Focus On: Lists: Prospecting Lists that Work

Reading a catalog [and] then calling an 800 number with your credit card or reading a catalog and going online to order merchandise are different behaviors from the reading/writing-check mailing behavior we want to stimulate to repetition.

FS: What other factors are important when making selections from general consumer lists?
SMcK: The dollar select can be relevant [with regard to renting catalog lists]. Consider your appeal’s “ask” amount: Do you need a $100+ buyer (as a select) if you’re asking for a $10, $15 or $25 ask? Probably not. Further, if the average order on a catalog list is $50, ordering the $100+ segment will get you a better quality/more committed buyer. But you can make the mistake of paying for an unneeded select if you order $50+ buyers from a list whose average order is $100 or more. Point is to make sure whatever dollar select you go for, [it] is relevant to either selecting the high-enders or eliminating the low-enders from that file.