Q&As

Asking a good question is a highly effective way to open your sales letter or direct response e-mail. And a good question is one that is both attention grabbing and involving.

AT&T Inc. has unveiled a number of resources geared to small business owners including free advice, online courses and special offers. For information, visit http://www.att.com/OnwardSmallBiz.

If Apple’s iPhone can do for smart phones what its iPod did for MP3 players, this may turn out to be the year Web operators get really interested in optimizing their sites for discovery and display by mobile devices. And according to Cindy Krum, senior search optimization analyst for Denver-based Blue Moon Works, the time is now to start thinking about how your site shows up in mobile.

Attention catalogers: holiday 2006 was bumpy, and 2007 might not be smooth either.

The ServiceMaster Co. generated $169.7 million in net income, and $3.43 billion in revenue, for fiscal 2006. But while its revenue rose from 2005’s $3.24 billion, its net income dropped from $198.9 million, in part doe to changes in its direct response marketing activities. The fiscal year ended on Dec. 31.

Screw Valentine’s Day. Let’s eat dark chocolate Altoids.
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. plays the anti-Cupid with storefront sampling of new Altoids Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints.

Domino’s is out with a new look to its Web site and free music downloads to back its new Cheesy Garlic Bread Pizza product.

Net direct marketing sales at Harry and David Holdings Inc. reached $270.5 million for the fiscal year second quarter that ended Dec. 30. This reflects a 4.9% increase compared to the same period last year.

(Multichannel Merchant) DVD and video merchant Movies Unlimited and cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) have teamed up for a cobranded catalog. The 832-page catalog sells a broad range of discs, including classics from the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, rare B westerns, Japanese animation, and television shows.

Rainmaker Systems Inc. has reported $48.9 million in revenues for 2006, a 52% increase over its $32.1 million in revenues reported for 2005.