Q&As

Volvo Construction Equipment is the largest manufacturer of construction equipment in the world. But it is eyeing first place, thanks to a decision to enter the rental market three years ago.

The latest incarnation of Carlson Hotels Worldwide’s loyalty program features more than a name change. The multibrand hospitality chain also is altering the way it communicates with meeting planners — the folks who may not even travel themselves but influence a lot of bookings.

How much time do you spend pondering how Linux open-source development processes could improve your business?
Not much, we’ll bet. But the brains at the Harvard Business Review have been thinking about it, as shown by two articles in their July-August issue.

If ever anyone wanted a follow-up, it would be an industrial buyer who goes to a Web site to search for products, right? Wrong. A new survey by ThomasNet. shows that 77% of all industrial executives and engineers who go online have a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” philosophy, and that 56% don’t want to be called until they have made the initial contact.

We’ve heard about internal marketing. We’ve heard about getting affiliates on board. But how do you get an entire country to support your brand? That question was raised during an exchange about CRM in the Cayman Islands.

Re: What is CRM? Some Definitions (The CRM Loop, July 28, 2005). Let’s put it this way: I have been involved in “CRM” technology and services long before CRM became the big hit. It’s really so simple but everyone makes it so complicated.

Online auctioneer eBay has decided to discontinue its Anything Points loyalty program for U.S. consumers, but will keep the program alive in Canada. The program launched in May 2003. Calls to eBay were not returned, but a message on eBay’s Anything …

For better or worse, the Web is perhaps the most infinitely measurable marketing medium we

Every merchant sending commercial e-mail wants to make that mail more deliverable

Selecting the right carrier route maps to manage your mailings is a vital key to strong direct mail performance. These maps show you the best way to spend your direct mail dollars.