In the August 2017 issue of Response Magazine, President of a2b Fulfillment, Ayal Latz, talks about the value in having a strong network of partners within the Direct Response space. Latz talks about his own experience with venturing into DR Fulfillment and shares with readers a few suggestions on how to form those all-important partnerships:
1) Join the Industry Group(s) – Alliances and associations have always been great for advocacy, education and networking. You can do all the research you’d like, but plugging into these groups allows you to engage with some of the true veterans in the industry and learn its intricacies. For instance, we joined the DRMA close to 10 years ago and began networking at every turn. Thankfully, we connected with some terrific mentors early on that embraced our enthusiasm and helped us with building an initial client base.
2) Be Active – Don’t just write that membership fee check and sit back to wait on the leads to fall in your lap. Seek out a committee where you can add real value. Attend the shows and events to network with other members and find out the latest industry happenings. Mentor a new member (or be mentored). These are all great ways to get involved, stay educated and continue to make valuable connections.
3) Get to Know Others – If you’re a supplier, spend time learning about your peers and their businesses. Understand what they offer and how your services can complement one another. As a fulfillment provider, we have many strong partnerships with other solution providers; including production, media, campaign management, call centers and payment processors. Relationships with these partners allow us to offer even greater value. For marketers utilizing all of our services, they can rest easy knowing that we are all integrated and have a familiar working relationship.
As a Marketer, you will obviously need strong supplier partnerships, but also be sure to seek out relationships with your marketer peers. One of the great benefits to this industry is that people are very willing to share knowledge and help one another. Take advantage of someone’s experience and be willing to reciprocate.
4) Seek Opportunities to Collaborate – Staying informed about what’s going on in the industry will ensure that you are meeting the challenges of the day. Be proactive and reach out to others to form innovative and collaborative solutions that will help you and your customers.
If you are in need of a solid partner within the DR space, we would welcome you to reach out to us! To download the full version of this story, check out the August 2017 issue of Response Magazine.