Comments on: Asking Too Many Questions of Prospects? The Magic Number is … http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/19/keep-it-short/ Everything about writing and marketing white papers Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:15:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Michael Stelzner http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/19/keep-it-short/#comment-4555 Michael Stelzner Fri, 19 Jan 2007 23:56:00 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/19/keep-it-short/#comment-4555 Wow! I guess us writers need to take an active role in what happens with our work after it passes from our hands, eh? Wow! I guess us writers need to take an active role in what happens with our work after it passes from our hands, eh?

]]> By: Tom Chandler http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/19/keep-it-short/#comment-4523 Tom Chandler Fri, 19 Jan 2007 21:11:47 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/01/19/keep-it-short/#comment-4523 Uh oh, Michael's hit on a <b>Chandler Hot Button</b>. Time for a rant (it's a highly rantable subject). A few years ago I crafted a pair of killer B2B direct campaigns for an enterprise software client. I did the concept, loved the offer, wrote the copy, saw the layouts, and figured we'd kill. Both times the response rate was far below my best guess. After the second, I did what I should have done anyway. I responded to the mailer URL. I found <i>two pages</i> of questions standing in the way of the offer. Two. A similar fate awaited those who called. After asking a lot of careful questions, I found an IT guy who didn't want to be specific, but said the log suggested a questionnaire abandon rate in excess of 90%. Ouch. In other words, we were only doing marginally better than if we'd put the <i>wrong</i> URL and phone number on the mailer... Uh oh, Michael’s hit on a Chandler Hot Button. Time for a rant (it’s a highly rantable subject).

A few years ago I crafted a pair of killer B2B direct campaigns for an enterprise software client. I did the concept, loved the offer, wrote the copy, saw the layouts, and figured we’d kill.

Both times the response rate was far below my best guess.

After the second, I did what I should have done anyway. I responded to the mailer URL.

I found two pages of questions standing in the way of the offer. Two.

A similar fate awaited those who called.

After asking a lot of careful questions, I found an IT guy who didn’t want to be specific, but said the log suggested a questionnaire abandon rate in excess of 90%.

Ouch. In other words, we were only doing marginally better than if we’d put the wrong URL and phone number on the mailer…

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