Meet the Broker: David Brill

Today we meet David Brill, vice president of list brokerage and management at Listdata. Brill entered the list business 21 years ago straight out of the University at Buffalo, NY.

Prior to joining Listdata, Brill worked for Walter Karl Inc. and Jami Marketing Services. His brokerage work has involved primarily health-related products and business opportunity-type offers. More recently Brill has started working with fundraisers.

Like most list professionals at small companies, Brill works the brokerage and management side of the business. His brokerage clients include Goldshield Direct, Berkeley Nutraceuticals, APM, Business Group USA, Sun Publishing, Warrior Custom Golf and the New York City Police Foundation.

His home life centers on his wife and two daughters, ages 8 and 13, and four cats. "My first priority is always family, brokerage comes second," said Brill.

Tuesday is family night at the Brill household, which often involves a trip to local pizzeria before heading out to the movies. "It's a time for me to be involved with my daughters and talk with them about what's going on in their lives," Brill said.

Other regular family outings include trips to shopping malls and amusement parks. Vacations every July are usually spent on the boardwalk and beach at Seaside Park, NJ.

Brill is a self-described "fanatic" and follower of the musician Seal. "I belong to the fan club at 41 years old. I listen all the time, my daughters can't stand it," he said.

He most recently attended a Seal concert last year in Atlanta. Brill and his wife have traveled to concerts in Colorado and California. "I had to go to Texas alone though because my wife won't go there," he added.

How does list brokerage for fundraising compare with commercial offers?

"There's really no difference. I don't care what market it is," said Brill.

In his opinion, brokers put too much emphasis on specializing in certain markets unnecessarily. He emphasized that the list brokerage process stays the same while only the details for targeting vary.

"You just need to find the clients to give you the challenges. I've found there have been more challenges in my head than in reality."

"I had to find new relationships with list managers and work with selections differently in fundraising," said Brill.

Geographic selections are key to fundraising. "Where you are is who you are," he added. "I look at what people have donated to in the past, how many times and what area of the country they live in."

For fundraising appeals involving homeland security, for example, the key is to make geographic selections that target large metropolitan areas—a trend that dates back to the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, he said.

Whether it's cooking and crafts in the Midwest or technology in California, different geographic areas tend to generate higher response to certain types of offers, he added.

What's the most important skill a list broker needs?

"Listening," Brill said. "We have two ears and one mouth for a reason -- so that we can listen twice as much as we talk."

Brokerage requires spending lots of time on the telephone to fully understand clients' needs and develop personal relationships with list managers. It's easier to learn about list opportunities in conversation than via e-mail, according to Brill.

Know someone you'd like to suggest for Meet the Broker? E-mail Jim Emerson at jim.emerson@penton.com