Alarm Sales is a Science and an Art... it’s not a Numbers Game.

I travel the country teaching owners of security alarm companies how to be much more productive. Before I can introduce an alarm company to our field proven methods of marketing their products, it is important to analyze the methods they are accustomed to using and why they continue to use them.

My training programs are specific to the security alarm business, so when I run into a common problem that is costing dealers and representatives of alarm companies many man hours, it is easily identified.

There are some consistent problems that I see over and over again, wherever I go and I’ll share a major fault with you. It seems that sales representatives would rather spend a full day running around and looking for the customer that was considering a security system and pulls them into a sale.

This long cycle sale concept is the number one waste of production and always brings mediocrity at best to the bottom line. A properly trained alarm consultant will make a customer out of 75% of the people they have an opportunity to educate, so instead of looking for a “lay down sale" they simply find a home or business owner to educate. The best representatives will achieve this on a single visit.

A sales representative will often be on an agenda and does not take the opportunity to properly educate the consumer one step at a time. This process is a product of poor training, low expectations or standards and little if any accountability. The complete training program is rare these days and often delivered by some corporate mouthpiece that has little or no experience in our field. The proper training will train the trainer how to teach, grow, make the representative responsible to a higher standard and create accountability controls.

If your representatives don’t fully understand the intricacies and processes of the eight steps to a proper alarm sale, they are missing the boat and playing a numbers game. Following is an outline of the complete 8 step process and a representative should never proceed to the next step without proper performance of each.

Step 1 Door Step
• Give Away-Take Away
• Don’t Care Attitude
• Confidence
• Two Question Maximum
a: Answer, b: Take-Away, c: Invite yourself in (a learned skill)

Step 2 Rapport
• Make a Friend
• F.O.R.M Family, Occupation, Recreation, Misc.
• It is extremely important to build a relationship with your customer before proceeding to steps 3-9. Don’t interview them, share yourself with them and interact.

Step 3 Cost Analysis (Create the Greed)
• Point by Point breakdown of costs and expectations. Be detailed, take your time, get them excited, show pride in your offer, make sure they understand the program, create a sense of urgency, do your take- aways.
• Customer realizes what they would loose if you should leave without signed paper today.
• Customer will know why they are saying YES and how it will benefit them when you are doing a proper cost analysis.

Step 4 Book Presentation (Create the Need)
Remember that the book is a conversation more than a presentation. It gives you an opportunity to remove the seven (7) possible objections you could hear and getting the consumer to remove
each one out of their own mouth, before one becomes an excuse not to do business with you today.
• An educational tool and NOT a scare tactic.
• Be Personable.
• Be Passionate.
• Be Concerned.
• LISTEN for the road map!
• Ask at least 35 NON SALESMANLIKE questions.

Step 5 Walk Thru
• Stand and suggest starting at the front door (Don’t Ask).
• Paint a picture, get them involved and seeing themselves using the system.
• Give your opinions and get them to decide where they want to place their equipment.
• Ask questions that get them to take possession of the system. “So you’re going to want a contact on this door?"

Step 6 Paperwork (If steps 1-5 have been done properly, step 6 is just a formality)
• Take out your paperwork and begin (Don’t ask permission)
• Be Assumptive!
• Get them involved in the process by giving them assignments.
• Go over Schedule of protection and make suggestions for a couple of add ons with a Don’t Care Attitude.
• Put for aside as you have dropped the seeds on extra parts and do not want a snap decision.
• Complete all agreements.
• Close your schedule of protection by asking if they want any of the discussed extras added before closing it out.

Step 7 Cancel Killer
• Never take a short cut on this step because you have paper ant don’t want to risk blowing the deal. Solid paperwork that will not cancel benefits the whole company. Your cancels will be less than 10% if you do this in every home.

Step 8 Post Close
• Build Rapport Again
• “Congratulations" not "Thank You"
• Always leave them with a good feeling. They just did paperwork and this emotion needs to be swapped to prevent remorse after you leave. Don’t ever let them feel like you got their money and you left immediately

These are just a few of the things The Experts Know! can train you on, to create a better alarm consultant. In addition you can be trained on a complete array of management and administrative concepts to increase production. Consumers of home security products have tools at their disposal to help them make informed decisions these days. Be sure you are ready to meet the expectations of these educated consumers and are able to separate your dealership from the pack. A visit to the “Dealers" page of the Experts Know website will show you all of the training modules that are available to you.

Matthew Francis Alarms@expertsknow.com

Matthew is a 22 year veteran of the alarm industry. He has served as an installer, salesman, licensed alarm company owner, monitoring station designer, promotions and marketing director with one of the worlds largest security dealers. He now works as a consumer advocate, teaching consumers how to buy or get systems for free (without being taken). He also consults alarm dealerships on how to market to the educated consumers that today’s alarm dealer is finding. He is committed to being unbiased.

His web site is www.expertsknow.com