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So based on anecdotal information, we put supplies and equipment for each category side-by-side — for example, pen-plotting supplies alongside of the pen plotters. We thought that this would give customers a chance to see the upgraded version of the equipment they had now.

The equipment catalog had been used to generate interest in upgrading printers and plotters. So we thought product envy might draw them to ask about and purchase the latest model. The catalog did well — up about 50% from the original sales from the two catalogs — and it cost less to produce.

But numbers, plus suspicions based on what our client knew to be true about the market, and customer feedback, told us that it might do better to separate the equipment from the supplies.

The following year, ignoring square-inch analysis, which told us we were doing well, we followed information we heard from sales people and customers. We repaginated leading off with the supplies, and coming in from the back with equipment. The jump in response was amazing: an increase of nearly 100% in sales directly from the catalog, and a significant leap in lead generation for the equipment.

This was a great example of how science and psychology caused a breakthrough for this client. A few years later, a new manager looked at squinch and read the numbers literally — showing equipment to be a poor seller from the catalog. This was no surprise, since this equipment started at about $10,000 and was in the catalog primarily to generate leads for the company.

Thinking it was not earning its space, and not taking into account the quality and quantity of leads, the catalog was feeding the sales force, the manager removed the equipment from the catalog. This led to a huge crash in the lead-generation cycle. You can imagine the upset cries from the sales force!

Eventually the manager relented and put an equipment mini-insert inside the catalog. But he never recovered the catalog to its spot as a powerful lead-generator as well as supplies seller. Taking squinch literally was a crippling move for this catalog.

	The appeal of a thoughtful spread

When I consulted with a collectibles catalog awhile ago, the company was stuck with disappointing numbers. It had been using squinch to move better sellers around and give them more space, as well as moving out the poor sellers. But this was not really showing the merchant any significant improvement in sales.

When I looked at the sales numbers and the catalog's organization, it occurred to me that the marketer was not appealing to the collector's soul — the emotional buy-in that makes a person collect. I knew from other experiences that many people will collect objects by subject matter rather than by the product's construction.

So, for example, a page full of porcelain figures may have included only one item on the page that a particular kind of collector would be looking for. It was unlikely that someone who bought a Disney collectible porcelain figure would also buy a John Wayne porcelain figure.

What's more, the spread is less appealing if it's filled with products that don't interest the viewer. They are, in fact, more likely to turn away without buying.

In discussing this with the client, we proposed a new pagination that used squinch only as basic information for subject categories. Thinking “subject matter,” we put eagle porcelain items with an eagle thimble and an eagle mug.

If this had been an Americana-theme area, it would have been a great place to include other eagles and American flag items, too And if there was a John Wayne figure from his military films, that would also have worked.

Meanwhile, the catalog's more fantasy-oriented porcelains, such as unicorn figurines, would go with other like collectibles of all sorts, such as plates with cottage scenes and snow globes.

While the cataloger's logical approach was organized using squinch, ours was pure psychology and customer affinity. And one thing we know is that affinity is a powerful motivator.

The results were off the charts. This led to that company moving into themed catalogs. At one point, the company had eight catalogs, including military themes, fantasy, Disney collectibles, and so on. And these were highly successful books.

	Balancing numbers with psychology

One of the most commonly ignored aspects of the catalogs I review is the pagination. Most creatives don't even consider this to be a factor when redoing a catalog. Yet this is the first thing I look for in a catalog makeover. We want to control when prospects will see certain merchandise!

And the client's squinch numbers are an essential part of the discovery process for me. As a creative consultant working on giving them a jump in response, I need to see those figures.

But there is always that less-considered and often scoffed-at approach, which is to look at the behavior of the catalog customer, and balance that with the numbers. Try it — you may find that a combination of fact and psychology provides a powerful lever to greater response.