Why All Your Employees Should Be a ‘Salesperson’
Each department depends on and supports the other department for the betterment of the whole. All must be focused on increasing the fuel, or RMR, that keeps your company running.
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We all know and expect the employee that has the title of “Salesperson” understands the responsibility of their job is to bring in new sales and increased RMR. But what about the rest of your team?
The normal nomenclature of the typical security company is: Administrative, sales, installation and service. All of these departments depend upon each other for the overall good and survival of your company, however, if you were to ask anyone other than an actual salesperson if their job includes sales, I am willing to bet you that you will get a resounding “No,” which is just not true.
In the Old West days, a cowboy rode for the brand or the ranch that they were working for and gave their loyalty, hard work and sometimes their lives for the brand and their fellow cowboys. That is how I see the survival and prosperity of independent alarm dealers.
Each department depends on and supports the other department for the betterment of the whole. All must be focused on increasing the fuel, or RMR, that keeps your company running. No one person or department can survive on their own.
In most cases, the administrative department is the first person a prospect or customer comes in contact with. You can call them the “Director of First Impressions.” They have an immediate and lasting impact on how your customers will feel about your company.
Their actions, demeanor and tone over the phone and in person let your prospects or customers know that they are not an inconvenience, but an opportunity, and their requests, issues, or questions are not only important, but will also be addressed.
Having a “happy to serve you” attitude creates a sense of goodwill with a customer and can go a long way in reducing attrition and preventing cancellations, which by and in itself protects your RMR.
Your admin team can also work on upselling and making more loyal customers. When speaking with a long-time customer who has an older system, have them ask if it would be OK to have one of your representatives stop by to review or test their system with a tech and show them all of the new “cool stuff” you have available. This is also a great time to work with the customer on upgrading their 3G units and getting a new agreement, if you still have any left.
Your installation team’s time to flex their sales muscles starts once you have someone out at the home for the upgrade, review or install of a system. Regardless of how proficient the salesperson is, in the customer’s eyes, they are always a salesperson and some people will have a natural skepticism or resistance to them.
However, once the installer arrives on the job, the pressure regarding the decision to buy is over. The first and best thing an installer can do to earn the sale from your customer is to show up on time. Nobody likes waiting around for someone to show up for an appointment — especially if they’re paying you. By showing up on time, professionally dressed, in a clean, well-organized van or truck, the installer is telling your customer that their time and money is important to you.
During a preinstallation walkthrough with the customer, teach your installers to engage the customer and point out any areas of improvement or omissions in the system they are purchasing. In many cases this gives your installer an opportunity to sell additional equipment and/or services. The additional information is well received by the customer because in their eyes the installer is not a threat, they are a person who has their best interest at heart.
Much like your installer, your service techs should be on time, professionally dressed and well organized. This is important because no one likes to have a service call, which means your service tech may already be operating at a disadvantage with your customer.
Once the repairs have been completed, your techs should take the time to test the entire system with the customer, review all the functions and operations of the system, and again let them know about all of the new “cool stuff” your company offers.
Never underestimate the power of “cool stuff” such as interactive services, mPERS applications (for customers with older parents or family members that do not live with them) and video services. Think about it, something as simple as a new keyfob or doorbell camera may be just the thing to keep existing customers happy.
Once the installation or service call is completed, make sure your employees know to clean up after themselves. It shows your customer that you respect them and their home in addition to their time and business. When your customer is happy and pleased with your service and installation, it’s the time to ask them for a referral. The worst they can do is tell you no.
So how do you convert employees that are not considered salespeople into being a part of the sales team? Educate them. Teach them the why’s and how’s of your security portfolio and how they can leverage that with the customer. Make sales a competition and compensate your employees accordingly based on their performance. As a general rule of thumb, if you are not prepared to reward someone for something, don’t expect to get it — whatever that is.
By engaging all of your employees as a “salesperson” you not only increase your RMR and improve your customer’s experience, you also create empowered, loyal employees who will be enthusiastic to “ride for your brand.”
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About the Author
Ron Bowden
Ron Bowden is Director of Sales & Dealer Development at UCC, with 35+ years in the security industry in a variety of roles.
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