Stop Making Excuses & Start Corralling More Security Jobs

Electronic security contractors should not get too comfortable with where they stand with clients, security technology or the competition.

I am writing this from the road, some 7,800 miles into an approximately 10,000-mile motorcycle/camping trip with my son Brian, who recently graduated from Kent State and is almost ready to begin his professional career. We’ve covered these miles together over the past 30 days. In September’s Convergence Channel I began the discussion about reasons security installers might consider ignoring the adage of not changing horses midstream – overcoming reluctance or fear and hopping aboard another supplier horse to cross whatever technical, sales or other challenge your business might encounter.

Brian and I have crossed many extraordinary “streams” in our travels, and we have both moved away from the comfort zones that were our daily routine less than a month ago. You can as well by resetting your comfort zones.

Don’t Lose Customers to the Competition

While covering excuses I commonly hear from integrators who simply refuse to dismount their original horses, I left September’s entry with a cliffhanger to tackle (hey it worked in the movie Westerns, and I’ve been traversing that territory for a month now):

“Our customers are pretty darn satisfied with our current products and services today. They don’t want to talk about new technologies.”

So let’s start there. When I hear these types of statements from my integrator clients, I shudder just a little bit. These thoughts are akin to an ostrich putting its head in the sand, or playing peek-a-boo with a child. What you don’t see coming can hurt you in business and making general assumptions about business conditions that are disguised as behaviors can be much worse. What got you and your business to where you are today might not be enough to sustain you in the future. So here is the key question for you: Who are your customers today, and who will they be tomorrow? (And customers can be defined as both external and internal in your business world.)

You see, while traditional buying relationships were the trusty horses that helped build your business, they can go lame if their purchasing processes, authority, or your competition unexpectedly changes. The scary one is your competition. They are the fresh stallion in the middle of the steam ready to escape the rapidly approaching banditos – banditos with guises like cost containment, budget cuts, and new owners with new expectations. If your competition offers new services or more cost-effective solutions before you do, then circling your wagons in response could be disastrous.

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About the Author

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Paul C. Boucherle, Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Sherpa Coach (CSC), is Security Sales & Integration’s “Business Fitness” columnist. A principal of Matterhorn Consulting, he has more than 30 years of diverse security and safety industry experience including UL central station operations, risk-vulnerability assessments, strategic security program design and management of industry convergence challenges. Boucherle has successfully guided top-tier companies in achieving enhanced ROI resulting from improved sales and operational management techniques. He is a charismatic speaker and educator on a wide range of critical topics relating to the security industry of today and an accomplished corporate strategist and marketer whose vision and expertise in business performance have driven notable enterprise growth in the security industry sector.

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