Summer sales teams churn, draw complaints, and run into no-solicitation ordinances. Homeowners are wary of anyone selling alarms at the door.
Security play · Direct mail program
A security direct mail program that adds monitored accounts every month.
Monitoring revenue grows one account at a time, and most dealers depend on door-knockers, shared leads, or builder deals they don't control. Spur builds the lists a security company should mail every month, including new owners, older systems, install neighbors, and landlords, writes the cards and letters, and runs the follow-ups.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Amy Lindgren7820 Comstock Ln NMaple Grove, MN 55311Scan to book a free reset
Amy L. scanned your new owner card · 12 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
4 listsnew owners, older systems, install neighbors, landlords
Monthlysends with automatic follow-ups
Cost per accounttracked by list on one dashboard
The problem
Most security pipelines depend on channels the dealer doesn't control.
Online forms reach several dealers and national brands at once, and the homeowner picks on price.
Cold calls and texts without consent can bring TCPA claims, with statutory damages for each one.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
Five steps to a security mail program that adds accounts every month.
app.usespur.com
See it in Spur
A monthly security mail program in Spur
Sample Twin Cities households across the four program lists. Names are partly masked.
Zips 55311 + 55369Owner-occupiedValue $350K+Exclude customersExclude recent mail
- Amy L.7820 Comstock Ln NSold 19 days agoNew ownerPostcard
- Greg & Lisa P.6115 Peony Ln NBuilt 2005 · owned 17 yrsOlder systemSystem check
- Dennis R.7905 Comstock Ln N0.1 mi from a new installInstall neighbor
- Lakeview Rentals LLCMails to Edina, MN7 rentals · Maple GroveLandlordLetter
- Sarah K.9120 Upland Ln NBuilt 2003 · owned 19 yrsOlder systemSystem check
AI draft for Amy L. · 7820 Comstock Ln N
WELCOME TO MAPLE GROVE, AMY. WHO ELSE HAS YOUR DOOR CODES?
Congratulations on the new home. Most buyers don't know who has the garage, keypad, and alarm codes from the previous owners, or whether the system on the wall still works.
We'll come out for free, reset every code, test the alarm and sensors, and show you camera and monitoring options. If you just want the reset, that's fine too. No contract is required.
Scan the code to pick a time. We're a local company in Plymouth with UL-listed monitoring.
North Star Security · MN Lic. TS673021 · (763) 555-0123
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
How to build a direct mail program for a security company
A security direct mail program is a set of standing lists, each with its own honest reason to talk to you, mailed every month and measured by cost per monitored account. It replaces dependence on door-to-door teams, shared leads, and builder deals.
Four lists cover most residential opportunity. New owners are the strongest: they don't know who has the old codes, and many are choosing security for the first time in that home. Owners who have been in the home 10 to 20 years often have systems that are outdated or, after the 2022 3G shutdowns, no longer reporting. Install neighbors have seen your truck. Landlords want cameras and smart locks to manage rentals remotely.
Mail is the cleaner channel. The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives buyers three days to cancel most sales made at their home, and many towns restrict door-to-door solicitation. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act allows statutory damages of $500 to $1,500 per call or text made without proper consent. Mail lets the homeowner contact you first.
Measure the right number. Response rate hides a lot. What matters is cost per new monitored account by list, and how long those accounts stay. New owner and older-system lists often produce longer-lasting accounts because they start from a real need, not a sales pitch.
Keep it calm. No crime statistics, no masked figures. Offer a free assessment, a code reset, or a system check, put your license number and local address on every piece, and say so if you don't require long contracts.
Plan for account life, not just account count. Accounts that start from a real need, like a new home, a failed communicator, or a landlord managing turnovers, tend to stay longer than accounts closed under sales pressure. Note which list each account came from, then compare cancellation rates by list after a year. That tells you where each marketing dollar does the most long-term good.
$54Kin monitoring revenue over five years from 20 new accounts at $45/mo
A year of mail, measured in monitored accounts.
- Spur Team: $588/yr, plus 5,000 postcards and letters at about $1.00 = $5,000
- 20 new accounts × $1,500 average install = $30,000 in year-one equipment and labor
- 20 accounts × $45/mo × 60 months = $54,000 in monitoring over five years
Example math. Install size, monitoring price, and attrition vary by dealer and market. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual security lead sources
What you needThe usual waySpur
Four lists you ownLeads shared with national brands✓ Built in
Mail homeowners respond to firstDoor-to-door with cancellation risk✓ Built in
Neighbor mail after every installYard signs only✓ Built in
Follow-ups on autopilotOne-off campaigns✓ Built in
Cost per monitored account by listCost per lead only✓ Built in
Direct Mail by the numbers
Why security dealers are moving to mail
3 days
buyers have to cancel most sales of $25+ made at their home
$500–$1,500
in statutory damages per call or text made without proper consent
$54K
in monitoring revenue over five years from 20 new accounts at $45/mo
FAQ
Security direct mail questions
Does direct mail work for security companies?
Yes, when it's a program with targeted lists and an honest reason to call. New owners, older systems, and install neighbors respond well to calm, local mail.
Who should an alarm dealer mail?
New owners sold in the last 60 days, owners 10 to 20 years in with likely outdated systems, neighbors of recent installs, and landlords with several rentals.
Is direct mail better than door-to-door for security?
It reaches every home on your list, avoids no-solicitation rules and high-pressure perceptions, and lets the homeowner contact you first.
How should I measure security direct mail?
Track cost per new monitored account by list, and how long those accounts stay, not just response rate.
Keep exploring
Related plays and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
Grow monitoring revenue on your own terms.
Set up four standing lists, schedule the year, and let Spur mail and follow up while your techs install. Free to start.
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