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Mark Twain once remarked that the difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. I recently found out just how right he was. The wrong words cost me six figures.

I had a business opportunity with a potential $120,000 payout. It came down to two candidates, me and one other. The odds looked promising and I was invited to the organization's headquarters to meet with their leadership and staff.

Murphy's Law operating the way it does, however, found me battling a retched cold. The meeting facilitator, an employee from another organization, felt that my condition warranted postponing the meeting. The next week I sent an email to one of my contacts within the organization to reaffirm my interest and express my excitement over the potential collaboration. I wrote "I was disappointed when it was recommended that I postpone my meeting due to my being ill." In hindsight, I should have written "I was disappointed that my cold made it necessary for us to postpone the meeting."

My email was forwarded to the facilitator, who responded by

1. Emailing me that rescheduling the meeting wasn't just her recommendation but had the organization's support, and

2. Closing the presentation window without my meeting ever being rescheduled.

By default the other candidate won the opportunity.

This was a costly but important reminder of a marketing fundamental: the success of a product or service lies less in its actual value than in one's ability to sell it. All too often though, this fact is overlooked by organizations.

Clients frequently contact me in a state of puzzlement, unsure why their programs haven't achieved a greater level of success. They tell me that their program meets an actual need among their constituents, has a clear value and a competitive price point, and that it is well-liked by those using it. So what's the problem? More often than not, I come to find out that the marketing materials were written by the department itself and not outsourced to a professional copywriter either within a marketing or creative department in the same organization, or within an external agency.

No one knows the benefits (USPs or Unique Selling Propositions) of what's being marketed better than the product or service manager, but that doesn't mean that he or she, even if a skilled writer, should be the one to compose its promotional copy. In an industry where rules of grammar and good writing are routinely and intentionally broken because best practice benchmarks tell us that doing so where appropriate actually increases consumer response, it's best to leave promotional copy to professional marketing writers. The best scenario is to partner with a dedicated copywriter so that your product knowledge is articulated in the most effective way as measured by response.

Often, the reason why this isn't done is a result of misguided fiscal restraint. With budgets getting tighter, taking on the writing within the department seems like an obvious cost-cutting measure. But ineffective copy, no matter how beautiful the prose, costs the department and organization significantly more in unrealized revenue than the nominal investment of hiring a copywriting service. So don't make my mistake and let the wrong words cost you, because in the world of business, the difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between success and failure.

For years my colleague, Leigh Fazzina, who operates a Philadelphia-based healthcare communications consultancy, has touted the powerful role that social media can and should play in addressing ones' health. A few days ago, she found herself in a situation to practice what she preaches.

Leigh was in the second leg of a triathlon on an unfamiliar wooded trail in Connecticut when she realized that she had made a wrong turn and had wandered off the correct path. With the sun waning, Leigh began to ride quicker in an effort to emerge from the woods before darkness overtook her. That's when her front tire snagged on an exposed root, sending Leigh flying over the handlebars and down a slope. The bike tumbled after and landed on top of her.

In Leigh's own words, "I was hyperventilating a bit, coughing, dry heaving, spitting up dirt, shaking, going into a semi shock and slightly panicking. My helmet hit so hard it was dented and flew off my head. The water bottle was crushed like a car had hit it and my bike looked like a Mack Truck hit it. I thought to myself, 'How on earth did I just survive this?' "

Leigh yelled for help to no avail. After 20 minutes, she mustered up the strength to crawl over to her bike pack and retrieve her BlackBerry. This deep in the woods she was unable to get a strong enough signal to make an outgoing call, but it seemed as though her internet was working.

"I've had a serious injury and NEED Help! Can someone please call Winding Trails in Farmington, CT tell them I'm stuck bike crash in woods," she tweeted at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, 2010. Within minutes, her network of over 1,000 connections was mobilized. From as far away as Italy and Oman, Fazzina's Twitter friends read her plea for help; the Farmington Police Department received a call from a woman in California who read Leigh's tweet.

Those of us in the professional communications industry have long pointed to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as the next frontier, and today you'd be hard put to find a business that doesn't maintain a presence in the social media space. If you read my post THE DOCTOR IS INternet, you'll see how many of us, including Leigh, have envisioned the role social media should play in the healthcare arena.

In this particular instance, social media's beneficial role in one's health was quite literal, but one should not discount the power of this communication tool in more typical interpretations of how it can improve the vitality of any organization — not simply those involved in healthcare delivery, but in all industries. Simply maintaining a Facebook page and Twitter account is not good enough. If your business is not currently using social media to mobilize its network, you might as well be stuck alone in the woods.

When the authorities arrived, they told Leigh "we are rescuing you from the Twitter call you did. Amazing! I guess that Twitter thing really works." "Yep, it sure does," Leigh replied.

Old dogs can learn new tricks, and should if one wishes to compete in today's competitive consumer marketplace. But that doesn't mean that you have to teach Fido to do back-flips or ride around in a leotard on a unicycle. Sometimes old tricks can be re-envisioned and given just enough flair to make them seem new again.

In the communications industry, one of these old tricks is a form of direct marketing that has a definite stigma attached to it: Telemarketing. If done right, however, telemarketing can prove to be a very effective weapon in your arsenal, and I'd argue that it should be a part of any organization's marketing mix. The problem is, most telemarketers are ill-equipped to deal with today's more savvy and time-crunched consumers, clients, and Association members.

While direct mail formats are constantly being tested and revamped for optimal performance, the same cannot be said about most telemarketing scripts. These scripts have become so universally familiar that both the rep and the prospect go on autopilot when these conversations commence. This often means that the prospect is unwilling to give the rep's message a fair consideration since the impression is "I've heard it all before."

By utilizing a little good, old-fashioned psychology, however, this problem can be solved. The concept is called neurolinguistic programming, which uses tactics such as embedded messages and vocal mirroring to achieve positive results.

In a nutshell, you need to create a script that strays from the traditional and far too often familiar style most commonly employed by customer service reps and telemarketers in order to adopt an approach that is engineered to be more psychologically persuasive.

An engineered telemarketing script gains its effectiveness by being subtle and, at times, even subliminal. For instance, an engineered script would emphasize the embedded command "talk" to encourage the prospect to talk and allow the rep to continue with the presentation.

An example would be the following:

"I'd like to talk with you about some / products that many customers to whom we talk tell us / they need to provide the most comprehensive and / current coverage in the industry. Do you have just a moment / more to talk with me about these beneficial products?"

In the above example, I used the phrase "talk" three times, and implied the "need" to purchase the products. I also inserted breathing marks ( / ) in the above passage. These marks are designed to prevent the Customer Service reps from breathing in expected places.

Why interrupt normal breathing patterns? Because most prospects decide whether they're willing to consider the telemarketer's message before they've even heard the sales pitch, and if they're not interested, many of them will attempt to be polite by waiting for the familiar pause to indicate their decision. Since the above script interrupts the pattern the prospect might expect, it enables the telephone rep to deliver the whole message without interruption. Moreover, it increases the likelihood that the prospect will be left alert and in need of closure.

This is essentially the same concept behind a well-written teaser on an envelope. It doesn't matter how great an offer is if a prospect never learns of it. The greatest challenge is to get a prospective customer to open your envelope or to listen to the whole phone conversation. If successful, the likelihood that he or she will respond favorably to your offer increases tremendously.

The next trick is reserved for those prospects that are still on the fence and are reluctant to accept the offer. It's called vocal mirroring. The rationale behind this practice is essentially this: when the speech patterns and metaphor use of a prospect is mimicked or "mirrored" by the rep, it positively influences the interaction.

This fundamental principle of human interaction has previously been observed by countless psychologists. For example, in a study by Van Baaren, Holland, Steenaert, and Van Knippenberg (2003), it was found that when waitresses mimicked the speech of their customers, they received higher tips than when they did not mimic their customers' speech.

Now it should be understood that I'm not endorsing something as extreme as feigning an accent, but rather adopting similar patterns of communication. For instance, if a reluctant prospect responds to your offer with "I just don't see how this can help me," the telemarketer can reply with "Give me just a moment more of your time and I'll show you how it can help." The emphasis here is on the words "see" and "show". By adopting the prospect's "sight" metaphor, the telemarketer increases the likelihood that the prospect will be willing to keep listening.

So is it possible to teach old dogs new tricks? Absolutely. Revitalize your marketing program with some of these psychologically-geared tactics, and take telemarketing out of the proverbial doghouse.

Legend has it that long ago, when what is now Singapore was known as Temasek, a Javanese word meaning "sea", a grand and majestic creature would rise from the depths of the ocean to protect the land and its people from peril. The beast, its plankton-entangled golden mane framing its lion head and scales that shimmered like a thousand pearls enrobing its fish-like tail, served as the area's guardian for generations. Today its memory is sung in songs, recited in poems, and immortalized in statues. The most remarkable thing about this legend, however, is that it is not a legend at all, but a contemporary tale, only slightly more than forty years old.

As a professional marketer, I am enthralled by the story behind the story. The truth is that the Merlion was first envisioned in 1964 as an emblem for the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB). The Merlion was not born of the sea, but in the mind of a man, designed by Fraser Brunner, a member of the souvenir committee and a curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium.

This manufactured icon was, nevertheless, beautiful in its poetic symmetry. The Merlion's head represents the creature (taken for a lion) that was spotted by Prince Sang Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya Empire when he rediscovered the island in the 11th Century C.E. The prince later renamed the land "Singapura", which in Sanskrit means "Lion City". The Merlion's tail recalls the modest origin of the ancient city of Temasek, a small fishing village. As one local Singaporean journalist eloquently put it in The Sunday Times on April 11, 1999, the Merlion "represents fusion of memory and imagination."

Today, when countless tourists flock to modern Singapore to visit the five official Merlion statues sprinkled throughout the city-state, they are regaled with the modern Merlion "legend". It is rare that I have encountered such a sophisticated and successful promotional enterprise, and as a marketing professional I truly appreciate the immensity of the genius behind it.

While the intention of the STPB was never to mislead prospective tourists into believing the Merlion legend that's been popularized through such venues as the Merlion attraction on Sentosa Island, a Singaporean theme park, the fact remains that this innovative use of imagery, history, art, and folklore is an extremely successful promotional program of which the STPB should be proud.

Creating a sustainable tourist attraction with a close affinity to a fictional story has only successfully been accomplished a few times. Possibly the best known instance of this was Walt Disney World's erection of Cinderella's Castle in 1971, which was a physical manifestation of the previously only imagined castle depicted in the 1950 movie (although, to be fair, I should point out that the castle's design was heavily influenced by Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, Germany). The animated film serves as an ongoing promotion for the theme park, just as the Merlion legend continuously supports and encourages tourism in Singapore.

Having been an independent republic for fewer than 45 years, Singapore is a young nation by anyone's standards. Spanning only 272 square miles, it is tiny in terms of land mass, but Singapore's sophisticated marketing savvy would seem to belie its youth and geographic dimensions. This is one of the great success stories of the modern world of commerce, and why Singapore is recognized today as one of the most modern nations in Asia with such a strong economy. The lesson here is to think big, regardless of your size.

Admittedly, sometimes big ideas require big bucks, so what are you to do if your budget is considerably smaller than your vision? The answer: Find ways to create new revenue streams with very little risk and almost no financial investment. Believe it or not, it is possible. Let me give you an example:

Establishing a publishing program in collaboration with an independent publishing house is a great way for Associations to produce non-dues revenue and provide optimal ROI. Even a small revenue stream from this enterprise would probably show up as positive income in a profit/loss analysis.

Here's how it would work — under the publishing partnership arrangement, an Association:

• provides content that can be adapted into books (e.g., a series of related annual meeting sessions, policy statements, guidelines, etc)
• suggests new book topics, and
• provides the collaborating publishing company access to potential authors and editors from its officers and members.

Many publishers will be more than happy to enter into a mutually beneficial arrangement like this where they produce marketable (and sellable) products based on content that the Association is consistently generating in return for providing the Association with a nominal royalty. The Association, in turn, is content with receiving access to an additional renewable revenue stream with minimal time and financial investments. It's a win-win, and just one way of thinking bigger even when your budget is small.

Let the singular example of the Merlion inspire you to aspire to greater heights. Learn from Singapore's model — think big and create your own sustainable revenue streams. The possibilities are as large as your imagination, as large as the "mythical" Merlion that teaches us that nothing is without reach, and no idea is too big to be realized.

Below is a letter that was written after Carmen Gonzalez (a Patient Clinical Trial Recruitment Strategist), Leigh Fazzina (Principal of Fazzina and Co. Communications Consulting), and I had a discussion about the role we see social media playing in promoting clinical research to potential subjects. After we composed the letter and forwarded it to parties we thought might be interested in its content, we found that many of our industry colleagues shared our sentiments. Several of them asked if they could sign the letter and together we submitted it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for consideration in their November 12 & 13, 2009, Advisory Committee Meeting hearing around the use of social media.

********************************************

Dear U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

There are many required activities to bring a new drug into the hands of the people who need it most. We believe the most important role is played by the drug development, clinical research, and patient recruitment process. To assist your agency's Advisory Committee on crafting guidelines regarding Internet and social media tool usage to promote medical products₁, we write to you to offer our recommendations. We also provide our thoughts concerning relevant topics that we feel are crucial in determining your policy decisions.

• 70 thousand clinical research studies are conducted at any given time.
• An estimated 2% of the U.S. population participates in clinical research studies with more than 70% of those participating likely to do so again (CISCRP).
• 94% of the public recognize the importance of participating in clinical research in order to assist in the advancement of medical science. Yet 75% of the general public state they have little to no knowledge about the clinical research enterprise and the participation process (CenterWatch).
• 57% of Americans say they would be likely to participate in clinical research (CICSCRP).
• Less than 5% of Americans know where to find information about relevant clinical trials (Getz, Tufts University)

Thus, the need to raise awareness of clinical trials among the public has never been more crucial. This demands that all media channels be harnessed, including traditional and digital means.

When drugs obtain FDA approval, marketing, advertising and communications initiatives are used to raise awareness of these new products. Likewise, at the beginning of the clinical research process, those same media initiatives are used by drug sponsors to help patients find treatment alternatives available in clinical studies. Every patient enrolled into a clinical study accelerates the advance of science and brings new viable treatments closer to reality.

We believe that raising the awareness of clinical research is an essential part of the drug marketing equation and is one that you must consider seriously. Why? Because more Americans are turning to the Internet to find medical information, so we need to help them find credible sources to make informed choices. Moreover, use of media, including social media, can serve as powerful agents to assist with patient enrollment, and ultimately in helping to bring new treatments to patients in need.

For more than 20 years, patient recruitment has been focused solely on attracting patients into clinical research studies by traditional marketing, advertising, and community outreach efforts. Our belief is that patients are best served by maximizing all communications channels, from traditional advertising to public relations to social media.

Historically, broadcast and print media have been used to great effect to enroll patients into clinical studies. With the advent of social media communication, we have witnessed an increasing use of this medium for patient recruitment purposes. Patients are finding it easier to search for alternative therapies online and gain access to treatments that they may not have been able to get or afford elsewhere. With 61% of American adults seeking medical help online, this trend will likely increase.₂

Since the FDA currently allows for live television and radio interviews on scientific studies, clinical research, and FDA-approved drugs to be conducted with thought-leaders, we believe that a working model for communication in "real time" already exists. It is our recommendation that this model be adapted for crafting social media communications guidelines.

The rules governing Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) and Radio Media Tours (RMTs) provide a perfect example of the flexibility required for social media communications messaging while also adhering to FDA and HIPAA requirements. During TV or radio media interviews, the clinical study spokesperson must faithfully respect the core content requirements approved by the IRB, yet is given latitude to address the questioner appropriately. That is, the response of the study spokesperson is not pre-scripted because the question is unpredictable. However, the foundational content from which the spokesperson may cultivate his answer must align as closely as possible. This allowance for adaptive response provides a perfect balance between the need to honestly inform the public and still conform to the nuance of live conversation.

It is this same balance that we as practitioners within the social media realm seek from the FDA as it develops its guidelines regarding social media for patient recruitment. Sites such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and others have instant messaging functionality, rendering their format akin to live Q&A sessions on radio or TV. The spontaneity of conversations, particularly on Twitter, requires an adaptive framework to achieve transparency and trust within these mediums from ordinary users. Simply sending IRB-approved promotional messages about a clinical trial without using the medium in ways typical of a common user raises suspicions of spamming. We ideally envision using this medium through messages that are faithful to IRB-approved core clinical study content, without the rigidity of a pre-fabricated response. That is, allowing adaptive messaging that conforms to IRB-approved content is crucial to communicating effectively and establishing transparency and authenticity. This approach means viewers won't have to be subjected to canned messages and awkward responses, but can rely on a fluid conversation that honors social practice. Given the character limitations of certain mediums (e.g. Twitter's 140-character text limit), we also see a need for flexibility in messaging through acronyms and abbreviated responses.

Using Twitter as an example, a typical user will "re-tweet" (or re-send) messages of others deemed newsworthy or interesting. Likewise, Twitter users "follow" other users online to stay attuned to their messages, just as Facebook and MySpace users adopt "friends" to become a part of their social network. These typical uses form the etiquette of participation. This behavior helps viewers on social media sites to intuitively determine that the message sender is a bona fide human and not an automated spammer. Hence, we think that alongside IRB-approved clinical study awareness messages, there should be an allowance for non-study related messaging that includes news clips, resource links, re-tweets, and allows for the free exchange of conversation in much the same way that live radio and television Q&As are now managed by the FDA.

Accordingly, we encourage the FDA to expand its rules in the public relations area, specifically its SMT and RMT rules, to embrace the social media tent. We believe that the familiarity with these current rules among all stakeholders provides the necessary predictability and assurance that the public and communicators expect, while streamlining the FDA's administrative responsibilities. All learning curves are avoided by applying tried-and-true rules already in place. We add that the success of the current regulatory framework for live television and radio is predominately because it is geared to their mediums. By expanding this long-standing rubric to social media, which shares its characteristics, the FDA can confidently predict a good fit. Protecting the safety and welfare of the public depends on rules that have proven their muster.

We sincerely believe that the body of rules governing television and radio messaging for patient recruitment in a live forum meets this benchmark and should be adopted for social media.

As you consider the commercial market in developing your policies on social media usage, we encourage you to consider what is taking place on the clinical side. 87% of clinical trials should not be failing due to lack of patient recruitment. This number is too high and the toll on waiting patients seeking new treatments is unconscionable. Social media communications can help us close the gap between patients and the trials available for their participation. By developing concrete social media guidelines in the clinical research arena, your agency will bring expanded access of alternative treatments to patients across this country.

We are eager to make further recommendations to assist your mission and welcome your feedback. Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,

- William Stone, Sr. Healthcare Marketing Consultant

- Carmen R. Gonzalez, Patient Clinical Trial Recruitment Strategist

- Leigh Fazzina, Sr. Healthcare Communications|PR|Social Media Consultant

- John Benbrook, CEO, MMG

- Christine Pierre, CEO, RxTrials Inc.

- Deborah R. Tunick, RN, Director of Clinical Operations, Chesapeake Research Group, LLC

- Ira J. Gottlieb, DPM, Medical Director, Chesapeake Research Group, LLC

1. We assume medical products to include prescription drugs for humans and animals, prescription biologics, and medical devices.

2. Pew Internet & American Life Project, June 11, 2009; http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1248/americans-look-online-for-health-information

When Bigger Better Marketing founder Leigh Slayden returned to the non-profit world last summer, she needed to find someone just as experienced to take her place. The most natural choice was William Stone — a colleague who had worked on marketing strategy, writing, and project management for several clients since the company's founding in 2006. It allowed for a seamless transition: Since 2006, Bill Stone has served BBM clients such as APCO International, Biblical Archaeology Society, American Association for Cancer Research, Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals, American Chemical Society, American Tinnitus Association, The National Journal, and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

Slayden met Bill Stone when they worked together in the world's largest medical specialty society — the American College of Physicians (ACP). While there, Bill managed marketing efforts for ACP Journal Club and the renowned Annals of Internal Medicine, as well as the society's many educational products, meetings, and courses. Later, Bill was tasked with double-digit subscription revenue growth for a $40 million product portfolio of 30 medical journals published through Elsevier. Previously Bill served as a journalist and medical journal editor for Herrin Publishing Partners, and marketed publications for Taylor & Francis Publishers. Bill's tactical successes range from direct mail and e-marketing campaigns, to multimedia, advertising, exhibiting, and collaborative partnerships.

Stone is actively managing the company during the transfer of ownership. Congratulations can be sent to wstone@biggerbettermarketing.com.

Follow up is key to all good marketing, especially in the 1:1 environment of expos. As you know, my company is an exhibitor at some events, but we also attend the same conferences so we appear on the attendee list as well.

I returned and waited a few days before dropping a line to anyone let alone picking up the phone. I assumed that my new contacts, like myself, were up to their teeth in unchecked email, telephone messages, and sticky notes from their bosses.

Meantime, in a single week I've been deluged with prospecting emails from companies I did not meet, along with (God bless the list trade industry) dozens of invitations to exhibit yet somewhere else totally irrelevant, because I do after all exhibit. Maybe I do so without any plan at all! The marketing director seems to hope.

Whether it's because I am a marketer, so always curious about other people's tactics, or because I am an optimist who believes there are even more good ideas out there than I can carry in my head…I dutifully open every email, letter, and prospectus. Sometimes I chuckle and toss or hit delete. Other times, the company proposition sounds really interesting.

And I would respond, if only my head weren't about to explode.

This is an important thing for sales people to understand. In Mark Kuta's excellent book, Think like a CEO, he describes the process of getting into the minds of business leaders in order to close a sale. Understand their problems. Position yourself to solve them. Do you really have the answer to a business problem? If you don't, find someone else and stop bothering me. This is the answer for reaching decision-makers of every level.

Of course if you're busy my company can help. But you need to have time to breathe and think about what you want to have done. We understand that. A salesman who jumps in the moment you're back in the office…now-that-we've-met (if we did) let's-talk-about-my-product…is missing the big picture.

The big picture is a working relationship.

Not sometimes, but always.

Think of dating. Are you picking up a chick or looking for a mate? Chances are, the person you're trying to pick up is looking for a mate, and is considering the hundreds of options closely, right? So with sales.

I would recommend anyone, in any type of sales — whether it is for conference management, advertising sales, trade association membership, electron microscopes, or automobiles — read (over and over) Jeffrey Gitomer's excellent series of Little Books. The Little Black Book of Connections will probably do even more for your sales than The Little Red Book of Selling.

Gitomer emphasizes the giving side of the sales relationship: learning, understanding, sharing information, building friendships, getting into the head of this other person whom you hope is going to buy a car or a house or a software subscription from you. This is different from a drip email campaign that says the same thing to everyone…like the one from Ford that lies and says they've been trying to call me about the car I emailed about (no calls received). "We'd like to know what you're looking for" it pleads, even though I visited the sales person onsite and told him exactly what I wanted. Subject: unsubscribe.

This is also different from the organization that I asked about sponsorship opportunities, which immediately offered me an advertising buy. There were no sponsorships for the event I was interested in. However, I knew (because I'm good at this, after 25 years) that a space ad would be the lowest possible return on my investment…that's why, despite receiving their journal every month for years, I have never wanted to run an ad. The ad would reach thousands of professionals, about 20% of whom are my prospects. Those 20%, like me, are too damn busy to rip open the polybag and read the journal on 6 months out of 12. So why would I pay 10k to reach 2M people at the outside, who have barely time to skim the pages and then run out to the next deadline? (Yes, I know my prospects are that busy. When I email them at 10 p.m. they reply. I think they should unionize.)

By contrast, I can pull together even a fairly pricy direct mail package and reach the exact same people…the list is commercially available…for half the cost of advertising. And I can personalize and segment my message in a way that space advertising cannot. Ah, yes, that is why I love direct mail even after spending my first career in advertising. What I am looking for is my business solution: How to reach key targets in a practical, cost-effective way. I will hear out the salespeople who can show me the solutions, not the product.

This sales message is just as important for nonprofits. Don't think Major Gift cultivation is not selling…it most certainly is. If you do it right, you are giving people an opportunity to buy back their own souls. Likewise, you may be selling membership in a trade organization: Are you not offering them a golden road to their own better future? Nobody wants a membership. They want a better future.

And that is the most important thing to remember when selling, whether in person or by campaign: People don't buy what they need. They buy what they want. If you don't believe me, go to the city where you'll find people who can't pay their rent, but they have tattoos and order pizzas. Tattoos are a decoration; take-out anything is a luxury, when for under $2.50 in most of America you can make a modest meal for 4 (eggs and toast — a nod to the American Egg Board for promoting what is still the best nutritional value on earth). This, to me, is living proof that people will buy what they want, not what they need.

So getting back to my inbox: How about an email that says, "Let's touch base when the dust settles. I'd love to hear more about what you do. Maybe there is even a way we can work together. But most of all, it was great to meet you."? Because what I want right now is time to breathe before I decide. If you give me that courtesy, I might like your brand just a little better than the next one.

We sometimes encounter people, in businesses of every size, who are new to the marketing function and need to learn how to manage relationships. This can be especially tricky when the relationship is with an in-house marketing department.

We all read and consume advertisements and marketing daily. This leads most people to feel that they are qualified to direct creative work. And maybe they are: maybe their intuitions and tastes perfectly match those of their target audience. But such is not always the case.

When I started work at the American Diabetes Association, I was not new to marketing, only to ADA. The membership control package was hideous. I mean, really ugly, and the teaser was awful. I didn't like it, and I'm sure my predecessor didn't. That did not stop the package from winning dozens of tests over the years.

When I did finally beat the control, I tested a 4c litho package down to a 4c flexo (remember flexo?) version and from there to 2c. Each cheaper, uglier version won over the last, until finally my control had reduced costs by $250k…which we promptly spent to mail more, growing the society 35% during my tenure.

So, as many nonprofits know, sometimes ugly works.

Now, back to managing your agency, whether internal or external. If you love everything they put out, terrific. But once in a while you may see something that you don't like. Here's how to react.

Rule #1:

Remember that your writers, artists, production managers, etc. are real human beings. If you don't like their work, or you don't like them, or you can't think of any other reason such as the Golden Rule, remember that one day one of them may have to make the decision of whether to save you from a burning building, or they may be in a position to help you get a nice new job/raise/whatever. Make the emotional investment. When you don't like something, be civilized in how you express it. It's hard to get good work from someone you continually berate.

I knew a copy chief once who would walk into a writer's office and ask, "Whattaya, stupid?" Such charm. Not promotable, either. Don't be that person.

Rule #2

There is an infinite number of ways to skin a cat. If you don't like concept A, then don't just ask for something different or you can get B to the 97th power of more things you don't like. What didn't you like? What do you feel you need? How do you feel it is ineffective? Listen, also, to what your people explain. I have challenged some talented people in my day just by saying I'm not sure how something will be perceived. Then I listen. When I hear the thought process and multiple people concur, I have to let go. I've held my breath during the release, but I haven't been wrong yet.

Rule #3

An hour of planning together will pay off in eliminating weeks of revisions. If you feel strongly about directing creative work yourself, all you need to do is say so and plan a brainstorming session in which you hear and approve ideas first. Planning is one area that too few clients take time with; in fact their lack of time is often why they hire us to begin with.

Spending even a half hour in conversation will help you either to have a comfort level with the creative team's ideas, or be able to express where you see things going. It will save you countless headaches when you are coming up on deadline, and a fortune in revision fees.

As a corollary to this: When you just need a line or two changed because it doesn't sit right with you, just change it. Sending people back for 100 ways to rewrite 12 words is just silly. We once had a client rewrite a single paragraph postcard several times…it's 5 sentences, but as the six sentences blog has proven, there is still an infinite number of ways to write it…right or wrong.

As a young copywriter, I discovered that every week our store would have a new dress shirt on sale for men. Every week. 52 shirt ads a year. I discovered ways to differentiate: I counted threads per inch, inspected the buttons for evidence of being made of real shell, was it oxford cloth or broadcloth, buttondown or spread collar— Not only did I write 52 ads a year, and 52 more the next, and the next, but so did 10,000 other writers for 10,000 other stores and catalogs. There is an infinite number of ways to say something.

Your agency expects you to edit their copy, not just send it back to be rewritten, reread, and resent back for more rewrites. Remember, you're paying for their expertise…when you've written your edits, they can polish the wording for you.

Rule #4

Let go. Letting go is a difficult thing for anyone with a revenue stream responsibility. It's even harder for someone with a lot of background…whether design or copy or product management…to let go; we are accountable for the results or the brand, and we don't want to let go. It's ok to be nervous when you're doing something new…just recognize it, take a deep breath, get some neutral (NEUTRAL) opinions, or just walk away for an hour or a day and look at it freshly tomorrow.

I distinctly remember the first time I had heart problems. I was moving a million piece mailing to a new control. Gulp! Why am I nervous, I asked myself I listed all the reasons why I had made the decision, listed all the pros and the cons, and made the decision all over again. I have had to do this twice…once I reversed my decision on press (ouch) due to updated reports on the previous test; the second time, I stuck with the change and it was the best decision I ever made…our average response rates popped up over 5%.

Rule #5

Lead. Don't do. You're in charge. Remember that a true leader hires people who know what they are doing, and then lets them do it. Just because you would do it differently doesn't mean that your way is better. If you allow your team to take initiative, they just may make you look like a hero.

In this technological age, businesses and individuals alike suffer from advances that seem to be moving faster than light. Just as you buy an iPhone (the last big thing) a new one comes along; before you pay off the $1800 laptop an improved one is available for $600. As I catch up with tech purchases I've been behind on, my capitalist heart goes out to the companies that must struggle even more with the pricing: the manufacturers.

As friends know, I move in a circle of associations and nonprofits. Hence the title of this entry. In associations, it's not usually tech vs. better tech, but how to move straight to rockets from the horse and buggy. Even the largest organizations with the biggest budgets operate with frugal constraints, and it can be hard to convince a volunteer board why it will cost XX (often topping a million dollars) to create a new website that will enable dynamic order processing, event registration, member interaction, etc. Boards are active in their organization and don't always think like the "average" member, so they don't realize the scope of problems encountered by members navigating a site that has evolved organically from its 1995 origins. They don't realize the encumbrance placed on an eager new member when they have to download a form, fill in a credit card, and fax it back, so a human can hand-capture the purchase. (Hint: the fax better be in a locked room to comply with bankcard requirements.) There are organizations that don't even allow that ….you apply, and a staff member or committee decide how much you should pay, and then send you a bill, and then you send in the payment, maybe, or maybe you postpone that part until 3 or 5 months go by and you get the journal for free in the meantime perhaps, and then you decide not to pay, and then maybe someone takes you off the rolls but you probably still get the e-newsletter because frankly, there isn't enough staff or any updated management system to coordinate all these efforts.

Then someone calls me because the membership retention is down…

I think the hardest pill for association executives to swallow is believing that things can change, that a business case can be made for improving processes. Because Board members and other volunteers are an organization's greatest evangelists, they deserve to envision their organization as the modern center of its field. Once in a while, at least once a year, help them overcome gravity by painting a picture of what it would look like…before a competing organization does.

With that in mind, look forward to the launch of the Social Networking and Media Association, which promises to set an example of just how far into the stratosphere associations will need to go in order to trump what the internet can do without them. Kudos to Andy Steggles for giving legs to the vision.

With apologies to Puff Daddy, in any business but especially associations and nonprofits… it's all about the benefits.

I think on the association membership side we "know" this, yet a great many of the materials and websites we see are not truly benefit-oriented. We need to remember that the first step to joining is that membership (or any product) solves a problem or provides pleasure — we need or want it.

I know, marketing 101 you'll say. But what have you mailed lately? Does your copy talk about how big and authoritative the society is? How much it has accomplished? How cited the journal is? Then it may not be spinning these as benefits to the member. The most "selling" word in advertising is NOT "free", as many claim….it is "you".

YOU are connected to over 15,000 colleagues…YOU have the benefit of our achievements in advocacy…YOU can trust this authoritative journal. You could be just a few turns of a phrase away from higher response rates.

Many organizations mistakenly present themselves in the same compartmentalization by which they manage operations. Trust me, for the customer there is only one organization.

When is the last time you called a service company and were sent to another department, and another? Or searched in the grocery store aisles for a product you knew was there but they categorized it differently than you do? (My favorite examples for this are canned milk, B&M brown bread, and Crosse&Blackwell mincemeat…try it some time for a laugh.)

This happens to members all the time. It doesn't help that nonprofit administration varies from company to company, so anyone who is a member of multiple organizations does not inherently have an easier time knowing who is in charge of their member record or how to find out about upcoming calls for papers.

So for the time period that you are thinking about your member value proposition, you need to leave the silos behind and think like a stranger. What are all the benefits you would enjoy if only you were a member? Would you hear about educational and grant opportunities first? Even if these are not member-only benefits, shouldn't that connection get the information out to members earlier? Of course it should. So that is another benefit.

This is why I recommend that before you feel you must add more benefits, you review, with fresh eyes and some neutral friends, how you currently present the ones you have.

On the fundraising side, whether you have a donor/member model or your association has a foundation that members may donate to, you are still going to have to present some benefits. As generous as Bill Gates may be, he's still going to look at getting the most bang for his buck.

And that means more than a tax deduction.

This is where the accomplishments of your organization or foundation really can turn into benefits for the donor:

45 new wells were dug in rural Africa with our donor's help last year.

5,453 adults began the road to literacy last year, and another 3,000 mastered their GED after years in the program.

Lives are saved…changed…enriched.

With many foundations, the security of a profession is a benefit. Scholarships ensure that 300 high school students will explore chemistry in a real lab this summer…this matters to passionate chemistry professionals.

But the benefits of a donation have to be emotionally important, important enough to become a priority for my limited charitable dollars.