SalesTechStar Interview with Andrea (Turnlund) Sellas, Sr. Specialist Marketplace Partnerships at Sendoso

Andrea (Turnlund) Sellas, Sr. Specialist Marketplace Partnerships at Sendoso talks about the shifts involving direct mail campaigns and what sales and marketing teams should keep in mind when trying to boost results from their direct mail initiatives:

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Welcome to this SalesTechStar chat Andrea, tell us about yourself and your role at Sendoso….

I am the Sr. Specialist Marketplace Partnerships. I work cross functionally with marketing, product, CX Teams, sales and vendors. I source and create relationships with vendors for Sendoso Marketplace while introducing a new revenue stream for our vendor partners, and meeting customer sending needs.

We’d love to hear some key pointers from Sendoso latest findings on the growth of sustainable gifting. How are sales and marketing teams uses different kind of direct mail experiences today to drive impact through this channel?

Avoiding waste is the goal, whether that be the product or outreach itself. Sending products that are friendly to the environment, and that make an impact on the recipient is a great way to generate a connection.

How have you been seeing direct mail as a sales and marketing channel evolve in today’s marketplace and what thoughts do you have for the future of this medium?

Over the past few years, I have noticed a shift in customer behaviour.

Sales and marketing channels are moving towards products with interactive aspects of them whether that be learning about interesting missions, sustainable practices, charities, or actual activity based sends like planting seeds or crafting.

In the future I see sales and marketing teams leaning more towards personalization of the product itself with their recipient’s name or tailored to the recipients personal hobbies or interests.

Finding different ways via personalized gifting to promote and communicate company values, while building relationships with clients.

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In your view: what should sales and marketing teams do to drive more impact from their direct mail strategies?

Being mindful and choosing products are tailored to the recipient. Gift giving and receiving develops feelings of social connection, trust, and warmth. You do not want to waste that opportunity on sending a product that is going to collect dust, sit in their junk drawer, or worst of all end up in the trash.

Sales and marketing should aim to get to know their recipient in the few minutes you have together, find out their hobbies and interests and send accordingly.

If sending out a large campaign I would send something consumable like Onyx Teas, activity based like Sculpt or useful like a Verve Culture Juicer, accompanied with a thoughtful gift note to make it extra personalized. All unique companies with sustainable practices I might add!

When it comes to building partnerships as a seller, what key frameworks/pointers do you rely on?  

When building a partnership, I look for scalability, flexibility, and personalization. Vendors that can grow with the business, handle special requests, and high volume orders.

While I aim to onboard and promote completely sustainable business, I want to reward those who are changing their practices to be more eco-friendly and not just greenwashing. All of our vendors offer gift notes with the orders, so personalization is never lost.

Can you highlight more about the future of the B2B tech market and in what ways you expect to see it grow?

Expanded focus on Customer Retention – It can help build brand loyalty and strengthen relationships with customers. By providing personalized and relevant content, companies can keep customers interested and loyal to their brand.

Sustainability: Prioritizing sustainability in direct mail campaigns can help the environment, improve a brand’s image and appeal to eco-conscious customers.

B2B turning towards B2C: B2B is becoming more like B2C in the way they go to market, and interact with the end consumers. By offering a freemium version, customers can gain a better understanding on how they can use direct mail marketing to achieve their marketing and sales goals.

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