The baby and the bathwater...

There are two ways to change things... little by little... or all at once.

Most successful direct mail programs are built on the "little by little" approach. Find a package that works, then tweak it, one element at a time. Keep the elements that improve the package. Remove the ones that don't.

Yet, sometimes it's easy to get frustrated with a slow decline in results... or bored with a package you've sent out "forever"... or tempted by the elusive silver bullet.

This is a fact. Most new packages don't work. Here's the reason. They completely ignore all the years of "little by little" intelligence gathered from actual responses. In order to make a bold move, everything gets thrown out.

So, if you're going to make a go of it, do it for the right reasons. Aim for the ideal, but know the difference between the baby and the bathwater. Approach your creative and strategic efforts with an analytical mind, solid reasoning, and strong evidence in front of you to ensure the best chance of success. Who knows, you just might find the treasure we all seek.