How PERS Can Drive Business for Security Dealers

Learn how to enter the personal emergency response systems market to build recurring monthly revenue for your security firm.

Because of the widespread availability of the Internet and the relatively low cost associated with marketing using this media, it’s advisable to add an additional Webpage with accompanying anchor tag (link) for PERS. A link to this page should then be added to the firm’s landing page, homepage, blog and all social media assets. By doing simple search engine optimization (SEO), it’s possible to generate a lot of interest nationally if not internationally.

“I suggest that [dealers] offer PERS to everyone they come into contact with. The reason for this is that the majority of the time, the person who buys it is not the actual user but a caregiver or the children. It can be a mistake to think they have to market these services to only seniors. They really should market PERS to everyone.”– American Two-Way CEO Christopher Baskin

It’s not hard to go nationwide because PERS are often mailed to someone. Security dealers whose primary focus is on their local market may be surprised to find an existing subscriber whose parents or grandparents require a PERS and they live in another part of the country. It could be they’re in Florida, and so the dealer preprograms the PERS unit and mails it to them, thus gaining another monitored subscriber in the process.

More do-it-yourself (DIY) activity is also becoming apparent in the PERS marketplace, most of it over the Internet. What this suggests is that experienced alarm dealers that sell and install PERS on a local or regional level could easily extend their outreach using this type of marketing and sales program. Everyone in the alarm industry knows that it’s the RMR, not just the upfront sale of the equipment that alarm dealers want. From this standpoint, DIY PERS may be a good fit for some.

RELATED: PERS Business Continues to Mature

Another issue related to marketing is the alarm dealer’s targeted audience. Although an aging population is largely responsible for the recent acceleration of the PERS market, it would be a mistake to associate this attractive and lucrative segment of the security market with only senior citizens.

“I suggest that [dealers] offer PERS to everyone they come into contact with. The reason for this is that the majority of the time, the person who buys it is not the actual user but a caregiver or the children,” says Baskin. “It can be a mistake to think they have to market these services to only seniors. They really should market PERS to everyone.”

Central Station Connection Key

The success of both central stations and alarm dealers traditionally hinges on quality, timely monitoring of alarm systems, panic alarms, fire alarms, environmental sensors, video, and other managed services for thousands of homes and businesses. Thus the secret to success in the PERS market rests on selecting the right central station. So be sure the monitoring company you’re using has an established PERS presence and a known track record in the market.

It was a natural fit for wholesale central stations to add a PERS channel to their alarm dealer offerings. Likewise, PERS fits in comfortably with installing alarm firms, but it’s important to choose the right central station. Having a central that dedicates a huge portion of its operation to PERS is important for many reasons. First, such a central station will have well trained operators and managers. Second, they will also offer more than monitoring. They’ll provide a PERS program tailor-made for the security market.

“We now run one of the largest full-service PERS wholesale monitoring companies on the market today,” says Daniel Oppenheim, vice president with Affiliated Monitoring of Union, N.J. “We support our dealers by providing them with options. We also sell all major brands of PERS equipment, such as Linear and Climax.”

Alarm firms also should dedicate specific individuals, or even an entire portion of their central station operations, to PERS monitoring and marketing. This will create a channel of responsibility that includes employee education and marketing expertise.

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About the Author

Contact:

Al Colombo is a long-time trade journalist and professional in the security and life-safety markets. His work includes more than 40 years in security and life-safety as an installer, salesman, service tech, trade journalist, project manager,and an operations manager. You can contact Colombo through TpromoCom, a consultancy agency based in Canton, Ohio, by emailing [email protected], call 330-956-9003, visit www.Tpromo.Com.

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