My first job was in software development for Arthur Andersen's consulting division (now Accenture). I then worked in database marketing at the PH Group and then went to LBM.
What's your role at LBM?
Business development, client management and general management, in equal measure.
LBM's core business is to sell B2B data, and increasingly consumer data, but our key strength is setting up the platforms to get the most out of that data.
We have two main divisions - one selling B2B data, and the other is our call centre operation, LBM Intelligent Contact. We also host databases of market universes for clients - suppression lists, customer and prospects.
My role splits into division management and consultancy with clients such as the commercial division of the Cooperative Bank, Norwich Union and Centrica Business Services.
My background is as an analyst, but I guess I'm involved more as an account director and in business development. Analysts in LBM are different to the norm - we end up being more akin to management consultants.
What did you do yesterday?
We had the Cooperative Bank in with us yesterday, discussing a long-term plan for hosting and managing their B2B prospect data.
A typical client discussion might be around the number and type of targets it has to communicate with, setting benchmarks for success depending on the communication, making sure the tracking is in place and setting up the reporting.
I normally spend an hour or two checking up on the client proposals we have in development and liasing with our sales guys. I also visit clients on site. I'm not the first level of contact though - the sales people do that. I follow this up with a visit to fashion a solution.
What lessons have you learned?
I'm against massive planning exercises. You need to be in a position to learn from your past activity. Don't plan more than you can test (and use), but keep testing and, when you're getting it right, get ready to change it.