alarm work is a small part of the service i sell, but it is proving lucrative enough that i want to expand. for various reasons that i do not wish to make public, i am researching the _possibility_ of growing as an independant instead of an authorized dealer for a branded company.
the custom systems i install are few in comparison, and the monitoring is handled by one of my competitors. if i expand as an independant i need to find better options for monitoring as well as equipment. your assistance in solving these issues is very much appreciated.
thank you very much, they appear to be the solution for my monitoring needs and i have emailed them requesting more information. in regards to equipment and equipment sources, have you any recommendations? thank you,
If there is a local burglar and fire alarm association in your area I consider joining. It's a good place to network with suppliers, central station owners and other business owners when first starting out.
A bit of advice... If you are going to be in business and write to people and businesses, might want to get Microsoft Word and compose your letters with this. Word will underline misspelled words as well as point out errors such as i instead of I. You can right click on the underlined word or sentence and Word will give suggested replacements. Easy to correct a letter so it has a professional business look!
If an email, you can write it in word, make corrections, then paste it into email.
FYI - If I was looking to hire a company and received a letter with nothing capitalized and words misspelled, I would not have anything to do with that company. My thinking would be that the person might not take time to do things right.
Your "public image" when in business can mean a lot! Something to think about...
RHC: Nathan, you are currently in business and have been for some time I gather. As such, please do not be insulted if my comments seem to be too simplistic in nature for you; however, I thought I might add a few thoughts that may (or may not) have occurred to you about doing business in the alarm industry as an independent. While I have nothing against a lot of the dealer programs, I do think that with the right direction and the correct moves, you can do a lot better for yourself. While a dealer in a dealer program, you are working for them (no matter how good the win- win situation is), but as an independant, YOU set the rules and those rules will make or break you.You will have to think for yourself !! As an independent, you are without the support of a large alarmco who in most cases, do help their less sophisticated dealers with a proven set of rules to operate by.
Here are some thoughts I have about how to approach being successful as an independent dealer.
Decide right up front, what market niche you are going to sell in. Don't try to be "everything for everyone". Choose your panel(s), choose your "mini niches" (ie:alarms, access control, video equipment), choose the type of customers you want (ie: high end or low end residential, commercial or industrial), then set your rate structure, service policies, and warranty to suit the chosen client base. Rule of thumb...you can't get where you want to be unless you know where that is and how best to get there !! Larger businesses call this a "business plan". Regardless of its formality, it's just as important to a small independent !!
Make alliances with other small dealers in your area and work co- operatively with them. Sure you compete with them, but you also are in the same business and there is lots of it to go around. Pass off business that is not in your market niche to friendly competitors and it's likely they will return the favour. What goes around comes around over time...
Look carefully at the client and don't necessarily take every one that comes your way. After a while, you will learn which customers to avoid. Refer them to the bad companies you know about (they usually deserve each other....:)).....learn to "cherry pick" your customers...
Billing is a major cost issue with most alarm companies. As a small independent, you can't count on a large company to do your billing. So do it smarter ! Push annual billing or even better automatic billing ! But keep the ongoing costs DOWN...
Pick your monitoring company CAREFULLY for you will likely be "married" to them for a long time. Price should not be the overriding decision maker. Remember, their service to your customers reflects on your company, and nothing will cost you a client faster than their perception of being treated incorrectly or badly by your monitoring supplier.
Be prepared to walk away from business that is clearly outside your market niche or doesn't adhere to your business "rules of engagement". (For example, don't try to compete in the "free" market unless you have very deep pockets.....)
The most valuable thing you will ever have in your business is your name and good reputation. Guard it well by always adhering to the highest ethical standards. It's sometimes hard to do when so many companies around you are cutting corners, but over the longer term, it will gain you customers who you would otherwise not be able to attract. After awhile, you may even find your competitors are saying good things about your company.
Never forget the customer comes first ! You forget that at your peril.....
Be VERY careful throwing money at advertising. It's easy to waste a LOT of money. After you have a certain base of clients, you will find that referrals carry you forward. But it can be tough and slow going until you reach that threshold !
A website is valuable but it should do far more than just advertise your wares. It should HELP people who go there, either to learn how to shop, learn how things work, learn about your services, but above all, it should be perceived by the readers as helpful and as much as possible, unbiased. People appreciate honesty and straightforward dealing and most can see through the phoney, high pressure sales types so common to large alarm companies. If this client's business would be better able to be served by others in another niche, or your services are not what he is looking for, refer him to a trusted colleague who can better help him. That customer will be lost to you, but I guarantee he will not forget you, and you WILL end up talking eventually to his friends and relatives !!
Never forget this is a SERVICE business. As a small independent, you will be judged by how well you respond to service requests. I would go so far as to suggest that service should take priority over new sales. It's far easier to keep a client by servicing him well than to find another to replace an unhappy one who leaves you.
Remember, a business must make money to survive, but an often subjugated rule of thumb is that a business should also be there to help people.
Pay no mind to how others operate in the business other than to learn what is right or wrong for your business. At the end of the day, your business must satisfy YOUR ground rules even if those rules fly in the face of what the industry sees as a "standard" way to operate. A great many people in this industry are very "reactionary" in nature; that is just the way it is.....
These are a few that come immediately to mind. Perhaps others could throw in their thoughts to add to mine
Regards,
R.H.Campbell Home Security Metal Products Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Substitute Microsoft Word for WordPerfect Office X-3 and you'll be far better off. For one thing you can export your documents to PDF's, import and make changes to PDF forms, and all sorts of other really nifty stuff.
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