Welcome back to our Meet the Postie series. Each month I sit down with a fellow member of the Postie team to ask them questions about work, life, and everything in between. These posts are loaded with relatable stories, tips on stress management and work/life balance, fun photos, and more. Last month we sat down with Bryce Frye, a long-standing member of our engineering team. This month you get to meet Zack Garner, a somewhat-new resident of Denver, CO. Zack loves being around people, enjoys the outdoors, and can’t say enough good things about Postie. Not to mention he was voted sexiest man on a Carinval Cruise. Let’s dive…
Name: Zack Garner
Location: Denver, CO
Title: SDR/Sales Ops
How long you’ve worked at Postie: 2 years
Favorite Food: Greek/Mediterranean food, specifically Gyros and falafel 🤤
Find Zack on LinkedIn!
What inspired you to join Postie?
I knew a few folks who work here and loved the company culture and the innovative technology.
What do you love most about your job?
My coworkers!
What are you most proud of, professionally, since joining Postie?
Taking on the Sales Ops role has definitely been my proudest achievement here. Having come from an entirely different industry, gaining an understanding of the Direct Mail marketing space for the first 2 years, and then leveraging that knowledge to help optimize our tech stack to help maximize efficiency has been very satisfying.
Tell us something about your professional development journey.
I really appreciate the amount of face time I get with marketers of all different backgrounds here at Postie. Internally, being able to ask questions and work with folks who have been in the marketing world for years has helped me grow in this industry. Externally, talking to marketing teams at orgs of every size and shape and understanding their challenges, tactics, and unique way they build their brand has given me more insight into the world of marketing than years of study could. Being able to watch campaigns go from an idea, to being in a mailbox, and then seeing all the various ways to optimize performance from there has given me a holistic understanding of what it takes to run a successful brand.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced since joining Postie?
Remote work can be a little isolating, but moving to Denver has helped build a sense of community with my local Posties.
What have been some of the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?
That you can always do more. Finding that little extra 15% to give every day really adds up, and sets you up not just to succeed, but to thrive.
How has your role evolved since joining Postie?
As I mentioned, I recently took over Sales Ops here at Postie after onboarding as an SDR. Spending my first few years at the top of the sales funnel gave me a good understanding of all the different tools it takes to run a successful sales cycle and really highlighted where the friction occurs. Being able to step into the Operations role, I get to use that insight to help improve processes and introduce new tools that make the job easier for myself and my colleagues.
Where do you think you can have the biggest impact in your role?
Because I’m also a part of the sales team and interact with them daily, I see the immediate impact of the tools and processes I implement, which is very rewarding (when it works 😅). Outside of that, there’s an opportunity in every meeting and initiative for everyone’s contributions to have a major impact. Even the little things you do here are felt when everyone comes together to host a webinar, for example.
What do you think is the most important skill that you bring to the table?
I like to think I’m pretty personable, which serves me well in all of my roles here. Postie is in many ways a consultative partner as much as a Direct Mail vendor for our partners, and that partnership is much easier when you’re able to genuinely connect with clients over Zoom to understand their position and get the conversation going and ideas flowing. From an operations standpoint, I find that collecting feedback and ideas for new processes or tech is much easier to do when you have a good rapport with your team and they’re comfortable giving honest, candid feedback.
What is the most important lesson that you’ve learned from working with the team?
To think outside of the box. Our CEO Dave Fink’s approach to everything is to encourage fresh perspectives and try new things, that’s part of Postie’s DNA from the ground up. Our data science team, for example, is constantly discovering and implementing new ways to leverage data in surprising ways to drive performance – this approach of constantly pushing what is possible and trying new things is what has allowed Postie to become so successful. We are encouraged to apply that same innovative spirit to everything we do, which keeps things fresh, gives us a lot of agency, and allows us to keep discovering new ways to succeed and share with the team.
What’s your favorite memory from working at Postie?
Our all-hands meeting in Austin, Texas – my first time meeting most of the Postie team in person. Being able to spend time and bond with the team face-to-face allowed me to appreciate the community we’ve built and our culture. It also really opened my eyes to how all of these talented people from across the U.S. come together to keep campaigns running smoothly for our clients and made me proud to be part of the team.
Do you have any strategies for dealing with stress at work?
For me, because we work from home, it’s very important to make sure you have some level of separation between your work day and the rest of your life. That can be as simple as having a designated “work area” that you can walk away from to help get out of “work mode” and let go of the stress of the daily grind. I also make it a point to get out of the house as much as possible every day, even if it’s just to do something like go to the grocery store. I’ve learned how important face-to-face human interaction is for my mental health when I spend all day at home looking at a screen – even a short chat with a stranger in line really helps to alleviate the isolation that sometimes comes with being remote.
What tips or advice would you give someone starting a new job in your field?
Be curious. Don’t be afraid to ask too many questions, either internally or externally. There are so many different aspects to marketing – digital, offline, event, acquisition, loyalty/CRM, KPI’s, seasonality, integrations, machine learning – the list goes on and it can be daunting. What I’ve come to find is that there is no one-size-fits-all, every team and every individual has a unique approach to all of these aspects, and hearing all the different perspectives and experiences really helps things click.
What industry changes or trends do you think will have the biggest impact?
It’s probably been said a thousand times at this point, but AI/machine learning is definitely the biggest thing on the horizon. The name of the game when it comes to marketing at scale is data, and AI allows us to ingest and consider data in ways never before possible. Not to mention the generative capabilities that allow personalization at a scope and scale that would be far too time-consuming to realistically accomplish in the past. I use it every day already, and the applications are becoming more numerous and sophisticated all the time. There’s a lot of uncertainty around it, but I think as long as we recognize it as a tool that will always require someone to wield it correctly, I think it will continue to be very beneficial.
Do you have any mentors (Postie or otherwise) you’d like to shout out? If so, who and how has this person made an impact in your life?
The Sales Team as a whole has been very informative and welcoming as I transitioned into this industry. They’ve shared a wealth of knowledge with me, with many of them having careers spanning decades in various parts of the field.
More specifically, when I first joined Postie I was partnered with Samantha Marlowe and Brian Delaporte who both have a lot of experience at and with marketing agencies. They familiarized me with what it takes to run a successful partnership with a brand, both from the perspective of the consultant and the brand’s own marketing team. It really allowed me to empathize with and anticipate the needs of the teams we help every day.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I recently moved to Colorado, where I discovered a much deeper appreciation for the outdoors. Reaching the top of a hike or spending days in quiet isolation out in the woods camping really helps me recharge and puts life into perspective.
What would your perfect weekend look like?
Dinner Friday night at a new restaurant downtown, hiking the foothills Saturday morning in Boulder, and wrapping up with a picnic and live music at City Park on Sunday.
What’s something surprising that not many people know about you?
I used to be a pretty avid musician, and for a while had a Soundcloud account where I posted some original songs. I thought they were pretty darn good at the time, though I don’t have the wherewithal to go back to listen to them now and confirm that 😂
Do you follow any sports teams?
Not much of a sports guy, but growing up in Dallas I’m obligated to cheer for America’s Team.
What type of books/movies do you enjoy?
I love watching horror films or slow-burn thrillers. To me, cultivating fear or suspense is about tapping into our psyche to show us something new or shocking about being human that sticks with you after the film is over. When a film is able to maintain and build a sense of dread without relying on jumpscares, it’s always fascinating to me.
Do you have any creative outlets or interests?
Not so much these days, but I would really like to get back into creating music if I can find the time.
What’s a cause that you are passionate about?
Adoption and Foster care. The system isn’t perfect, but coming from an adoptive family on my mother’s side, I’m keenly aware of how important and beneficial a sense of family and the opportunities it provides can be for those who find themselves without it.
What’s something you’ve always wanted to try/learn?
Some day I’ll retire and learn to fly. It’s cliche but it really does feel like the ultimate freedom, soaring thousands of feet in the air with nothing but open sky around you and the ability to go anywhere.
What is the best thing that has happened to you this year?
Probably a combination of my new role at Postie and the wonderful new place I’ve moved into downtown. It’s in a super walkable area and gives that sense of convenience and novelty that comes with living in a city – you never know what awaits you on your stroll to the local coffee shop.
What is something that you are proud of about yourself?
My ability to be self-reliant, which comes in handy when working from home. While there are tools and people available to draw on, at the end of the day you have to be pretty self-driven to stay productive. That, or the time I was voted Sexiest Man on the Boat on my Carnival cruise. I’ll be buried wearing that medal.
If you could pick any superpower, what would it be and why?
Probably flight, for the same reasons I’d love to get my pilot’s license. Or maybe the ability to stop time, because the weekend is never -quite- long enough.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Postie is a great place to work, with friendly employees and tons of opportunities for professional growth and innovation. If you’re looking to get into marketing, technology, data science, or any combination thereof, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
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That was fun, Zack! With that, I’ll see you all next time! 🚀
