Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

What you probably need is a list broker. A good one can tell you what's going on behind the numbers.

Try Sal Tisi at List Strategies Inc.


Sal Tisi, Executive Vice President/Partner

phone: 212/767-1000, ext. 109 (in New York City)

There are a couple of ways you can tell if a list is "fresh."

1) Check the data card (the list's biography) to see when it was last updated.

2) You can ask for recent buyers or a "hotlist" (it's not stolen, it's just recent additions to the list).

Fresh names are more likely to be good, and recent buyers (having just bought something) are better prospects.

Hope this helps.

Jodi

Dear kklock,

Unless it SPECIFICALLY targets florists who are looking for, or who are interested in what you have to offer, the last thing you need or want is a bought list from just anywhere online.

As Phil and Jodi have pointed out, you need a list broker: someone who knows what the hell is ON the lists they've got on offer, and someone who can advise and direct you on which lists will be best for you.

The other way you can create a list is to work with (and become a member of) www.teleflora.com. Or, check out online florist forums, such as: www.flowerchat.com.

Flowechat.com site has a state and province-based list of florists in the US, and Canada (as well as overseas), and a list of floral vendors. There's also a forum member list.

And access to this information, that you wouldn't have to pay for, is free. All you'd need to do is trawl though it and pull out the relevant contact details.

A word of warning: never use any forum as a platform to send a blanket e-mail or message. It might just get you listed (and banned) as a spammer.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

These are compiled lists. Dun and Bradstreet would have these lists, Info USA would too. You would have to be more detailed in what you consider a "Special Events Business" for instance: Party Planners.