FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a Xmente Intelligent Prospect List?
Xmente applied its expertise in large-scale data mining and analytics to specifically identify the names and addresses of households across the entire US to create the most complete and current list of pool and spa prospect addresses available today. As a result, we know who they are, where they live and how to reach them! Our Intelligent Prospect Lists provide these addresses using any geographic basis you choose in your specific trade area; drive time or miles radius from your location, or specific target regions. Address lists are refined by dialing in our unique X-Factors and matched to our clients specific trade area, budget and growth needs.
Will Xmente provide me with a copy of the mailing list I license?
In order to assure that direct mail campaigns meet our quality standards, Xmente does not provide its mailing lists to other parties (some rare exceptions may apply). We will certainly provide a clean copy of any client list that we have processed through our address correction, duplication removal and delivery point validation software. But the 12 month license for Xmente addresses is limited to use with your campaigns managed by Xmente. This also protects our clients from unauthorized use of older lists and takes Xmente out of “list police” duty.
How did Xmente create the X-Factors?
Out of a data base of over 239 million consumers nationwide, Xmente analyzed 3,678,857 in-ground pool owner records to develop a meaningful profile of the most likely in-ground pool prospects. We used product owner syndicated research to develop meaningful profiles for above ground pools, spas, weekly maintenance and apartment/condo pools. We profile each trade area as we develop specific client lists. X-Factors are the elements of each profile.
Why should I believe the X-Factors can work?
Besides having a solid scientific basis, we tested the X-Factors against 900 actual pool permits issued in the city of Dallas Texas during 2013 and 2014. Both the new owner profile and the geographic locations matched X-Factor projections with 99% accuracy. We also validated the accuracy of our data base of existing pools through the use of satellite imagery.
What is a discretionary income index X-Factor™?
This is a resource based index of household spending capacity rather than strictly a measure of available assets. The definition of discretionary income is the amount of household cash flow that remains after subtracting taxes, home mortgages, food, education, transportation and other day-to-day cost of living factors. Sowhen it comes to luxury purchases like pools, spas and weekly maintenance, not only do we consider household income and home market value but also the ability to pay for these items.
What is Info-spatial™ Identification?
We use this term to describe the extremely important step of “dialing in” prospect profile information in combination with characteristics of a specific trade area. Pool prospects are identified in relationship to local X-Factors; the profile of a builder’s actual customers; drive-time analytics; competitors; geographic constraints such as rivers, mountains and highways; and builder objectives. All the information is brought together to create a geo-spatial map of the names and addresses of the most qualified inground pool prospects.
How do you deal with my customer list?
First honestly answer the following questions. Is the quality of your in-house customer mailing list healthy? Are errors, incomplete customer records or duplicates regularly updated? Are customer delivery points routinely validated so the right address gets the right promotional message without waste? Are records updated regularly for change in address to facilitate marketing to new owners? We found the answer to these questions is a resounding NO! Our consulting practice identified a significant problem with pool retailer’s in-house mailing lists. But you are not alone. Finding significant data hygiene problems with 100% of our consulting practice clients, Xmente developed the following cost effective product solutions:
- Address Correction: The addresses in their list are corrected to meet the United States Postal Service (USPS) Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) standards. For example, 'Avenue' will be abbreviated to 'AVE' and '#' may be replaced by 'STE' or 'APT'. Additionally, this is an absolute requirement in order to remove duplicates since addresses must be identical for automated matching.
- Address Updating: Every now and then, an address will change. Xmente will compare the standardized addresses in your list with the official USPS list of addresses that have changed.
- Address Verification: After the addresses have been standardized, corrected, and updated, they are compared with a list of addresses that the USPS considers valid and complete. This verification ensures that dealer’s letters or parcels can be delivered with the information provided. Delivery Point Validation (DPV) will also indicate whether or not the address is missing secondary information such as apartment or suite number.
- Duplicate removal: Now that steps 1-3 have been completed, Xmente will removed duplicate addresses from your master list and if you like, provide you with a list of duplicates by customer ID so you can remove or merge them in your POS customer data base effective product solutions:
The result is a clean, fully deliverable list without duplicates to maximize your customer reach while preventing wasted postcard printing and postage fees.
Can you identify only the above ground pools for me?
While we have access to all the major consumer data bases in the US, unfortunately there is no reliable source to specifically identify only the addresses for above ground pools. We are able to include above ground pool owners in our Total Pool Owner data base through data sources such as credit card purchases of pool supplies, however they are not specifically identified as above ground addresses. So if you have a retail operation, the best access to above ground as well as in-ground pool owner addresses is through our Total Pool Owner data base.
Which is my best choice for retail, the Total Pool Owners or the In-ground Pools?
All pools (except splasher kiddie pools with no circulation equipment) require some amount of chemicals and maintenance supplies, which is why we recommend using the Total Pool Owner list for your retail promotions. Using this list in conjunction with geo-spatially mapping your existing customers to define your retail trade area provides the most effective prospect list for your promotions.
Why shouldn’t I just license all the pool owners within my 30 mile radius for my retail and service?
Under normal circumstances, retail customers will opt for the most logistically convenient location to purchase routine pool maintenance supplies. It is unusual that they will not have more convenient suppliers (independent, mass or internet) within less than 30 miles driving distance. However, we can assist retailers in evaluating their actual retail market opportunity by examining their current customer files from their POS system. For service customers where the dealer is going to the customer’s home, this convenience factor is unimportant to the customer and it becomes the dealer’s decision how far they are willing to travel for service type business.
Can you provide more information on your data sources?
- City and county real estate property, tax assessor and recorder records
- Household census
- Insurance records
- Questionnaires and surveys
- Warranty registrations, etc.
- Credit card purchases of pool supplies
- Self reported data from warranties and surveys
Can you provide more information on your data base?
- Over 239 million consumers housed on 23,000 computer servers that collect, collate and analyze consumer data, processing more than 50 trillion data “transactions” a year.
- High quality, multi-verified, multi-sourced data with over 1500 individual and household-level indicators.
- Total data updates every two months depending on the specific data base with interim refreshes in between.
- List options include both in-ground and above ground pool prospects as well as prospects for new pools and spas.
What is the accuracy of your lists?
Their are various criteria to consider regarding accuracy and answers must be taken within specific context. For example, all our lists are delivery point validated (DPV) within the last 2 months or less by the US Postal Service. We guarantee delivery if usedwithin the DPV certification period and will reimburse the cost for any returned postcards. The accuracy of the presence of a pool will vary by the original consumer data source and we are glad to discuss individual situations. There are times when a list that accesses 90% of the market with a 10% margin of error is much more effective than one that accesses 40% of the market with a 5% margin of error. While the industry standard for list compilers is not to guarantee accuracy, we use only the highest quality multi-verified sources which we sample using satellite imagery. Overall we experience at least a 90% accuracy level (95% confidence level with a +/-5% confidence interval). Remember though, there is no list that is 100% accurate and that includes ours.
Is list pricing affordable?
We believe pricing is very affordable compared to the extremely limited reach of other advertising methods in this market. What's more, the X-Factors allow us to dial in the best list for your budget. To learn more ask Steve for a free copy of our white paper: "How to choose the most effective advertising methods for your pool and spa promotions." Whether your are looking to grow retail, construction, renovation, maintenance or spa business, Xmente can help. Prices range from $0.20 - $0.40 per target address for a one year unlimited use license.
LIST SPECIFICATION CATEGORIES
Name:
Region:
Total Universe:
Updates:
CASS Certified:
NCOA:
License:
Base Price:
X-FACTOR EXAMPLES
Single Family
Detached dwelling unit
Occupied
Currently owns a pool
Does not own a pool
Household Income Index
Home Market Value Index
Discretionary Income Index
One name per address
Info-spatial™ Identification
PRICING MAY INCLUDE:
Individualized trade area consulting and identification ($250 value)
Data hygiene of your customer address list ($500 value)
One year unlimited use license