(From June 6-17, SSI will be highlighting the winners from April’s SAMMY Awards. Sonitrol of Evansville won the SAMMY for Best Promotional Giveaway Item.)
Promotional items that security dealers give away can come in all shapes and sizes, and all manner of tchotchkes. When you are essentially saying a little “thank you” or “don’t forget us” to your clients, it’s important to make a good impression and one that may be representative of your company’s personality.
Sonitrol of Evansville (Ind.) figured it would be worthwhile if the giveaway had some practical functionality too. Not only that, but application that can be seen in real-world usage by law enforcement. Now that says safety and security.
As Sonitrol tells it, the dealer has a close relationship with its local law enforcement, to the point where when they apprehend someone as a result of one of its alarms the security provider will present the officer(s) with a certificate and small gift at roll call.
“I had one officer and his K9 partner that had made several apprehensions. I didn’t want to continue to give him the same thing over again,” says Dawn Lara, customer service specialist for Sonitrol. “So I went down to visit our customer, Seigel’s Uniform, who supplies LEO with equipment. While I was standing there, the clerk picked up a knife and said, ‘These are popular.'”
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While not quite Swiss Army caliber in variety of uses, the knife does also include a glass-break and seatbelt cutter. It also fits nicely on any belt and it’s small enough to carry anywhere, adds Lara. Since starting to use the giveaway about a year-and-a-half ago, Sonitrol has doled out about 100 to members of four local police and sheriff departments as well as loyal clients.
“It was so popular with our LEO that we started giving them to some of our longtime customers instead of the traditional Christmas candy,” says Lara, adding that customers love the knives also because they know police really use them. “They run us right around $20 and are worth every penny!”
