Steal These Ideas!: Marketing Secrets That Will Make You a Star, 2nd Edition

The Guthrie Lesson

In the early 1980s, the highly acclaimed Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis found itself in difficult financial straits. They signed on as an Epsilon client and wanted us to create their first-ever direct-mail fund-raising campaign to loyal season ticket holders.

As might be expected, Guthrie's management was nervous about the solicitation and just about came unhinged a week before the scheduled drop date. They called daily with a constant battery of questions: “What if some people complain?” “What if they write nasty letters back?” “What if we get subscription cancellations?” What if, what if. . . .

My response was a simple one, based on years of hard-won experience. Yes, I told them, you will get all of the above. I can guarantee ...