Call center provider DM Marketing has begun accepting orders from a direct response print campaign by computer manufacturer Eyecom.
Eyecom, Hartland, WI, sells a computer with monitor and printer for a $99 down payment and $49.95 per month for 24 months, or a $199 down payment and $39.95 per month for 24 months.
DM Marketing sales agents at the company's 8,000-square-foot, 35-seat call center handle inbound calls for the campaign. The company has 10 agents working in two shifts on the project. The campaign is expected to generate $250,000 annually in commissions for DM Marketing, Pensacola, FL.
The call center provider began testing for the campaign Feb. 1. Ads ran in Thrifty Nickel, a free broadsheet of ads with a circulation of approximately 3.2 million and distribution throughout the South and Midwest.
DM Marketing president Darek Childress said he was surprised at the success of the tests, which led to 250 sales in the first two weeks. He said he expects the rate of incoming orders to double as Eyecom begins to advertise nationally.
Eyecom's offer is geared toward targeting consumers who cannot afford to buy a computer with one large payment, Childress said. Consumers need only to show they have a job and at least $1,000 in monthly income to qualify for financing.
The $49.95 a month with $99 down payment offer has proved most popular, accounting for 75 percent of all sales during the testing period, Childress said. However, Eyecom continues to offer the option of a higher down payment and lower per-month cost, which continues to appeal to consumers seeking long-term savings.
DM Marketing, founded in 1998, recently has been moving toward serving high-tech clients, Childress said. The company is beginning preliminary testing on a campaign for LogonISP.com, a virtual Internet service provider owned by one of the owners of Eyecom.
By signing up with LogonISP, businesses can sell home Internet connections to their customers. The service costs businesses a $300 start-up fee, $30 a month and $12.95 per customer who buys an Internet connection.
Businesses decide for themselves how much to charge customers for the connection. DM Marketing will likely target small businesses once the campaign for LogonISP fully rolls out, Childress said.
