Nancy Harhut presented, "Secrets and Lies: What's Really Working in B2B Creative" and covered the most common misconceptions about business-to-business creative and provided tips for identifying those lies and reinvigorating direct mail initiatives.

Here are three of the ten lies Harhut cited in her presentation:

Lie #1: Everything must come in an envelope.
Secret: Sure envelopes work, but so do other mailing devices.
Harhut noted one marketer who has had superb success with sending out coconuts to potential customers. He runs medical conferences in Hawaii and response to the coconut with his 1800 number on it has been outstanding.

Lie #7: Your tone must be all business.
Secret: Direct mail is a personal one-to-one medium. Try to write as if you were talking to a single prospect or customer. Invite people in.

Lie #8: Humor doesn't work
Secret: People are people, whether at home or work. Just make sure to watch out for anything that might be considered offensive. And keep in mind that in B2B marketing, we don't use enough humor, so a little goes a long way.

Overall the theme of the sessions I've attended is to keep in mind that at the end of the day you're still reaching out on a people to people level. The more engaging,helpful and nurturing you are to your potential partners or customers the more connection they will feel to you.