Meet the Broker: Jennifer Luposello

Today we meet Jennifer Luposello, senior vice president of sales at Macromark Inc. Throughout her career Luposello has worked in many areas of consumer and business-to-business list brokerage.

She joined Macromark in fall 2006 after 16 years at Mal Dunn Associates Inc., where she most recently focused on the publishing sector and brokering lists for continuity club marketers. Prior to that she worked for Walter Karl Inc.

Luposello didn't particularly like being a broker when she first started. When her perception of brokerage shifted from being primarily about sales to more about doing research for clients, her work became more enjoyable.

"We have to have fun with what we're doing to be successful. I like thinking of myself as being like an educator, learning new things and sharing what I know. That way I look forward to going to work and that's good for me and the client," she says.

Luposello presently works on accounts for clients targeting the senior market, health products such as books and nutritional supplements, and financial newsletter publishers.

Luposello is not the kind of person who rests at home after work. She's raising three boys ages 14, 12 and 10 and one daughter, 8.

"My kids are my life outside of work. My house is always full of kids and I like it that way. I like doing everything with my kids. We go through phases and lately it's been quadding (riding four-wheel all terrain vehicles). I don't know what they're going to come up with next. But I do know I'm not a watcher—I'll be participating," she says.

What's it like for a seasoned broker to switch to working with clients in different market categories?

The way Luposello tells it the change has been "awesome and invigorating," especially at this stage of her career.

"I'm learning the matrixes and businesses of new clients and it's exciting for me. It's all about the researching, tracking, following mail pieces and knowing what their competitors are doing.

I'm learning a lot from my colleagues' experiences too. It's not like we're having formal meetings per se, but we're always talking and sharing our experiences and knowledge with each other," she adds.

What's your opinion on the state of postal list brokerage business?

"Plenty of people are still kicking butt with direct mail," Luposello says.

She says emphatically that she doesn't believe the Internet will ever replace postal direct mail. To her mind online marketing is just another distribution channel and for some market segments direct mail maintains its superiority.

"All the Baby Boomers are just starting to become seniors and they love their direct mail," she says.

The senior, health and financial list markets are huge and growing markets, which she explains is why she's bullish about postal list brokerage—because she's working with clients in those sectors.

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