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Getting Started
If you're renting a list for the first time, you'll need to do a little bit of preparation as you get started. This section outlines the information you will need to provide to a list broker in order to rent a list. As well, it will educate you about the things to consider and the process involved in planning a list rental, including research and recommendations, turnaround times and one-time use policies.Required Information
Pulling together the following information before calling a company that offers list brokerage services, like Cornerstone, will help everything go smoothly.Mail Date
An established list broker like Cornerstone will ask you to provide the date you plan to mail your direct marketing pieces. And, since mail dates are carefully monitored, you should tell your broker before changing your mail date by more than a day or two.
Lettershop or Other Destination
Generally speaking, list owners will not grant you access to their list directly. (Remember, you're just renting the list, and its owner wants to protect the information contained in it.) That means you'll need to provide contact information for where you want the list sent. Most often, the list you're renting will go to a third-party lettershop or data-processing house you designate. Sample
You'll also need to provide a representative sample of the piece you intend to mail. The list owners retain final approval regarding whether or not you may mail to their list. There are several reasons why they might refuse to release their list. For example, they may deem a mailing offensive or otherwise objectionable, or they may find that you compete too closely with their product or service.Research and Recommendations
Brokers like Cornerstone research available lists and compile information about them. That information, presented on datacards, becomes the basis for recommendations about which lists best fit your direct marketing strategy. Review our Anatomy of a Datacard illustration to learn more.Getting to Know Key Players will tell you more about list brokers.
To learn more Cornerstone's list brokerage services, visit Prospecting.
Turnaround
Plan on at least 10 business days to complete a list order. Even with today's instant communication, the many parties involved in the process necessitate a longer timeline. Note also that this does not include the time that a list broker such as Cornerstone will need to research and prepare a list recommendation. Depending on the complexity of the recommendation, it may be provided in a few days or a week or two.Enforcement
As noted, list owners have an interest in protecting the information in the lists that they rent. To make sure that renters are not reusing the lists, list owners or their list managers place "decoy" names in the list. That way, when a decoy address receives an unauthorized mailing, they can detect misuse of their list.
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