48. Humanize yourself and your catalog by making it seem like the
catalog came from helpful, friendly people. If your business is
truly a "family business", don't hide that fact.

49. Watch your language! Avoid using technical "industry or
business jargon" in your selling and service copy; keep legal
phraseology to the absolute minimum in your guarantee.

50. Make your entire catalog harmonious in layout and copy style
but not monotonous. Include enough variety to keep the reader
interested instead of becoming bored.

51. Give your catalog a longer life by emphasizing the length of
time that you will be able to ship from it and suggesting that
readers keep the catalog for future reference.

52. Ask for referrals from your satisfied customers; also names
of friends who might like to receive a copy of the catalog.
Consider testing the "cluster concept" that neighbors are very
similar and mail to your customer's next-door neighbors.

53. Sell subscriptions to your catalog by providing a location on

the catalog for readers to remit 50 cents for a "full years
subscription to your catalog." You can also suggest that they
give a "gift subscription" to a friend very inexpensively (and
thus pay for the catalog you mail to the referral).

AFTER YOU CREATE YOUR NEW CATALOG...

54. Use the basic or major catalog to establish the value and
regular price of the merchandise. Use other, smaller catalogs or
solo mailings to promote sales from the major catalog or to
provide special reasons for buying (reduced prices on individual
items or special assortments, closeout, etc).

55. Ask the recipient to pass the catalog along to an interested
friend if the recipient already has a copy or is no longer
interested in this type of merchandise.

56. Re-mail the same catalog to your better customers 3 to 5
weeks after you mail it the first time.

57. Prepare an alternate cover for the catalog and mail the same
catalog to your entire list several weeks later. You'll find it
will do just about as well as the first mailing did.