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Archive for the ‘Direct Insurance’ Category

Among the digital satellite TV services providers available today. DirecTV is the acknowledged leader in the United States. The technology it uses allows it to broadcast information to relatively small satellite mini-dishes (18” in diameter).

Direct TV boasts of close to 400 channels that the subscriber may view depending on the subscription he avails of:

• The Family package, offered at a subscription rate of US$29.99 per month includes access local channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS, as well as popular Standard Definition channels like the Disney Channel, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, C-SPAN, Bloomberg, RFDTV, fitTV, Home Shopping Network, National Geographic, NickNite, Sprout, Food Network, The Science Channel, among others.

Want access to High Definition channels like National Geographic HD, The Science Channel HD, Food Network HD, The Weather Channel HD, and HGTV HD? Put some extra on your budget for just the US$ 9.99 per month.

• The Choice package, offered at a subscription rate of US$ 49.99 per month includes access to all local channels and Standard Definition channels of the Family package plus other Standard Definition channels like CNN, The Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, ESPN 1 and 2, ESPNews, MSNBC, TNT Channel, BBC America, and others.

For an additional US$ 9.99 per month, you can have access to the High Definition Channels of the Family Package plus access to additional HD channels such as A&E HD, Animal Planet HD, Big Ten Network HD, Bravo HD, Cartoon Network HD, Discovery Channel HD, ESPN HD, ESPN 2 HD, FX HD, HD Theater, The History Channel HD, NFL Network HD, SciFi HD, TBS HD, TLC HD, TNT HD, USA HD.

• The Choice XTRA package, offered at a subscription rate of US$ 54.99 per month includes access to all local and Standard Definition Channels of the Choice package plus other Standard Definition Channels like Biography, PBS Kids, E!, History International Channel, Golf Channel, Military Channel, TV Land, TCM Channel, among others.

If you want all access to all the HD Channels of the Choice package plus additional HD Channels like CNBC HD, CNN HD, Fox Business HD, Fuel HD, Golf Channel HD, Speed HD, and Versus HD, all you need to do is pay an extra $9.99 per month. You’ll definitely enjoy your subscription.

There are a few more packages that Direct TV offers to potential subscribers that offer even more local, standard definition, and high definition Direct TV channels that will make staying at home an enjoyable experience. All these packages include the satellite TV dish, and a number of television set-top boxes to make subscribing a cash-free and worry-free task. Installation charges (conditions apply) are also part of the various packages.

Aside from the channels packages it offers, Direct TV also provides pay-per-view services that subscribers can avail of if they wish to watch exclusive live sports and music feeds. There are also similar services like Video on Demand, wherein a subscriber can watch his or her favorite movies at the convenience of his or her home and time that suits his or her preferred schedule. Combined with the hundreds of Direct TV channels currently in its lineup, it is no wonder then that Direct TV has emerged as the clear leader in the TV entertainment industry.

Personality and behavioral assessments help evaluate job candidates, build teams and resolve workplace conflicts.

I’m sure you’ll find this interesting. While recently wrapping up a CEO search for a leading consumer catalog and web company, nearly all the candidates who made our client’s short list had the same personality. Interesting, yes! But not peculiar.

The finalist candidates—four men and a woman—a talented mix of seasoned dm execs from across the country, were representing career backgrounds in a variety of product categories and company size.

In fact, after 12 years of assessment testing hundreds of men and women—senior-level direct marketing candidates for positions as CEO, President—for leadership roles in Finance, Marketing, Merchandising, IT, Operations, I’ve noticed the same thing. Over 75% of these individuals have the same personality and temperament type. So for me, testing this most recent group came as no surprise.

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

The direct marketing executive personality type I’m referring to—and the one you may not be aware of—is shared by only 12% to 15% of the American population, according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This is the standard-bearer of all personality assessments. In fact, it identifies sixteen distinctly different, universal personality types.

According to its publishers, Myers-Briggs is used by roughly nine out of 10 Fortune 100 companies and is administered to more than 2.5 million employees a year. The MBTI was developed 60 years ago based on the theories of psychoanalyst Carl Jung. It endures, because it does a great job of improving team relations by pointing out differences between how personality “types” perceive and process information.

The Right Fit

A Harvard University study found that for every dismissal based on failure to perform, there are two dismissals due to personality and communication problems. With the high costs of employee turnover, it’s no surprise more and more direct marketing organizations are turning to personality and behavioral assessments to help evaluate job candidates, build teams and resolve workplace conflicts.

Think about it. You’re already testing offers, testing copy, testing merchandise, and testing catalogs. So why not your people?

If your business is not doing so, you ought to consider using testing (and there are numerous pre-hire assessment options to choose from) to fine-tune your hiring process and bring in top talent. It may help you get a handle on which candidates are most likely to succeed—evaluating candidates before they are hired. And give you some kind of idea of what makes them tick.

This raises the question: Are certain people genetically bred to go into direct marketing? Or does the very nature of the business effect personality and temperament? Take your pick. In my judgment, it’s a bit of both. “We want to learn more about candidates as individuals,” says Andy Katz, President & CEO of pet supplies direct marketer, PetEdge. “Once a candidate is hired, this same information helps us understand and maximize their talents specific to the role they have,” Katz adds. “And we continue to work on developing employees’ self-awareness throughout their careers to help create an environment that ensures success.”

You Can’t Study For It

In taking a personality assessment, experts advise candidates to answer the questions truthfully, not the way they think the company wants them to respond. There is often a validity factor built in where many questions are asked solely to determine whether the subject is answering truthfully and consistently.

Even if the candidate does fool the test, he or she will only wind up in a job or assignment that doesn’t fit or will make you—and those around you—miserable. According to Bonnie Bass, a vice president of a professional dynametric programs testing organization, “When people feel the need to act unnaturally, they waste energy, experience stress and become unhappy and less productive. People are at their best when they’re doing work that draws on their natural strengths and allows them to be themselves.”

Many large retailers such as Macy’s or Wal-Mart are using direct mail techniques in order to reach out to their customers. These large companies often mail out sales flyers that highlight what will be on sale in their retail stores that week. Retailers that have special sales often send them out as well.

You may not thing that you can implement direct mail techniques in your own small business, but this can be very effective in your community or trying to reach your target market. It can be used effectively for little money, although it’s not as flashy as advertising on TV, often the cost for acquiring new leads is much less.

You may or may not have noticed, but direct mail techniques have been used for many years. A lot of people ca still get their mail daily, even though they have become accustomed to using email for personal and some business communication. In the past, this method has been used more by larger companies. More profitable companies implement direct mail techniques into their overall marketing strategy and are very successful.

People often ignore both the radio and TV, and they can do so rather easily by blocking out the ads or changing the station or channel. Implementing direct mail techniques is much less invasive and when offers are received they can just place them aside and look at it later.

You should remember that implementing direct mail techniques gives you more say than TV or radio spots if you are selling a product or service. You can print just about anything you want, and you don’t have to cram your information on some tiny 30 second spot ad. You can be sure that your potential customers and clients get all the information they need to make and informed decision.

If you implement direct mail techniques the right way, it can be very effective. People will receive ads and flyers in the mail as long as they still have postal service. You have to determine what strategy of delivery is best for you. Should you use a bulk rate, or a live stamp? That all depends on your target market. Certain direct mail techniques can be applied to one campaign, however not all of them. There’s no “one size fits all” so to speak with direct mail techniques.

You can get all the information you need as to how to effectively run a campaign by going to your local post office and talking to them about specific direct mail techniques relating to postage and laws. They will be able to discuss bulk rates. They could also advise you on which day is the best so mail out your materials and other rules that you may need to know.