Topics in Digital and Multichannel Direct Marketing

Marketers' Employment Outlook Weakens For Remainder of 2011

2011-09-30T17:50:00.004-05:00

Owatonna, MN, September 26, 2011—The sputtering US economy is impacting job prospects for digital and direct marketers, according to Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report for the fourth quarter of 2011.

“All three of our key employment indicators—new hiring, layoffs, and hiring freezes—have weakened slightly since our last survey in April,” said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct marketing recruiter and Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the quarterly employment survey. “Despite this, overall employment levels remain strong in digital and direct marketing, and, in fact, many employers actually are telling us that they face challenges filling critical openings because of a shortage of qualified candidates.”

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ quarter-four (Q4) survey:

40% of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in Q4, down from 45% six months ago and 52% at the beginning of the year.

20% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, up from 16% in the spring quarter.

The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q4 rose to 8%, compared with 4% six months ago.

Marketers are reporting the most aggressive hiring plans, followed closely by service providers and then agencies. Bernhart added that not a single agency reported they’re expecting layoffs in the coming quarter, and business-to-consumer is slightly outpacing business-to-business in both new hiring and fewer hiring freezes for the remainder of 2011.

When asked what positions will be in greatest demand during the coming quarter, employers placed analytic-related jobs on top, followed by marketing, sales, creative, and IT.

“Overall, we’ve been seeing layoffs creep higher in recent months, and that is the most worrisome trend,” said Bernhart. “I’ve noticed that first-hand just from the jump in the number of resumes that have been coming into our office since the beginning of summer.”

Bernhart said that 61% of employers who responded indicated they were experiencing various degrees of difficulty attracting the right talent for their open positions. Among that group, when asked what was causing those challenges, they cited the following:

50% attributed it to a shortage of qualified candidates.

18% said candidates were looking for more compensation than was being offered.

18% cited lack of specific job skills or technical skills.

10% blamed relocation obstacles.

“Employers offered plenty of anecdotal observations in connection with this question, and several pointed out that as fewer people have been tasked with doing more, there is a growing need for people who offer multiple areas of expertise,” said Bernhart.

“On the surface, it seems paradoxical that positions are going empty with the US jobless rate as high as it is,” Bernhart observed. “But if there were a national unemployment figure for digital and direct marketers it would probably be half that for the overall economy. Most digital and direct marketers are working, and in this economy they’re just as leery about leaving their jobs as employers are selective about filling theirs.”

Bernhart Associates’ Q4 hiring survey was emailed on September 12 and 20 to more than 11,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 398 organizations responded to the nationally followed employment-trends survey, which is now in its eleventh year.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2010, marketers—commercial and nonprofit—spent $153.3 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 54.2% of all advertising expenditures in the United States. Measured against total U.S. sales, these ad expenditures generated approximately $1.8 trillion in incremental sales. In 2010, direct marketing accounted for 8.3% of total U.S. gross domestic product. Also, in 2010 there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the U.S. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.8 million U.S. jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the front page of the digital and direct marketing recruiting firm’s website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Associates Employment Survey Released: 2011 Starts Off Strong, Hiring to Rebound

2011-01-21T18:02:00.005-06:00

Owatonna, MN, January 18, 2011—Digital and direct marketers are planning a surge in hiring this winter with agencies leading the way, according to Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report for the first quarter of 2011.

“I expected a bounce, but nothing like this, which is very encouraging,” said Jerry Bernhart, leading direct marketing recruiter and Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, which conducts the quarterly employment survey. “This is the most positive quarterly improvement we’ve ever seen in the 11-year history of our quarterly survey.”

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates’ Quarter 1 (Q1) survey:

• Fifty-two percent (52%) of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in Q1, up from 41% last quarter (Q4).

• Sixteen percent (16%) of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, down sharply from 35% in Q4.

• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q1 dropped to 4%, compared with 8% in Q4.

• Sixty-three percent (63%) of agencies responding to the survey plan to add staff, with none planning cutbacks and only one agency reporting a hiring freeze.

Survey results show that marketing hiring budgets are still being pinched on the client side, which are lagging the agencies and service providers in planned hiring. But Bernhart notes that nearly one out of every two marketers still will have positions to fill in the current quarter.

“Business-to-business hiring plans outpaced business-to-consumer, and also reported fewer expected layoffs and hiring freezes,” added Bernhart.

Bernhart said that while direct marketing may not reach the boom levels seen prior to 2008, he expects hiring to continue building momentum in 2011, noting the following key trends:

- Digital and direct marketers are revising upward their projections for 2011 as margins improve and demand picks up, creating the need for more headcount.

- The number of online digital and direct marketing-related job listings has been up sharply in the past couple months.

- Bernhart Associates, a nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiting firm, has seen a “dramatic” decline in the number of resumes from recently laid-off digital and direct marketers.

-Bernhart further noted that he is fielding more calls from companies asking about executive searches, adding, “you don’t see that happen unless job recovery is taking hold.”

Among those companies planning to add staff, Bernhart said digital and direct marketing openings will be across the board and at all levels. “Usually we see a couple of job categories stand out, but this time it’s very broad-based with marketing, analytics, and sales topping the list, along with a strong showing among IT-related positions.”

Bernhart Associates’ Q1 hiring survey was emailed on January 5 and 12 to more than 11,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 399 organizations responded to the widely followed employment-trends survey.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, marketers—commercial and nonprofit—spent $149.3 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 54.3% of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total U.S. sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $1.783 trillion in incremental sales. DMA further reported that, in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the U.S. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million American jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates’ website.

# # #

About Bernhart Associates

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiter, writer, and speaker. Founded in 1991, Bernhart Associates today recruits for positions at all levels in Multichannel Direct Marketing, CRM, E-Commerce, Database Marketing, Business Development, and Marketing Analytics. Respected as a leading authority on issues related to digital and direct marketing recruiting, Jerry is a frequent speaker at national marketing conferences and is often quoted by the industry news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for the leading online and offline multichannel marketing publications.

The Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Survey, now in its eleventh year, has become the most widely followed employment report in digital and direct marketing and measures employers’ hiring plans for the coming quarter. It is the only forward-looking employment survey of its kind in digital and direct marketing and unparalleled in size and scope.

Bernard Silverman and Affiliates, Naperville, IL, contributes research and analysis for the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Bernie can be reached at bernie@bsilverman.com.

Douglas Berger Communications, New York City, provides communications services for the Bernhart Associates’ Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Doug is the former Director of Executive and Member Communications for the Direct Marketing Association. He can be contacted at douglasbergernyc@gmail.com.

# # #

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Associates' Q4 Employment Survey Released: Hiring Indicators Hold Steady

2010-12-01T19:14:00.003-06:00

Owatonna, MN, October 6, 2010 --- If you're a digital or direct marketer looking for employment don't expect much of a change during the rest of 2010, according to Bernhart Associates' latest Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report.

"The index we watch most closely , the one that measures new hiring plans, is crawling back up, so we are definitely moving in the right direction," said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC and one of the nation's leading direct marketing recruiters. "At the same time, though, many digital and direct marketers continue to face strong economic headwinds, and some are being forced to consider more layoffs and hiring freezes to get headcount to where it needs to be for 2011."

The following are key findings from Bernhart Associates' Quarter 4 (Q4) survey:

• Forty-one percent (41%) of companies responding to the survey said they plan to add to staff in Q4, up from 39% last quarter.

• Thirty-five percent (35%) of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, up from 23% in Q3.

• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q4 rose to 8%, compared with 6% last quarter.

• Most of the new hiring is coming from business-to-business (B-to-B) service providers, with nearly one-half of those respondents reporting plans to add to staff during Q4.

'This will be the third straight quarter in which planned B-to-B hiring has outpaced B-to-C", Bernhart said.

Bernhart also noted that since results are not seasonally adjusted, it's not unusual to see a spike in hiring freezes as the year draws to a close.
" A lot of companies have completed their hiring for 2010, and will re-assess their needs come the new year," said Bernhart.

Among those companies planning to add to staff, marketing-related
positions will be in greatest demand for the remainder of 2010, followed by I.T. "In fact, the marketing and technical job categories far outnumbered positions in analytics, account management and sales, which in recent years have consistently been at or near the top of this list", Bernhart pointed out.

Bernhart also noted that the importance of data reveals itself in the titles of two soon-to-be-filled positions, each of them called simply "Data Expert".

Bernhart Associates’ Q4 hiring survey was emailed to more than 10,000 senior executives, hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 369 organizations responded to the widely followed employment-trends survey between September 23 and October 4, 2010.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures grew to 54.3%, and generated 8.3% of US gross domestic product. Also in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the Direct Marketing Association’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates’ website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Unemployment Survey Released: Direct Marketers Facing Longer Unemployment

2010-08-24T19:07:00.007-05:00

Owatonna, MN, August 24, 2010---The job outlook for unemployed direct marketers has sharply deteriorated since last summer, according to a new study by Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a leading digital and direct marketing executive search firm.

"In Summer 2009, we asked unemployed direct marketers how long they had been looking for a job," said Jerry Bernhart, principal of Bernhart Associates. "We decided to ask that same question one year later. Like last year we broke down the results by levels of compensation, and for the first time we've segmented results by age."

The survey focused on respondents who said they are currently unemployed and are actively searching for a full-time direct marketing position. The survey's results, therefore, exclude those who are looking only for part-time work, currently employed, or unemployed but only passively looking.

Here are the 2010 survey's key findings:

Nearly one-third of respondents said they have been looking for a direct marketing-related position for more than 18 months.

The median length of unemployment among direct marketers is 12.0 months, nearly twice the 6.5-month figure of one year ago.

Older, higher-paid workers face much longer search times than their younger, lower-paid colleagues.

The survey reveals that generally the best odds of finding a direct marketing job are either in the first three months, or between 7 and 9 months.

According to Bernhart Associates' 2010 survey, 21% of unemployed respondents said they have been actively looking for a full-time direct marketing job between 1 and 3 months. Twelve percent (12%) said their search has lasted from 4 to 6 months, 9% said they have been looking for between 7 and 9 months, and 10% percent said they have been on the job hunt 10-12 months. The remainder, 48%, has been looking for more than a year.

When the results were broken down by salary, Bernhart said the survey reveals that lower-paid direct marketing job seekers are experiencing only slightly more success finding jobs more quickly than those in the higher-salary brackets.

However, when broken down by age, Bernhart said the differences are more dramatic. "In the 30 to 39 age bracket, all respondents said they had been searching for a new job for less than one year," he said. "But those between 50 and 59, half have been looking for more than a year. And if you are older than 60, you can pretty much expect to be looking for at least 18 months."

Bernhart pointed out that survey results are consistent with the challenges facing the overall U.S. labor market. "In July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nationwide median length of unemployment was 22.2 weeks, or approximately 5 months. While that is significantly less than the median for direct marketers, many direct marketing-related job categories require more specialized knowledge, more training, and higher levels of educational attainment than other jobs that fall into the unskilled labor category."

A total of 448 individuals responded to the random survey, which was emailed the week of August 16 to more than 9,000 direct marketers across the country.

Rather than wait another year, Bernhart said he will repeat the Unemployment Search Survey in about six months in order to track changes.

Bernhart announced that his quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Survey for the fourth quarter will be emailed out in the end of September. The third quarter report showed declines in all key employment indicators, reversing an upward trend during the first half of 2010.

Employers who would like to participate in the next Employment Survey should send an email with the subject "Opt-In" to survey@bernhart.com, or they can sign up on the Bernhart Associates website.

Latest Bernhart Hiring Survey: Hiring Indicators Weaken for Digital and Direct Marketin in Third Quarter

2010-08-22T10:34:00.002-05:00

Owatonna, MN, July 13, 2010 — Weakening economic signals are having their effect on the employment outlook for digital and direct marketers in the third quarter (Q3), according to the latest quarterly employment report by Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

"The numbers have turned slightly lower for Q3, which is no surprise given growing uncertainties about the economic recovery," said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a nationally leading recruiting firm, which has been conducting quarterly hiring surveys in digital and direct marketing since 2001.

Here are the key findings from the Q3 survey:

• 39% of survey respondents said they will add to staff during the third quarter of 2010, down 4 points from Q2.
• 23% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze, representing a slight increase from 20% last quarter.
• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q3 grew to 6%, compared with 3% during the spring quarter.

Bernhart said survey data reflect a mood of continued caution.

"One-half of all respondents said their hiring plans won't be changing this summer, and most of the hiring will be replacements rather than newly created positions," said Bernhart. "I've also noticed an uptick in calls to our office from individuals who have recently been laid off."

But for some digital and direct marketing categories at certain levels, Bernhart said opportunities are out there.

"There's a huge demand for skilled analysts, and we're also seeing a solid comeback in lower-level online marketing-related positions, including SEM and SEO managers, affiliate and relationship managers, and email marketing managers," said Bernhart. He added that media buyers also appeared high on the list of positions expected to be in short-term demand.

Bernhart said the data also point to an upswing in the business-to-business segment. "B-to-B is planning more hires, less layoffs, and has fewer hiring freezes than B-to-C. Those same indices for agencies, suppliers, and marketers all showed little variation."

Bernhart Associates’ third-quarter survey was emailed to more than 11,500 senior executives and hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing. A total of 419 organizations responded to the widely followed employment-trends survey between June 29 and July 12.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures grew to 54.3%, and generated 8.3% of US gross domestic product. Also in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the Direct Marketing Association’s annual Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC’s website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates’ website.

About Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiter, writer, and speaker focusing on senior-level Multichannel Direct Marketing, E-Marketing/E-Commerce, CRM, Database Marketing, Business Development and Quantitative Analysis positions. Jerry has been among the nation’s leading digital and direct marketing recruiters since 1991.

Viewed as a leading authority on issues related to digital and direct marketing recruiting and talent management, Jerry is a frequent speaker at national digital and direct marketing conferences and is often quoted in the marketing industry news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for all leading online and offline direct marketing publications, and conducts a widely followed employment survey for EM+C covering internet marketing and e-commerce.

The Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report, now in its tenth year, is unparalleled in size and scope and has become the most widely followed employment report in online and offline marketing.

Bernard (Bernie) Silverman and Affiliates of Naperville, IL, contributes research and analysis for the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Bernie can be reached at bernie@bsilverman.com

Douglas Berger Communications, New York City, provides communications services for the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Doug is the former Director of Executive and Member Communications for the Direct Marketing Association. He can be contacted at douglasbergernyc@gmail.com.

Communications Contact:
Doug Berger
Douglas Berger Communications
212-262-1168
douglasbergernyc@gmail.com

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

So, What is Strategy Anyway?

2010-06-27T22:00:00.004-05:00

From the blog of Bill Tyson, formerly Executive Vice President of Ampac Insurance Marketing, who presents this excellent examination of the meaning of strategic planning.

Given the relevance and timeliness of Michael Porter’s advice on strategy during tumultuous times, I began my first blog post “Strategy in Action” (See April 2010) with that material because it really hit home for those of us working day-to-day in one of the most distressed industries – insurance.

At this juncture, I think it is important to take a brief “step back” and lay a bit of a foundation before delving further into a down-in-the-trenches, best practices approach to strategy and execution.

During most, if not all of my 25 years as a practitioner of the art and science of strategic planning, there has been confusion about what strategy is and how it differs from other elements of a strategic plan such as: objectives, goals and tactics. So, before moving forward into the realm of strategy development (which I will surely do in this blog), it is important to understand a few definitions.

So, what exactly is Strategy?

As a student (and now a reporter on the subject) I can tell you that there are many different perspectives on the subject of strategy. Some of my favorites are presented here – from the broadest to the simplest definitions:

Merriam-Webster begins with a classic definition of strategy from a military perspective and then gets a little closer (but not by much) to a definition that can be applied to corporate or business strategy:

1. a. the science and art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of nations to afford the support to adopted policiesor war. b. the science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions.

2. a careful plan or method; a clever strategem; the art of devising or employing plans or strategems towards a goal.

According to this Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition – strategy requires the following ingredients: science and art, careful planning, support, cleverness, advantageous conditions and employing plans toward a goal.

In terms of corporate and business strategy, there are a quite a few definitions that I have come across:

In Blue Ocean Strategy, the authors challenge companies to strategize to “break out of the red ocean of bloody competition by identifying and developing uncontested market space that makes competition irrelevant”.[2] A little dramatic but their point is well made and I recommend their book as it has plenty of good case studies.

Michael Porter, in his classic 1996 Harvard Business Review article called “What is Strategy?” defined strategy in terms of positioning which can be summarized by 3 key principles:

1. Creation of a unique and valuable position, involving a different set of activities than your rivals.
2. Making tradeoffs in competing – choosing (and defining) what you will not do.
3. Creating a “fit” between company activities so to develop synergies (as a result, the whole being greater than the sum of the parts) between interlocking parts of the company. (Porter, 1996)[3]

If you are involved in strategic planning in anyway, this article is a “must read”.

Meanwhile, the Balanced Scored Card folks (Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton) define strategy as: “how an organization intends to create sustained value for its shareholders, leveraging intangible assets for sustainable value creation.” (Norton, 2004)[4]

And, in his seminal direct marketing handbook Ed Nash defines strategy as it relates to direct marketing in this way as simply: “Harnessing combined resources to achieve a selected goal”[5]

No matter what definition applies to your organization, in any business there are two levels of strategy:

1) the corporate or enterprise-wide strategy and

2) the business level strategy (that covers a division, SBU or functional area).

So, how does a Strategy differ from Objectives, Goals or Tactics?

Objectives:

“a. something toward which effort is directed; an aim, goal, or end of action.

b. a strategic position to be attained or a purpose to be achieved by a military operation[6].”

and in my view, they are simply goals set to develop and improve the growth and profitability of your business.

Goals: same as an objective or can serve as a subset of an objective. Merriam-Webster defines it as: “The end toward which effort is directed”[7]. So a goal can be thought of as a destination or a finishing line of sorts.

Tactics: the art or skill of employing available means to accomplish an end; a device for completing a task relating to a strategy. [8]

In my next posts, I will cover the best practices of the strategy development and the very important execution process from which successful businesses are built.

Essentially, there are four pre-requisites to successful strategy development and execution:

1) The need for sound planning and clear, focused strategies at both the corporate and business levels.

2) The vital importance of integrating corporate and business strategies and conducting strategic reviews.

3) The need to define and communicate clearly the key operational components of the strategy and the measurement of execution results.

4) The importance of understanding the demands of strategy, their effects on the development of organizational resources and capabilities, and the impact of the resources and capabilities on execution. [9]

The 4th prerequisite is what Michael Porter called “Trade offs” that must be made with any strategy since good strategies necessarily consume limited resources.

If you are interested in the topic and are a practioner of strategy development you can access a whole series of .pdf formatted and downloadable strategy articles at Harvard Business Review at:

http://hbr.org/product/hbr-s-must-reads-on-strategy/an/12601-PDF-ENG?referral=00304

I sincerely hope that you can apply some of this information in your planning efforts. Comments, suggestions and additional perspectives on Strategy and Execution are welcome!
[1] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. See http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strategy

[2] (Kim, 2005), Blue Ocean Strategy, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA, 2005.

[3] What is Strategy?, Michael Porter, Harvard Business Review, 1996.

[4]Strategy Maps, Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 2004.

[5] Direct Marketing: Strategy, Planning and Execution, Ed Nash, 4th Edition published by McGraw Hill

[6] Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

[7] Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

[8] Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

[9] Hrebiniak, Lawrence G. Making Strategy Work: Leading Effective Execution and Change, Wharton School Publishing, Upper Saddle River, NJ. July 2005.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Latest Bernhart Hiring Survey: Confidence Returning to Job Market for Digital and Direct Marketers

2010-04-10T19:24:00.010-05:00

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC Press Release, April 7, 2010

Digital and direct marketing job seekers can expect a Spring thaw in layoffs and hiring
freezes,according to the latest quarterly employment report by Bernhart Associates
Executive Search, LLC.

“Employers are still being cautious when it comes to making hiring decisions, with half
expecting no change in hiring plans for the coming quarter. However, we’re seeing more job
stability, and employers continue to lift their hiring freezes,” said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of
Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a nationally leading digital and direct marketing
recruiter who has been conducting quarterly hiring surveys in digital and direct
marketing since 2001.

A total of 454 organizations responded to the employment-trends survey between
March 23 and April 7.

Here are the key findings from the second-quarter (Q2) survey:

• 43% of survey respondents said they will add to staff during the second quarter of 2010,
down three points from 46% in Q1.
• 20% of respondents currently have a hiring freeze. This represents a dramatic decline from
45% just six months ago.
• The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q2 fell to 3%, the lowest level in three
years.
• When asked if they plan to consider using online social networks for hiring, 41% of Q2
respondents said they plan to employ them in “moderate amounts” during 2010. Only 14%
said they won’t be using social media at all for hiring purposes.

“Just a year ago, I was seeing reports indicating that hardly any companies were thinking
about using social media in their recruiting,” said Bernhart. “Our second-quarter survey results
showthat interest in these online networks among digital and direct marketers has grown
quickly andconsiderably, especially among agencies.”

Bernhart said that job growth in the overall digital and direct marketing industry is keeping
pacewith progress in overall U.S. employment. However, he pointed out that marketers are
laggingbehind their agency and supplier counterparts in terms of job growth. “Agencies have
all buteliminated their hiring freezes, and only one agency responding to our most recent
survey said they’re expecting layoffs during the next three months,” Bernhart said. “Hiring on
the services side also remains strong with just about half of respondents telling us they
plan to hire during the current quarter. By comparison, 38% of marketers said they intend
to add to staff.”

Meanwhile, the business-to-consumer (B-to-C) segment continues its upswing with hiring
indexes showing more positive trends compared with their business-to-business (B-to-B)
counterparts. According to the survey, Bernhart said sales positions would be in the greatest
demand during the second quarter. “This comes as no surprise to me given the strong demand
I’ve been seeing for sales reps on the recruiting side of the business,” he said. “We’ve been
getting steady calls for sales-position searches since the beginning of the year.”

Bernhart added that analytics remained high on the employment list, along with online and
multichannel marketing positions.

Bernhart also said that demand for executive search services has been steadily growing since
the beginning of the year. “Inquiries are coming in on a fairly regular basis. A year ago,
it was little more than a trickle.”

Bernhart Associates’ second-quarter survey was emailed to more than 9,700 senior executives
and hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline
direct marketing.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising
expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures grew to 54.3%, and generated
8.3% of US gross domestic product. Also in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing
employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs,
accounting for a total of 9.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the Direct Marketing Association’s annual Statistical
Fact Book and on the Bernhart Associates website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct
Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In”
in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates’ website.

About Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and
nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiter, writer, and speaker focusing on
Multichannel Direct Marketing, E-Marketing/E-Commerce, CRM, Database Marketing,
Business Development and Quantitative Analysis positions. Jerry has been among the
nation’s leading digital and direct marketing recruiters since 1991. Viewed as a leading
authority on issues related to digital and direct marketing recruiting and talent management,
Jerry is a frequent speaker at national digital and direct marketing conferences and is often
quoted in the marketing industry news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for
all leading online and offline direct marketing publications, and conducts a widely followed
employment survey for EM+C covering internet marketing and e-commerce.
The Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report, now in
its tenth year, is unparalleled in size and scope and has become the most widely followed
employment report in online and offline marketing.

Bernard (Bernie) Silverman and Affiliates of Naperville, IL, contributes research and
analysis for the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment
Report. Bernie can be reached at bernie@bsilverman.com

Douglas Berger Communications, New York City, provides communications services for the
Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Doug is the
former Director of Executive and Member Communications for the Direct Marketing
Association. He can be contacted at douglasbergernyc@gmail.com.

Please direct executive search inquires to jerry@bernhart.com or call 507-451-4270.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Have You Googled Yourself Lately?

2010-03-27T13:16:00.005-05:00

Guest Article by Marijo Tinlin, Principal, Sunrise Business Consulting.

If you are currently looking for a job, chances are very good anyone who considers hiring you (or even interviewing you) is going to do a search for you on the web. Have you Googled yourself lately to see what they’re going to find? Are you happy with what they may find?
In this post, I’ll give you an idea of what to expect based on the searches I did for myself.

I searched for myself this morning and was amazed at the things I found. The first 85 Google entries – approximately 8 pages in – were relevant to me. The sites it found were numerous – search sites, Jigsaw, blog posts and blogger sites, a lot of Twitter-related links and my website and my business’s website as well as comments I’ve left on other sites. Surprisingly, my Facebook profile and LinkedIn profile were not on the first page.
A year and half ago, before I got really active in social media, the first 5 Google entries were me and then it fell apart, so you can see what kind of wide footprint you may have on-line. Also, check other search engines like Yahoo and Bing. The first 5 results on Yahoo were similar to Google but then it was much different and not always relevant to me. On Bing, my LinkedIn and Facebook profiles were at the top of the page, so you can see the algorithms are quite different on all these engines.

The very first site to appear was 123People which is basically a conglomerate of all the things they can find about people on-line – pictures, email, Twitter id, public records, criminal check (I was clean, thankfully), even my Amazon wish list! The next site was something called Whuffie, which is basically a “points system” site based on Twitter activities. Does anyone know why that ranks so high in organic search? Then came the Jigsaw listing from my last full-time position, a ton of blogger sites that I belong to as well as links to my own blog and a guest blog post I recently wrote for Hubspot’s Mike Volpe. Also listed were comments I’ve left on other blog posts; luckily, they’re all business-appropriate and G-rated.

The most surprising listings were all the Twitter-related posts. Not only was my personal Twitter (@mnewtontinlin) account listed there, but also my appearance on many other people’s list of followers. Likewise, there were many Twitter-related sites listed such as Twiscouter, Twellow and Listorious, the last of which is basically lists that individuals put
together of people they follow.

So, be aware of the electronic trail you are leaving with any activities you do on-line. If you are looking for a job, or will be someday (as pretty much everyone reading this will be), think before you leave a curse-filled rant on someone’s blog post, or before you upload those blurry phone-cam photos from last night’s trip to the pub. There’s a lot about you out there, and your next potential employer will see it. Do a search now so you’ll know what to expect.
If you do find something you aren’t happy about, see about deleting it, although that’s not always going to erase it permanently. Also, generate other content that’s positive and of course, more recent. The more good stuff you get out there about yourself now will weigh heavier in the search engines since they’re looking for recency as well as relevancy.

Marijo Tinlin is the principal at Sunrise Business Consulting, which helps small and emerging businesses and entrepreneurs get traction in business, sales and marketing. Her specialities include all facets of marketing including inbound/content marketing, database marketing and search engine optimization. Marijo can be reached at marijo@sunrisebusinessconsulting.com or 303-807-9790.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

How to Market Yourself Successfully in the Job Search

2010-02-14T12:18:00.007-06:00

Following is an excellent overview of the use of social media in your job search by Colleen M. Brueummer of Target Marketing Success, LLC

The job market has fundamentally changed and is more competitive than ever before. To market yourself successfully, you must understand and be able to quickly communicate your value to targeted employers. If you do not already have one, you should have a marketing plan for yourself. Other tips include the following:

1. Networking is the number one way that job seekers typically find new positions so once you have a clear understanding of your unique value proposition, you should spend most of your time on this activity.
2. Online social networking using social media is becoming a huge trend as we move into 2010. It does not replace offline networking but is a place you need to also be. According to Charles Fellingham (a personal branding expert), “if you are not visible online today, you do not exist”. He says that you should own the first three pages in a Google search on your name. Search engines love to see multiple mentions and the appropriate use of social media can help you to dominate the results for your name. Monitor your online reputation using a Google search agent to see when and how you are being mentioned.
3. The key benefits of using social media include networking, being able to publish, commenting, sharing interests and being able to conduct research about target companies as well as individuals there. Using social media can help you to build credibility and demonstrate subject matter expertise. It demonstrates to potential employers that you are aware of and can use new technology, but you must have a strategy. This is particularly important if you are a person with many years of experience.
4. Companies and recruiters are starting to use social networking more. A survey conducted by JobVite in May 2009 found that 68% of HR professionals were using social media/networking with 13% saying they were starting to do so in the next year. Of those using it, 66% said they have successfully hired through an online social network. LinkedIn (LI), Facebook (FB) and Twitter are especially important.
5. LinkedIn: 95% of companies surveyed use this professional site to find candidates and 76% use it to research candidates. Some tips for using LinkedIn are to: (1) be sure your profile is 100% complete and optimized, (2) grow your network and make it easy for your network to find you, (3) give and obtain recommendations, (4) establish your personal brand by joining groups and participating in discussions, and (5) remain top of mind by updating your status weekly and staying in touch with your network. You may use the advanced search feature to identify target companies and networking contacts at the companies.
6. Facebook: 59% of companies surveyed use this site to find candidates and 44% of them use it to research candidates. A June 2009 survey done by CareerBuilder found that 35% of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate. Often times, it is content on Facebook that results in candidates not being hired. Be careful what you post on Facebook and ensure that your privacy settings are set appropriately for what you want to share.
7. Twitter: 42% of companies use this to find candidates while 21% use it to research candidates. Twitter is a tool that offers a communications platform and search engine. It takes only a few minutes to set up a free account and is a great relationship tool. It is a wonderful way to build your personal brand since you may use it to drive people to your blog (the number one marketing tool), your LinkedIn profile or your website. Given the ease of following targeted people and having them follow you back in many cases, you can quickly establish yourself in your own area of expertise as a subject matter expert and connect with people you might otherwise never be able to reach. You can set up keyword and job searches based on the Twitter service since there are a number of applications available, e.g., Tweetmyjobs, search.twitter.com.

Colleen can be reached at 216-973-4847, 330-225-5629 or at colleen.bruemmer@yahoo.com

Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Plans Show Strong Rebound

2010-01-18T19:09:00.007-06:00

Owatonna, MN, January 19, 2010-What recession? Digital and direct marketers are planning a major ramp-up in hiring this winter, according to Bernhart Associates' latest Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report.

"All of our major indicators are showing significant improvement," said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC. "As far as hiring goes, digital and direct marketers are back on a growth trajectory."

Bernhart Associates is one of the nation's leading digital and direct marketing executive search firms. Since 2001, the firm has been issuing quarterly reports that track employment trends with digital and direct marketers, agencies, and industry service providers.

Bernhart stated that the record number of responses received for quarter one (Q1)-544 in total-now rivals other private employment surveys conducted for major occupational segments of the US economy.

Here are the key findings from the Q1 survey:

·46% of the respondents said they will add to staff during the first quarter of 2010, rebounding from 30% last quarter. The biggest hiring surge will be among suppliers, while marketers plan the least amount of new hiring.
·Companies reporting Q1 hiring freezes plunged to 26%, compared with 45% in Q4.
·The percentage of companies planning layoffs in Q1 dropped slightly to 7%. Not one agency or supplier who responded to the survey said it expected further layoffs.
·Among employers who imposed pay cuts last year, 37% said they plan to either partially or fully reinstate those reductions in 2010. Only 20% said pay cuts will remain in effect for this year, and 43% said they are unsure when salaries will be restored to previous levels.

Bernhart said that, while Q1 survey results clearly indicate that digital and direct marketing is outpacing the overall US economy in terms of recovering lost jobs, marketers continue to feel the economic strain.

"About half of the client-side marketers who participated in our first-quarter survey said they still have a hiring freeze. Hiring on the supplier side, by contrast, is on a fast track with more than 60% telling us they plan to add to head count this quarter. We haven't seen numbers in that range for more than two years."

On the agency side, Bernhart said 37% of survey respondents plan to add to headcount this quarter.

Bernhart said results showed that business-to-consumer (B-to-C) marketers are stepping up hiring plans slightly more than their business-to-business (B-to-B) counterparts as B-to-C recovers from deeper job cuts last year.

"Among B-to-C marketers, 50% said they'll have positions to fill compared with 46% for B-to-B, and more B-to-B'ers still have hiring freezes compared with B-to-C," Bernhart added. "B-to-B jobs were less impacted by the recession, so B-to-C hiring is now staging a sharper rebound."

As to what specific positions will be in greatest demand during the current quarter, Bernhart said analytics dominated the list, both online and offline. Second on the list was Internet marketing, which was followed by sales, creative, technology, and campaign management.

"We're seeing some newer job categories emerge," Bernhart added. "A couple of companies will be looking for senior-level social media strategists and online video experts."

Participants also weighed in on the challenges they face finding, compensating, and keeping their best digital and direct marketing talent. Comments and observations were received from more than 200 hiring managers at all levels across the digital and direct marketing employment spectrum, including marketers, agencies, and service providers.

Here is a summary of comments received:

On Hiring:

·Quality of applicants: Many are unemployed. The quality and skill level tends to be low with digital, healthcare, and mobile. The good ones are hunkering down where they are. Some employers said they're challenged trying to match candidate skills with organizational needs.
·Uncertainty: Many employers are waiting for a consistent flow of new business before pulling the trigger on new hires.
·Creativity and execution: This remains a difficult combination to find.
·Temporary hires: Mixed results-some found high- quality temps, others did not.
·Rising cost of benefits: This is posing challenges for smaller digital and direct marketing employers to add to headcount.
·Multichannel skills: Demand is strong, and growing, for digital and direct marketing talent who understand DM in a cross-channel environment, knowing how consumers interact with content, and building relevant, meaningful relationships with them.
·Younger hires: Respondents reported seeing a lack of strategic insight, a lack of solid direct response testing and analysis, and seeing a sense of entitlement.
·Financial savvy: Respondents want marketers who understand how decisions impact the overall business.
·Training: Companies expect employees to work smarter and advance their knowledge, but there seemingly is a lack of industry training by competent, experienced subject matter experts to help them do that.

On Retention:

·What works: Keeping the company transparent, providing an atmosphere of collaboration, encouraging innovation, rewarding success, investing in current technology, and making the work place fun. Also, solidifying relationships with top performers, paying them top dollar, and challenging them.
·Turn-over concerns: Many companies said they are currently evaluating talent to identify and keep top performers. Employers are concerned that they will face much higher churn as the economy recovers and good talent bolts.

Bernhart Associates' first-quarter survey was emailed to more than 9,700 senior executives and hiring managers, human resource officials, and other key participants in online and offline direct marketing during the first two weeks of January 2010.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures grew to 54.3%, and generated 8.3% of US gross domestic product. Also in 2009, there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC's website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with "Opt-In" in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates' website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Jerry Bernhart to Moderate Popular Tweetchat Jobs Forum

2009-12-24T11:05:00.008-06:00

Multichannel marketing recruiter Jerry Bernhart has announced that he will be hosting a second Tweetchat on DM Jobs soon after the New Year

The online session allows participants, through the popular social media network Twitter, to exchange job leads, ask questions, share ideas and get advice on all things related to digital and direct marketing hiring and employment.

"We've decided to host another session in response to a large number of requests we've received since our fist session last August, " said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, in a statement. "There are still many unemployed direct marketers out there who could use all the help they can get."

For those unfamiliar with Tweetchat, Bernhart describes it as "texting on steroids," allowing an unlimited number of participants in a confidential forum to exchange informational tweets with one another almost instantaneously on a common topic. Bernhart said this session, like the first, will be open to any and all areas related to hiring and employment in digital and direct marketing, including job leads, resume preparation, interviewing tips, salaries, job offers, finding candidates, counteroffers, job descriptions and sources of hire. It also allows Tweetchatters to share links just like they would with one another on Twitter.

"This is also an excellent opportunity for employers to advertise open positions, " said Bernhart. "There will be a ready audience of motivated and experienced job hopefuls, and if they're not the right candidates they might know someone who is."

The Bernhart Tweetchat will take place Sunday, January 10, at 8 pm Eastern time. All that is needed to participate is a Twitter account. To join the session, go to Tweetchat.com, sign in with your Twitter username and password, enter DMCareers in the "enter hashtag to follow" box, then click on "Go" which will take you to the DMCareers chat room.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

6 key takeaways for getting a handle on this new-fangled social media customer service

2009-12-23T18:32:00.007-06:00

From the Blog of Jim Gilbert- The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog

A few weeks ago, I downloaded a Monopoly game from a company called GameHouse. My son was itching to play the computer version with us on our family night (mostly because I move too slow).

Downloading was a success, but I had problems finding the activation code for the software, so I went in search of a company contact.

I jumped on GameHouse’s website, and my first instinct was to look for a phone number to call its customer service department. If you read part 1 of my “You Lost Me There” series a few months back, you know that I’m an adamant believer in having your contact info prominently displayed on your website. Another one of my pet peeves is the ubiquitous page with the contact form. Or, more importantly, how long it takes to get a response from said form.

To me it’s simple: Make it easy to speak with me or my business goes elsewhere. I couldn’t find a satisfactory way to contact GameHouse, and I grew frustrated. But there was a big (really big) “Follow us on Twitter” button, so I clicked it. I sent a tweet to GameHouse — and the rest of its followers — on how I was having problems and was aggravated that its website had no contact info. For good measure, I joined its Facebook fan page and sent the same message.

It didn’t take GameHouse long to respond. Thanks to Kristy, who manages GameHouse’s Twitter presence, I had an easy way to establish communication with the company and resolve my issues. Turns out that I also ordered half a dozen copies of Monopoly as I tried to get the activation code. Kristy helped me get squared away with GameHouse’s billing department, too. It took about a week of back and forth to get all the additional orders credited to my account. Kristy had one of GameHouse’s customer service reps work closely with me throughout the process.

Then — and this one blows me away — about a week later I got a package from GameHouse with a different version of Monopoly inside. Also inside was a handwritten card thanking me “for my patience” signed by Kristy with the note: “A little gift for all your troubles.” My son loves it, and everywhere I go (including a lecture I did last week) I tell of my exceptional customer service experience with GameHouse. With this in mind, I offer up some useful pointers.

6 Customer Service Takeaways

I sent my “You Lost Me There” article to Kristy, who said she’d pass it up the food chain. I hope GameHouse heeds my advice and makes it easier for customers to be served by adding a prominent phone number to its website. I’m not sure everybody will use Twitter like I did, however, meaning the potential for a negative customer service experience is present.
I was also quite surprised by how seamless the customer service experience can be without “traditional” contact methods being in play. As a “stone age” customer, once I adapted I was happy again.
Serve your customers in all channels. Social media is having a dramatic impact as a customer service tool; customers will self-select the channel of their choice.
Exceptional customer service can (and should) be the rule in all channels — online and offline.
If your customer service isn’t exceptional, expect to see negative reviews expressed publicly. Also expect to see bad customer service stories spread virally. Had I not been totally satisfied by the work of Kristy and her team, this column would have read very differently.
Upset customers can easily be turned into advocates with proper service. Today’s angry customer is tomorrow’s best customer.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Guest Article: 10 Tips for Looking HOT on Internet Marketing Video by Jessica Kizorek

2009-11-06T15:57:00.005-06:00

From the Blog of Jim Gilbert: The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog

Preparing to be in front of a camera soon? Follow these ten tips or risk looking like a loser on video.

1. Look Me in the Eye

With the advent of the webcam, people are way more interested in looking at themselves perform in the video preview window than actually making eye contact with the person watching the video. Look into the camera. Straight into the lens. Don’t wander with those eyes…you have to be 10 times as engaging through online video to keep people from wandering off your page. Stare them down. Lock them in like a bomber pilot locks in on his target.

2. Be in the Spot Light

If your face is going to be the centerpiece of the video, make sure that it’s got the most light on it. People’s eyes will wander towards the light, so if there’s a bright window with little kids riding tricycles behind you…that’s what people will be watching. Viewers are like horses. Put blinders on them and tell their brain what they should focus on. Illuminate the key elements of the frame, whether that’s your face, a product or a logo. Place a smaller light to the opposite side (and a little behind) so that you have dimension and pop out from the background.

3. Speak Up

Computer stereos are notoriously insufficient when it comes to pumping up the volume. Most people think that the visual element is the most important when it comes to video, and underestimate the power audio has in communicating the message. Video is 50% visual, and 50% auditory. Use an external microphone whenever possible, or get close to the camera if it’s a cheap-o. Speak up, or else people will get frustrated when you make them struggle to hear what’s going on. When they can’t hear, they say “@*#% It.”

4. Think in Threes

Try and narrow your message down to three key ideas. Three ideas that you’ll communicate if you forget everything else. This keeps it simple, and helps you remember what you were saying if you go blank. The more simple your schpeel, the more relaxed you’ll be. Especially if the video is an interview or back and forth exchange.

5. Get Busy with the Mirror

Once you’ve got your three points identified, stand in front of the mirror. You can do it naked or with clothes on. Look yourself in the eye and let loose. Practice delivering your talk until you’re confident and relaxed. You may know what you’re talking about, but you have to convince yourself of that. After a while you’ll stop worrying what you look like and what other people will think. The more you practice in the mirror, the greater chance you have of looking like a natural once the camera’s red light comes on. If not, you’ll spend your energy second guessing yourself and looking like a stiff.

6. Up Close and Personal

Get closer. Closer. A little closer… Don’t be afraid to get close to the camera. Internet video players are pretty small, so don’t want to get lost on the wall paper in the background.

7. Befriend the Camera Girl

If you’re doing a professional shoot, chances are the camera girl knows more than you do about looking good on video. Ask her advice, and let her set up the scene. Listen to her coaching and suggestions. Ask to see the set through her monitor or LCD screen so you know which parts of you are in the frame. If she asks you to repeat a line or change your shirt, do it. She has your best interests at heart, and wants just as much for you to look good on video.

8. Wear Video Friendly Fashion

Be careful what you wear on camera. Red sometimes bleeds on television. Black and white can create too much contrast and throw off exposure, making your face too dark or too bright if you’re using a webcam or camera without manual controls. Avoid stripes, crazy patterns and sparkles, as the can cause noise or pixilation when the video is compressed for the Internet. You may not notice that you’re shirt is wrinkled or dirty, but the camera will. So make sure your clothes are freshly laundered or else be filled with regret once you see the play back.

9. Don’t Sweat it

Nothing will make you more nervous than sweat beads forming on your upper lip. Make sure the room you’ll be shooting in is cool so you don’t start to worry about whether you’re armpit sweat will show on camera. Give yourself one less thing to think about. Heat will make you uncomfortable, and the camera lens will catch that.

10. Act Like You Own the Joint

This may be the wrong way to word it, but seriously. You don’t want to come across arrogant, bit get pumped before you sit down. Stroke your own ego a little. You’ve got what it takes. 250,000 people may see it on YouTube, but it’s only video.

About Jessica Kizorek

Jessica Kizorek is a keynote speaker, Internet video expert and the respected author of three books on the subject of video marketing and the Internet. Jessica Kizorek has made it her mission to keep marketers in the loop with her keynote speeches and seminars on the latest in online video, online branding, consumer marketing trends, plus how social media marketing can be a valuable channel within integrated marketing campaigns.

Jessica has produced video content on all seven continents and was nominated as one of CNN’s “Young People Who Rock” for her passion in documenting the impact of humanitarian efforts around the globe. Jessica Kizorek has been invited to deliver keynote speeches about online video, video marketing and Internet fundraising for many corporate meetings, trade associations, national conferences and non-profit groups.

Since graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Colorado, Jessica Kizorek’s company (The Viral Pulse - www.TheViralPulse.com) has produced video and digital media for clients such as Bacardi, Hyatt Hotels and Moet Hennessy.

As an adjunct professor at the prestigious Miami Ad School, Jessica Kizorek has also been published as an expert in the online video marketing field by industry journals such as The American Association of Advertising Agencies, MediaPost and iMedia Connection.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Kudos, an open letter (and a warning) to the USPS Postmaster General (spread this around)

2009-10-28T09:01:00.003-05:00

From the Blog of Jim Gilbert- The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog

Over the years I’ve been super vocal about my dislike for the U.S. Postal Service and its less-than-forward-thinking bureaucracy. When it slammed direct marketers with a 20 percent postal increase back in 2007, I went (pun intended) postal on it in my Catalog Success Magazine Column.

Earlier this year after it announced its summer postage sale, I was optimistic. But once I looked at the fine print (i.e., how much you had to mail to qualify), I was critical then, too.

I try to be fair in the offering of my opinions.

Therefore, I have to applaud the USPS for its announcement last week that there would not be a postal rate increase in 2010 for dominant classes.

For those of you not aware yet, last week the Postmaster General sent out a memo announcing no 2010 rate increase, which has spread around the internet faster than a scandalous YouTube video goes viral. That memo can be reviewed here.

I know, I know: Postal rates are already ridiculously and restrictively high, but at least mailers can build their 2010 mail plans without having to cut circ from marginal lists and housefile segments.

But along with my kudos to our Postmaster and the USPS, I also want to put them on notice. Here goes:

Dear Mr. Postmaster General, You’ve started a trend here. Between the postal summer sale and now this offer to keep postal rates stable in 2010, catalog and direct mailers believe that you may actually be interested in working to our benefit. We look forward to the next postal sale, and hope that the USPS opens it up to smaller mailers to take advantage of. We truly hope that you’ll continue to stop thinking like a bureaucracy and encourage more mail volume with innovative special offers and such.

But we’re also wary. Direct marketers are wary because the USPS holds a great deal of power and leverage over us. The last substantial postal rate increase nearly put us under with rate increases of 20 percent-plus. What was the USPS thinking? That move single-handedly drove more and more mailers into the online world. If we were to do the math, we believe the increase in postage actually caused your revenues to go down due to less mail in the mailstream.

Remember this Mr. Postmaster General: Every penny more it costs us to mail means we need to generate about two cents more per catalog and direct mail piece mailed just to breakeven. In this economy, we need every opportunity we can get to mail profitably. We’re struggling to stay alive and keep our workers employed and our customers satisfied.

Keep up the good work, Mr. Postmaster. Please continue this trend.

Sincerely,  The Direct Mail Industry

As to you, my loyal readers, I encourage you to send your letters to the Postmaster General (or just copy mine and send it). Make your voice heard! Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Reach the Postmaster General at the following:

The Honorable John E. Potter Postmaster General

U.S. Postal Service

475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW

Washington, DC 20260-0010

Email: pmgceo@usps.gov

Speak to you next week, when I’ll discuss a tactic to help you reduce mail costs by doing a specific suppression on your housefile and list rentals.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

US Postal Service makes a bold statement: No 2010 postal increases!

2009-10-16T10:44:00.004-05:00

From the Blog of Jim Gilbert- The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog

Note from Jim: The USPS may have finally learned the lesson that higher postal prices drive down direct mail volume – resulting in lowered not increased revenues.

To Postal Service Customers:

Many of you have expressed concerns regarding mailing costs for 2010. The tough economic climate has presented significant challenges to all of us and pessimistic speculation has suggested that postal prices could increase by as much as 10 percent.

As we begin a new fiscal year and as many of you, our business clients, are preparing your 2010 operating budgets, we want to end all speculation.

The Postal Service will not increase prices for market dominant products in calendar year 2010.

Simply stated, there will not be a price increase for market dominant products including First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, periodicals, and single-piece Parcel Post. There will be no exigent price increase for these products.

This is the right decision at the right time for the right reason. Promoting the value of mail and encouraging its continued use is essential for jobs, the economy, and the future of both the Postal Service and the mailing industry.

While increasing prices might have generated revenue for the Postal Service in the short term, the long term effect could drive additional mail out of the system. We want mailers to continue to invest in mail to grow their business, communicate with valued customers, and maintain a strong presence in the marketplace. Changes in pricing for our competitive products—Priority Mail, Express Mail, Parcel Select, and most international products—are under consideration. We expect to announce a decision in November.

We are committed to working with customers to find ways to grow the mail through innovative incentives like the Summer Sale and contract pricing. Mail is the most effective means of communication and advertising and we will continue to work together to increase the value of the mail. Mail is a smart investment for the future.

John E. Potter

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Survey Shows Improved Outlook for Digital and Direct Marketing Employment

2009-10-14T16:18:00.005-05:00

As reported by the major digital and direct marketing news media

Owatonna, MN, October 13, 2009 --With the drumbeat of layoffs diminishing only faintly, the latest Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report shows digital and direct marketers are poised in the current fourth quarter (Q4) to add to payrolls for the third consecutive quarter.

"Clearly, it remains a difficult job market in the digital and direct marketing industry, but the overall trend is definitely moving in an encouraging, positive direction," said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a leading digital and direct marketing recruiter who has been issuing quarterly direct marketing employment reports since 2001.

With 352 companies responding to a survey that was in the field from September 28 through October 12, here are the key findings:

30% of the respondents said they will add to staff during the remainder of 2009, up from 20% in the Q3 survey (July through September 2009).
The percentage of companies planning layoffs was unchanged at 8%.
Companies reporting hiring freezes spiked to 45%, compared with 30% in Q3.
B-to-B marketers are more upbeat about Q4 job prospects with more planned hires and fewer layoffs-than their B-to-C counterparts

Bernhart attributed at least some of the jump in the anticipated Q4 hiring freeze index to seasonal variations. "We've seen this happen in our past fourth-quarter surveys when companies have held off on hiring decisions until after the holidays," he said. "That may have been exacerbated this last quarter by the recession's severity."

Most of the new hiring, Bernhart pointed out, is expected to take place on the services side with 41% of participating service providers reporting that they plan to add to staff in the last three months of 2009. Agencies were a close second at 39%, and client-side companies, at 18%, said they plan to make the fewest new hires. Among B-to-B direct marketers, 33% said they will hire during this final quarter, compared with 24% on the B-to-C side.

Despite the continuing surplus of job seekers, nearly 60% of companies responding to the survey said it was either "very difficult" or "somewhat difficult" to fill certain positions. Bernhart explained this apparent inconsistency with what he calls the "checkbox" syndrome. "Companies are looking for the perfect candidate, so what we're seeing here is an apparent inability to recruit applicants who meet each and every one of the required criteria needed to trigger a hire."

"Companies that made hiring mistakes in the past are now holding out until they feel highly confident that the candidate's personality and work style will complement the workplace," Bernhart continued. "To help measure that, many are putting candidates through a more extended interview process, including assessment tests. For example, I just had a candidate interview with eight different department heads within a single company. While that's a more extreme case, it gives you a sense for how important that aspect of the hiring process has become."

In addition, Bernhart observed, "Employers who laid-off workers are squeezing more work out of those who remain. This increased productivity is enabling companies to maintain or even boost output without having to add to headcount."

As for what specific positions will be in greatest demand by industry employers this holiday quarter, Bernhart said the list of job categories named was wide and varied--with analysts, sales, and account managers getting the most frequent mention.

Looking back on this year, Bernhart said the employment picture has brightened considerably since February 2009 when the numbers sank to record lows. "Economists are predicting that the overall U.S. unemployment rate will continue to climb into 2010," said Bernhart. "However, our survey is showing that, for online and offline direct marketers, it's possible we've bottomed out."

Still, Bernhart added, given the severity of the economic downturn, any rebound in digital and direct marketing jobs likely will be subdued as we move into 2010.

Bernhart Associates' fourth quarter survey was e-mailed to more than 8,500 senior executives, human resource officials, and other participants in online and offline direct marketing the week of September 28.

Bernhart noted that "Digital" has been added to the title of the quarterly survey to reflect the growth of digital media in the marketplace, as well as the increased number of Internet-based companies that have asked to participate.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures will grow to over 54%, and they will generate 8.3% of US GDP.

Results of past surveys can be found in the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC's website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an e-mail to survey@bernhart.com with "Opt-In" in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates' website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

5 Solid tips for multichannel marketers looking for work in this economy

2009-08-24T19:41:00.003-05:00

The following is a guest blog for widely followed direct marketing blogger Jim Gilbert of Gilbert Direct Marketing and columnist for All About ROI (formerly Catalog Success) Magazine.

Note from Jim Gilbert: Filling my virtual shoes this week, while I’m on vacation, is Jerry Bernhart, President of Bernhart Associates Executive Search and author of the Direct Marketing Employment Outlook Survey.

By Jerry Bernhart

For those of you actively looking for employment, let me offer a few things you can do to help you get that extra edge. I'm sure you've heard some of this in other places, but these are key points that are worth repeating.

Make sure your resume screams, "I can add value! I still see way too many resumes that are long on titles and descriptions but short on specific accomplishments and achievements. That always amazes me because metrics are an integral part of the direct marketing process, and yet on their resumes direct marketers often neglect to include what really matters most- quantifiable results. If you don't brag on your resume, no one else is going to do it for you. Be specific, quantify where possible, and use some choice action verbs to describe what you achieved. Companies have already taken steps to slash costs, so think more about what you've done to contribute to revenue growth such as acquiring and keeping new customers, new products, new market segments, how you've helped improve recency, frequency and monetary value, etc. Don't forget to make your resume keyword friendly. Use terms that are specific to your job or career objectives, and use them often.

Network more, visit job sites less. In the Spring 09 Bernhart Associates Employment Survey, we asked employers to identify their biggest source of new hires. Surprisingly, it was not internet job boards or career sections on company websites. It was referrals- referrals from employees, former employees, vendors and partners. In fact, referrals beat out job posting websites two-to-one. If you're spending most of your time on job sites, you need to start shifting that to your network. If you've already exhausted your network, add to it. Think of all the vendors your past employers have had relationships with. Reach out to them. Even the vendors have vendors. Many of my best clients are companies I first contacted out of the blue. I didn't wait for a job posting to appear. Of course, you have to do your homework and company websites have never made that job easier.

For individual contributor positions, play up your strength in project management. Companies that are hiring right now have a much greater need for indians rather than chiefs. They still have campaigns to get out the door with sometimes very limited resources, and it seems every employer I talk to tells me how they want someone who can "roll up their sleeves" and be "hands on". So, be prepared to talk about the successful projects you've managed, and how you delivered them on time and within budget.

Get references and put them on LinkedIn. I really like it when a candidate I don't know about says he has references I can check right now, and there they are on his LinkedIn profile. Sure, you won't find any bad references up there but I look for common characteristics. If everyone talks about someone's keen team building skills, then you can pretty much bank on the fact that this person is a good team builder; good stuff to know if you're an employer with a job to fill that requires strong team building skills.

Get better at interviewing. Sometimes it's not the best candidate who gets the job, but rather the one who has the best interviewing skills. Many have the mistaken notion that interviews, by their nature, are very one-sided: The employer asks questions, you provide answers. That's part of it, but there are certain things you need to get across about yourself, your skills and your accomplishments, and you have to be able to do it in a finite period of time. Check my Bernhart.com website under Search Tips for a few pointers.

Jerry Bernhart has Twenty years experience in multichannel direct marketing recruiting, and only multichannel direct marketing recruiting. He can be reached at jerry@bernhart.com, or www.bernhart.com.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

New Direct Marketing Group on LinkedIn

2009-07-22T20:52:00.008-05:00

An exciting new LinkedIn Group for direct marketers has appeared and it's quickly gaining popularity. It's called DM Q&A, moderated by social media expert Jim Gilbert. Jim wanted to create a group where members could ask questions about any aspect of direct marketing-
direct mail, email, social media, direct response TV, strategy, execution, creative development, lists, vendor recommendations, etc. The group has already attracted an impressive line up of industry experts. Have a question? Chances are they'll have the answer, or know someone who does.
You can check it out at http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2080726/.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Associates Launches Twitter Group for Direct Marketing Job Seekers

2009-07-21T21:35:00.010-05:00

Owatonna, MN, July 13, 2009- Direct marketing job seekers will soon have a new on-line tool to help with their job search.

Leading direct marketing recruiter Jerry Bernhart will be moderating a new weekly chat session on Twitter focusing specifically on all things related to jobs and hiring in direct marketing.

"There are online communities for just about every subject you can imagine," said Jerry Bernhart, owner of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, who is also well known in direct marketing for his quarterly employment reports. "This is a natural extension of the use of social media to help those who are looking for their next career opportunity in direct marketing, including ecommerce and emarketing."

Bernhart said the new forum will use Tweetchat, allowing messages to be posted and read by participants in a matter of seconds. ""It's kind of like texting but a whole lot faster and easier," said Bernhart. "It also allows quick and easy sharing of links."

Participants can choose their level of participation, jumping in and out of the discussion whenever there's something of interest being discussed.

"It will be an opportunity to ask questions, share ideas and get advice onlots of topics, including resume preparation, interviewing tips, job leads, salaries, bonuses, finding candidates, job offers, counteroffers, job descriptions, anything related to hiring and jobs in online or offline direct marketing," said Bernhart.

Employers are also invited to put up tweets on positions they are looking to fill.

The first direct marketing careers Tweetchat event will take place Sunday, August 2nd, at 8 pm Eastern time.

To participate, go to tweetchat.com, sign-in with your Twitter account, and enter DMCareers in the "Hashtag to follow" box. Bernhart explains that once you're in the group there is no need to use the hashtag because Tweetchat automatically applies it to each message, saving you the bother of typing it in each time you want to post. Bernhart adds that if you want to monitor the discussion but you won't be home at the time, no worries. Tweetchat works great on your mobile phone, too.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Recession Easing Its Grip on Direct Marketing Jobs

2009-07-13T22:23:00.008-05:00

by Jerry Bernhart

Owatonna, MN, July 13, 2009- Hundreds of direct marketers, agencies and service providers are offering some new glimmers of hope for direct marketing job seekers, according to the latest Bernhart Associatess employment update.

“It appears the direct marketing job market is scraping the bottom,” said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a leading direct marketing recruiter who has been issuing quarterly direct marketing employment reports since 2001. “This is the
first quarter in two years in which the hiring index is showing improvement, and planned layoffs are continuing their trend lower,” said Bernhart.

According to the survey, 20% of the respondents said they will be adding to staff during the current summer quarter, up from 16% in the spring. Layoffs declined for the third quarter in a row, with 8% planning to reduce staff compared with 13% last quarter and 20% at the start of 2009. The number of companies reporting hiring freezes held steady at 30%.

The hiring freeze figure was even higher for agencies, with 44% reporting that they’re holding the line on hiring.

Bernhart said responses to the hiring freeze question underscores the prevailing mood
of uncertainty. “We always ask when they plan to lift their hiring freezes, and the vast majority said they expected those freezes to remain in place through the rest of 2009,” said Bernhart.

Bernhart noted that business-to-business direct marketers are faring better overall in the key employment indicators compared with their business-to-consumer counterparts.

For example, when asked if they plan to reduce staff 13% of business-to-consumer direct marketers said they expect further layoffs this summer compared with 9% among business-to-business respondents.

Despite the uptick in the survey’s overall results, Bernhart foresees no significant comeback in direct marketing hiring until at least 2010.

“You can’t stage a recovery with only one in five direct marketers planning to hire, and one-third of the others holding on to hiring freezes with no plans to lift them until at least the end of the year. In my conversations with senior level executives, there is no consistent level of optimism in the current economic environment for them to jump into the employment market. I’m also seeing that same caution in executive search. Companies are telling us they’re thinking about making staffing changes, but they are slow to pull the trigger.”

Despite the abundance of job seekers, the survey also shows that filling open direct marketing positions is not always an easy task. When asked if they were experiencing difficulty hiring new talent, 42% said it was either “very difficult” or “somewhat difficult” to fill certain positions.

When asked what specific positions will be in greatest demand this summer, Bernhart said the list of job categories named was across the board including analytics, sales, creative, technical and marketing. “There was lots of mention of analytics from agencies, service providers and marketers,” said Bernhart.

A record 402 companies responded to the random survey which was emailed the week of June 22.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, marketers – commercial and nonprofit - spent $176.9 billion on direct marketing in 2008, which accounted for 52.1 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $2.057 trillion in incremental sales. Last year, direct marketing accounted for approximately 10 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also, there are today 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly support 9.3 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 10.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s Statistical Fact Book and on the website of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates website.

About Bernhart Associates:

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and nationally recognized direct marketing recruiter, writer and speaker focusing on senior level Multichannel Direct Marketing, CRM, ECommerce, Database Marketing, Business Development and Quantitative Analysis positions. Jerry has been a leading direct marketing recruiter since 1990, and specializes in direct marketing positions, online and offline, at all levels. The Bernhart Associates Employment Survey, now in its eighth year, has become the most widely followed employment report in direct marketing. In February, Bernhart Associates partnered with the Direct Marketing Association in providing exclusive analysis for the DMA’s 2009 Employment Outlook Report, a comprehensive study of trends in hiring and employee retention in direct marketing and available for sale at the DMA Bookstore. Viewed as a leading authority on issues related to direct marketing recruiting, Jerry is a frequent speaker at national direct marketing conferences and is often quoted by the direct marketing news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for all leading online and offline direct marketing publications and conducts a widely followed employment survey for EM+C covering internet marketing and ecommerce.

Why Direct Marketers Switch Jobs- Often. A Study by Jerry Bernhart

2009-02-11T09:56:00.021-06:00

Written by Richard Levey, DIRECT magazine, February 1, 2009

The average time spent in a direct marketing job? Just a little more than a presidential term:
4.05 years. So says Bernhart Associates Executive Search LLC, a recruiting firm specializing in direct marketing and related positions.

That's not the only surprise Bernhart uncovered in a study of 1,000 randomly selected
resumes. Another is that entry-level people work for 10 to 12 companies. Granted, there were
exceptions. “As amazing as it may sound, there are some direct marketers out there who have
been with the same company long enough to get their 25-year watch,” says the firm's principal Jerry Bernhart.

To reach these findings, Bernhart focused on the most recent position listed on each resume
with a definite beginning and end date. The pool represented job categories at all levels.
To compensate for the fact that some people stay on the job for decades, Bernhart also
calculated a median number — a figure that more accurately reflects the tenure of a greater
number of individuals. This came out to 2.82 years, prompting him to note that movement has
become the norm. It's what an individual does with that movement — how wisely he or she
follows a career path, or is willing to learn new skills or take on new responsibilities — that
makes the difference over the long haul. Bernhart also attempted to determine the reasons
behind the turnover rates. The answer is in the number of job titles listed under a single
employer. There was only one position per firm listed on 73% of the resumes. Two per
employer appeared on 12%, and three on 11%. This may indicate that people jump for promotions.
“This comes as no surprise,” Bernhart says. “Career advancement is among the
main reasons candidates give us for wanting to begin a search.”

What does this mean for CEOs and business owners? First, that direct marketers are spending
less time with their employers than they did 10 or 15 years ago. This means that turnover costs
are much higher than one might realize. And the cost of these actions may be harder to
recognize. Then consider the full impact when you lose a valued employee: There are the
costs of hiring and training a replacement…not to mention lost productivity, business,
knowledge, experience and skills. The list is long. “Imagine the savings a typical direct marketing company
could realize if it could improve its average turnover rate from 4.05 years to 4.25, or even 4.5,” Bernhart says.

The takeaway for marketers, according to Bernhart, is simply this: Think more about how important
it is to retain top performers. Between skills and legacy knowledge lost, the cost of replacing them is higher
than what's reflected in a hiring search.

Visit our website at www.directmarketingrecruiter.com

Direct Marketing Hiring Outlook Reflects Economic Landscape

2009-02-09T17:55:00.010-06:00

Released by Bernhart Associates and the Direct Marketing Association, January 27, 2009

Owatonna, MN — Direct marketers may expect more layoffs, hiring freezes and cutbacks in hiring until at least Spring, according to the first 2009 Employment Outlook Report, based on findings from a recent study conducted jointly by the Direct Marketing Association and Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

“Each of our key employment indicators are at all-time lows, with almost half of all participants telling us they currently have a hiring freeze,” said Jerry Bernhart, who has been conducting quarterly employment reports for the DM community since 2001. “The worsening economic climate is taking its toll on direct marketers just like everyone else.”

Among those responding, 21% said they will be adding to staff during the first quarter of 2009, down from 31% last quarter. The percentage of companies planning to reduce staff rose from 17% last quarter to 20% this quarter, and 48% report they currently have a hiring freeze, up from 34% last quarter.

When asked when they plan to lift their hiring freezes, nearly two-thirds said they don’t know.

Bernhart said that despite all of the economic pain, direct marketers appear to be doing better than the U.S. economy as a whole.

“According to the latest Employment Outlook Survey by Manpower Inc. in December, 16% of U.S. employers said they anticipated an increase in their staff levels during the first quarter of 2009, compared with 21% among direct marketers who responded to our study.”

“A closer look at our numbers also shows that while quarter-to-quarter changes in planned staffing and hiring freezes are both sharply deteriorating, layoffs are going up at a much more moderate pace,” said Bernhart. “All of this suggests that direct marketers are being spared the massive job cuts that we’re seeing in some other sectors of the economy.”

Bernhart also observed that among companies planning to hire this quarter, new jobs will out-number replacements 5-to-1.

“Recent published surveys show that many businesses are actually planning to increase their direct marketing budgets in 2009 while reducing their spending on less targeted advertising campaigns, and I think that is helping to ease the blow,” said Bernhart.

A total of 264 companies participated in the detailed employment study, which was emailed in mid-January to a combined list of DMA members and past participants of the Bernhart employment survey.

Complete survey results, with expert commentary on direct marketing hiring trends by Jerry Bernhart, can be found in the 2009 Employment Outlook Report. This report will include information on hiring patterns within the direct marketing arena, new employee compensation, bonuses, and incentives used to attract new hires. This report can be ordered via the DMA Bookstore. Click here to pre-order now through 2/13/2009 and use discount code EMP001 to receive a 10% discount.

In 2008, direct marketing accounted for approximately 10 percent of total U.S. gross domestic product, employing more than 10 million people in the United States.

Results of past Bernhart Associates employment surveys can be found in the DMA’s Statistical Fact Book. The 2009 Edition of DMA’s Statistical Fact Book is scheduled for release in February 2009.

Companies interested in participating in the next quarterly Bernhart Associates Direct Marketing Employment Survey should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line.

Visit our website at www.directmarketingrecruiter.com

Is Your Job Recession Proof? A BtoB Perspective

2008-12-21T14:25:00.007-06:00

By Jerry Bernhart

Published on BtoB Online, December 8, 2008

BtoB Editor Ellis Booker, in his article on November 10th, stated that "agencies are cutting digital marketing jobs left and right", and then he posed this question: "Is this an early warning sign of reductions to come on the client side?"

During the past month, I have spoken with top decision makers at more than 100 BtoB businesses, large and small, public and private, about their hiring plans for 2009. So far, employment in the BtoB sector has held up relatively well considering the financial carnage we've witnessed, and for now, most are planning no
major change in headcount for the rest of this year. But many of these business leaders worry that if consumers continue to slash spending, that would result in further contraction of the economy which, in turn, would almost certainly translate into layoffs in the BtoB sector in early 2009.

All of this uncertainty may be prompting BtoB marketers to ask themselves, "Just how insulated is my job from this shrinking economy? How safe am I?"

In my 18 years as a recruiter in the BtoB direct marketing industry, I have weathered numerous nasty economic downturns. While no two recessions are alike, here are some trends that have been typical of past slumps that might help you determine your unemployment "risk quotient" should economic conditions continue to deteriorate:

-If you work for a larger publicly held BtoB business, you are generally subject to higher layoff risk than the small player counterparts. After the agencies and service providers start to trim, these big caps are usually the next to start cutting payrolls, and many already have. While an argument can be made that job cuts can actually be detrimental to a company, reducing the work force becomes an almost automatic response in an
effort to satisfy investors who expect action when companies miss their numbers. Small to medium sized BtoB businesses, on the other hand, tend to hold out longer before they resort to job cuts, and this has more to do with their psychological makeup than it does with their balance sheets. Small business owners, by
their very nature, tend to be more optimistic compared with their Fortune 500 counterparts. A recent survey
by small business advisory firm Warrillow & Co, as reported in BtoB Magazine, bears this out. Even though small business owners are pessimistic about the economy, the Warrillow study also found that they are still feeling pretty good about their own prospects. Small business owners also tend to have closer ties to their employees. They don't want to issue pink slips unless they absolutely have to.

-Some industries will be much more vulnerable than others. If you are working for a company that sells products or services to retail, housing, autos or travel, you have a higher risk of losing your job than someone who is working for a company that markets to health care or the defense industry.

-Recent hires are often at higher risk than those with more tenure. While this does not always
hold true, companies faced with decisions about who to keep and who to furlough will often take the last-in first-out approach, other things being equal.

-When I get resumes from BtoB'ers, I tend to receive fewer in sales, customer service, accounting, ecommerce and circulation compared with other positions. Roles that are essential to the operation, create the most disruption when vacated, the most costly to recruit and train and positions that control sales and marketing channels to the customers are less likely to be eliminated.

-If your company cuts its training budget, it could be a precursor of bigger cuts to come.
They may be cutting training expenditures because they're not sure who may or may not be around to benefit from them.

-Finally, remember that your value is being measured by more than just your skills and experience. Your attitude, your energy and your enthusiasm count a lot, especially in times likes these when your company may need you more than ever. The higher your opportunity cost, the more difficult it will be for your employer to see you go. If you can wear multiple hats and if your company couldn't bear the thought of seeing you defect to a competitor, you are about as recession proof as anyone can get.

Visit our website at www.directmarketingrecruiter.com

The New Realities

2008-11-12T18:49:00.004-06:00

By Jerry Bernhart
Published in DM News, October 20, 2008

In the most recent Bernhart Associates quarterly survey on direct marketing trends, only about one-third of those companies responding said they plan to add to headcount the rest of 2008. Another one-third said they have imposed a hiring freeze. Not exactly a cheery outlook for direct marketing job seekers. But there was another interesting revelation. When asked to describe the degree of difficulty they are experiencing finding qualified candidates, two-thirds of the employers said they were still having challenges attracting the right people for some of their positions.

If it's challenging now, just wait until the economy rebounds and direct marketers start scrambling to fill critical positions.

The rules of the game have changed. New technologies, the impact of competition, the growing propensity for workers to switch from one company to another and the shifting power of customers and marketers are the strategic inflection points that will reshape and
transform the direct marketing workplace. Talent is now the critical driver of corporate performance and the differential value of highly talented people continues to increase.
I hear examples of it every day. A highly talented circulation analyst, for example, can easily improve the return on a catalog's marketing spend 10-20% compared with someone who possesses only mediocre skills.

Many direct marketing companies still struggle with talent management. Even fewer have a well-defined recruiting strategy. For many direct marketers, winning the battle to attract the best and brightest will require a total change in mindset. Capital is no longer the competitive advantage. Rather, talented people will make the difference. No longer can you think of your employees as loyal subjects who think their jobs are secure. Everyone now thinks short-term. No longer can you treat everyone as equally capable. You should identify your A, B and C employees and invest in them accordingly. Finally, it will take more than just standard compensation packages to attract A players. To attract the best you must break the rules because talented people will demand much more.

The business landscape is changing and tremendous opportunity awaits those who adapt to these new realities and make talent priority number one. It will be the determining factor in your company's long-term success. I can practically guarantee it.

Visit our website at www. bernhart.com

Surviving the Recession: Some Words of Wisdom

2008-11-12T18:45:00.002-06:00

By Jerry Bernhart
Published in DM News, November 17, 2008

In my nearly 20 years as an executive recruiter in direct marketing, this is the third economic downturn that I've experienced. There was the recession of 1990-1991 when the country was reeling from the savings and loan debacle, there was the dot.com bust, and then the period following 9/11. Recessions are never pleasant, but the good news is that we have never had a recession that isn't temporary. This, too, shall pass.

In recent months, it seems I have been receiving as many calls and emails from people looking for reassurance as I have from people looking for a new job. So, permit me to remove my "recruiting" hat for a moment and replace it with my "career advisor" hat, which is a hat I am wearing often these days. No two recessions are ever alike, but my advice has never changed:

--This is not a good time to be actively looking for another job unless one of three
conditions exist: You are out of work, you fear that you may be about to lose your job, or you are planning to start your own business. The job markets are likely to get worse before we begin to see any improvement. The latest Bernhart Associates Direct Marketing Employment Survey bears that out. Only one-third of those companies responding plan to do any hiring the
rest of this year, and employers have little visibility when it comes to hiring plans for 2009. There is nothing wrong with keeping your ears to the tracks, as they say, and sometimes the grass is indeed greener on the other side of the hill. But in the current economy, much of the grass out there is getting mowed to the roots, and that grass may not be lush and
green again until sometime during the latter half of next year.
So for now, if you're gainfully employed, think a little less about dusting off your resume and think more about what's important to your company's business and the activities that bring in revenues. Align yourself as best you
can with the critical priorities of your employer. Rather than waiting around for another shoe to
drop, start going beyond expectations. Take on that extra project, put in some extra hours, produce better results, and expect nothing from it. Remember, when times get tough, companies need their best people more than ever. They will remember you for this.

--If you have been laid off, you are probably doing everything you can to leverage your contact network. Were there at least 25 people on your list who you contacted right away to help with your job search? The most difficult time to ramp up your network of contacts is when you need it most. You now have the time, so you have no excuse. Spend at minimum one hour each day up-dating, reconnecting and extending your network until you have a least 25 solid contacts. Also, tap into the online social networks. LinkedIn and Facebook are extremely valuable networking tools.

--Having a positive belief structure is essential if you want to succeed. It is vital is you want to succeed during times like these. Always remember that people tend to see what they believe, rather than believe what they see. Negative beliefs will cloud your outlook and impact your attitude.

--During a recession, people want to work with the best suppliers, the suppliers they can rely on, the suppliers who support them no matter what. Take the time to truly understand your client's needs and add value over and above anything they could have ever expected. If your competitors struggle that means more business for you, and it sets you up to take the pole position when things pick up.

--Heed the advice of Baba Amte, Ghandi-follower and renowned humanitarian who abandoned a life of privilege to help the outcasts of society in India. Baba said: "The future belongs to the common man, with uncommon determination".

Time for everyone to pursue a little bit of uncommon determination.

Visit our website at www.directmarketingrecruiter.com.

What Makes a Great MultiChannel Marketer?

2008-11-12T18:22:00.002-06:00

By Jerry Bernhart
Published in Multichannel Marketing, November 3, 2008

In my corporate presentations on talent management, I talk a lot about the value of "A" talent. These are

the individuals who personify the gold standard of exceptional performance and distinguish themselves by consistently delivering outstanding results and inspiring and motivating others. Ranked against their peers
they represent the top 20 percent of the multichannel marketing talent pool that’s out there. Studies conducted by McKinsey & Company suggest that highly talented marketers are as much as 130 percent more productive than low performing marketers. For those who market to multiple customer touch-points, the differential value of a superior performer is likely even greater.

Sometime ago, the CEO of a major catalog/internet/retail company asked me to start a search for a Vice President of CRM. He made it clear that anyone less than “best in class” need not apply, so I asked: “Aside from what is written on the job description, what in your view would distinguish a superior multichannel marketer from someone who is average?”

“I'll know it when I see it, ” he said.

Good to know, I thought, but how will that help me qualify someone who can deliver knockout results for my client? That got me thinking: What exactly do great multichannel marketers do differently? What is it about them that makes them more prized than their B and C level counterparts? Do they have special talent that no one else has?

When you think about it, having talent may seem rare and special but it really isn't. Everyone has a unique set of talents. But I realized that it's the candidates who find roles that allow them to cultivate their talent
who become special. If I could bottle those special qualities, this is what I’d put on the label:

-Ability to focus on top line growth. Charlie Silver, consultant and former Vice President of Marketing at Bloomingdales Direct, says the best mutlichannel marketers think differently because they look at the sum of the parts. “They know which channels are more effective for prospecting or brand building, but these individuals don’t fall into silos,” according to Charlie. “They achieve marketing synergy across all channels to grow the overall business.”

-Highly adept with analytics. The best multichannel marketers are testers, and they know the metrics inside out. “They are very at home with numbers, “ says Erik Martinez, Director of Ecommerce at Peruvian Connection. “To them, analytics is a cornerstone of world class multichannel marketing.”

-A strong drive to succeed. The best multichannel marketers have a constant, self-imposed drive to strive. Multichannel marketers are highly competitive and they have a need to compare their accomplishments with companies they compete with. They are not risk averse, and they crave recognition. They also are highly driven by a desire to put beliefs into action.

-The ability to hire top talent. It's an irrefutable fact: Superior multichannel marketing leaders surround themselves with other superior performers. These leaders invest in their best and brightest employees, and maximize those employees' contributions to the company.

-Outstanding ability to engage and motivate others. Having good verbal communications skills won’t buy you a ticket into the A club. The elite possess an exceptional talent for communicating. The best multichannel marketers ask the right questions, they know how to build feelings of mutual support, they create enthusiasm, and they have the ability to persuade others logically.

Do these qualities describe you? If they do, consider yourself a member of the multichannel marketing "A" team!

Visit our website at www.directmarketingrecruiter.com.