Meet the Broker: Kathy Tribel

Today we meet Kathy Tribel, a list broker/manager, at Lawrence Direct Marketing in Warrenton, VA.

Before joining Lawrence three years ago, she worked as a tax administrator, a homemaker and most recently as an interior decorator.

So how did she get into list brokerage?

“It’s kind of a funny story,” she recalls. “I was actually doing the interior decorating and I was looking for a career change. I was going through a separation at the time and I was offered a job as a wedding planner.

“I didn’t think that was appropriate,” she says, noting that she eventually she applied for and got her current job which she enjoys doing.

Tribel mostly brokers lists for conservative nonprofits and religious organizations—mostly Catholic—with a smattering of business-to-business and consumer thrown in for good measure.

For this market, direct mail remains the marketing method of choice.

“I think that a lot of organizations are trying to use e-mail and that sort of thing,” she says. “I find that direct mail is a lot more tangible. Personally, I find the delete button just too easy to hit.”

Likewise, she’s not sure about the ROI of online social networking methods like Facebook and Twitter.

“I find that good old-fashioned in-person social networking works very well,” she says, referring to the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s annual List Bazaar event where she can meet other brokers and mailers face to face.

Since direct mail is so important to her clients’ marketing efforts, Tribel’s not too thrilled by the U.S. Postal Service’s desire to cut out Saturday delivery. Most of all she fears this cut would seriously disrupt and complicate direct mail response patterns and record keeping.

When not brokering lists, Tribel, who lives in Warrenton, likes outdoor activities, particularly taking weekend trips to the beach or mountains. “It’s great in Virginia because you can get to either one fairly easily,” she says.