Marketing/Promotions

Security contractors are relying on the reach and cost effectiveness of online communications more than ever to win over new prospects and keep existing clientele engaged. SSI’s latest research also finds companies are compensating for economic shortfalls by allocating more of their operating budgets to sales and marketing.

Security contractors are relying on the reach and cost effectiveness of online communications more than ever to win over new prospects and keep existing clientele engaged. SSI’s latest research also finds companies are compensating for economic shortfalls by allocating more of their operating budgets to sales and marketing.

OK, the economy is in the dumps, customers have no money, and security services and contracts are being cut. Nobody said conducting business as normal would be easy. However, that being said, the security market is one that typically holds up pretty well during bad times and this recession is no different.

Let me offer a word regarding the "summer programs" that have entered the alarm industry. First, any effort that adds 150,000 new subscribers who now own and operate alarm systems is worthwhile!

With the current economic climate, it is becoming crucial for systems integrators to place greater emphasis on providing value to their customers, and not just a technological solution. The technology is part of that value, for sure, but equipment is becoming more of a commodity while that necessary value proposition remains more elusive.

Improving closing percentages, even during a difficult economic climate, can be accomplished by applying the right skills and attitude. While innumerable sales techniques exist, start practicing the fundamentals for immediate results.

While few may think of residential business encompassing access control and video surveillance solutions, there is money to be made out there for those who do. Cashing in requires knowing what to recommend and how to sell homeowners on it.

Growing consumer demand to access and control as much as possible through their mobile devices is creating new recurring revenue for security installation and monitoring companies. Increasingly, manufacturers are offering devices and software to make these services more widespread.

In today's economy everything seems to be shrinking. Sales numbers are down, revenues are down and customers aren't spending anywhere near as much as they did just a couple of years ago.

As summertime draws to a close, so does the high season for door-to-door alarm system sales in the United States. Not soon to fade, however, is ...

I've only known David Hood for about five years. That's when we helped his company acquire a client of Davis Marketing Group, a.k.a. The Graybeards. When I thought about Hood's idea, I reflected on how many young people are coming into the industry. They are alert, bright, enthusiastic and trying to establish themselves. This new generation of managers/owners/executives is taking over a big segment of the industry.

You’ve heard about it and possibly witnessed a demo, but until this point you’ve probably relegated video analytics to the realm of novelty. Find out why a leading expert in the potentially transformative technology says content analysis is now ready to be taken as seriously as a heart attack.

Stanley CSS has been conspicuous in its drive to be the leading national security systems and monitoring provider. But beneath the bravado lies a company built on pleasing customers, empowering employees and philanthropic pursuits, virtues that made it an SSI Installer of the Year.

Security Systems of America (SSA) provides developers and owners of an elegant condominium complex an indivisibly integrated solution, with luxury and safety for all. In a good, old-fashioned American success story, SSA emerges as a single-source technology contractor and captures SSI’s 2009 Integrated Installation of the Year Award.

The dictionary defines "best" as being of the highest quality, excellence or standing. Great, but how is it achieved? Looking at the three companies featured in this 2009 Best of the Best issue, although they are all very distinct operations, each is centered around a universal principle: The customer comes first.

While watching the recent "American Idol" season finale I got to thinking about the splashy ads seen during such a high-profile broadcast and how many millions of people those messages reach.

Security and alarm systems have long had a bad rap as a negative or grudge buy. Although this has eased a bit through the years it remains ...

Welcome to the inaugural installment of “Monitoring Matters,” a column dedicated to the business of and issues related to central stations. Let’s kick things off by taking an up close look at ...

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