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By Knight Kiplinger

The Kiplinger Washington Editors

July 2, 2009

By year-end or so, Congress will give the nod to a major rewriting of the nation's financial regulatory system. This week’s Kiplinger Letter explores whether the package will do more harm than good and what lawmakers are likely to include.

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I just attended a franchise seminar. The speaker represents a few hundred franchises that (he says) are hand picked. He has the prospect (aka victim?) answer some questions about themselves then he makes recomendations - based on your personality, capital situation, etc.. If you pick a franchise, then he does some due dilligence for you. If you both decide it's a good idea, he helps you get started. He says he offers this service free of charge, which means he gets a commission if he's able to sell you a franchise. Has anyone done this? Successfully? Unsuccessfully?

-- fender

Make E-mail Marketing Work

Marketing by e-mail is a terrific and affordable way to reach customers in tough times. But you have to know how to stand out from a rapidly growing crowd.

Worth Reading: The Quick Take from Kiplinger

January 2009

Ellen Neuborne

fuelNet Monthly

fuelNet Monthly is a marketing newsletter published by The Pohly Co. consulting firm and is a monthly contributor to Kiplinger Recommends. Ellen Neuborne is a New York-based freelance writer specializing in marketing and business. She is a former editor at BusinessWeek magazine, and her work has appeared in Inc magazine, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal Online.

Many companies are slashing spending wherever they can. Advertising often takes a disproportionate hit in these cost saving crusades, sending marketing managers looking for the cheapest and most effective way to draw in business. E-mail campaigns fit the bill perfectly, but with so many firms and organizations competing for attention in the in-box, it's crucial to know what works and what turns readers off.

This month's column from the marketing newsletter fuelNet Monthly looks at e-mail marketing trends for 2009 that can give an aggressive and creative business an edge. One of the most thought provoking ones is segmenting e-mails. FuelNet points out how an Atlanta restaurant tried to broaden its business by sometimes differentiating among its customers. It singled out those who generally came only at lunch and offered them discounts at dinnertime. The same restaurant also rewarded all of its e-mail recipients by offering 20% off meals during a holiday, tripling sales of some of its most popular and expensive items during a traditionally slow period.

Another way to keep e-mail readers engaged and involved is interactivity. Games, contests or promises of useful information will lure people to company Web sites and can help a product or service stand out in their minds. A recruiting software company, for example, created an online test for recruiters that assessed their knowledge and skills and embedded it in an e-mail. "The email drew a 17% open rate, a 20% click-through rate, and a 2.2% conversion rate," fuelNet reports.

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