Renewals: write to the person sitting on the fence

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, April 15, 1996

"There's a real question as to who really sells a renewal," says veteran circulation marketer Stuart Jordan. "Is it the marketing department or the editorial department? The fact is, your editorial product drives the customer's disposition to being interested in renewing or not. If they hate the product, there is very little I can do to make them want to renew it.

If they love the product, there is probably very little I can do that will turn them off from wanting to renew." Jordan, who is executive vice president of Circulation Specialists in Westport, Connecticut, says, "Our goal is to make people act now, and respond to the offer we put in front of them." Jordan writes to the person sitting on the fence: They sort of like the product, but maybe they're not convinced. "What we're really promoting is not really to buy or not to, but action," he says. A renewal today is worth more than a renewal next month, he explains. Why? Because you'll send one less notice. You'll get the cash that much faster. And ideally you'll get that before the subscription expires, an issue is missed and you have a customer-service complaint. So sooner is better and that means active promotions.