For systems integrators, nothing beats hearing about a high-level job project and having an insider opportunity to be included on the ground floor. Most agree the best way to generate such new business is through positive word-of-mouth and referrals. However, competition is tougher than ever and the days of sitting around waiting for the phone to ring with your next referral are becoming more the exception than the rule. That’s why it’s crucial to have access to a steady stream of lucrative projects and to be adept in the bidding process.
Unfortunately, many installing companies in our industry still refuse to get involved in “project bidding” opportunities, such as formal request-for-proposal (RFP) and request-for-quote (RFQ) construction projects. Why? The answer I hear most often from installers is they do not want to be the low bidder. In actuality, everyone wants to comparison shop and the jobs usually go to the provider offering the best value rather than the lowest bid.
Consider this: Our industry is one of building subcontractors, very similar to electricians, plumbers, carpenters or any others involved in a skilled trade. Through the years, those subcontractors have become accustomed to project bidding — and today, their livelihood depends on it. If an electrician or plumber wants consistency and growth, they must conform to this business model because it is an integral part of the construction trade. Logically, our industry’s business model will follow the same pattern of these other construction trades. In fact, it’s already progressing rapidly in that direction.
When I started at Security Sales & Integrationa few years ago, our staff sat around brainstorming about what we could do (besides producing the best possible information through editorial) to help our installing readership base grow their businesses. We wanted to do something that would really make a difference for them. It finally hit us — let’s help our readers find installation work!
So we launched our online subscription job project service called LeadTracker. Granted, there are many services that provide construction project leads, but it takes forever to sift through the countless leads to find those that truly pertain to our industry.
Proceeding with the belief that time is a valuable commodity of which most of us just don’t have enough, we decided we would weed through them so subscribers would only receive bidding opportunities targeted specifically toward them, thereby radically streamlining and simplifying the entire process.
We decided to provide this tremendous service at an amazingly low monthly fee in which gaining only one installation project from it would pay for an entire subscription year. Up to now, the service has provided only local, state and federal government RFPs and RFQs. However, many current and potential subscribers have commented that LeadTracker would be more valuable if it included private commercial and industrial job project listings as well. As of this month, that request has been granted!
We are adding private commercial projects valued at $1 million or more in total construction costs. Subscribers will now be able to access many hard-to-find projects in the preplanning stages, enabling them to contact decision-makers directly to be specified or negotiate the opportunity. In addition, we are also adding large residential developments and tracts!
As I mentioned earlier, offering the best value is more important than coming in with the cheapest bid. Sure, procurement managers are price-conscious, but they are also aware that quality suffers when cost is not mated with performance-consciousness. They know bid solicitation can attract contractors that are predatory in their pricing — they’ve been down that road before. That’s why the days of “How low can you go on price?” are thankfully dwindling. Regardless of your pricing, if you offer quality work at a reasonable rate, these projects are for you!
Let’s face it, electronic security contractors can never have too many lead generation sources. No matter how you go about prospecting for new business, LeadTracker gives you another powerful weapon to add to your arsenal so you can win the competitive war.
To subscribe or learn more, go to the home page and click on the LeadTracker icon.
