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Although there are some key differences between direct mail and e-mail, sometimes old direct mail tricks can work wonders in the relatively new e-mail channel. Case in point: in a recent test I did with a client, we added a Johnson Box to its e-mail control. It generated a 220 percent lift in response rate! Here's a brief overview of the results, Read More

For some companies a recession is a time to weather the storm; cut expenses, trim the staff, wait for better times ... and slash the marketing budget. But other companies see a recession as strategic time to take the offensive. When competition focuses more on internal cost cutting they focus less on customers. Read More

Spiraling health-care costs have forced many small employers to reduce the benefits they offer -- or, in some cases, eliminate coverage altogether. And there's no end in sight. Health-care costs for U.S. employers are expected to rise almost 10% in 2008, according to a recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers of more than 500 employers and heal Read More

The New York State legislature has passed a law requiring online retailers to collect sales tax on items shipped to New York inhabitants, regardless of the retailer's base of operations. Read More

I'll let you be the judge, but I thought the advice from this so-called sales expert was awful. It's so old school. His own example started putting me to sleep. I can't believe he has Fortune 500 companies for clients. What do you think? Read More

This is a neat little tool I found that analyzes your clients using the 80/20 principle. The way it works is that you put in your clients, answer some questions about them and then it lines up the data into tables, showing you where the results are coming from so you can compare and contrast them. The more clients you add, the better it works. Read More

A Senate leader grilled Bush administration officials about when, if ever, they would implement a new law aimed at increasing business assistance for veterans and reservists.

Kerry asked Small Business Administration chief Steven Preston about plans to implement a new law, signed in mid-February, that tries to help small businesses owned by vet Read More

Millions of U.S. small businesses — especially in the retail, business-services and housing industries — could be vulnerable if a recession strikes on top of the housing slump and credit crunch.

Small businesses are closely watching their financials, their customers' buying habits and other signs of where their companies and the U.S. economy m Read More

President Bush this week signed new legislation expanding small-business opportunities for veterans and helping reservists run their businesses after they've been deployed.

The Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act, introduced by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), will Read More

A White House plan to boost the nation's sagging economy will do little to help small businesses over the long haul, critics say. The proposed plan, which includes up to $145 billion in temporary tax cuts, is aimed at encouraging business owners to "expand their operations, create new jobs and inject new energy into our economy," President Bush Read More