Meet the Broker: Jennifer L. Rickard

Today we meet Jennifer L. Rickard, executive vice president at Rickard List Marketing. Rickard worked in the financial services industry before joining the family owned business 18 years ago.

Although Rickard’s role in the firm extends beyond list brokerage, she still personally handles brokerage for Meredith Corp. “I work mostly with shelter magazines,” she said.

With other clients she’s not directly involved with day-to-day list brokerage.

“I’m the face person. I work with other brokers and review recommendations. I still go out and visit clients, but I’m not processing orders for them,” said Rickard.

Her avid interest in shelter publications is not strictly professional. She reads them for inspiration at home.

“I am constantly redecorating. I’ve always got a project going. I love puttering around the house. I am a do-it-yourselfer. I’ve been known to tear down walls. I’ve put in retaining walls. I do painting and landscaping,” she said.

Rickard is a single parent. She has a son, 13 and a daughter 10. “The kids keep me pretty busy at home, being a taxi for them and all their activities,” she added.

How is the role of list brokers changing?

“It’s becoming multi-faceted,” said Rickard. “We’re targeting audiences on a more finite level.”

Brokers no longer can focus solely on postal lists, as the role of e-mail files and statistical modeling in direct marketing continues to grow. “No one can say they just do brokerage for postal lists anymore,” she said.

Databases are being split up into numerous specialized postal lists and selections, which, Rickard pointed out, increases the administrative workload for brokers who have to keep track of new data cards being introduced to the market.

One thing never changes though: “A broker who knows their job has the skills to research pretty much anything,” she said.

What changes in list brokerage are you most concerned about?

“The consolidation in list business is one of the biggest challenges the industry faces,” said Rickard.

Family-owned business used to dominate the list business. But now, the corporate business model has become the norm, with list companies being acquired to create larger conglomerates. This, in her opinion, means less personalized services for clients.

Brokers are at a disadvantage when communicating with clients if they work in one office and the orders are processed at another location, Rickard noted. It’s detrimental when brokers’ focus shifts to achieving numerical objectives, rather than communicating with clients, she said.

“There’s less [business] intimacy with clients now. It matters because that’s how you keep your hand on the client’s pulse, ask questions and troubleshoot problems,” she said.

Know someone you’d like to suggest for Meet the Broker? E-mail Jim Emerson at [email protected]