Z-Tech ups marketing, sees growth

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Simple but aggressive marketing efforts helped Z-Tech Central increase its dealer base by 33 percent in the last six months, Jonathan Frase, company partner, told Security Systems News.

“We're definitely more aggressive than we had been in the past, in terms of meeting people.” Frase said. “We'll meet with people at trade shows, or, if we're visiting a particular city, we will make efforts to reach out and actually meet some of the dealers in person.”

Frase described this and attending trade shows as “traditional advertising.” It was simply increased effort that helped the company add 6,000 accounts in the last six months.

Z-Tech Central reduced the price of its monitoring to be more competitive about two years ago. In the past year, it has been paying off, Frase said.

“We hit a point … where we knew that we could offer the service at a more reasonable price,” he said. “It's been an effective strategy.”

Lower pricing was offered to new and existing customers, Frase said. “We called every single one of our [then current] dealers and notified them about the new pricing, let them know about the money that they would be saving, and thanked them for their business.”

“By doing that, we've helped to solidify our customer base,” he said.

The company doesn't require contracts for its new dealers, which has also helped the company gain new dealers, he said.

Z-Tech is this year establishing an AES network, a new technology for the company, and the ability to receive these new signals is a bonus for dealers, Frase said. Adding video monitoring is another upcoming initiative.

Z-Tech, based here, has about 30,000 accounts, many of which are in the Southeast United States, Frase said. The company has 16 employees.