CEO Marketing Insight Interviews: Larry Zogby

RDS Delivery Service has been a family owned business since 1986. Today, Larry Zogby and his brother, David, run the company, each bringing unique talents and expertise to the table. Together they make a dynamic team that has kept their company growing through even the worst economic times.

RDS Delivery Service is a New York City messenger and courier company providing a range of logistics services such as warehousing, trucking, document storage, and more. They have received awards and recognition for their work with and commitment to providing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

If you have ever met Larry Zogby, you know you are in the presence of a powerful force. Larry is active in industry and business associations and gives his time and the support of his company to not-for-profit and community associations. Larry is a connector who naturally spots opportunities for synergy and is one of those rare entrepreneurs who is supportive of other entrepreneurs and his community at large.

I consider Larry a master networker, a master sales executive, a masterful business owner, and a master at always learning, growing, and improving. He is as encouraging as he is inspiring. Larry is a real magician and his widely known nickname is The Magic Man. Not just making magic in his business, but he is also a professional Close Up Magic performer, entertaining audiences and celebrities at meetings and private events.

I met Larry several years ago when I was called to his office to be evaluated as a potential marketing vendor. We still joke about those days as I was quickly dismissed and there was no interest on Larry’s part of doing business with us. Today I count Larry as one of my most dear friends and colleagues.

As a dedicated and intensely focused individual, getting time to interview Larry was a gift and his message and encouragement is as well.

Mardy Sitzer: Are you using or planning on using marketing this year to grow your business?

Larry Zogby: Yes, we have a lot of marketing efforts going on at RDS Delivery.

MS: What role does marketing play in your business?

LZ: Marketing is an important part of our strategy to reinforce our brand and to grow our company.

MS: What marketing efforts do you expect your sales growth to come from?

LZ: Admittedly, we are also growing our company through acquisitions as this economic downturn has opened up several opportunities for us. By staying involved in industry associations, these opportunities come to us and we are able to evaluate and make the right acquisitions and forge strong strategic alliances.

Our marketing today is the result of years of refining and testing to help us become more focused and more deliberate in our marketing efforts. We continue to refine and improve on our drip marketing campaigns, are continually testing and refining our website, and have instituted a much stronger trigger marketing campaign along with a life cycle campaign. We believe it is important to continually stay top of mind with our customers and prospects and to make sure that we are doing so with relevant messages.

MS: Would you like to offer a tip or lesson learned to other entrepreneurs?

LZ: Get a good CRM system and use it! Use segmentation and understand every contact. Use required fields in your system to ensure that the data is captured.

I would like to add to that that your lifestyle will impact your success. Believe it or not, my recent lifestyle change to lose weight by eating better and exercising has had a positive impact on my business. I have more energy, am more focused and am more productive. Not only has this contributed to more business, but it has inspired others here at RDS to make changes in their lives and it is having a positive impact now company-wide.