Nine Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Housefile

In order to build reports like the housefile inventory, run queries in software programs such as FoxPro, Access, Ecometry and Mail Order Manager. Trollinger says the last two are the ones he hears his clients talk about using the most.

8. Discern to Whom You Should Not Be Mailing

Klapprodt, who worked at Abacus for several years before joining Lett Direct, recommends the cooperative databases for help with list enhancement. “They can eliminate the worst-performing 10 percent to 20 percent pretty effectively,” he notes. “They have information that any one cataloger doesn’t have access to, such as what the people on the list are doing with the rest of the industry.”