1g3KKgE

DIRECT MARKETING EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
PERSONALIZED LETTER FROM BOB STONE
The old saying, "The shoemaker's children have no shoes" isn't necessarily true when it comes to
the labor of love of many top names in direct marketing. In searching for letters to be included in
this book, I wrote to many of my colleagues for nominations for the best classic direct mail letter.
The winner was written by Bob Stone to raise funds for what was then called the Direct
Mail/Marketing Educational Foundation. It was five pages long, and every sentence helped draw
more contributions than had ever before been obtained by this group.
The letter has won many awards. But its greatest award was that the funds it raised led to the
establishment of the first degree-program in direct marketing at a major university and inspired
dozens of other colleges and universities throughout the country to develop their own programs
in direct marketing.
The opening is truly classic:
Remember when you were a kid? A "dreamer" was put down as
someone who would never amount to anything — destined to be a
"non-achiever" for life.
What a myth!
Let me tell you about some "dreamers" who became super achievers
in direct marketing. They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Bob went on to describe such "dreamers" as L. L. Bean, Len and Gloria Carlson, and Lester
Wunderman. Then he added:
But of all the dreams-come-true which I have witnessed over the
years there is one which supersedes all others. A dream-come-true
which has touched all our lives, a dream which will live beyond our
lifetimes.
The year was 1965. Lewis Kleid, a leading list broker in his day, was
a close friend of Edward N. Mayer, Jr., known around the world as
"Mr. Direct Mail."
Lew made a proposition to Ed. He said, "Ed, if you will devote time
to teaching the rudiments of direct marketing to college kids, I'll provide
the seed money to make it happen."
Thus, with the simplicity that was a trademark of Ed Mayer, the Lewis
Kleid Institute was launched. Today, almost 17 years later, the Direct
Mail/Marketing Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization
which sponsors Kleid Institutes, continues in the Ed Mayer image.
www.greatestsalesletters.com - 127 -