On Saturday November 19, my wife Tammy, myself, Lauren’s husband Matt, and Lauren herself sat down at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Tucson to celebrate her first full year of involvement in Direct Success Enterprises. Lauren was a quick study and after her first full year she’s has taken on 80% of the supervision of the targeted direct mail production.
When she was an elementary school student at home at the dinner table, listening to the day’s direct mail drama (the good, the bad and the ugly) or in the basement with the youth group being paid to sort and stuff inserts and envelopes, little did she or her parents (Tammy and I) know that she would take an interest in the family business. A little over a year ago, we were at McAlister’s Deli (yes, we eat here regularly) with Lauren and her family when a proof came in that I needed to look at on my phone. She wanted to see what it looked like and her sense of curiosity and detail was what sparked the idea that it could possibly be a win-win if she applied her organizational and English-grammar skills to the business on a trial basis… the rest is history.
We realized that right under our noses was the answer to a prayer; our daughter who took an interest in the family business at a critical time, when it was integrating with the new digital marketing company and re-inventing it’s application and new values. All the intangibles including a love for music, was right there, no differently than if we had gone on an extensive search to find someone who had the other skills but was also comfortable around the music business and its quirky people.
The future is bright for Direct Success and its ability to find new ways to apply innovative technology to its marketing capabilities, therefore helping piano dealers cultivate and harvest new business. 2018 has been a year of integration with digital technology for the mail agency which bodes well for its continued presence in the piano industry’s marketing tool box. It is no longer simply a harvesting tool but an important way to expand digital interaction with critical segments to help a dealer/principal to grow their presence inside key segments who buy more pianos than others.
We are grateful to have someone younger on board who will help steer the ship through these waters of change where technology is becoming the best friend to small business owners such as those that we serve. Thanks for a great first year, Lauren! Thank you also for the bright forecast you bring to the years to come. We are grateful to have stumbled upon the answer to our tomorrow as we support the direct mail needs of thirty-year-old client base and new dealers we serve. Onward!
