Having been a list broker in this industry for more than 30 years, I have seen many changes in the relationship between brokers and mailers.
Voice mail. It is bad enough when a mailer is stupid enough not to return your call, but list managers? Give me a break.
My job is to seek out list information for my clients in a quick and informative fashion. Most list manager personnel stop me from performing this function when they do not return my phone calls. I am finding a lack of professionalism in the training of the assistants.
Instead of offering 30 percent commissions to get tests, train your people to service a broker by answering his questions. In my past career, I ran two successful management companies. My assistants were told to return calls as soon as they could or they would lose their jobs.
As you are aware, this is a down economy. However, you can sell more list rentals with service and aggressive selling techniques. If a manager telemarkets to a broker and he or she doesn’t respond, shame on us. When a list manager doesn’t respond to a broker call, you can lose an order.
Jordan Perper, Vice president, business development,
StarBright Direct,
