 and cost about £42 a minute to send to.

[cdd]

Don't think I'd try it nowadays as most of the fax return numbers seem to start 09 and cost about £42 a minute to send to.

Actually you'd be surprised at how many return numbers are 0800... it seems they're ever so slighly desperate for responses! I've yet to arrange my computer to send faxes in this way, however... plus there's something satisfying about having a REAL fax machine doing it.

[johnnyboy]

It's theoretical too given that tireless computers churn out these things. It can work wonders for smaller businesses though! Like the TPS and MPS, the FPS does absolutely NOTHING to stop unwanted faxes.

I never understand fax marketing -- phone calls aren't cheap, are they?

"A good product sells itself".

I have been involved in fax marketing now since 1998, and in all that time, I have never come across anyone pulling a 'stunt' like you claim to do. Of course, you don't do it - it's a wierd bravado thing you've got going.

You are correct in saying that the FPS is pretty much a toothless organisation (not its fault), but all major fax marketing companies (ourselves included) sweep all our data to comply with it.

The vast majority of companies who transgress are those who dig out 100 fax numbers and try sending them by hand, not knowing the law.

Phone calls aren't free, that's for certain. But compared with other forms of direct marketing (basically where you choose who you want to recieve it), it's up to 95% less.

[cdd]

Would you agree however that a good product sells itself? If I created a potion that made one look 20 years younger, even if I *HID* that product if someone found out about it I'd have people rushing to me... all the power of Word of Mouth. A much more... reputable... marketing technique.

[johnnyboy]

Don't think I'd try it nowadays as most of the fax return numbers seem to start 09 and cost about £42 a minute to send to.

Actually you'd be surprised at how many return numbers are 0800... it seems they're ever so slighly desperate for responses! I've yet to arrange my computer to send faxes in this way, however... plus there's something satisfying about having a REAL fax machine doing it.

It's actually illegal to use a premium rate number for opt-outs, believe it or not. Are you thinking about those diet/holiday/ringtone type faxes, Nick? There should be a number beginning 01, 02, 07, or 08 at the bottom where you can phone up or fax back to to no longer receive them.

Chris, your idiocy is starting to worry me. Just exactly how is having a freephone number indicative of a company being desperate for business?

[cdd]

Just exactly how is having a freephone number indicative of a company being desperate for business?

If a consumer wants a product he should not need to be enticed by the fact that the return number is free.