Is John A. Greco, Jr. really worth $838,528* a year?
The interwebs are abuzz with direct marketing folks chatting about the smackdown between Gerry Pike and John Greco of the Direct Marketing Association.
Seems most of the discussion is focused on Greco’s salary — a figure that’s almost twice the industry average for a national nonprofit according to the ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership.
Truth is, I don’t really care how much John Greco is paid. I don’t spend my time thinking about how many days he works from home versus the office. I don’t wonder how much his spiral staircase cost or if he ever even got one. And I certainly don’t waste my time obsessing about whether or not his son spent two weeks in Italy.
What does matter to me — and many other people like me — is whether or not he and his Board of Directors are doing a good job for the industry. (As easy as it is to pinpoint all of this on Greco, he does in fact have a Board that also has a fiduciary responsibility to the organization they serve.)
Yesterday, one of my dear friends (and a very prominent person in the direct marketing community) called me all hot and bothered that the DMA was having a convicted felon to speak at this year’s Annual Conference. Truth is that I haven’t paid much attention to what’s happening in San Diego as I’m speaking at a competitive event. She droned on and on about what a shame and how horrific it was — as my mind raced to figure out who it was. Oh, that’s right. Martha Stewart.
Are you flipping kidding me? This is what we’re getting upset about? The industry is going to Hell in a handbasket and we’re focusing our efforts on Martha Stewart’s criminal record? We’re choosing to ignore the serious ramifications of sidewikis and postal increases in favor of the prison sentence of a Domestic Goddess? Hell, I’d personally track down Osama Bin Laden to keynote the damn thing if I thought he knew something about direct marketing and how it could benefit our community. He certainly would bring in the attendance.
The bottom line is that there are three sides to every story: his side, her side and the truth. And, there’s more than enough drama surrounding this issue than to pontificate our navels about why Kelly Browning doesn’t have access to a cell phone when he travels (please DMA, bring back Doug Berger, at least he made Weintzen’s stuff sound credible) or whether or not the AIG reference in the subject line of Gerry’s e-mail was a knock at Gene Raitt (he was the EVP and Chief Direct Marketing Officer of AIG Companies Worldwide and is expected to be the new Chairman of the DMA’s Board.)
All this noise — and noise is what it is — is what put direct marketers in this position in the first place. While the traditional catalogers were burying their heads in the sand and/or spewing that the internet was nothing but the next CB radio, companies like Amazon and eBay were popping up all over. Now look what’s happened to us. The Titanic sunk at a slower rate.
In his comments on my previous Who Is Gerry Pike? post, Lee Odden (unequivocally one of the most knowledgeable, well respected folks in the search and social space) wrote that he “would challenge those that are debating membership or that were previously members to help make the changes that will make the DMA a better, more effective and valuable organization for all its members.”
So, ask yourself:
What do I expect the Direct Marketing Association to provide for ME and my organization? (And consequently, is it possible for them to meet/exceed these expectations? In other words, are they even reasonable in 2009?)
Do I get my value from their lobbying/advocacy efforts? Education and training services? Both? Something else?
Are there other organizations (like the ACMA) I can join where I’d get more bang for my buck in terms of support?
Is it worth the time? Is it worth the money? (If you are a member just for the discount at the conferences, the fees may indeed be worth it for you.)
If you feel that the Direct Marketing Association can serve a benefit in your business and you don’t feel like you’re getting your money’s worth, I encourage you to contact Gerry or one of the other Board Members you feel best represents your position.
The Annual Board Meeting is October 18th and the deadline for Gerry (or anyone else for that matter) receiving your proxy is October 16th.
P.S. Kevin Hillstrom of Mine That Data wrote a solid article this morning with his take on the issue. Definitely worth a read!
P.P.S. If you need more information on this cagematch-without-costumes, Richard H. Levey’s articles can be found here and here. (If only the Loose Cannon was around to weigh in. This whole Levey-without-an-opinion is for the birds.) If you search for “Gerry Pike” you are likely going to find information on a porn star, so here’s his web site: http://abetterdma.org/. (And no, I haven’t checked to see if it’s the same person. There are some things I really just don’t want to know.)
