By Kirk Chritton
Director of Marketing and Product Development

Here's an important maxim for B2B marketers: All institutions are above average.

It sounds like a joke from Garrison Keillor's radio show. Each week Keillor tells a story about the events in his fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon, where "all the children are above average." In the case of direct marketing, though, it's not a punch line. When it comes to response for most B2B marketers, all institutions really are above average.

One MCH partner has built a prospecting database that combines MCH's institutional universe with records from a variety of other B2B data providers. During our consultation, we inquired which of MCH's specialized segmentation tools would be incorporated into the solution. Our partner, who had spent quite a bit of time with data by this point, surprised us with his reply. He didn't need to include any specialized selections. His models already ranked MCH's institutional data in the top quintiles of the data. "Your worst segments outperform the average business segments. My clients will want to use all of the MCH records." Click to continue 

MCH takes customer satisfaction very seriously. For the past 4 years we have engaged a third-party company to survey our customers. The survey spans all areas of our operations - from product offerings and quality through sales rep knowledge and customer service. The 2007 survey results are in and we're very pleased to report that 92% of our customers would order from us again and would recommend us to others. In addition, MCH received similarly high rankings for overall satisfaction and knowledge of sales reps.

Feedback from our customers is very important to us and we'd like to hear from you. If you would like to share your MCH story please click here to complete the form on our website.

Direct marketers who target religious institutions have a hot deadline just around the corner. It is a well-known fact that churches have increased spending power after major religious holidays like Easter and Christmas when attendance and contributions are typically high. This year, Easter falls on March 23rd--a little earlier than normal. Make plans now to ensure that your product offerings are delivered to religious prospects and customers prior to the holiday.

Click here to view our Churches by Denomination datacard.

Institutions are big buyers of group tickets. Many churches have multigenerational activities, day cares, before and after school programs, and summer programs. Schools often utilize large group events to recognize or reward students. They also sponsor field trips, summer programs, and before/after school care. Senior citizens are active and enjoy group outings sponsored by various community organizations. Healthcare providers and hospitals often purchase tickets to reward employees. Make sure you aren't missing an opportunity to extend your reach in the group sales market.

Click here to review datacards that are suitable for marketers of group sales products then call your MCH sales representative to get a count on those "why didn't I think of that?" institutions you may have missed.