Here ’ s Why
Human beings are largely unable to accurately see their real motives and habits . When snack companies run polls and ask their customers what type of chips they want , they will repeatedly say they want less greasy , less salty chips . But in a blind taste test , the greasiest , saltiest chips win over and over again . That ’ s the danger of focus groups : They only tell you what people want to believe about themselves , not what they actually believe .
I ’ m occasionally confronted by a new client who adamantly believes the marketing I ’ m practicing “ won ’ t work .” They ’ ll tell me it ’ s too hokey , too old-fashioned , and that “ nobody would read all of that copy .” They say the graphics are all wrong . I will then gently point out that the same marketing got them to buy , as well as over 10,000 other CEOs of IT services firms . The proof is in the pudding , as they say .
Back to Axel : He was the one who persuaded Denny Hatch , author of “ Million Dollar Mailings ,” to give awards each year for “ grand control ” marketing campaigns — specifically , campaigns that consistently produced the highest and best cost per inquiry , cost per order , and cost per sale over a long period of time ( years ), which is how the “ Axel Andersson Award ” came into being and , consequently , the book . One comment worth noting by Denny :
“[ T ] he only judge in the Axel Andersson Award mailing is the marketplace . Many of these mailings are not pretty . If entered in an awards contest , one or two of them might send the judges running from the room clutching their throats and gagging . But they have PROVED themselves successful for years . They are responsible for millions of customers and tens of millions of dollars in revenue .”
This is why so many marketing firms and so-called marketing pros miss . Their need for the ad , the letter , the email , or the campaign to look good trumps the need to get a response . One of my first consulting gigs was with an IT services company that wanted to launch managed services 12 years ago , back before it was commonplace . I created an entire online and offline campaign that secured their annual sales goal in three months . However , the owner ’ s son , who was being groomed to take over the business , could not stand the campaign and promptly fired me to invest the money into PR . His decision was driven by the emotional need to see his company featured in the news over what was actually getting the job done and achieving actual results . Don ’ t be that fool . n
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