RSW/US Client List Building-How Does It Work?

When we’re at shows or  in conversations with interested agency prospects, we’re often asked about the day-to-day of our List Building/Operations teams.

To that end, Dave Beyer, list builder on the operations side of things at RSW/US, sat down with Cory Esselman, our newly minted Group Manager, for a brief interview about his job.

D: So Cory, how long have you been at your current position?

C: I’ve been with RSW since October 2011 and took over this Group Manager position a few months ago in November when Cathy Bengal retired.

D: Pop quiz, hotshot! What would happen to RSW/US if your position didn’t exist? Go!

C:The biggest problem that would arise would be that the list builders, such as yourself, would have no direction to do their job. Our number one priority is to provide the best contacts for you guys to find so our clients can get the best results…. Did I pass?!

D: Yeah, I suppose you did. If you could go back and give yourself some advice on your first day as a Group Manager, what would that be?

C: Take notes, notes, and more notes! Sometimes we won’t deal with specific lists for weeks and Clients and NBDs are constantly changing their direction so it’s tough to remember everything.

D: Speaking of the NBDs, what is your relationship with them? How many do you work with?

C: Personally I have 6 NBDs who handle a total of 22 clients.

D: What is included when working on a new client’s first wave? (what’s a wave?)

C: The first wave (a list usually containing 60 potential contacts) for a new client is the most important.

This wave shows the client that we understand the wants and needs that they provided to us during the kickoff meeting.

Attention to detail is extremely important. Other than increasing the list size by 20, it is mostly like pulling a regular wave.

D: Which includes?

C: After we see which sectors the list needs to contain, we go to the approved master and begin selecting companies.

We look at a client’s geographic restrictions, target revenue, their DoNotCall list, and their current database of contacts.

We reference the wave schedule developed for the client, which might be modified depending on direction.

D: What is your biggest challenge on a day-to-day basis?

C: Switching from one client to another!

We have to maintain knowledge about each client’s process so we can quickly address questions that arise from NBDs, clients, and our bosses. Doing this and prioritizing the most pressing job tasks makes each day interesting!

D: Ok, now let’s get real….Favorite movie?

C:Hmm… Frequency. But I don’t watch a lot of movies twice so I have a lot of favorites.

D: Good Dennis Quaid movie, but not as good as his work in Parent Trap. How about favorite color?

C: Blue

D: And because I promised you I would ask, do you have a favorite website?
C: Well since you asked, I run FanCzar.com(check it out).

D: Ooooh, I here they have a pretty sharp logo (designed by yours truly).