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DMA list business takes off online with Alvion's ListKey™ Technology

You've seen the TV commercial: It's morning. The owners of an infant ebusiness are seated around a computer. Their first day of online sales is about to begin. Everyone stares at the monitor. The clock strikes nine and the site opens. The company receives one order, two orders, ten orders. Then several hundred. Then several thousand. The owners, elated at first, now panic as they realize that they have no way to meet customer demand.

Success often creates challenges. And these challenges can hamper future success. When orders pour in, business owners are certainly the first to celebrate; however, the party is over as soon as you realize you cannot handle the increased volume and order processing.

This almost happened to Direct Marketing Associates, a list compiler and manager. How was it avoided? Read on.

In 1998, Adam Critch founded Direct Marketing Associates (DMA) , a company that he designed as an offshoot of the mortgage business. Critch created DMA, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to cater to the direct marketing needs of lenders in the sub-prime market. He concentrated his efforts on offering clients a variety of direct marketing lists based on a combination of courthouse recordings and DMA's own model of probability for debt consolidation.

As its own list manager and compiler, DMA originally processed all of its orders manually for clients. Though each count or query took several days to complete, the time spent accumulating requested data seemed adequate given the number of clients, as well as the number of employees and general industry practices. Business was good and response time was reasonable. No one at DMA had cause for concern, as every client seemed satisfied.

"That all changed when more and more list brokers and marketers found out about our statistical modeling capabilities and response to our data," says Critch. "We were getting requests for our consumer credit files from some of the largest marketing suppliers in the nation. From a growth standpoint, it made sense to say yes. But when we did, it opened the door for challenges we never anticipated."

The floodgates opened in February 2000, accompanied by an appropriate number of headaches. According to Critch, during a three day time period, more than 150 count requests were received-more orders than ten times the average order amount the company was used to receiving. Based on its existing manual processing structure, DMA could not respond to the orders in the four-to-six business days as they had promised their clients.

"Demand for our product was so high that we couldn't keep up," Critch said. "There was no way to meet the demand without adding additional staff and, even then, there'd be no time for the extensive training required. Our integrity was on the line."

Enter Alvion Technologies' and its ListKey™ 3.0 system
Critch learned about Alvion through established relationships within the industry. Alvion had a proprietary software system, designed to offer customers the most of Web-based counts/queries and processing.

"We knew we needed more than a quick fix if we were going to stay in business and successfully grow the business," Critch says. "We never dreamed there was a product available that really fit with our business model as a list compiler and manager."

What originally sold DMA on Alvion's ListKey system?

This incredible software improves both the speed of access to various databases and the accuracy of database searches, regardless of whether the sources of information are offered publicly or privately. By taking advantage of numerous, small processors rather than a single mainframe, it allows users to retrieve data in "real time"-accessing data immediately rather than in rotation. Further, this multi-processor system ensures that querying is quick and reliable.

DMA implemented the ListKey system into its Web site and all processes and procedures were adapted within a few days. Employees and management waited eagerly to see if Alvion's product would succeed in making their company faster and more efficient.


The outcome was evident. "The results of using ListKey were phenomenal,"
says Critch.

"Within the first few days of implementing the software, we experienced nearly a 400 percent increase in business-within the same number of work hours and using the same staff," he says. Efficiency went from days to minutes to complete orders. "Everyone was happy, especially our clients," says Critch.

It has also opened up opportunities for growth that Critch and his DMA team members had never fully considered. Using existing internal resources, they can serve more clients faster and have valuable time leftover to prospect for new business. "Now we are celebrating our growth rather than worrying about how to handle it," Critch says.

Information about Direct Marketing Associates DMA's products include marketing lists focusing on:

  • Non-conforming loan recipients;
  • Re-financing candidates;
  • And FHA, VA, or conventional ARM mortgage beneficiaries.

Simply put, DMA offers specialized mortgage lenders or direct marketers who cater to the mortgage industry information about those persons most likely to benefit from their services.

DMA's products are divided into seven specific categories: open trade-line debt consolidation leads; conventional, FHA, VA, and ARM leads; 125% mortgage leads; conforming debt files; consumer credit lead overviews; consumer credit leads; and non-conformity equity leads.

Generally, all of these lists target homeowners with open mortgages, reasonable credit ratings, and significant amounts of revolving debt. DMA's lists include comprehensive information concerning potential clients' residences, mortgages, open trade-lines, and (in some cases) ethnicity. All of DMA's lists are available on diskette, magnetic tape, printout, galley listing, mailing labels, or email.

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