When youve been in business over 20 years, something clicks.

You start becoming a more acute observer of trends, how long they last, and you know, to your core, that no trend lasts forever.

I was a part of the early vanguard in telemarketing. A major shift was occurring in America, from transportation, which was becoming more costly because of spiking oil prices, to communication, to substitutes for expensive travel.

And the phone was a suitable substitute. I promoted this idea across the country, people caught on, and suddenly A T & T and other giants were investing millions promoting this new tool, selling by phone.

It boomed, so much in fact, that it precipitated countermeasures, and nearly its own demise. Too many calls were made, especially to residences, resulting in the Do Not Call Registry and other limiting legislation.

The next big thing has been the Internet. And like telemarketing, its not going away anytime soon, but it may have seen its heyday. Fundamentally, the web has squeezed the profits of the brick and mortar world, making everything from auto insurance to backpacks and used books less costly.

It has enabled millions upon millions of businesses to have electronic brochures, and I suppose a few trees have been spared by that and by the advent of email. Certain phenomena, such as online dating, have made it possible for people to beat the odds, and find a match.

But it has also hollowed-out customer service and tech support, substituting self-service for the human touch.

For a period of three or four years Ive noticed a steep reduction in the number of unsolicited brochures Ive received in the mail, especially promoting seminars. One of the only exceptions has been in the area of mortgage refinancing, where solicitations have proliferated because of low rates.

But now, there is a resurgence of direct mail marketing, door hangers, and business card and brochure drop-offs. Compared to the Internet, these methods seem primitive, but theyre coming back, big time.

Why?

They actually work!

Literally, they put your story, your offer, the look and feel of you and your business, into peoples hands. Its very difficult to NOT look at promotional materials that reach you this way.

Most of the unsolicited email I get is spam-clicked into oblivion without a look. Pop-up ads are nearly a thing of the past, and Ive become fast at pulling the trigger to close ad boxes at the online newspapers I read.

So, the real thing, something you can touch and feel, is making a comeback.

I see it as a signal that businesspeople are tired of throwing promotional dollars down the black hole known as the Internet.

Well see if Im ahead of the curve on this trend!