Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
I Advice - Keeping Your Mailing List Clean and Efficient
Science works fast, especially when it comes to adhesives. A few years back, the BBC Wildlife magazine published a little story on gecko lizards. They referred to the little creatures as cling kings because they’re known to cling to surfaces even when the surface is held upside down. The year was 2002, and scientists were just beginning to speculate that the trick wasn’t in what appeared to be little suction cups on their toes and feet as had always been believed. In fact, the scientists continued, those little suction pads were too small to generate enough suction to adhere them to any surface. No, suction didn’t account for the adhesive quality of the little gecko.Nor, apparently, did capillary action, nor static electricity. In fact, the article concluded, the gecko sticks to surfaces by molecular adhesion. And that adhesive is strong. Scientists estimate that a gecko’s adhesive would stay adhered to the ceiling even if it were wearing a 40kg rucksack on its back. Over the past several years, scientists in various industrial adhesives laboratories have been trying to figure out exactly how this effect works, and how to duplicate it. Now it appears that it’s been done. Scientists at BAE Systems, an aeronautics and defence firm, have created an adhesive that they call Synthetic Gecko, and that others are referring to as ‘gecko
In addition to removing duplicate names within your house list, match this list against any outside lists you use.
The popular term for this is "merge/purge" which means matching two or more mailing lists (usually by electronic means) to remove duplication and make sure that each name receives only one mailing.
Basically, merge/purge is accomplished through use of a match code. Match codes can take the form of many different combinations. Some match codes eliminate all the vowels in the name and address, while others pick up certain characters from certain fields. The match code is made up of the same characters for each name on the lists, and fully and uniquely identifies that name. When lists are matched against each other, duplicate match codes indicate that the same name exists on more than one list.
When you hire a firm to run a merge/purge, try to find out how they identify duplicates, and if you can, set up a test with more than one service bureau to find out whose program best fits your needs.
Another concept to consider when trying to identify duplicates is "overkill" vs. "underkill." If the match code includes too many characters, possible duplicates will not be caught. This is called underkill. On the other hand, if the match code is too loose, names which are not duplicates will be recognized as duplicates (overkill).
Finding duplicates is really an art. How do you catch a match of an individual where one list says he lives at 505 7th St., and another has him living at 505 Seventh St.? Even worse, is Jean Smith, who lives at 510 Main St. the same person as the Jane Smith living at 501 Main St.? How you answer depends on whether you prefer overkill or underkill.
It's a bigger problem when running a merge/purge for businesses. Not only do you have to worry about name and address fields, but now you may n
I look back on my career and I see with perfect hindsight how shortsighted I was in handling certain customer relationships.I’ve done it all.I’ve “fired” clients that have told little lies to me. I’ve failed to stay in contact with past clients. I’ve deliberately not used certain clients as references because I didn’t want to make them feel important, or give them any influence over my career.The list goes on.And because of my failings and miscues I’m in a good position to notice when others are being shortsighted or foolish with me.Recently, a travel company didn’t want to give me a refund because I had to reschedule a trip.I had already spent a good amount of money with this online entity, but it insisted on dinging me a huge amount for changing my plans. Obviously, it couldn’t see that I travel quite a lot, and the future value of my patronage far outstripped the amount they were penalizing me.I got more than filled up on appetizers at a restaurant that I have frequented for more than a dozen years, and I flagged the server and asked if we could cancel the entr?e. A full twenty minutes later she said it was too late to do it, and “You can always take it home with you.”Clearly, it didn’t take twenty minutes to cook a steak. There was plenty of time to cancel it, but that would
THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING A CLEAN AND EFFICIENT LIST
What makes a list clean and efficient? Lists are clean and efficient when they are:
* accurate.
* current (up-to-date).
* as free of duplicate names as possible.
* maintained with complete data.
Keeping lists clean and efficient requires a constant effort. The average mailing list begins to go out of date as soon as it is compiled. Industry studies have shown that the average consumer list changes approximately 20 percent a year. Business lists change a bit more slowly: about 18 percent a year. But individual names within a business can change much more frequently.
The source of the list will often determine how frequently it is updated.
At best, lists compiled from Yellow or White Pages will only be as up-to-date as three to six months prior to the publication schedule of the directory. This is usually on an annual basis but may be once every two or even three years. Mail order buyer lists could have a higher degree of accuracy because part of normal business is maintaining correct information about customers.
Don't assume that a list is clean just because you bought it from a fellow business owner. Most of the best kept lists are made up of mail order buyers, those buyer lists which are poorly maintained represent some of the worst lists. Always try to see and test a portion of the list before you mail it in total.
Because mailing lists change so quickly, it is important to commit the necessary resources to keep your own lists current and correct. Lists that aren't properly maintained can be harmful and costly to your business or organization in several ways. For example:
1. You're wasting postage and printing dollars if the mailings are incorrectly addressed or if there are duplicate names on your file or if they have moved.
2. The database information is not kept current, you may not be mailing as efficiently as you could be.
3. You may be losing out on potential business if you cannot reliably get the mailing pieces to target audiences due to out-of-date or otherwise incorrect addresses.
4. You are damaging your image with your customers. Misspellings and out-of-date information reflect poorly on the organization - if the mailing reaches its destination.
5. Duplicate names can lead you to understate the response rate.
The response you actually get may be much better than the numbers show. This
can have an effect on future mailing plans since you believe that the
response you are getting is much lower than it actually is.
The key to keeping a list clean and efficient is to establish procedures for making daily changes to your list. Develop a carefully planned, closely followed, regular updating program. In the next sections, we will discuss ideas for setting up a daily updating system, then give steps that should be included in any regular monitoring program.
KEEPING YOUR HOUSE LIST ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE ON A CONTINUING BASIS
Establishing an ongoing updating system is the most effective way to stay on top of changes to the customer mailing list. Customers are your easiest, most reliable source for keeping a customer list continuously current. Enlist their cooperation by including a request for updated information with each mailing sent. Here are some possible ways to make the request:
1. If you use an order form with a label affixed, request that customers change any incorrect information.
2. If you provide a return envelope which includes space for the recipient to write in a return address, below these lines provide a "key" that indicates that address information should be updated. The key could look like this:
[ ] Check here if this is a new address.
Record and maintain each transaction with a customer so that you can keep the important recency, frequency, and monetary value data current for each customer.
There are other database fields that may change frequently or with each
transaction. These fields should be incorporated into any system you developed
for continuous updating of the mailing list/database. If the audience is made up
of individuals of businesses, here are some fields you will want to monitor and
update on a regular basis:
*Credit Status Code: This code is based on the customer's payment history. Each time a customer orders, information about how long he takes to pay, and how he pays is generated. This data should be used to update his account. Credit status codes should also be evaluated and updated on a monthly basis.
* Items Ordered: Keeping this information current will help uncover opportunities where you may be able to sell related products or supplies to that customer. This information can be updated on a monthly basis.
*Date of Last Order: This information is used for recency and monetary value calculations. It can be updated on a monthly or quarterly basis.
*Name and Address: This information should be verified and updated at the time a customer orders.
*Title or Name of Contact: This information should be verified and updated at the time of order.
*Date of Last Contact: This field should be updated at the time of contact - either the last date this name was mailed or the last date a sales call was made.
If you are maintaining this information on a microcomputer, much of this
information could be automatically updated.
PERIODIC REVIEWS OF YOUR HOUSE LIST
In addition to making ongoing changes as necessary to individual records on your list, you should periodically review the entire list or portions of it and make all changes necessary to update and correct your list. Below is a variety of methods to consider including in your regular "list-cleaning" program:
1. Again, your customers are your best source for verifying changes to your list or database. For example:
* You may want to send a mailing which has the sole purpose of updating and correcting the list. The mailing could consist of a business reply card with an address label affixed to it. Below the label, insert such check boxes as:
[ ] Please update my account as noted on the label.
[ ] Addressee no longer here. Please remove name from the list.
*You may also want to conduct a mail or phone survey (depending on the size of the list), to update the demographic information about the audience.
2.The U.S. Postal Service provides several programs that your organization can use to periodically clean the list. Contact your local postmaster for full details.
ELIMINATING DUPLICATES
In addition to keeping the mailing list correct and up-to-date, make sure that it is as free of duplicate names as possible. This involved two steps:
1. Removing duplicate names from your customer list.
2. Eliminating duplicate names between and among the customer, prospect, or suspect lists you use.
The techniques used to remove duplicate names from your house list depend largely on the size of the list and how it is maintained:
*If the list is small enough, you can catch many duplicates by sorting the list in zip code or alphabetical order and "eyeballing" it *If the list is stored on a microcomputer, you can sort it by one variable and then use the eyeball approach to spot the duplicates. Possible variables for ordering the list include last name, company name, address or telephone number.
*For large lists of more than 10,000 names, you may want to consider hiring a computer service bureau to "de-dupe" (eliminate duplicate from) the list using one of their specifically designed software programs. If you are renting lists, and your own list is automated, ask that the service bureau perform an "own customer" elimination as part of their service. Names of service bureaus in your area can be obtained from the Direct Marketing Association.
In addition to removing duplicate names within your house list, match this list against any outside lists you use.
The popular term for this is "merge/purge" which means matching two or more mailing lists (usually by electronic means) to remove duplication and make sure that each name receives only one mailing.
Basically, merge/purge is accomplished through use of a match code. Match codes can take the form of many different combinations. Some match codes eliminate all the vowels in the name and address, while others pick up certain characters from certain fields. The match code is made up of the same characters for each name on the lists, and fully and uniquely identifies that name. When lists are matched against each other, duplicate match codes indicate that the same name exists on more than one list.
When you hire a firm to run a merge/purge, try to find out how they identify duplicates, and if you can, set up a test with more than one service bureau to find out whose program best fits your needs.
Another concept to consider when trying to identify duplicates is "overkill" vs. "underkill." If the match code includes too many characters, possible duplicates will not be caught. This is called underkill. On the other hand, if the match code is too loose, names which are not duplicates will be recognized as duplicates (overkill).
Finding duplicates is really an art. How do you catch a match of an individual where one list says he lives at 505 7th St., and another has him living at 505 Seventh St.? Even worse, is Jean Smith, who lives at 510 Main St. the same person as the Jane Smith living at 501 Main St.? How you answer depends on whether you prefer overkill or underkill.
It's a bigger problem when running a merge/purge for businesses. Not only do you have to worry about name and address fields, but now you may ne
Winning in the marketplace means many things. Some define it by corporate growth, profitability, and market leadership. Others look to employee loyalty, industry honors, and favorable media headlines as evidence of their accomplishments. Given recent media coverage about extreme examples of corporate malfeasance, some leaders today define success as running an organization with shipshape governance and squeaky clean corporate ethics.No matter how you define a win, the cornerstones for creating a successful organization include:• Bold aspirations for success • Clearly-defined and commonly-shared goals • Team behavior governed by strong ethics and core values • Leadership’s attention focused on the success of team membersThis requires a corporate culture to which people are excited to belong and perform within. Combined, these ingredients create the secret sauce that positions any organization to succeed in the marketplace. So, what’s the secret sauce that holds your team together? Ask these questions to find out:Is the vision clear? To achieve a goal or grow a business, there first needs to be a clear vision for what success looks like so leaders can walk the talk and serve as engaged change agents throughout the evolution. Determine what it is that your organization does best and how y
2. The database information is not kept current, you may not be mailing as efficiently as you could be.
3. You may be losing out on potential business if you cannot reliably get the mailing pieces to target audiences due to out-of-date or otherwise incorrect addresses.
4. You are damaging your image with your customers. Misspellings and out-of-date information reflect poorly on the organization - if the mailing reaches its destination.
5. Duplicate names can lead you to understate the response rate.
The response you actually get may be much better than the numbers show. This
can have an effect on future mailing plans since you believe that the
response you are getting is much lower than it actually is.
The key to keeping a list clean and efficient is to establish procedures for making daily changes to your list. Develop a carefully planned, closely followed, regular updating program. In the next sections, we will discuss ideas for setting up a daily updating system, then give steps that should be included in any regular monitoring program.
KEEPING YOUR HOUSE LIST ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE ON A CONTINUING BASIS
Establishing an ongoing updating system is the most effective way to stay on top of changes to the customer mailing list. Customers are your easiest, most reliable source for keeping a customer list continuously current. Enlist their cooperation by including a request for updated information with each mailing sent. Here are some possible ways to make the request:
1. If you use an order form with a label affixed, request that customers change any incorrect information.
2. If you provide a return envelope which includes space for the recipient to write in a return address, below these lines provide a "key" that indicates that address information should be updated. The key could look like this:
[ ] Check here if this is a new address.
Record and maintain each transaction with a customer so that you can keep the important recency, frequency, and monetary value data current for each customer.
There are other database fields that may change frequently or with each
transaction. These fields should be incorporated into any system you developed
for continuous updating of the mailing list/database. If the audience is made up
of individuals of businesses, here are some fields you will want to monitor and
update on a regular basis:
*Credit Status Code: This code is based on the customer's payment history. Each time a customer orders, information about how long he takes to pay, and how he pays is generated. This data should be used to update his account. Credit status codes should also be evaluated and updated on a monthly basis.
* Items Ordered: Keeping this information current will help uncover opportunities where you may be able to sell related products or supplies to that customer. This information can be updated on a monthly basis.
*Date of Last Order: This information is used for recency and monetary value calculations. It can be updated on a monthly or quarterly basis.
*Name and Address: This information should be verified and updated at the time a customer orders.
*Title or Name of Contact: This information should be verified and updated at the time of order.
*Date of Last Contact: This field should be updated at the time of contact - either the last date this name was mailed or the last date a sales call was made.
If you are maintaining this information on a microcomputer, much of this
information could be automatically updated.
PERIODIC REVIEWS OF YOUR HOUSE LIST
In addition to making ongoing changes as necessary to individual records on your list, you should periodically review the entire list or portions of it and make all changes necessary to update and correct your list. Below is a variety of methods to consider including in your regular "list-cleaning" program:
1. Again, your customers are your best source for verifying changes to your list or database. For example:
* You may want to send a mailing which has the sole purpose of updating and correcting the list. The mailing could consist of a business reply card with an address label affixed to it. Below the label, insert such check boxes as:
[ ] Please update my account as noted on the label.
[ ] Addressee no longer here. Please remove name from the list.
*You may also want to conduct a mail or phone survey (depending on the size of the list), to update the demographic information about the audience.
2.The U.S. Postal Service provides several programs that your organization can use to periodically clean the list. Contact your local postmaster for full details.
ELIMINATING DUPLICATES
In addition to keeping the mailing list correct and up-to-date, make sure that it is as free of duplicate names as possible. This involved two steps:
1. Removing duplicate names from your customer list.
2. Eliminating duplicate names between and among the customer, prospect, or suspect lists you use.
The techniques used to remove duplicate names from your house list depend largely on the size of the list and how it is maintained:
*If the list is small enough, you can catch many duplicates by sorting the list in zip code or alphabetical order and "eyeballing" it *If the list is stored on a microcomputer, you can sort it by one variable and then use the eyeball approach to spot the duplicates. Possible variables for ordering the list include last name, company name, address or telephone number.
*For large lists of more than 10,000 names, you may want to consider hiring a computer service bureau to "de-dupe" (eliminate duplicate from) the list using one of their specifically designed software programs. If you are renting lists, and your own list is automated, ask that the service bureau perform an "own customer" elimination as part of their service. Names of service bureaus in your area can be obtained from the Direct Marketing Association.
In addition to removing duplicate names within your house list, match this list against any outside lists you use.
The popular term for this is "merge/purge" which means matching two or more mailing lists (usually by electronic means) to remove duplication and make sure that each name receives only one mailing.
Basically, merge/purge is accomplished through use of a match code. Match codes can take the form of many different combinations. Some match codes eliminate all the vowels in the name and address, while others pick up certain characters from certain fields. The match code is made up of the same characters for each name on the lists, and fully and uniquely identifies that name. When lists are matched against each other, duplicate match codes indicate that the same name exists on more than one list.
When you hire a firm to run a merge/purge, try to find out how they identify duplicates, and if you can, set up a test with more than one service bureau to find out whose program best fits your needs.
Another concept to consider when trying to identify duplicates is "overkill" vs. "underkill." If the match code includes too many characters, possible duplicates will not be caught. This is called underkill. On the other hand, if the match code is too loose, names which are not duplicates will be recognized as duplicates (overkill).
Finding duplicates is really an art. How do you catch a match of an individual where one list says he lives at 505 7th St., and another has him living at 505 Seventh St.? Even worse, is Jean Smith, who lives at 510 Main St. the same person as the Jane Smith living at 501 Main St.? How you answer depends on whether you prefer overkill or underkill.
It's a bigger problem when running a merge/purge for businesses. Not only do you have to worry about name and address fields, but now you may n
Any online marketing carries with it the risk of making mistakes – small and big. Tracking provides you with information on which parts of your business campaign has been successful and which hasn’t, along with the reasons as to why it failed. As with any Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign, typically site visitors will increase, sales shoot up and everything will seem to be going well. However, tracking your PPC campaign will provide you with better visibility and insight into your website and its inherent functionality. Then it becomes very easy for you to understand how your site visitors are using the website. No matter how good the site design, what determines future sales and strategic marketing campaigns, is consumer behavior on your site. Tracking helps provide you with these statistics.What needs to be tracked on the site is largely determined by what you want to obtain from your PPC campaign. If you are selling products online, it’s natural you want more sales out of your site. With a service-based site, you want to know how many enquiries you’re getting from site visitors. An efficient tracking system can provide you with valuable information about how to refine your campaign to maximize ROI. To ensure your business goal is achieved, you need to track your PPC campaign and your site traffic behavior.Nowadays several
[ ] Check here if this is a new address.
Record and maintain each transaction with a customer so that you can keep the important recency, frequency, and monetary value data current for each customer.
There are other database fields that may change frequently or with each
transaction. These fields should be incorporated into any system you developed
for continuous updating of the mailing list/database. If the audience is made up
of individuals of businesses, here are some fields you will want to monitor and
update on a regular basis:
*Credit Status Code: This code is based on the customer's payment history. Each time a customer orders, information about how long he takes to pay, and how he pays is generated. This data should be used to update his account. Credit status codes should also be evaluated and updated on a monthly basis.
* Items Ordered: Keeping this information current will help uncover opportunities where you may be able to sell related products or supplies to that customer. This information can be updated on a monthly basis.
*Date of Last Order: This information is used for recency and monetary value calculations. It can be updated on a monthly or quarterly basis.
*Name and Address: This information should be verified and updated at the time a customer orders.
*Title or Name of Contact: This information should be verified and updated at the time of order.
*Date of Last Contact: This field should be updated at the time of contact - either the last date this name was mailed or the last date a sales call was made.
If you are maintaining this information on a microcomputer, much of this
information could be automatically updated.
PERIODIC REVIEWS OF YOUR HOUSE LIST
In addition to making ongoing changes as necessary to individual records on your list, you should periodically review the entire list or portions of it and make all changes necessary to update and correct your list. Below is a variety of methods to consider including in your regular "list-cleaning" program:
1. Again, your customers are your best source for verifying changes to your list or database. For example:
* You may want to send a mailing which has the sole purpose of updating and correcting the list. The mailing could consist of a business reply card with an address label affixed to it. Below the label, insert such check boxes as:
[ ] Please update my account as noted on the label.
[ ] Addressee no longer here. Please remove name from the list.
*You may also want to conduct a mail or phone survey (depending on the size of the list), to update the demographic information about the audience.
2.The U.S. Postal Service provides several programs that your organization can use to periodically clean the list. Contact your local postmaster for full details.
ELIMINATING DUPLICATES
In addition to keeping the mailing list correct and up-to-date, make sure that it is as free of duplicate names as possible. This involved two steps:
1. Removing duplicate names from your customer list.
2. Eliminating duplicate names between and among the customer, prospect, or suspect lists you use.
The techniques used to remove duplicate names from your house list depend largely on the size of the list and how it is maintained:
*If the list is small enough, you can catch many duplicates by sorting the list in zip code or alphabetical order and "eyeballing" it *If the list is stored on a microcomputer, you can sort it by one variable and then use the eyeball approach to spot the duplicates. Possible variables for ordering the list include last name, company name, address or telephone number.
*For large lists of more than 10,000 names, you may want to consider hiring a computer service bureau to "de-dupe" (eliminate duplicate from) the list using one of their specifically designed software programs. If you are renting lists, and your own list is automated, ask that the service bureau perform an "own customer" elimination as part of their service. Names of service bureaus in your area can be obtained from the Direct Marketing Association.
In addition to removing duplicate names within your house list, match this list against any outside lists you use.
The popular term for this is "merge/purge" which means matching two or more mailing lists (usually by electronic means) to remove duplication and make sure that each name receives only one mailing.
Basically, merge/purge is accomplished through use of a match code. Match codes can take the form of many different combinations. Some match codes eliminate all the vowels in the name and address, while others pick up certain characters from certain fields. The match code is made up of the same characters for each name on the lists, and fully and uniquely identifies that name. When lists are matched against each other, duplicate match codes indicate that the same name exists on more than one list.
When you hire a firm to run a merge/purge, try to find out how they identify duplicates, and if you can, set up a test with more than one service bureau to find out whose program best fits your needs.
Another concept to consider when trying to identify duplicates is "overkill" vs. "underkill." If the match code includes too many characters, possible duplicates will not be caught. This is called underkill. On the other hand, if the match code is too loose, names which are not duplicates will be recognized as duplicates (overkill).
Finding duplicates is really an art. How do you catch a match of an individual where one list says he lives at 505 7th St., and another has him living at 505 Seventh St.? Even worse, is Jean Smith, who lives at 510 Main St. the same person as the Jane Smith living at 501 Main St.? How you answer depends on whether you prefer overkill or underkill.
It's a bigger problem when running a merge/purge for businesses. Not only do you have to worry about name and address fields, but now you may n
Over the past several years the use of web-based collaboration tools, such as web conferencing services and extranets, has grown dramatically in support of the increasing number of work groups with geographically dispersed members.These tools have allowed organizations to tap the resources of employees, consultants and vendors in real-time, regardless of their location. Additionally, they have dramatically decreased the cost of serving clients and made more accessible a larger universe of prospective customers.But at what cost? The danger is that reliance on these tools may reduce the power of personal contact. As the use of online collaboration to support relationships continues to grow, it is critical that organizations integrate a personal touch.One strategy is to re-invest the savings realized through the use of technology to support travel expenses for occasional personal meetings. This provides the best of both worlds: the ability to move projects forward more rapidly using technology, while exploiting the power of personal presence when required.The net effect is that the cost to serve work groups and customers remains the same. But the benefit is that the proper mix can propel organizations to maximum efficiency and profitability.Simply pocketing the savings realized through the use of web-ba
1. Again, your customers are your best source for verifying changes to your list or database. For example:
* You may want to send a mailing which has the sole purpose of updating and correcting the list. The mailing could consist of a business reply card with an address label affixed to it. Below the label, insert such check boxes as:
[ ] Please update my account as noted on the label.
[ ] Addressee no longer here. Please remove name from the list.
*You may also want to conduct a mail or phone survey (depending on the size of the list), to update the demographic information about the audience.
2.The U.S. Postal Service provides several programs that your organization can use to periodically clean the list. Contact your local postmaster for full details.
ELIMINATING DUPLICATES
In addition to keeping the mailing list correct and up-to-date, make sure that it is as free of duplicate names as possible. This involved two steps:
1. Removing duplicate names from your customer list.
2. Eliminating duplicate names between and among the customer, prospect, or suspect lists you use.
The techniques used to remove duplicate names from your house list depend largely on the size of the list and how it is maintained:
*If the list is small enough, you can catch many duplicates by sorting the list in zip code or alphabetical order and "eyeballing" it *If the list is stored on a microcomputer, you can sort it by one variable and then use the eyeball approach to spot the duplicates. Possible variables for ordering the list include last name, company name, address or telephone number.
*For large lists of more than 10,000 names, you may want to consider hiring a computer service bureau to "de-dupe" (eliminate duplicate from) the list using one of their specifically designed software programs. If you are renting lists, and your own list is automated, ask that the service bureau perform an "own customer" elimination as part of their service. Names of service bureaus in your area can be obtained from the Direct Marketing Association.
In addition to removing duplicate names within your house list, match this list against any outside lists you use.
The popular term for this is "merge/purge" which means matching two or more mailing lists (usually by electronic means) to remove duplication and make sure that each name receives only one mailing.
Basically, merge/purge is accomplished through use of a match code. Match codes can take the form of many different combinations. Some match codes eliminate all the vowels in the name and address, while others pick up certain characters from certain fields. The match code is made up of the same characters for each name on the lists, and fully and uniquely identifies that name. When lists are matched against each other, duplicate match codes indicate that the same name exists on more than one list.
When you hire a firm to run a merge/purge, try to find out how they identify duplicates, and if you can, set up a test with more than one service bureau to find out whose program best fits your needs.
Another concept to consider when trying to identify duplicates is "overkill" vs. "underkill." If the match code includes too many characters, possible duplicates will not be caught. This is called underkill. On the other hand, if the match code is too loose, names which are not duplicates will be recognized as duplicates (overkill).
Finding duplicates is really an art. How do you catch a match of an individual where one list says he lives at 505 7th St., and another has him living at 505 Seventh St.? Even worse, is Jean Smith, who lives at 510 Main St. the same person as the Jane Smith living at 501 Main St.? How you answer depends on whether you prefer overkill or underkill.
It's a bigger problem when running a merge/purge for businesses. Not only do you have to worry about name and address fields, but now you may n
Motivating individual franchisees in a franchise Company is very difficult work especially when these franchisees are all or operators and participate in the day-to-day operations other businesses. Having been founder of a franchise Company we always use creative ways to set the tone and motivating our franchisee team members during regional and annual meetings.Below is an excerpt from a regional team meeting speech, which I gave to one of our Midwest franchise group;“Your personal business goals can be achieved with lots of hard work on your part and still stay within our main System wide sales goal by letting us know which way you want to grow in your territory. If you are in a cold climate and want to change your market mix to include more of one type of washing than another, then tell us so we do not inadvertently over sell in your area services that are not on your top priority list.If you provide me this set of goals by the January 17 with your royalty payment, I will reduce the payment by $50.00 per page up to $350.00. You may submit more pages if you wish to help us understand your needs better. To help us best it will be good for you to include contact names of those accounts you want along with contact phone numbers and addresses. Even better would be for you to include pictures of the accounts when
In addition to removing duplicate names within your house list, match this list against any outside lists you use.
The popular term for this is "merge/purge" which means matching two or more mailing lists (usually by electronic means) to remove duplication and make sure that each name receives only one mailing.
Basically, merge/purge is accomplished through use of a match code. Match codes can take the form of many different combinations. Some match codes eliminate all the vowels in the name and address, while others pick up certain characters from certain fields. The match code is made up of the same characters for each name on the lists, and fully and uniquely identifies that name. When lists are matched against each other, duplicate match codes indicate that the same name exists on more than one list.
When you hire a firm to run a merge/purge, try to find out how they identify duplicates, and if you can, set up a test with more than one service bureau to find out whose program best fits your needs.
Another concept to consider when trying to identify duplicates is "overkill" vs. "underkill." If the match code includes too many characters, possible duplicates will not be caught. This is called underkill. On the other hand, if the match code is too loose, names which are not duplicates will be recognized as duplicates (overkill).
Finding duplicates is really an art. How do you catch a match of an individual where one list says he lives at 505 7th St., and another has him living at 505 Seventh St.? Even worse, is Jean Smith, who lives at 510 Main St. the same person as the Jane Smith living at 501 Main St.? How you answer depends on whether you prefer overkill or underkill.
It's a bigger problem when running a merge/purge for businesses. Not only do you have to worry about name and address fields, but now you may need to find matches with business names and individual titles. The key here is to determine up front how many names per firm you want to mail to.
The key to successful merge/purge is close monitoring. Watch the process from beginning to end. Have thorough written instructions, and make sure they are carried out.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.willuadd.com/article/30176/willuadd-Keeping-Your-Mailing-List-Clean-and-Efficient.html">Keeping Your Mailing List Clean and Efficient</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.willuadd.com/article/30176/willuadd-Keeping-Your-Mailing-List-Clean-and-Efficient.html]Keeping Your Mailing List Clean and Efficient[/url]
Related Articles:
Why Don't More People Claim Compensation?
What Type of Advertising is Most Effective?
John Deere and NASCAR; Excellent Use of Brand
Bookmark it:
|