Business Fitness: How Small Businesses Should Onboard New Security Technologies
Everyone is running around so fast, has such a full plate and wears so many hats that many simply don’t have time to onboard new technology.
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When following, writing about, evangelizing and just trying to understand the pitfalls and peaks of launching a new technology or service as a small business, my question is this: Why do some businesses do it better than others? I would appreciate your comments on this subject after you read my point of view.
What is the impact of doing this well or not doing it at all? What critical thinking must be done to be more successful? What management behaviors show up after past failures? What is the biggest obstacle to small businesses like systems integrators onboarding new technologies or services?
Time is the Obstacle in Adopting New Technology
At the average small business, everyone is running around so fast, has such a full plate and wears so many hats that many simply don’t have time to onboard new technology. Most integrators can barely keep up with what we sell and install today! The root cause is often a lack of a strategic plan that provides clarity of mission for the team.
“But, Paul,” you might say, “I don’t have time to develop a big old 40-page strategic business plan!” Then don’t! Instead, do a three-page plan that will be infinitely more effective, especially when developing and communicating to the troops. Easier said than done, right?
Want a time/business plan hack? Familiarize yourself with the entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) — in particular, the vision traction organizer (VTO) section. Problem solved!
The best part is that your management team can roll up their sleeves and help you. Many hands make light work. Warning: You, as the owner, must make the final decision on direction. There can only be one commanding officer per company!
A concise plan will help point the direction you need to focus on, which will certainly include emerging technology. If you doubt this, let me ask you a question: How will AI impact your products, people, service capabilities and customer expectations?
So, now that you have a plan, how do you execute it? Executing a business plan is like hitting a curve ball: very challenging. When the plan involves fast-moving technology, you must be adaptable, nimble and decisive. Implementing a new security technology from a people perspective offers some unique challenges by role and responsibility, including the sales team and the installation team.
The Sales Team’s Role
Typically, there are two sides to this challenge coin. There are those who love shiny new technologies to wave in front of customers. Worse is a customer who saw something at a trade show and wants a quote on that technology. A process with a two-step cross-functional team evaluation can be helpful and take some of the emotion and initial excitement out.
The first step is simple: Does this align with your strategic plan? Also, what is the growth potential? Too often, I have seen a one-hit-wonder product that could not replicate the excitement that first sale made. It just never gained traction with the rest of the sales team. The result is sunk costs that can’t be amortized over future sales.
Closely evaluate future product sales by asking other customers their thoughts on any new solution. The sales manager plays a key role in objectively ascertaining if the new technology will have legs for growth.
Once a preliminary decision is made to move forward, you will need to get the sales team committed and then trained to drive those sales. Put some teeth into that commitment by aligning bonuses to selling that product/service.
The Installation Team
Again, you have a two-sided coin to deal with. There are those who love new technologies (generally, your younger techs) and those who dislike change and learning new stuff. Installation technicians deliver billable hours and revenue.
Taking them out of the field for training is a tick-tock on your profit clock. How training is customized, economized and delivered around your needs can often diminish the speedbumps in adopting new technology.
Your hack is to install the new technology at your facility or test bench. Kick the tires with the manufacturer on technicians’ concerns, questions and suggestions. A technician in the field needs supplier support to feel competent and be efficient. Call this your pilot phase. As a bonus, it will help reluctant sales team members warm up to selling the product proactively!
Next month, I will continue my column with suggestions for how to onboard new technologies.
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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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