The Economy:It’s on Everyone’s Mind.
Is the recession coming to an end? When will the housing market recover? When will the unemployment rate start to decline? No one knows for sure, but there are positive signs that point to the recession beginning to recede as we come to the end of 2009.
At Direct Connection, we have seen a definite increase in sales activity in the last 60 days. So if marketing and sales budgets are some of the first casualties of a recession, perhaps they are also one of the first budget items to return as the economic storm clouds clear. After all, we all know that advertising and marketing drive more sales and profits.
I believe that hard work and a positive attitude can go a long way in helping any individual, company or organization weather this nasty economic storm. I’m realistic enough to prepare for the worst, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the future. I hope you are too.
John Hodgman, President
Direct Connection President John Hodgman is serving on the Board of Directors for the Printing Industry Association of Southern California (www.piasc.org) for 2009 – 2010. In addition to his duties as a board member, Hodgman is chairman of the print marketing committee for the PIASC. The committee’s goal is to communicate and sell the value of print to PIA members and their customers.
Business Partner Spotlight: Gary Hirabayashi, Claremont Post Office
Gary Hirabayoshi retired on October 30, 2009 from the Claremont Post Office after working in the bulk mail acceptance department for more than 38 years. In Gary’s honor, Direct Connection hosted a retirement party for Gary at our offices on October 28. Gary helped hundreds of clients prepare their bulk mailings and get the mailings through the acceptance process at the post office. Direct Connection has worked with Gary on a daily basis for more than 10 years.
With Gary’s friendly and positive attitude at work, he was always a pleasure to work with. He genuinely cared about his customers and the success of their mailings and his absence will be missed at the post office. We wish Gary all the best as he transitions into retirement.
Higher Education Conference Nov. 14-17 in San Francisco
Representatives from Colleges, Universities, and other higher education advancement departments from California, Arizona, Hawaii, Utah, Nevada, and Guam will be meeting in San Francisco Nov. 14-17 at the annual CASE District VII conference. This year’s conference for CASE (The Council for the Advancement & Support of Education) will be held at the Hyatt Embarcadero and once again, Direct Connection will be a premier sponsor at the event. For more information on this event, visit the CASE VII website at www.caseviiconference.org or contact the conference chairperson, Emily M. Rankin, Director of Alumnae Relations, Scripps College at (909) 621-8054 or via email at Erankin@ScrippsCollege.edu.
Maximizing Donor Retention for Fundraisers
Fundraisers in the Non-Profit sector continue to use direct mail to acquire new donors and keep existing donors. But when an active donor turns into an inactive or lapsed donor (often referred to as a SYBUNT – they gave in Some Year But Unfortunately Not This Year), fundraisers want to do all they can to return these donors to active status. It is much more likely that you can turn a SYBUNT into an active donor if their last gift was made within the last 3 years. For these folks, often a telephone call coupled with a follow up mailing is the most effective means of returning them to active donors. Former donors who have not given in the last 3 years can be added to a list of prospective donors to include in future donor acquisition mailings.
Client Spotlight: Think Big Helps Auto Dealers in Big Ways
One might think that starting a business whose primary market is the automobile industry during one of the worst recessions in U.S. history would be a risky move, but that is exactly what Think Big did earlier this year. And by all accounts, they are succeeding beyond their own ambitious expectations. Founded by Jimmy Caudillo and Jeannette Costello, Think Big uses direct mail advertising services provided by Direct Connection to increase sales for automobile dealers throughout Southern California.
Jimmy and Jeannette worked together at auto dealerships and advertising companies for several years before starting the company. Late last year, they decided it was time to start their own advertising company to serve auto dealers. During the incubation process, Jimmy and Jeannette sought the advice and input of Direct Connection. “Ramon Ortiz met with us on several occasions and answered many of our questions during the research stages. His knowledge, experience, patience, and professionalism always pointed us in the right direction. The quality of service we receive at Direct Connection is the reason we keep our mailing business with them.”-Jeannette Costello.
For more information, contact Think Big at (951) 244-4949 or via email at sales@uthinkbig.com.
Employee Spotlight: Meet Jaime Oliva
Many of Direct Connection’s customers have come to know Jaime (pronounced “Hi-May”) Oliva in our shipping and receiving department. Jaime is the young man with the smile and friendly attitude that helps unload your materials when you make a delivery to us. Not only does Jaime help unload all the deliveries at Direct Connection, but he is responsible for verifying the counts of the materials, pulling samples for the customer service reps and sales people, and placing the materials into our inventory area. In addition, Jaime creates a daily log of all materials received so the entire staff can review it once a day to verify receipt of materials.
Once a job is ready to be processed and mailed, Jaime is the person who gathers the materials for a job and gets the material into the proper production department.
When Jaime is not busy managing inventory and receiving materials, he also works in our order fulfillment department and operates our high-speed duplicating systems!
Jaime has been a Direct Connection team member since 2001, the same year he moved to the United States from El Salvador. Like many immigrants to the U.S., Jaime came here seeking a better life after serving as a policeman in El Salvador. Jaime resides in Pomona with his wife and their 6 year old daughter.