Interview
Q: What was your first job?
My first job was picking tobacco when I was 14 years old. I had some odd jobs mowing lawns, shoveling driveways, and delivering newspapers prior to that, but working on a tobacco farm was my first “real” job earning a whopping $2.86 per hour. Q: What was your most interesting job?
My most interesting job is my current job as the president of NextMark. We are delivering new tools to make it easier for marketers to find and purchase mailing lists that help them reach their market. Mailing lists are critical to the success of every direct marketing program, but the technologies for finding good prospect lists are lacking and we are filling that void. With this constant innovation, there is never a dull moment here. Q: How did you get into Direct Marketing?
I took a job building marketing data warehouses at Exchange Applications – a Boston-based marketing technology firm. I loved the work I did there and have been doing it every since. Q: Who are your major influences?
There are too many to list. Here are just a few of the many people that have given me advice over the years: My parents were my biggest influence instilling a strong work ethic. Very early in my career, Kevin Cavanaugh taught me the value of doing a job completely and on time and on budget. Paul Ramsey taught me “illegitimus non carborundum” (don’t let the naysayers get you down) when starting new ventures. Mike Caccavale showed me how to use innovative technology to solve direct marketing problems. John Rizzi taught ways to run a software business. Tim Litle has taught me the importance of teaching and giving back to the marketing community. Q: Of all the projects you have worked on, which one(s) stand out?
My current long-range project of building a technology infrastructure for prospecting stands out because it will fundamentally change the way marketers acquire new customers. It also stands out because I’ve been working on aspects of this for almost a decade.
Q: What is the most exciting aspect of the DM field right now?
Balancing effective marketing with consumer privacy concerns. I think we can get the best of both worlds by using some creativity. Q: How do you see direct marketing evolving in the next 10 years?
I see the continued rise of electronic mediums and pay for performance. However, I also see a resurgence in the use of postal mail as tools for personalization and targeting evolve to deliver higher marketing return on investment. Q: How are you responding to this challenge? There are plenty of other people working on new printing technologies and house file targeting for cross-selling, up-selling, and retention. So, I am focusing my energy on tools to find better prospect lists, which is quite under-developed yet there is a huge need. Q: Are there any other challenges facing marketers that you would like to discuss?
I could go on all day long, but maybe I should stop while I am ahead.
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