Monitronics leads new customers to dealers

DALLAS--In an effort to generate more leads for Monitronics' network of 400 dealers nationwide, the company has developed the Lead Generation Program, which directly markets to the customer Monitronics services using Internet, radio and direct mail marketing campaigns. The leads come into in-house lead generation customer service representatives at Monitronics' corporate office, who pass along the information to dealers. "The dealer contacts the lead, sets up the appointment and hopefully sells the contract," said Tim Sharp, director of marketing at Monitronics. The program developed after the wholesale monitoring facility, known as a business-to-business company, noticed in the last few years that some dealers have had trouble generating leads. "Our original blue print wasn't that we were going out and branding Monitronics," Sharp said. "We really want our dealers to market themselves, to have that independence, maintain their name and really be that local dealer." Already, the company has tapped into a variety of marketing mediums and received more than 3,000 leads per month for its dealer network since the program's inception about a year ago. "Through affinity relationship marketing, we are also developing partnerships with corporations and benefit companies to provide special offers to employees and other special groups," Sharp said. Recently developed incentive programs for referrals that involve rewards for referring a friend or family member have also spiked leads, he added. For Gaston Finney, owner of Capital Defense, a security company covering the Washington metropolitan area and a Monitronics dealer since 2000, the program is helpful. "It allows personnel in the office to help generate sales from the leads," Finney said. Thanks to the program, he said, Capital Defense has gone from averaging one incoming lead a week to roughly two leads per day. "It also allows the sales individuals to go out with what you could say are hot leads and be able to say, when they go strike out one, two, or three times a day, here is one that is working in my favor." Dealers appreciate the added support of their existing marketing efforts, Sharp noted. Finney agreed: "They [Monitronics] allow us the lead and in turn we can fluctuate the customer's price, so they get a good deal. We get a continued number of leads and Monitronics gets an ongoing customer base."