"Pounds on Wood" wrote in message
...

You could do what I do - mail it back. No check, no check mark, certainly
no book, just an envelope full of their crap and whatever other daily junk
mail I can fit in it. In fact, one of my favorite hobbies is mailing junk
mail back to the sender in their prepaid envelopes. It doesn't help
reduce
the junkmail, the senders are too stupid to get the hint, but it does give
me a satisfied feeling. For a second or two.


LOL, Of all the mail out solicitations, American Express simply does not get
it. I bet I have mailed back at least 75 blank applications to them this
year alone with the words Remove from Mailing List. I get 3 to 4 per week
from them alone.

"A.J. Hamler" wrote:

If any of the numerous invoices I've received had an option that
said: "I'm not returning this unsolicited book, not paying for it
and want you to stop sending me these invoices"; I'd have checked it
and sent the invoice back.

They did not include that option because they were not invoices.

A.J.



I'd be interested in seeing a scan of the alleged 'Invoice' or the
alleged 'Not An Invoice'. Any takers?

"Lobby Dosser" wrote in message


I'd be interested in seeing a scan of the alleged 'Invoice' or the
alleged 'Not An Invoice'. Any takers?

Agree. I sent mine back. I don't recall the wording, but it sure had the
'look and feel" of a bill. Someone has to have one.

In article ,
alexy wrote:
"Leon" wrote:


"Dave Balderstone" wrote in message
rstone.ca...
Waste is factored into the price of EVERYTHING that EVERYBODY f'ing
markets.

I see your point, I think you are missing my point. There are hundreds of
cost factors that go in to determine the price of something you will buy.
THIS METHOD OF MARKETING however points out to the consumer one of those
"wasteful" cost factors and throws it in the consumers face. When the
buying public sees such an obvious fixable waste on an item that he may
consider buying he should be insulted to think that this type marketing has
picked him to be the dummy thinking that he will not not realise that he is
the one paying for those that do not pay.

Once again, you are assuming facts not in evidence. I am not saying
that you are wrong, just that I see no evidence that you are right.
Let's work a little example:

Assume that the fixed cost for the book writing, editing, graphic
design, setting up the presses, etc. is $200,000.
Assume that marginal printing cost is $5 per book (cost of paper, ink,
electricity, postage)
Assume they target 100,000 customers with their marketing campaign.

Scenario 1: wasteful (according to you) approach:
Print 100,000 books
Total cost: $200,000 + 100,000*$5 = $700,000
Hit rate from this approach 50%
Paying customers: 100,000 *.5 = 50,000
Cost per paid-for book: $14
Gross Profit if sold for $20 per book: 50,000*($20-$14)=$300,000

Scenario 2: more economical (according to you) approach:
100,000 letters sent
Hit rate from this approach 20%
20,000 books printed (NO WASTE!)
Cost: $200,000 + 20,000*$5 = $300,000
Cost per book: $15
Gross profit if sold for $25 per book: 20,000*($25-$15)=$200,000

So with the waste-free approach in this example, even if the publisher
raises the price by $5, he makes less money!

Note that I am NOT claiming that these scenarios are close to the real
thing--I am just pointing out that there is not enough info here to
accept your theory that their approach leads to higher costs for the
book buyer.

And I have a sneaky suspicion that if I were in the publishing
business, I WOULD know these costs and response rates, and would use
the approach that would generate the best return.

Your estimates of the 'hit' percentages are high, for both methods.
The _relative_ difference is much larger than your estimates, however.

*Very* few people buy 'reference'-type books 'sight unseen', with the
exception of 'standard' works -- e.g. the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary.

Getting the sample into the prospect's hands increases the sale rate
by a factor of somewhere 25 to 40 times.

Pounds on Wood wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
...

This is my gripe too. If any of the numerous invoices I've received
had an option that said: "I'm not returning this unsolicited book,
not paying for it and want you to stop sending me these invoices";
I'd have checked it and sent the invoice back.




You could do what I do - mail it back. No check, no check mark, certainly
no book, just an envelope full of their crap and whatever other daily junk
mail I can fit in it. In fact, one of my favorite hobbies is mailing junk
mail back to the sender in their prepaid envelopes. It doesn't help reduce
the junkmail, the senders are too stupid to get the hint, but it does give
me a satisfied feeling. For a second or two.

--
Bill Pounds
http://www.billpounds.com/woodshop




It didn't come with a prepaid envelope, and I wasn't going to waste my
$0.37.

Glen