06.29.2009 — Ellen Cotton has been working with CE pros for the past eight years, helping them generate sales leads in the Electronic House Installers Directory. Now, she will also be the program advisor for the new CEProVIP program.

The CEProVIP program, which launched last week, is an accumulation of benefits designed to help dealers increase revenues and run more efficient operations. Ellen is the person who will:

• Guide participants (or CEProVIPs) through registration
• Help CEProVIPs set up in the Electronic House Installers Directory
• Create e-newsletters or Web sites for CEProVIPs with Relidy
• Order CEProVIPs' marketing brochures
• Send gift subscriptions for Electronic House to CEProVIPs' customers
• Obtain research needed by CEProVIPs
• Much more

Getting to Know Ellen

“I never met an integrator I didn’t like,” says Cotton, doing her best Will Rogers impression. “I especially like the fact that integrators are mostly small businessmen. They don’t have a lot of red tape to cut through to get things done, and they have a strong entrepreneurial spirit. I am an entrepreneur myself at heart.”

When integrators call Ellen with questions, the first thing that is noticed is her thick Boston accent. She “pahhks her cahh in Hahhvard yahd,” so to speak.

“It’s a lot less than it used to be,” she says, recalling how years ago while working in Madison, Wisc., people would constantly ask her to repeat things so they could hear the accent. Oddly, she also had two people at CES last year ask her if she was from Australia.

As part of her duties, she will also be monitoring the new CEProVIP Web site every day.

“I am most excited about communicating with the guys, listening to them about the types of benefits they want and getting those benefits into the program," she says. "We will be changing the program to fit their needs. I look forward to making sure integrators take advantage of all the benefits in the program and helping them get their questions answered.

“Over the years I have heard from so many integrators who don’t know where to turn for newsletter content, marketing brochures, logo creation, and lead generation. Now I can help them."