#113 Phil Brown Letter

 

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#113 Blog Post – Wednesday, October 28. 2020

 

Posted by Denny Hatch

 

Got a Book in the Works?

Here’s a Sweet Sales Pitch! 

During my direct marketing/junk mail career, I would run into Phil Brown two or three times a year at various business gatherings. We were always glad to see each other and catch up on industry gossip and news.

 

This past Monday I received a personal letter from Phil, whom I had not thought of for years. When I say “personal” I mean it. See my name and address hand typed on the envelope. And the handwritten “Personal” to the left of address block.

 

Plus two First Class stamps—one affixed to the outer envelope, the other on the reply envelope.

 

Phil has a story to tell and he’s spending money to get me involved!

 

I grew up in the book business. My father wrote 44 historical biographies. I have written 7 business books and 4 novels.

 

Never in the 75 years I have been reading books have I ever received a letter like the one below—an author to a friend/acquaintance.

 

The letter touches nearly all bases. My name, Denny, is mentioned 5 times in the letter: address, salutation, twice in the body of the letter and at the close. Phil is talking to me.

Phil Played by the Rules

• He starts with the COVID lockdown. This is current news. He has my attention.

• He will personally sign and dedicate my copy.

• Shipping is free.

• Plus a premium: a free copy of his children's book, Rorag—A Dragon's Quest. 

 

Dick Benson on Premiums

• A premium is a bribe to say Yes now.

• Promptness is often the best reason for giving the premium.

• Dollar-for-dollar, premiums are better incentives than cash discounts.

• Desirability is the key element of a premium; the relationship of the premium to the product isn’t important.

• Two premiums are frequently better than one.

 

  Additional Rules Phil Played by

• “Short words! Short sentences! Short paragraphs! —Andrew J. Byrne, Freelancer

• "Use your real signature—untidy, with flourishes, ugly. Make it obvious YOU signed the letter. Not some damn computer. Your signature is your handshake." —Malcolm Decker

Where Phil Broke the Rules

As I recall, Phil Brown’s entire career was spent in the business of direct mail. He knew all about it—the arithmetic, the mechanics, lists and list rental, printing, inserting, Post Office Regulations and discounts. It is a hugely complex and enormously expensive medium. Try it on your own—without expert guidance—chances are you’ll lose your shirt.

But alas, he broke four long-accepted rules.

 

1. It's Too Long

“50% of adults cannot read at an eighth grade level." —Literacy Project

“The addictive nature of web browsing can leave you with an attention span of nine seconds—the same as a goldfish.” —Dr. Ted Selker, MIT Media Lab

When I submitted my first novel, Cedarhurst Alley, my publisher, a laconic Swede named Paul Eriksson, gave me an 8-word critique: “Clean it up and cut it in half.” It was a nightmare but I did it. Cut characters, cut scenes, cut, cut, cut.  It was better, stronger. Funnier. High point in my fiction career: A short review in TIME magazine.

 

Phil’s letter goes on and on for four pages and runs out of steam well before you get to page 3.”

 

My suggestion: Phil shouldda cut it in half.

 

2.  What’s with the Green Type?

“Letters should look and feel like letters,” said the great guru Dick Benson.

 

Nobody types a personal letter and uses green type as part of the body copy. Old Remington typewriters did not have green type! Green type says, “Whoops! This is techno-stuff—not a personally typed letter.

3. Also Included...

Phil included this "brochure" — the "it" copy. The letter is the main salesman and is all about "you": what these features and benefits will do for you.

  

The brochure is all about "it"—showing it (the product), what it looks like, testimonials and reviews. This 8-1/2" x 11" piece was printed on one side only. The back is blank.

 

An early rule I learned: never send a blank piece of paper in the mail. Paper is heavy. You know that from lugging a ream of paper for the printer home from Staples. My advice to anyone: design a 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" (half the above piece) and use both sides.

 

4. The Ultimate Problem

Before anything, always run the numbers. It is absolutely, positively impossible to make money sending out a hugely expensive full-dress direct mail package selling a $12.99 product. 

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Word count: 736

 

#112 Blog Post - "Oh, My Mail!"

 

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#112 Blog Post - Wednesday, October 21, 2020

 

Posted by Denny Hatch

 

“OH, MY GOD!”
“OH, MY GOD!”
“OH, MY MAIL!”

 

 

On November 22, 1963 my client and late great friend Paul Goldberg was having lunch with two list brokers at the Pierre Hotel on 5th Avenue in New York. It was an uneventful lunch until the maitre d' stopped by the table, leaned in and said quietly, "Mr. Goldberg, the President has just been shot and killed." 

“Oh, my God!” said the list broker on Paul’s left.
“Oh, my God!” said the list broker on Paul’s right.
“Oh, my mail!” muttered Paul.

 

Paul nailed the problem. At the time, he was circulation director of Consumer Reports with six million subscribers. Paul—who knew more about the mechanics of direct mail than anyone I have ever met before or since—had just dropped a huge mailing the week before and the envelopes were all arriving across the country precisely when the assassin struck with his Manlicher-Carcano rifle from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository at Dealey Plaza in Dallas.

 

For the next two weeks the entire country—consumed by paroxysms of grief and disbelief—was glued to our TV sets for the incredible drama that continued to unfold:

• LBJ taking the oath of office on Air Force 1.
• Jackie in her pink pill-box hat and blood-spattered suit.
• The capture of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
• Jack Ruby murdering Oswald live on TV.
• The funeral with princes, prime ministers and presidents.
•Three-year-old John-John's salute to his father.

Nothing of this magnitude had ever been staged or seen by this many people—live and in color—in the history of the world!

 

Meanwhile, direct mail was being dutifully delivered by the U.S.P.S. (albeit slowly, as letter carriers stopped in front of the TV sets in appliance store windows to gawk at the unfolding tragedy). Paul had to deal with a loss of $75,000 in unopened mail plus the loss of a projected $400,000 from the revenue these mailings (and renewals) would have brought in.

 

What did the recipients—consumers and business people—do with the mountains of junk mail that was coming their way in this Christmas season?  We let it pile up. And at the end of the second week when things calmed down, we chucked it all out. It was time to start our lives over.

 

What Triggered This Column: Trump
And the Threat of a USPS Slowdown.

My former neighbor on Gaskell Street emailed me:

Hi Denny and Peggy,
I saw this suggestion in this past Sunday's NYT letters to the editor. Is this feasible? How would it be implemented? 

 

 

My response:

 

Bob,
Great hearing from you.
From a mailer's point of view it's not a bad idea. The hysteria, anger, angst and divisiveness will be reaching fever pitch those first days of November. Direct mail is expensive as hell—the most expensive medium. No experienced direct mail marketer would dream of sending out anything and expect normal results in that time period.

 

An Elegant Experience:
Vote-by-Mail in Pennsylvania

I’m 85. Peggy considerably younger. We’re damn careful about going out. So early on we decided to vote-by-mail. Back in the days when we ran WHO’S MAILING WHAT! we saved all our mail and analyzed it (along with that of a dozen correspondents around the country). Having downsized to a 2BR Apt w/vu, I save nothing.

 

However, President Trump’s complaint that voting by mail is a huge scam is hogwash. I can personally attest to receiving probably 20-mailings and 10 emails concerning the disposition of our ballots.

 

“We received it….” “Watch for it…” “It’s on its way…”  “Here’s what to do when your ballot arrives…” “Watch the mail for your ballot…” “You should have received it by now…” “If you haven’t received your ballot….” 

 

We dutifully filled them out, took the bus to City Hall and waited (briefly) in line.

 

It was beautifully organized and staffed with enthusiastic, knowledgeable volunteers. We were in and out in oh, maybe 10 minutes.

 

Whereupon more mailings arrived from the USPS and various organizations: “If you decided to vote in person on Election Day…” “Be sure to send in your ballot!...” —a positive blitz of urgent reminders. Finally this showed up in my in-box:

 

                         Takeaways to Consider

• If a catastrophe occurs during a big mailing—a giant mail truck rolls into the Mississippi River taking your mailing with it... or an airliner is hijacked and lands in North Korea—thus causing the news to overpower your mailing (and revenue projections)—just eat it and get on with your life. Shit happens.

 

• Unlike email—which is basically free—direct mail is expensive as hell. List rental, paper, printing, envelopes, inserting and the biggest cost— postage. Minimum is 50¢ a pop. Often a buck or more.

 

• With email you are a mouse click away from oblivion.

 

• Direct mail is physical. It must be handled. It will be noticed. It takes a conscious effort to decide throw it out and throwing it out requires actual labor.

 

• Contrary to what the President said about the U.S.P.S., it is brilliantly efficient. And reliable.

 

• “U.S. Postal Service Tops List Again as Americans’ Favorite Government Agency.”

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Word Count:846

 

#111 Blog Post, Blu Blockers

 

 http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2020/10/111-blog-post-blu-blockers.html

#111 Blog Post - Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Posted by Denny Hatch

The Awesome Power of Testimonials! 

The Product That Blitzed America (20 Million+ Sold!) and. . .
The Secret of How the Irrepressible Joe Sugarman Pulled It Off!

One of the revolutionary direct marketers and copywriters in the 1980s and 1990s was Joe Sugarman. He changed direct marketing forever when he introduced the toll-free 800-number.

 

In addition, Sugarman was the first to market a cordless telephone and  digital watches to everyman (and woman). His print ads in newspapers and magazines were everywhere you turned. For example, if you traveled for business or pleasure back then, every issue of every in-flight magazine of every airline was certain to have two or three full-page ads for Sugarman's goodies and high-tech gadgetry. They were immediately obvious with bold, catchy headlines and long copy that grabbed the reader by the throat and would not let go.

 

                                The King of Testimonials
In my opinion, Sugarman's greatest contribution to the lore and practice of direct marketing was his spectacular Blu Blocker TV infomercial that ran for 6 years. His secret: assembling man-on-the-street (and woman-on-the-street) drive-by testimonials—and cramming a whopping 35 wildly enthusiastic endorsements into 28 minutes. 

 

I've never seen anything like this—in terms of entertainment, pure fun and old-fashioned salesmanship—before or since!

 

                          The Blu Blockers Phee-nom!
After twenty years of selling bizarre products via traditional print channels—magazine and newspaper ads and catalogs—Sugarman's hit the jackpot. The product—of all ho-hum things—sunglasses! His print ad (see illustration above) was a masterpiece with a simply terrific lede:

 

Vision
Break-
through
___________________

When I put on the pair of
glasses what I saw I could
not believe. Nor will you.
____________________

 

By Joseph Sugarman

I am about to tell you a true story. If you believe me, you will be well rewarded. If you don't believe me, I will make it worth your time to change your mind. Let me explain. . .

 

This is intimate, personal direct marketing using mass media—magazines and newspapers.

• Note the byline. Few copywriters sign their work.

• He uses "I" and "me" (as opposed to "we," "us" an "our.") 

• "The most important word in direct copy is not 'you'—as many of the textbooks would have it—but 'I,'" freelancer Richard Armstrong wrote to me. "What makes a letter seem 'personal' is the sense that one gets of being in the presence of the writer... that a real person sat down and wrote you a real letter."

 

Whereupon Sugarman ledes with a story.

 

Tell a Story If Possible
"Everybody loves a good story, be it about Peter Rabbit or King Lear. And the direct mail letter, with its unique person-to-person format—is the perfect vehicle for a story. And stories get read. The letter I wrote to launch the Cousteau Society twenty-some years ago has survived hundreds of tests against it. When I last heard, it was still being mailed in some form or other. The original of this direct mail Methuselah started out with this lead: 'A friend once told me a curious story I would like to share with you'..." —Harry Walsh, Freelance copywriter

 

"Story telling is very, very important. Some of my greatest ads, most successful ads, started with a story. And the story often has very little to do with the product you're selling or the service you're offering. But... people love stories, because when they were very young, when they were very small, they were read stories. And that's how they communicated and understood the world. So story telling is a really important part. It's one of the psychological triggers that I use a lot."
—Joe Sugarman

Marketing Genius Joe Sugarman

 

Now Watch These Two Simply Wonderful Videos!

Video #1: The Intriguing Backstory of Joe's Wildly Undisciplined, Unscripted Ad Hoc, Ad Lib infomercial.
Joe Sugarman's marketing of Blu Blockers was stunning—first via print and then all over television with his amazing infomercial. Before I give you the link to the eye-popping, rule-breaking sales pitch, here is Joe revealing the Blu Blocker Story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyWtKxOf_xo

  

Video #2: Click Here for Joe's Brilliant Infomercial!
Watch for: 35 Real-life Testimonials (Count 'em!) in 28 Minutes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wuB_ufWhi8

 

Takeaways to Consider

• Whenever I get a copy assignment, I immediately want to know everything about the product or service. I want to see it, hold it, use it, get to know it, get from the client all the specs, features, benefits (what these features will do for me), USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and the story of the person or the company behind it.

 

• My last question is always: “Do you have testimonials from happy customers?”

 

• Astonishingly, the answer is often, “Oh, yeah, I think we’ve got some testimonials. I’ll see if we can find them. I Think they’re in a box somewhere.”

 

• “Don’t just say it — prove it!  Use testimonials, case histories.”
—Andrew J. Byrne

 

• A testimonial is another member of your sales team. It adds credence to you message.

 

• “If one testimonial tests well, try two. But don’t use testimonials by celebrities unless they are recognized authorities, like Arnold Palmer on golf clubs.”
—David Ogilvy

 

• "There are too many cases of testimonials being used in direct marketing campaigns without prior knowledge of the client/customer."
—Bob Martel

 

• “Always be clear what you are going to use the testimonial for and get their permission and ask them not to date it; that way you can use it for quite a while without anyone asking what has he/she done lately.”
—Donn Richardson 

 

• “For testimonials, send the customer the text and have them type it onto their letterhead.”
— Bob Wells

 

 • Ask the customer if you can use his/her name.
      • Full name (Doris Smith)?
      • Partial name (D. Smith)?
      • Initials (D.S., Peoria, IL)? 

  

• Always include a stamped, self-addressed envelope to make it easy peasy for the person to send you the testimonial.

 

• "Real testimonials have a genuine sound to them that’s very hard to reproduce, maybe the grammar is ever so slightly off, a peculiar choice of word usage, a point made that no professional copywriter ever would have considered; try and use these real raindrops wherever possible before you start seeding the clouds. Back in the days when silver dollars were common currency, bartenders, store clerks, etc. used to drop the dollar on the counter and listen to the ring... because it was distinctly different from the dull sound made by lead counterfeits.  I’ve found the same to be true of testimonials. People can spot the real ones from the made-up ones a mile away. So while I don’t disagree with the rules above, I’d be very careful about doing too much rewriting, suggesting and editing."
—Richard Armstrong 

 

• If you have a tiger by the tail (e.g., Blu Blockers) get the word out everywhere—with infomercials, TV spots, space ads, digital promotions, Social Media, direct mail, even maybe test roadside billboards. The effect can be cumulative. 

• If you use a person's testimonial, send a thank-you gift—flowers or one of your products—something that shows your appreciation.

 

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Word Count:1162

#110 Blog Post - A Roaring New Business

http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2020/10/110-blog-post-roaring-new-business.html

#110 Blog Post – Thursday, October 1, 2020

 

Posted by Denny Hatch

 

Roaring New Business—Amidst Covid-19—Created

In Just Six Weeks by Neophyte Direct Marketer!

 

Robert Amar, Founder and Proprietor of SmallWorldSeafood.com

One day in late March our friend Marjory on the 29^th floor alerted Peggy that a guy was selling superb seafood that we could order by email (or phone) and pick it up the next day across the street.

 

Really?

 

We signed on, ordered mussels and salmon on Thursday, picked up the order from the truck on Friday afternoon and had two marvelous meals:

 

        • Mussels in white wine and garlic on Friday.

        • Glorious grilled salmon on Sunday.

 

We quickly became regular customers.

 

A Business Built by Word-of-Mouth

Robert Amar spent 25 years in the restaurant business. As a former restaurateur and savvy entrepreneur, he had done everything—owned eateries and worked with fledgling and experienced restaurateurs on wine tasting programs, staffing, menus, kitchen design, recipes, writing ads—the works.

 

 Four years ago he launched a thriving wholesale business selling the world’s freshest, finest seafood to top tier Philadelphia restaurants from his warehouse in the massive Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.

 

As Robert tells it, his world—Small World Seafood—was turned topsy-turvy one day in early March. He had amassed a large inventory of fresh fish ordered by his clients who were expecting to feed the usual crowds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Suddenly the Coronavirus-19 catastrophe hit that Monday and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney ordered the closing of all restaurants, leaving Robert high and dry.

 

Not willing to simply throw out his stores of splendid seafood, Robert went to his block captain’s email list of Fairmount area neighbors and described his predicament. 

 

His offer: Don’t let my wonderful fresh mussels, scallops and salmon go to waste. Take them FREE!  He couldn’t deliver house-to-house, but his truck would be parked on the corner of Woodstock Street from 2:00 to 3:30 where they could pick up their free fish.

 

Robert not only got a bunch of takers, but also email requests and phone calls asking if they could buy other fish—say swordfish or shrimp. The available swordfish was not top quality that week, but he could get great shrimp, frozen cod and marvelous canned crabmeat from East Coast waters. Plus branzino from Greece. He got 28 customers for free fish; and a number of folks ordered other selections and paid online by credit card.

 

A Funny Thing Happened…

The following day the Amar truck arrived on time and the masked customers formed a (socially distanced) line to pick up their orders.

 

Andy Farrell presents an order from the truck.

Behind him is direct marketer Robert Amar.

 

Neighbors in the next block noticed the ado on Woodstock Street and beetled over to see what was going on. When they heard the story, they not only phoned and emailed orders for free fish, but also asked if they could tell their friends and family. Sure. Why not? One member of the crowd that day was Robert’s long-time buddy, Andy Farrell, who had just been laid off from the popular City Tap House which was suddenly out of business. The following week, with Andy helping, Amar had 150 orders.

 

The Word-of-Mouth Miracle.

Over the next few weeks people all over center city heard about the new service—absolutely fresh seafood available for pick-up right in their neighborhood. They tried it, loved it and not only became regulars but told their friends and family around town. In the next few weeks the email list expanded exponentially. Robert and Andy hit the jackpot when condo owners at the Philadelphian—the massive luxury building across from the Philadelphia Museum of art with 753 housing units—learned of the new business

 

A week later the customer base had expanded across town to our 44-story St. James Tower. Our friend Marjory told us and Peggy immediately emailed the residents on the building e-bulletin board.

 

Today Robert and Andy have an email list of 3,000 customers that generates roughly 300 orders a day.

 

Beauty Shot from www.smallworldseafood.com

 

How Robert Amar Created a Brand New

Direct-to-Consumer Business in 6 Weeks

In the world of marketing, a supplier of seafood to restaurants would be pigeon-holed as a  b2b—business-to-business—operation. This means large orders of seafood delivered to relatively few high-rollers. Overnight Amar became b2c—busines-to-consumers—direct selling small orders to many individual households.

       

A Changed—and Far More Complex—Business Model

Here are the new elements:

 

• Big Customer List. As new orders came in, names, addresses, emails and telephone numbers must be recorded in a format for emailing offers.

 

• Preparation. Every family knows how to cook beef, bacon, chicken, hot dogs and ribs. Seafood is different. Early on Robert found many needed guidance on how to cook the many varieties of seafood. On his website is an extensive repertoire of world-class, easy-to-prepare recipes including YouTube links, so nothing is left to chance.

 

• Delivery. Obviously Robert can’t deliver orders to hundreds of individual households, apartments and condos. So his instructions for pick-up are absolutely precise and easy-to-understand.

DIRECT TO CONSUMER RITTENHOUSE/FITLER/WASHINGTON SQUARES FRIDAY PICK UPS-SIGN UP HERE

CRAZY TIMES CALL FOR CRAZY MEASURES. WE HAVE STARTED BRINGING SEAFOOD DIRECTLY TO YOU. WE HAVE A SIGN UP FORM BELOW FOR RITT/FITLER. WE EMAIL ORDER FORMS ONCE A WEEK ON THURSDAYS AT 9AM FOR PICK UPS ON FRIDAYS. THREE PICK UP LOCATIONS FROM 11AM TO 3PM INCLUDE  AT THE CORNER OF TANEY ST AND PINE ST FROM 11AM TO 11:55AM, IN FRONT OF THE ETHICAL SOCIETY FROM 12PM TO 1:30PM  AS WELL AS WASHINGTON SQUARE FROM 2PM-3PM. I CURATE THE SEAFOOD SELECTION TO BRING YOU THE FRESHEST THE SEA HAS TO OFFER.

 

• The Weekly Newsletter. I asked Robert if he had a professional copywriter. His response, “Nah. I do it all myself.” His copy is fun and upbeat—a delight to read.

 

After all, these are his kind of people. He has known them for 25 years—how they think and what they feel. They are literate—as is Robert Amar. He emphatically does not need a hired copywriter to talk to them!

 

(Dare I call them a-fish-cianados?)

 

A Dramatic Expansion!

Here's the October 13th Email.

 

Small World Seafood Update – October 13, 2020
From: SMALL WORLD SEAFOOD <smallworldseafood@gmail.com>

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!

Last week was a ton of fun!! I love to see all the Instagram photos of people preparing clams and skate wing and setting up beautiful cheese plates. We are grateful to Ann at Third Wheel Cheese Co for providing us with the opportunity to have some good cheese at home. We will definitely do this again with her in a few weeks.

So, selling cheese along with seafood really doesn't make a lot of sense on the surface of things. What does cheese have to do with seafood? Not much, huh? If you think of things in another way, however, we are coming to you anyway, right? Most of us are not really leaving our neighborhood much and we don't really want to go to supermarkets to browse. We are in and out of those places faster that a Ritz cracker walking into a gluten free convention. Also, we are not exploring the city for interesting things much anymore like we used to so we are unaware of what is available in other parts. Well, let me tell you, there is some cool stuff happening out there. Some businesses are Covid born. Others, like us, are Covid pivots. 

Since we are the mules coming to your neighborhood anyway, why not feature some of the cool stuff that is out there? You can try it and maybe you go to them for more. So, we'll be trying to feature some businesses over the next few weeks that we think are pretty damn cool. Who knows. Maybe we'll just keep doing it. Hopefully, you will support them too. We are talking about bagels, breads, babkas, coffee, maybe meats and, of course, you know about the cheese.

This week, we will be offering an appetizer and dessert to complement your fabulous meals. The first is from my good friend, Pierre Calmels, owner of Bibou restaurant (biboubyob.com). He has decided to pivot from high end prix-fixe dinners to making French goodies such as pates, sausages and meal boxes. How do you operate a restaurant when you only had 22 seats and try to function at 25% or 50%? You can't. He is one of the best French chefs in the city so whatever he makes will be exceptional.

Pierre is going to prepare escargots in garlic herb butter for you all! How does that work? He will be portioning a dozen escargots which he cooks in a wine stock for a few hours and placing them in an aluminum container with a chilled slice of garlic herb butter (French butter, course) that can be heated in your oven to bring it all together. Get yourself some baguettes and indulge! The price will be $18 per dozen. A notable restaurant on Rittenhouse Square sells 5 escargots for $15 so this is quite a bargain and the quality will be unmatched. 

The final course of your dinner will come from Oui Pastries in Old City (ouipastries.com). The owner CJ does some really inventive stuff with her baking. She even provides baking kits for people to prepare their own pastries at home. Good fun. She will be producing a sampler box of desserts, 4 per, for you all to enjoy. We will describe them fully in Thursday's order form email. We look forward to working with both of these creative spirits.

And now onto fish... finally. This time of year brings some fish we don't normally see at other times of the year. We played with red drum and speckled trout (more this week, hopefully) from North Carolina in the past two weeks. Locally, we've secured a boat load of fresh albacore tuna for you all!! You may have seen Andy, Brian and I playing with albacore over the weekend on our instagram page, @smallworldseafood. I poached mine in olive oil and make a puttanesca pasta. Andy smoked his over cherry wood and Brian sesame crusted his and served it with bok choy and shiitake mushrooms. There is a lot you can do with this fish. It is totally underrated because of canned tuna stories. 

The great thing about it, too, is that it is much cheaper than its bigger brothers Yellowfin and Big Eye. At $12lb skinless and fully cleaned, you have a pretty cheap tuna you can sear, braise or preserve. I tell you, you may have the best tuna Nicoise if you do it right!

I am trying to make up for the lack of speckled trout last week and things look good. That being said, I will confirm on Thursday if we have it.

One sad note is that we may be saying goodbye to scallops after this week for a bit. The prime season is about to end soon and prices are going up. Usually when that happens, quality decreases as well. Think of tomatoes in January. Expensive and hard to find a good one. Same with fish. They freeze very well if you want to stock up a bit. We will feature them again when we find a good crop at a good price. Promise. 

Mussels are back this week and we will be going back to Massachusetts for oysters. This time we will be introducing Model T's from the Duxbury area. I believe that travelling around through food can energize the spirit. It's not the same, I know, but it can be the next best.

 Anyway, that's a lot of blah blah blah and blah blah blee from me. I can talk forever, as my wife will attest. In fact, one year around this time, I challenged everyone in my family to pick a costume for me for Halloween and i would do it. They picked mime...go figure...

Look out for the order form Thursday at 9am.

Best,

Robert Amar

Small World Seafood

Owner

 

Takeaways to Consider

• Obviously when (and if) Covid-19 eventually fades away, Amar can immediately revert wholesaling to restaurants again.

 

• But what of this retail business? Quite simply Robert loves it! “I’m meeting and talking to all kinds of people,” he gushes. “I listen. They tell me what I’m doing right and doing wrong. In this business, you have to listen.”

 

• Small World Seafood is not scalable, according to Robert. He does not have infrastructure and staff to take it throughout America’s sixth largest city with its 5.7 million population spread out over 141.7 miles. He’s pretty much maxed out.

 

• Robert Amar is truly a Renaissance Man. In the 50 years of making 

a living in direct marketing, I cannot recall knowing an individual 

who created a profitable direct marketing operation in six weeks 

with zero experience in the business.

 

• What’s more, in my 50 working years I cannot recall a business 

founded entirely on word-of-mouth advertising.

 

• Do you have a friend, family member or business colleague suddenly outta work for whatever reason? Is it "Alas... oh-woe-is-me time? What am I gonna do?" Forward this post. Okay, it's a niche business model. But I believe it's an inspiration that can fire up the creative juices and give a reason to jump out of bed in the early a.m. and...

       Don't lose your confidence if you slip,
       Be grateful for a pleasant trip,
       And pick yourself up,
       Dust yourself off,
       Start all over again.

            —Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGUsRGuZb6k

 

Thank you.

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