DATABASE SCREAMS!
The DMSI e-NEWSLETTER... Rants and raves from the database pros at DMSI.

In This Issue:

Dear Friends,

We have met the enemy, and it is us! Much is said about the "technology integration" challenges we face in marketing. To kick off 2005, Olivia Parr-Rud focuses on the "people" challenges in making technology work for us.

Also, there is new news with our WiseGuys Marketing Software. Read on for a feature article published in InsideDirectMail magazine - and a new WiseGuys interface with Constant Contact software. Finally, catalog folks will not want to miss Ernie Schell's conference in New Orleans March 3-4th.

As always, please let us know how we can fit into your database plans!

Bruce Gregoire,
President and founder,
Desktop Marketing Solutions, Inc (DMSI)

Adjunct Professor, Marketing Information Systems
Johns Hopkins University Graduate School

Bridging the Gap in 2005
By C. Olivia Parr-Rud
This month, Olivia Parr-Rud, a frequent contributor to the DMSI e-newsletter, focuses on the non-technical issues in technology implementation:

Every year, companies spend millions of dollars on information technology to capture, store, manipulate, and analyze data. Generally, these huge investments are aimed at increasing profits through improved acquisition and CRM. Yet many companies have not seen the promised return on investment. Why? Because they fail to adapt their management structure and corporate culture to support and leverage these new opportunities.

Why is all this information technology necessary? We know that as markets become saturated, the cost of finding new customers rises. To increase company profits, many companies are looking at expanding the number of products and services they offer. This allows them to grow profits through their existing customer base through cross-selling and up-selling. However, to do this effectively, many companies are shifting from a product-centric 'silo' structure to a customer-centric '360º view' structure. Developing and managing a successful customer-centric operation requires advanced technology and data management that links each customer to every data element and touchpoint.

So what can be done to insure that these investments generate returns? This is what is needed:

Effective Communication
For the most part, marketers speak a different language than information technologists. Yet to launch a campaign or analyze results, they must work together. Skills in areas such as "active listening" and "giving and receiving feedback" can greatly improve the synergy between these two groups.

Flexibility
Rapid changes in markets and technology have turned flexibility and adaptability into essential core competencies. Large companies with rigid structures are experiencing the most challenges in adapting their practices to new ways of doing business. Smaller companies have an advantage as they seek strategic partnerships to enable growth while maintaining focus.

Clarity
Employees with a clear understanding of their role, their personal goals and the company goals are much more capable of making valuable contributions. Dispersing knowledge and empowering employees is the new model for fostering rapid expansion.

Cooperation
Inherent in everything discussed so far, cooperation needs to be expanded to encourage a win/win environment. Managers who work cooperatively with other managers can provide the best combination of products and services to their customers. In addition to meeting the needs of employees, a cooperative model optimizes our relationship to our communities and the planet.

Learning, engaging and encouraging these competencies leads to a cohesive company environment with the ability to adapt and grow while meeting the demands of a fast changing marketplace. Leaders who empower their employees with these skills and values will reap the rewards through sustainable expansion.

Learn More: C. Olivia Parr-Rud, author of Data Mining Cookbook (Wiley 2001), has over 23 years in the database marketing industry with a 13-year emphasis in data mining, modeling and segmentation for a variety of industries. In addition to data mining consulting, she offers coaching, team-building and leadership training for the information age. She can be reached through her web site at www.OliviaGroup.com
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WiseGuys^TM featured in "Inside Direct Mail" trade journal
WiseGuys^TM Marketing Software is featured in the Jan. 2005 issue of Inside Direct Mail (Last year, WiseGuys debuted in Catalog Age magazine). The current article, titled "Data at your Fingertips", displays a side-by-side comparison with similar marketing applications. One key fact was overlooked: WiseGuys is the least expensive of all alternatives!

An abstract of the article is as follows: "Desktop Marketing offers (this) marketing analysis software that links to a marketer's order entry system. Written in Microsoft Access, it automatically households files, segments customers into quintiles and assigns RFM scores to customer records. Users can apply lifetime value analysis to identify profitable customer segments and conduct response analysis to measure the effectiveness of direct marketing campaigns."

Learn More: To check out the article, visit www.InsideDirectMail.com
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WiseGuys^TM links to Constant Contact® email service
New in 2005: WiseGuys Marketing Software can now interface directly with the popular Constant Contact® email broadcasting service. Constant Contact® has become recognized as the leading web-based email marketing service for small businesses and associations. (If you have not witnessed the prospecting capabilities of Constant Contact, you are in for a real treat!)

What this interface means to WiseGuys users is simple: 1-2-3 Point and click simplicity.

1. Target your customers with WiseGuys^TM slicing and dicing in the usual fashion. Select a specific customer or prospect segment to receive a specific message.
2. Then, in a few seconds, WiseGuys^TM automatically creates a standardized Constant Contact® CSV file, without needless reformatting.
3. Import the CSV file into Constant Contact®, and you are ready for immediate broadcast. The entire process may take only minutes instead of hours or days - allowing you maximum flexibility in creating your email campaigns!

Learn More: Call DMSI offices and ask for a free demo: (703) 941-8109. Better yet, if you are a user of Mail Order Manager, take advantage of our special offer: Request a demo prior to Feb. 14th, and we will use your own data as part of the Demo!
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eCommerce & Catalog Systems Forum - Conference in New Orleans March 3-4
Attention Catalog Pros: Announcing an Important Catalog Conference in New Orleans: Mark your calendar now for the 2005 Annual Conference of the eCSForum, March 3 - 4 in New Orleans at the magnificent Hotel Monteleone, in the heart of the historic French Quarter. The theme of the conference is "Getting IT Together: Enabling Solutions for the Multi-channel Enterprise"

This is THE professional networking opportunity for everyone who selects or manages direct commerce systems and services for:

• Multi-channel order management
• Warehouse management
• Satabase marketing and analysis
• VoiceOverIP
• New Technologies (RFID, mCommerce)
• Payment processing

How Desktop Marketing Solutions, Inc. can help you!
DMSI is a full-service resource for database marketing software, programming, installation and applications. Whether you're considering a new software system or just need help assessing your current one, DMSI can help. The staff at DMSI offer the rare combination of database know-how and direct marketing expertise. Our niche is small to mid-size organizations who need the power of advanced database techniques to grow their business. We provide software product installation and customization for "best of breed" marketing database and CRM packages.

And now, pick up the phone! One call gets you 15 minutes of Free Database Advice
Step 1: Call DMSI offices anytime at (703) 941-8109
Step 2: "Ask the Experts" at DMSI - give us your toughest database question.
Step 3: No charge - no obligation. 15 minutes may be all the help you need to start solving your marketing database problem.
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