How Can I Differentiate My Security Company from the other 20,000 Security Dealers out There…?
I just sat down to write this weeks “Smack Down” and I caught myself looking out the window at the major Nor’easter that’s moving in over Central Massachusetts. It’s predicted to drop about 13” of white fluffy snow on my front lawn…just as I could start to see my lawn again after the 68” we had dumped on it this winter!
I like that quote the weather persons always say, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” I’m gonna give you some lion advice, so you can be King of the Security Jungle, and you won’t be perceived as a little old lamb in your security sales presentations.
Seeing as though we’re gonna get pounded with 13” of snow, I’m going to give you 13 sure-fire ways to differentiate yourself from your competition (that are not product dependent). This is the type of information the security trade magazines won’t dare talk about. Because what do they care as long as your buying thee products they advertise!
Most security dealers and security sales reps operate under the assumption that because they sell or install a certain security product/brand it is a sufficient way to differentiate themselves in the eyes of their potential clients. I can’t think of anything the further from the truth and you’re leaving HUGE $$$’s on the table thinking this way! Let me explain this to you…
When you take one of your company service vehicles to one of those “Big Name” oil, lube and filter quick stops, do you honestly care if the grease monkey who’s doing the oil change on your vehicle installs a FRAM, ACDelco, WIX, NAPA or Purolator oil filter as long as the product performs its job for your engine? Honestly, are you going to loose sleep over which filter the grease monkey installs? I would bet your going to forget all about it within 12-36 hours after he installs it.
Pretty much every oil filter manufacturer claims their filters operate at 99.9% efficiency mean. So theoretically 99.9% of all the contaminants that pass through the oil filter are captured in the media, saving your engine from damage. All the oil filter manufactures make this claim. This is a COMMODITY item and there isn’t much to differentiate its image considering the amount of manufactures selling the same widget.
The same can be said about security manufactures. They all make the same claims about their products. Like images per second (IPS) of the DVR, or the “toast proof” rating of a smoke detector. How about the response time of a motion detector?
In today’s economy, you’re dead wrong in thinking that your security equipment standing by itself will sell the job by itself. I’ll make a confident bet that you’ll be driving back to the office from a presentation without a signed contract for the job, it that is your strategy.
Here we go…I’m going to give you 13 ways to differentiate yourself from your competition. The conceptual first step in differentiating yourself is moving away from thinking it depends on the security equipment you install.
1- You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by the security marketing material you hand out when you arrive at your new security prospect’s home or office.
2- You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by the quality of the questions you ask when doing your security audit.
3- You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by the new security ideas you bring to the table and your effectiveness in communicating these ideas to your new security prospect.
4-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by being more prepared than any other security company.
5-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by applying new exciting and exotic ideas for securing their home or office.
6-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by having more killer testimonials than any other security or low-voltage guy.
7-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by having a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that literally stumps the competition at the front door.
8-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by doing what you said you were going to do in the first place.
9-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by becoming an education-based security entrepreneur, consistently educating your client base.
10-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by having a risk free 100% money back gua-ran-tee, if they’re not happy with your security services, and you will kindly refund the money with a smile.
11-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by how you follow up with your new security clients after the installation.
12-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by sending out a monthly security newsletter to all your clients, prospects and friends.
13-You differentiate your security company or low voltage installation business by having free reports to pre-sell your security services before you even show up!
The reality is all security products are essentially the same.
The reality is most security companies are perceived the same.
And, last but not least, most security sales reps are perceived as the same.
If you want to be perceived as different then just another ham and egger, you might want to start thinking about implementing these 13 strategies ASAP!
Hey, I gotta go…time to take the kids sledding!
Bob Maunsell
Security Marketing Guru
P.S Follow me on Facebook and Twitter
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Get On Your Security Marketing Boots
As a rock n’ rollin’ Security Marketing Guru, one of my all time favorite bands is U2. The boys from Dublin, Ireland have a new album coming out March 3, titled No Line on The Horizon, and the lead song off that album is “Get on Your Boots.” It’s a very cool song with an amazingly complex graphic video.
What’s amazing to moi is the extraordinary lengths U2 is going to, to promote this new album! For instance, I was sitting outside in the frozen tundra (my back patio) enjoying a cup of Joe and an Opus X cigar (can’t wait till it warms up around these parts), when I heard the DJ on my SIRUIS Radio comment that U2 would be doing a 5 day gig on the David Letterman show March 2-6 to promote the upcoming album.
In this writers humble opinion, U2 is the biggest band in the world and they’re taking advantage of every media outlet available to them to get the word out that they’re gonna take the world by storm with this new album release. They’re not resting on their laurels, but are doing some serious marketing to promote the album and are making use of every marketing media outlet they can, to get the word out. Are you, as a security dealer, making use of every security marketing media to get the word about how great and cool your security services are?
The marketing for U2 has changed dramatically with the times. Here’s just a sampling of what the bands been up to for a world wide promotion: (1) showing up at all the music award shows, (2) leaking a song on purpose to the internet, (3) performing on Letterman, (4) the cover of Rolling Stones, (5) countless TV interviews, (6) never ending radio interviews, (7) release new album on myspace.com, (8) President Obama pre-inauguration concert “We Are Concert” (9) a personal message sent to me through www.facebook.com to comment on the new song. (10) www.Perez Hiltons.com and other celebrity websites had the new video on there website.
Holy Timoli Batman….why is U2 going to such great lengths to promote an album when they’re already a success? Cuz…we’re in a global meltdown, consumer spending is way down, digital music sales through the retail channels are soft, digital music piracy is way up, major shifts in how to interact and communicate with they’re fans have changed dramatically. Plus concert sales are down. So U2 is doing everything in their power to maximize their 11th album.
There are a couple of real key security marketing pointers that can be taken away from this post by the hottest security marketing guru on the planet. One, is that the super successful Rock Stars are always marketing there butts off, just like the security dealers who are busy even in this dead beat economy because they are in the security marketing game and are using more then one media to get the word out.
Two, super successful security dealers and low voltage installers are always looking for new ways to get the word out. They’re implementing online & offline security marketing strategies, moving into social networking sites to find more FAN’s in there local markets enabling them to sell more albums (security systems).
I was an Airman stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX, back in the early 80’s, and a good friend of mine Airman Jack Doyle turned me on to the U2 “War” album. The first song I ever heard was “Seconds.” My favorite verse from that song goes something like this “I want to be an Airborne Ranger I want to live the life of danger”….
What the successful security dealer knows is that their security marketing strategies gotta roll with changes in technology and marketing. What worked way back in 1982, might not be the most effective way of attracting new security clients in 2009. I know that I can take a marketing idea from the 1930’s and dress it up - add some Google Adwords, or put a Social Media Blogspot, or create a direct mail campaign out of it, and make money doing it. But the most important thing to remember is…you gotta get out of your comfort zone and live the life of danger…like the Airborne Ranger!
I recently received a testimonial from a Security Maverick that literally blew my boots off! Here’s a real nice lyric that a Maverick student wrote about me: “Since I’ve been with Bob Maunsell my life has never been the same. We’re a small security company in Southern California. And “WOW” what Bob has taught me about UFC style marketing. I now have a round house kick that is knocking the teeth out of ADT & Brinks! Michael Houser, EES System, Southern. Cally.
I say “Get On Your Boots” and start kicking the recession in the teeth! The opportunities for smart, aggressive local security dealers and low voltage installers, who will step-up to the plate, and provide extraordinary services, will grab market share and expand exponentially in this recession!
Now is the time to start making some beautiful music and create a fan-base as loyal as U2’s!
P.S Follow me on Facebook and Twitter
What’s amazing to moi is the extraordinary lengths U2 is going to, to promote this new album! For instance, I was sitting outside in the frozen tundra (my back patio) enjoying a cup of Joe and an Opus X cigar (can’t wait till it warms up around these parts), when I heard the DJ on my SIRUIS Radio comment that U2 would be doing a 5 day gig on the David Letterman show March 2-6 to promote the upcoming album.
In this writers humble opinion, U2 is the biggest band in the world and they’re taking advantage of every media outlet available to them to get the word out that they’re gonna take the world by storm with this new album release. They’re not resting on their laurels, but are doing some serious marketing to promote the album and are making use of every marketing media outlet they can, to get the word out. Are you, as a security dealer, making use of every security marketing media to get the word about how great and cool your security services are?
The marketing for U2 has changed dramatically with the times. Here’s just a sampling of what the bands been up to for a world wide promotion: (1) showing up at all the music award shows, (2) leaking a song on purpose to the internet, (3) performing on Letterman, (4) the cover of Rolling Stones, (5) countless TV interviews, (6) never ending radio interviews, (7) release new album on myspace.com, (8) President Obama pre-inauguration concert “We Are Concert” (9) a personal message sent to me through www.facebook.com to comment on the new song. (10) www.Perez Hiltons.com and other celebrity websites had the new video on there website.
Holy Timoli Batman….why is U2 going to such great lengths to promote an album when they’re already a success? Cuz…we’re in a global meltdown, consumer spending is way down, digital music sales through the retail channels are soft, digital music piracy is way up, major shifts in how to interact and communicate with they’re fans have changed dramatically. Plus concert sales are down. So U2 is doing everything in their power to maximize their 11th album.
There are a couple of real key security marketing pointers that can be taken away from this post by the hottest security marketing guru on the planet. One, is that the super successful Rock Stars are always marketing there butts off, just like the security dealers who are busy even in this dead beat economy because they are in the security marketing game and are using more then one media to get the word out.
Two, super successful security dealers and low voltage installers are always looking for new ways to get the word out. They’re implementing online & offline security marketing strategies, moving into social networking sites to find more FAN’s in there local markets enabling them to sell more albums (security systems).
I was an Airman stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX, back in the early 80’s, and a good friend of mine Airman Jack Doyle turned me on to the U2 “War” album. The first song I ever heard was “Seconds.” My favorite verse from that song goes something like this “I want to be an Airborne Ranger I want to live the life of danger”….
What the successful security dealer knows is that their security marketing strategies gotta roll with changes in technology and marketing. What worked way back in 1982, might not be the most effective way of attracting new security clients in 2009. I know that I can take a marketing idea from the 1930’s and dress it up - add some Google Adwords, or put a Social Media Blogspot, or create a direct mail campaign out of it, and make money doing it. But the most important thing to remember is…you gotta get out of your comfort zone and live the life of danger…like the Airborne Ranger!
I recently received a testimonial from a Security Maverick that literally blew my boots off! Here’s a real nice lyric that a Maverick student wrote about me: “Since I’ve been with Bob Maunsell my life has never been the same. We’re a small security company in Southern California. And “WOW” what Bob has taught me about UFC style marketing. I now have a round house kick that is knocking the teeth out of ADT & Brinks! Michael Houser, EES System, Southern. Cally.
I say “Get On Your Boots” and start kicking the recession in the teeth! The opportunities for smart, aggressive local security dealers and low voltage installers, who will step-up to the plate, and provide extraordinary services, will grab market share and expand exponentially in this recession!
Now is the time to start making some beautiful music and create a fan-base as loyal as U2’s!
P.S Follow me on Facebook and Twitter
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