Ace Marketers Reveal Their Methods
Security dealers/integrators from across North America entered the 15th Annual SAMMY Awards to match their sales, marketing and installation prowess against industry peers. Who won and why, plus what can you learn from their successes is explained within.
Photo via Flickr (exacq)
Maybe even before high quality, dependable service, a business’ marketing strategy is the single biggest factor to determine the success or failure of most any company. No matter if you are boutique mom-‘n’-pop security installer or an integration powerhouse, how you are perceived in the marketplace will likely determine the well-being of your company.
Not to be confused with simple advertising, an effective marketing plan is necessary to create a demand for your products and services. Think of your marketing strategy as an investment in future sales. Prospective clients need to be made aware of your company and what it offers. Marketing provides the means in which you expand your customer base.
It is in that spirit that each year SSI hosts the SAMMY (Sales & Marketing) Awards. Not simply to honor excellence in sales, marketing and installation endeavors, but ultimately to provide a platform to share best practices among your industry brethren. From yard signs to vehicle graphic designs, promotional giveaways to winning newsletters, there are numerous tools to reach and persuasively promote your company — without breaking the bank.
If you are in search of ideas to develop or improve your marketing collateral, be sure to check out the following brief profiles highlighting winners of the 10 marketing categories from this year’s 15th annual affair held in March.
We hope you’ll be motivated to incorporate some of these concepts into your own campaigns and enter the program next year to take a run at SAMMY success! SSI would like to thank program sponsors Altronix, Honeywell Security, ADI, Fire-Lite, TRI-ED, PSA Security Network, Visonic, Electronic Security Association (ESA), Campus Safety Magazine and ISC for helping make the 2010 SAMMY Awards possible.
Stanley Convergent Security Solutions
Best Overall Integrated Marketing Campaign
Sponsored by Fire-Lite Alarms
Coordinated Effort Emphasizes Branding, Messaging, Customers
While cynics might look at a company the size of Stanley Convergent Security Solutions (CSS) and say, “Of course they have great marketing materials, they have the money to do whatever they want,” upon closer scrutiny the principles, creativity and drive the 2,000-people-strong company exemplifies would likely lead to success regardless of budget. The company’s marketing philosophy is an extension of its Customer Excellence program of account management, installation, service, monitoring and billing touch points.
“When creating materials such as brochures and collateral, we convey our focus on ‘customer excellence’ by looking at them as not only tools for the sales associates, but tools for the customer as well,” says Director of Marketing Beth Tarnoff.
“To help customers select the security solution that is best for them, we use diagrams to explain system types, make easy bullet lists of advantages to compare one offering against another and highlight key features to the customer throughout.”
SAMMY judges were captivated by Stanley CSS’ yellow, black and white, sports-themed materials that range from basic sales brochures to flamboyant trade show booths. The entry scored especially well in the areas of overall central marketing theme, appearance and use of color, and company representation effectiveness. As a result, the company proudly captured its third Best Overall Integrated Marketing Campaign award in the past four years.
“We enter the SAMMY’s because we believe it is a great asset to the security industry to provide recognition to the sales and marketing efforts of security companies,” says Stanley CSS North America President and COO Tony Byerly. “We put a lot of effort throughout the year into our marketing program, various sales/marketing initiatives and community outreach. It is an honor to be recognized for all our hard work, creativity and overall efforts. It also provides us a constant challenge not only to be better than the competition, but also to continually create new, unique marketing approaches.”
A case study of Stanley CSS’ Integrated Installation of the Year will appear in July’s SSI.
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