Meet the Broker: Andrea Timmerman
This week we meet Andrea Timmerman, who oversees catalog brokerage accounts for ParadyszMatera in Minneapolis. She was recently promoted to senior director of account management.
Timmerman began her brokerage career at the firm nine years ago, learning the fundamentals of direct mail and subsequently rising up through the ranks.
Before ParadyszMatera, Timmerman did public relations work for the Minnesota chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Timmerman is a consumer catalog specialist and list brokerage is a part of what she does. “I work with a team and I’m responsible for the overall process,” says Timmerman.
Her clients include Chadwick’s of Boston Inc., Crate and Barrel, Crosstown Traders Inc., Miles Kimball Co., Sportsman’s Guide Inc. and Victoria’s Secret.
Successful brokers are always looking to test new categories, reactivate former customers and refine list segments to keep up with constantly changing market dynamics.
“We have to perform a balancing act for clients,” says Timmerman.
She keeps her recipe for brokerage success simple: Find the right lists at the right cost and improve overall business performance. A list can perform well, but if cost of the list is too high it can be detrimental in the long run, she adds.
When she’s not working, Timmerman’s favorite pastimes include listening to music, attending concerts and live theater. She enjoys traveling too. She’s recently been to Hawaii and Mexico. Next on her agenda is a trip to Ireland in the fall.
“I’m a relaxed type of traveler. I like to relax and go shopping,” Timmerman says.
Why is it so important to know the list source?
“Companies are always changing, which means the names in the market are changing,” says Timmerman.
The source is a key factor, and list recommendations should reflect this, she says. After all, consumer behavior differs depending on whether a name comes from a marketing affiliate, Web site, catalog or publication.
Brokers need to keep informed of changes related to sources of data, such as shifts in merchandising mixes, media response variables and, of course, what competitors are doing.
How can brokers prepare for negotiating net name arrangements?
She advises doing some “net gap analysis” to determine how many new names a particular file nets, compared to other lists being used. Then negotiate the terms for net name arrangements.
Generally, the number of new names that can be netted from rental files is declining, says Timmerman. “Co-op databases are changing the market dynamics.”
“It’s very important to understand the average net varies on a seasonal basis. You might be getting 50% net names but negotiating a 75% arrangement,” says Timmerman.
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