But unlike direct mail, you don’t ask for a response. Instead, tell recipient that you’ll be calling in about a week to talk about how you can help them. Then follow up with that phone call.

Now, instead of a mass mailing, you have a personal contact and beginnings of a relationship. This kind of letter will have double or even triple response rate of a typical mass mailing. Sure, it’s more time consuming, but that fact is what makes it work so well.

So what are you waiting for? Get personal!

By November, formerly “unbeatable” President was out of a job. That is power of a focused message.

Are your marketing communications that focused? Or do you have one message on radio, another in print, and still another online? If so, your messages are actually competing with each other instead of your competition.

But a wonderful thing happens when all of your “voices” are singing from same sheet of music: each strengthens other and together, they dramatically increase your business. You’re spending same amount of money, but getting vastly greater returns.

A focused message helped Governor of a small state defeat a President. It can help your smaller business obliterate large competition. That’s smarter marketing.