Helping Clients Kick the Analog Video Habit
Whether it’s systems integrators or end users, human beings are creatures of habit. This means resistance to change that extends to technology solutions such as video surveillance. Learn the steps you need to make to help yourself and client migrate from analog to IP.
There is an elephant in the IP video living room. It moves slowly like an elephant. It can act irrational if it is suddenly surprised, like an elephant. Its called change. Logic, technology and operational benefits of IP video are lost when you have to overcome resistance to change. ©iStockphoto.com/victor zastol skiy
What I have stated is pretty obvious, right? But suppose you take a slightly more aggressive proactive vs. reactive strategy in selling IP video solutions to your existing customers. By this I mean 80% of your existing video system customers are aware of the existence of IP video technology. However, can they clearly state the advantages for their company? Do they already have budgetary proposals for a step-by-step migration strategy vetted and planned for in next year’s budget? How about when a break/fix event occurs, will they already know their decision path thanks to you?
It may sound like I don’t like DVRs per se, but nothing could be further from the truth. They will faithfully serve many market shares for years to come. Perhaps an analogy will simply and effectively help clarify the basics in selling IP video solutions.
Think of migrating customers to IP solutions in terms of phone communication. Have your sales team tell this story. In the “old days” we had rotary dial phones (as analog as you can get), then digital phones that had buttons and tones … stay with me now. Then we “unfettered” ourselves and went with mobile communication, starting with pagers, then car-mounted cellular, handheld Motorola “brick” cellular (yes, I am that old), and then cellular appliances that would fit into your pocket or purse.
Unbelievable progress, power and mobility coverage; it just couldn’t get any better, could it? Actually it could and did get better for phones and security video technologies. We have witnessed and participated in the marvels of the iPhone. It redefined custome
rs’ expectations of the usefulness of an emerging technology that introduced smarter appliances, communication infrastructure and convenience of data delivery, and how and where we want it.
To overcome your customer’s resistance to change, take the right steps together in your IP video selling journey and ask that elephant to leave the room!
Paul Boucherle, Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Sherpa Coach (CSC), is principal of Canfield, Ohio-based Matterhorn Consulting (www.matterhornconsulting.com). He has more than 30 years of diverse security and safety industry experience and can be contacted at [email protected].
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About the Author
Paul Boucherle, SSI Contributor
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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