23 Big Business Ideas

1. Attitude can trump experience — hire people with fire in their bellies. Skills can be learned and acquired; attitude is innate.
2. Lead by example — but don't assume that is enough. Check in with reports and effectively communicate regularly.
3. Be disciplined and organized — multitasking is a way of professional life. Minimize what falls between the cracks.
4. Concentrate on core strengths — focus on what you and your business do best. Maximize those qualities as your differentiator. Mind the competition, but don't let it distract you from your course.
5. Rely on experts for guidance — face up to what you don't know, and seek assistance from those who do.
6. Control what you actually can — so much is out of your true control. Accept it, but optimize where you can effect change.
7. Solicit feedback on managers — it's not enough to state an "open-door policy." Proactively seek input on supervisors.
8. Respect the industry's history — know the evolution of the business, technology, people, etc. A deeper understanding helps identify trends and avoid pitfalls.
9. Establish a true business plan — don't fly by the seat of your pants. Plan, implement, execute, evaluate, adjust and repeat. Follow-through is essential.
10. Be proud of what we do — security and life safety are noble pursuits. Make sure that flows through your entire firm.
11. Deliver real customer service — many talk the talk, few walk the walk. Continually monitor and improve.
12. Have responsive internal customer service — empower your people to take action, and don't sweat them over small stuff. Knock down silos between departments. Corporate culture is critical.
13. Promote training everywhere — this includes making sure managers know how to manage. Often people ascend with no true managerial training.
14. Always be networking — build relationships with peers, among the community, other businesses, first responders, etc.
15. Join trade associations — support them at a minimum. Ideally, be participatory.
16. Be flexible and nimble — adapting to change is essential for longevity.
17. Provide career paths — a key ingredient to retain and motivate personnel. Don't let them stagnate.
18. Favor quality over quantity — base offerings on value. Avoid selling on price. Don't become a commodity.
19. Stay engaged with customers — communicate regularly to increase retention and upselling opportunities.
20. Reinvest in business — spend a buck to make a buck. Don't just pull money out.
21. Be ready to sell tomorrow — maintain accurate records, accounts, etc. Have an exit strategy.
22. Let no one be indispensible — don't allow your business to be overly dependent on any single person.
23. Keep things in perspective — remember what is truly important (people, values). The right reasons bring positive results.

Editor-in-Chief Scott Goldfine has spent more than 13 years with SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION. He can be reached at (704) 663-7125. Security Sales, February 2012, page 8

Keep selling even after closing the sale

Marketing communication with your alarm system customers should not only happen during the presale stage, but throughout your professional relationship. Continuous communication with your customers will help lengthen your affiliation and often result in additional sales opportunities after customers realize they need a service your company provides.

For example, consider the young family that selected your company to install a simple, yet effective, alarm system right after they bought their first house a few years ago. What if that family now has a child entering the home alone after school? Certainly, mom and dad will be more comfortable knowing they can receive an alert when this happens — or if it does not happen. Those parents might even be enticed to go a step further and leverage video technology to look in on their child from a secure Internet connection. Others may even be inclined to use GPS technology to track their youngster's whereabouts at all times.

Obviously, as a security professional, you know there are products and services that enable each of these capabilities quite easily. But do your customers know this too? Don't expect customers to look for ways to spend money with your company. You must present them ideas by continuously promoting the services you offer.

Nearly all of the new services that come to market are originated at the central station level, and those companies have a responsibility to develop interest in their new offerings too. However, once an alarm dealer chooses to incorporate a new technology into its company's offerings, it becomes that business' job to sell the service to its customers, with support of the central station.

In addition to a comprehensive Web site, the most efficient, cost-effective way for an alarm contractor to maintain an ongoing sales conversation with its customers is to include printed materials about the firm's complete line of products and services with hard-copy billing statements.

Another popular format to promote two distinct ideas is a letter sheet cut in thirds with printing on the front and back. In most cases, a glossy letter-sized sheet folded in thirds and added to a billing statement in a standard No. 10 envelope remains less than one ounce, meaning that postage will not increase for that quarter's mailing.

These types of end-user material are usually offered by central stations for the purpose of helping you grow your business. By eliminating the cost of material development (content and printing) and with no extra postage required, why not take advantage of a free post-sale marketing campaign?

It is important for alarm contractors to carefully select the materials used in a post-sale marketing campaign, which could mean segregating your commercial and residential accounts to receive distinctly different messages. The reason is that homeowners are not interested in solutions for large-scale agricultural facilities and, conversely, the director of corporate security is not interested in learning about personal emergency response service (PERS) for the elderly — at least not at work.

Other factors to consider are your geographic location, as well as the season of the year because the immediate concern of drifting snow banks that block air vents (resulting in a carbon monoxide buildup) is not very high in Miami or the rest of the United States during peak summer months.

The point is: To maximize the effectiveness of a post-sale marketing campaign, you must provide customers with relevant and timely information that will make an impact as soon as they read it. It is the collective alarm industry's job to continuously educate customers about the services we provide. Although a Web site is a component of this ongoing education, printed materials remain the most effective.

By Kevin Lehan, Security Sales, February 2012 page 32

Industry Calendar In Progress

Ever wanted one place to see all the Industry dates for training, meetings and show.  This is the first step to having it and your input is greatly needed.

The Quick link is Right Here!

To add, change or make suggestion to the calander please contact Peggy at 800-932-3304.

West Tennesse Dealers!!

WESTERN DISTRICT MEETING OF THE TNESA

JULY 17, 2012 12:00 NOON

HOSTED BY SENTRYNET

1341 SYCAMORE VIEW MEMPHIS, TN  38134

Please call BARRY BLANCQ,West Vice-President,

at 901-730-3924 if you have any questions

Penny Brooks TNESA Executive Director

615-791-9590 pbrooks@TNESA.com.

Received on hour of C.E.U. Credit for attending district meeting. 

LUNCH WILL BE SERVED join us to learn what your association is doing.

To Tour the New SentryNet Facility Please call Ikie Lloyd at 800-635-9754.

Register for LIVE CCTV Class in Memphis

Bang your own drum

Consider what this industry's top installing security contractors all share in common: •Professional-looking Web sites, many of them with interactive features •Constant dissemination of press releases, touting accomplishments •A unique and memorable graphic image utilized on all communications, marketing collateral, etc. •Company vehicles that serve as rolling advertisements, emphasizing the quality of the business and brand •Salespeople, service people and technicians all dressed in identifiable attire that is easily recognizable •Client hotlines that are answered immediately; staffers who are empowered to make quick decisions •CEO or one of the top three executives is also the head cheerleader, giving speeches, seminars, accepting awards and recognition You have to Toot Your Own Horn and Bang You Own Drum Where do you start, and where do you end? Let's face it, the majority of owners and operators of companies in our industry come from law enforcement, technical and a wide range of other backgrounds. For these folks, even those well versed in business management, marketing can be a relatively foreign pursuit. If it is outside your comfort zone and expertise, hire an expert or outsource it. There are many firms that provide marketing services for the industry. You can have the best mousetrap in the world, but if the world doesn't know about it, you're not going to sell many mousetraps. The great news is you don't have to have a huge marketing budget to be successful. With the Web and social media there are more avenues than ever to get your message and branding out there, many times at little to no cost. All it takes is some focus, creativity and action. Security Sales, February 2012, Page 72

Arizona enacts statewide alarm licensing

New law will cut red tape for industry, AzAA president says .by: Rich Miller. - Wednesday, May 23, 2012 .PHOENIX—Statewide alarm licensing has been enacted in Arizona, replacing a web of local regulations that subjected many alarm companies to duplicative background checks and paperwork. H.B. 2748, passed by the Legislature on April 30 and signed by Gov. Jan Brewer on May 11, pre-empts the licensing requirements in 22 cities. Alarm companies doing business in more than one of those cities had to submit to the licensing process in each of them, with 13 of the municipalities requiring fingerprinting every year. The result was a lot of unnecessary work and expense, said Maria Malice, president of the Arizona Alarm Association. The AzAA proposed statewide licensing as early as 2000 and spearheaded the latest legislative effort. “It’s been three very long years,” Malice told Security Systems News. “It’s a lot of red tape gone for us, so everybody is really excited.” Malice said alarm companies need to maintain their city licenses until May 1, 2013, which is when state registration begins. All companies must be certified by the state on Oct. 1, 2013. The certificates issued by the Board of Technical Registration will be valid for two years. Malice said companies that are already licensed by the Registrar of Contractors won’t have to file additional paperwork. “If they have a low-voltage license with the ROC, then they only need to get their agents—who are all the sales, installers and servicemen—licensed by the board,” she said. Alarm agents and the “controlling person” of each company will still have to submit to a criminal background check, but the fingerprinting will be “one and done,” Malice said. “The BTR will hold [their fingerprint cards] and run them every year so they don’t have to keep doing it,” she said. “That’s huge. Unless something happens to the card, they’ll never have to get a print again.” Malice said one drawback of the law is the stipulation that police obtain a court order to get information about an alarm account. “If a customer is disputing [a false alarm] and they’re trying to get it waived, if the police department wants information from the alarm company, they’re going to have to get a subpoena,” she said. “It’s obviously going to slow things down for everyone.”