A-Listers

Along with providing useful marketing advice, Segal says his list firm now is "able to give us good guidance — and that has increased our lists' value and the company's profitability."

From the list firm's perspective, Linda McAleer, executive vice president at Millard, points out that the knowledge base among list pros is so broad "that tapping into us as a resource benefits [catalogers], even if they're not leaner in terms of marketing staff," she says. "One cataloger has a narrow view of what's going on out there. We have a wide view, in terms of cataloging, publishing and fundraising, across all niches. To bring us in is advantageous to them."