"With NASA Tech Briefs, you can mail to engineers who buy test equipment, or purchasing agents who authorize the purchase of electronic components," Roberts says. "You can't get that level of selectability with a paid-circulation subscription list." He advises list users to make sure that the controlled-circulation lists they rent are from a BPA-audited publication.
 
Roberts acknowledges that there is a great deal of duplication among many of the subscription lists, but he notes that larger companies in the list business have sophisticated "merge/purge" computer systems that eliminate duplication. For this reason, he urges high-tech marketers to rent all their lists from a single broker, compiler or list management firm, rather than go to the publications directly.
 
"There is no extra cost in going through a broker, since the broker gets his commission from the list owner," Roberts points out. "Also, the broker gets to know your products and can use his expertise to recommend the best lists for your offer."
 
Opting to co-op. Because of rising direct-mail costs, more high-tech marketers are opting to co-op with their dealers. Says Mark Toner, who runs the direct-mail program for Amano, a manufacturer of computerized time recorder and data collection equipment "If a dealer wants to do a mailing, we split the cost. Then we let them decide whether they want to use our mailer or do their own. The manufacturer should be happy to let dealers do whatever they want."
 
Amano also does its own mailings, independent of dealers. A good response for a lead-generating self-mailer, says Toner, is two to three percent.
 
Toner believes that unlike consumer marketing, where a host of look-alike products may compete for the same customers, half the battle in high-tech is simply reaching the right prospects to tell them about your product. "You have to educate the market," he says. "With an unusual product like ours, most people don't even know of its existence."
 
Segmenting mailing lists provide the key to a good response, Toner says. "Using SIC codes, we select only those portions of the list that reach our best prospects. For example, our best markets are hotels and restaurants. We also segment geographically."
 
Toner says that his response from outside mailing lists ranges from less than one percent to three percent. When mailing the same piece to his in-house list, he can get as much as five percent.
 
Finally, Toner has discovered that his fellow direct marketers are rather open about discussing their successes and failures. "Ask your competitors and associates about which lists have worked best for them," he advises. "In most cases, they'll tell you."
 
This resource is (c) by, and compliments of Robert W. Bly,  President of the Center for Technical Communication. Bob specializes in business-to-business and direct response advertising. Contact him at (201) 385-1220, fax (201) 385-1138 or in writing to 22 East Quackenbush Avenue, 3rd Floor, Dumont, NJ 07628