Their profits are surging, costs are plummeting and the environment gets an unanticipated boost. And perhaps the best news in these troubled economic times? Employees are keeping their jobs instead of suffering layoffs.

Sound like it's too good to be true? At first blush, perhaps.

The answer lies with a dear old friend: Direct mail.

No question about it: Direct mail and the entire direct marketing industry created enormous wealth for decades. But many companies have gotten?well?sloppy.

We cared more about stuffing mailboxes with messages than what we should have been doing: Fine-tuning our marketing machines for maximum efficiency. And we're paying the piper for taking our eye off the ball. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Recently, a handful of smart executives crafted a marketing strategy that leverages the power of direct marketing like never before. The system they've developed sends profits soaring. These adjustments to direct mail processes slash marketing costs without sacrificing a penny of profit.

With the economy in a freefall and unemployment at unprecedented levels, any company that is considering layoffs is in for a pleasant surprise when they put their direct marketing process under the microscope.

But this is not a place for marketing rookies to cut their teeth by indiscriminately slashing costs. Done wrong, your profits will plummet like a falling star.

The key is NOT to simply communicate with your customers less.

That's suicide.

But rather, the answer lies in how you talk to your customers. And this is where it starts to get fascinating.

Over the past twenty years, the direct marketing industry has become increasingly complex. Companies employed a dizzying array of direct mail, email, web sites and phone rooms that enticed customers and prospects into opening their wallets. Database marketing was king.

And for good reason. It's predictable, it's profitable, and it performs like clockwork. Who cares if my return on investment is dwindling? If I can spend $1 on a direct mail piece and earn $1.20, I'll do it all day long!

But in the midst of all this marketing wizardry, efficiency suffered dramatically.

Very few companies were willing look at their direct marketing through the efficiency lens. Those that did trudge this extra mile profited wildly and guarded their secrets jealously. These companies invested years of painstaking trial and error, carving out marketing strategies that slash their traditional direct mail budget while vastly improving sales and profitability.

But there's a lifeline for those who want to quickly get up to speed and start reaping the rewards of efficient direct marketing.

Industry leader Transcontinental Direct quietly developed a proprietary Efficiency Analysis to help companies profit from these new advances. Their system predictably streamlines the marketing processes of any business that employs direct mail advertising.

The results are nothing short of astounding. It's the holy grail of marketing. Spend less and earn more.

Any business that uses mail to communicate with customers and prospects can typically slash at least ten percent off their direct marketing budget.

Transcontinental Direct will even perform a Free Efficiency Analysis for qualified companies, non-profits and government entities to determine how much they can save.

For companies considering layoffs, these cost savings can mean that some employees will get to stay in their jobs, put food on the table and keep the family in their home rather than becoming another foreclosure statistic.

Unemployment rolls can get some relief, as more people remain on the job.

If the company is already on solid footing and employees are not in danger of losing their jobs, the efficiency savings drop right to the bottom line. That's pretty exciting in today's economy when many firms are struggling just to stay afloat.

But the leading-edge companies are taking it one step further.

They're re-investing the efficiency savings back into communicating effectively with customers and prospects. These firms are actually growing. Even now, when so many companies are scraping to merely survive.

And there's even more good news.

Efficient direct marketing means less junk mail stuffed in mailboxes across the country. Any business that learns and applies the right marketing strategies to reduce direct mail helps the environment in a very measurable way. Less trees cut to provide the paper, reduced water, electricity and other resources used to process the mail. And that doesn't include all the greenhouse gases that are eliminated from not having to deliver the purged junk mail to millions of consumers.

The problem has become so pronounced, several groups have recently sprung up to help consumers stop junk mail and give the environment a breather. It's part of the worldwide obsession of living a greener lifestyle. The time is ripe for efficient marketing because reducing the mountains of junk mail in America has a measurable effect on the environment and greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

And the best part of efficient direct marketing? It's good business!

?Marketing messages become surgically focused, while response rates soar.

?Employees will applaud your efforts to retain them, rather than heartlessly laying them off without considering this easy alternative.

?Efficiency savings can be re-invested to retain existing customers, attract new ones, and increase the customer lifetime value.

? The press will eat up your story of environmental responsibility. More press equals free advertising, so your savings compound.

?Customers will reward your environmental stewardship with increased loyalty and sales.

Your business will quite literally become ?Leaner and Greener?.

The only question remaining is?why NOT do it?