3 Keys to Consultative Selling for Security Industry

Location variables, cost concerns, operational options and migration motives must be effectively addressed with clients. Here’s the second of a two-part look at consultative selling.

Last month we began our discussion of taking another look at how well the security ecosystem cohabits more effectively with suppliers, inside and outside sales teams, installation and service technicians, consultants, and the top of the food chain – our customers. With such a complex, dynamic and rapidly changing environment, you need a process that will allow you and your team to adapt, innovate and prevail. You don’t want to end up like the T. rex, do you? Fear not; a solution has been provided for you to consider known as PEPCOM, the sales process acronym I began detailing last month. So let’s review
that part and move forward through the rest.

PEPCOM is a distilled version of a process I use in my end-user security consulting practice to break big projects into digestible, small bites. For those who missed last month’s column,  the first P stands for Physical facility frailties. Installing security contractors must consider all of a facility’s characteristics and physical limitations when evaluating your design solution approach. Can you leverage the physical property characteristics to your advantage, or will they work against you? Must anything be overcome with innovative design or specific product application?

One coaching point: too often I see systems integrators applying the “round hole/square peg” miscue with a large hammer; i.e., a single model product solution applied for the whole design. While this did make some sense in the old analog world, it doesn’t in the new converged world. More often than not this is a sales education issue but sometimes can apply to companies that simply don’t want to learn new technologies. Think of a facility with “micro applications” for product selection. Let’s get started with the next step in our ecosystem.

Analyzing All the Variables

Environment variables are vexing when not carefully considered during the design evaluation stage. These are variables we can’t control, but must deal with to deliver a practical and sustainable security solution. The location of the customer’s facility must be considered from three perspectives.

  1. Topology – where the facility is sitting, as well as the surrounding area. Is the facility near a river, bottom of a mountain, top of a hill or in a valley? What about the natural lighting characteristics? Each of these considerations becomes relevant when you consider the impact of severe weather events for the facility. Hope for the best but always design for the worst-case scenario within budgetary realities.
  2. Weather patterns and historical events should be factored in to your design considerations to ensure your solutions are survivable. If you have local knowledge, this usually isn’t a problem. If you are new to the area, be especially careful to not assume anything. This can be very relevant for national security deployments. When I go fishing, I hire a local guide who knows the waters.
  3. Compass orientation of the facility. Where does the sun rise and set? How much does that change during the winter months? Will the area be vulnerable to extreme swings in available light due to weather? Will that have an impact on your product selection process? Figure out the specific areas of the facility where you might find challenges with orientation.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

About the Author

Contact:

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.

Security Is Our Business, Too

For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.

A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.

Subscribe Today!

Get Our Newsletters