If You Want to Make Money FAST, Then Stop Yourself & Your Sales Reps From Down-Selling!

June 25, 2010 by Bob Maunsell
Filed under Bob's Security Marketing Blog!

I’m just putting the finishing touches on an old Victorian era office building that I recently purchased, and have been renovating for the past several months. The building will house my security business and my security marketing business. My new office diggs is located in the center of a quaint, historic, lovely, small New England town called West Boylston, MA. Right next door to the property is an incredible bakery, called Darby’s Bakery, that people come from far-and-wide just to taste their treats. Being so close to the bakery, on a daily basis, could mean BIG trouble for me!

Zero Selling Skills
I have this one HVAC contractor (who was highly recommended to me by a good friend that I trust completely) is anguished over the money I’m spending on HVAC and plumbing work at the new office space. He feels compelled to save me money and while doing this has talked himself out of more work (aka: money), than you could imagine.

Now, mind you, this guy is dog-slooow with not much work coming in and has been complaining about Obama, the economy and the lack of work these days. He’s such a nice guy and has his heart in the right place, but he’s shooting himself in the foot by worrying more about his pricing than delivery more value and benefits to his prospects and clients.

He’s not alone in this strategy – 90% of everybody selling does this very same thing…worrying more about price and going straight to the lowest priced options, especially when there’s no other quote/estimates in the sales funnel.

My mind set is: I’m looking at the HVAC/plumbing work, for the new office space, as a 30 year investment in my real estate portfolio, so I’d rather spend a bit more upfront and get greater value for my money. Funny thing here is that I never asked the cheapskate question “what’s this gonna cost me or is this an expensive project or what’s my cheapest option for doing all the HVAC/plumbing work?” The HVAC dude went straight to cost-cutting pricing, from the get go. He never gauged my mind-set for the project or what my budget would be or if I’d rather more value over something less expensive. Instead, he immediately pursued the least expensive path…what a profit-deflating strategy!

Shooting Fish In A Barrel
One of my favorite seafood restaurants is Legal Sea Food in Framingham, MA. The place is relatively expensive and is always jam-packed. You walk in, look around, and say to yourself, “where’s the recession?!” You are greeted by a very courteous hostess that seats you in an immaculate linen covered table set with nice china and silverware. You are then promptly greeted by a professional sales rep (i.e. a waiter) who is so kind and helpful and always talking “up” the product (i.e. the food/drinks) and always making subtle up-selling suggestions and recommendations. I can’t even tell you how many times I have ordered an extra appetizer or side dish or dessert due to gentle persuasion from the staff.

The whole experience at Legal Sea Food is very polished and crafted to a tee. What I admire most about this joint is that not only is the food tremendous, but the whole staff can sell – not just the owner or upper management, but the whole staff…from the top down!

Chapter 11
The point I’m making here is to stop selling yourself short. Any security dealer and sales reps that keep discounting and talking their prospects and clients out of sales, in order to stay in business, isn’t going to stay in business very long. It’s a bankruptcy waiting to happen. A “real” business needs to be able to upsell and cross-sell, if it wants to flourish. Selling is a good thing, it’s what keeps the ecomony wheels spinning. What have you done today to move the the economy along?

Bob Maunsell
Former Sgt U.S. Air Force

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Tags: Big Trouble, Daily Basis, England Town, Finishing Touches, Funny Thing, Good Friend, Heart In The Right Place, Hvac Contractor, Hvac Plumbing, New England, Nice Guy, Office Space, Plumbing Work, Prospects, Sales Reps, Security Business, Victorian Office, West Boylston

How to Get Bulletproof, Fast!

November 11, 2009 by Bob Maunsell
Filed under Bob's Security Marketing Blog!

How To Get Bullet-Proof, Fast…

Hey Fred,

I appreciate the kind words, but you’d have to thank my little daughter Kiera (link to video) for pulling your company’s name out of my New England Patriots hat (with her little, plastic claw toy) for my 2009 Security Marketing Yellow Page Ad Contest.

Slammin’ Busy…

I love hearing diffent vernacular, from security and Low Voltage dealers, from around the country when they refer to being busy. Up here in the Northeast we use the term “buried” with work. I love the term you use in Virginia – “slammin” busy, and out West they say “Rocking & Rolling.” I really get a kick out of all the different wording.

The Misses…

I think your original Y.P. ad had about 120words, and my Direct Response Yellow Page was stuffed to the gills with about 480 words. Fred I could have just plopped two huge logos into a rectangular space and created some image-based ad that “BRANDED” you…like Target did when they first opened their stores. They bombarded the telly, newspapers and magazines with only their bulls eye logo. This is brand marketing and is good if your a big, billion-dollar company, with hundreds of stores and can afford that type of advertising. For the smaller fish, this is not a practical way to advertise nor does it say anything about who you are and what you do…successfully (hence your unique selling proposition)!

Long Copy Sells…

I LMAO when you said that your wife thought my ad had to much text, but obviously you’ve been paying attention to my Smokin’ Security Newsletter about image-based advertising vs. direct response advertising. Image-based advertisers (The Brand People) have long said that long copy (lots of words) is DOA; that people are to busy to read all those words or clients are too dumb/too lazy/etc. They say, times have changed and short copy and lots of images are in vogue.

They said this in the 1930.1940.1950.1960.1970.1980.1990.2000. and 2009. They were wrong before and they are wrong now. EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE PROVES THAT LONG COPY SELLS MORE.
If you have an outstanding security sales rep, would you limit him to just 20 words (that’s about what the average Y.P. has in it for words)? Or, do you let him go and make a case for WHY this business/homeowner should have you do there security system vs anyone else out there. Of course you wouldn’t tell you sales rep to be quiet.

Direct response copy is nothing more then “salesmanship in print.” I created a Y.P. ad for you that would talk to all of your prospects, and educate and inform them of all your services. This is a 24/7/365 auto-pilot security sales rep that you will add strength and more stability to your business.

Sift-Screen-and Sort…

Fred, no matter if you were installing security systems in Dublin, Ireland, Abiline Texas, or Tamil Nadu, India there’s always a dealer that will key a door for nothing, or install a CCTV system at-or-below cost.

The dirty little secret with operating a security or low voltage installation business, this way, is that these dealers will attract bottom of the barrel clients, and they will, in fact, refer you more low-paying people.

When your security marketing system is setup on autopilot and you have a “Sift-Screen-Sort mechanism in place, where your marketing is weeding out the deadbeats, lookey-loos, and tire kickers, only then will have folks that are to pay more for your security services.

If the only thing a company can say is that we are the cheapest around, I feel sorry for them. That’s not a marketing message and it’s only a matter of time before their out of business.

Doubled Your Sales Forces…

Fred, this is truly the only way to separate yourself from all the other security dealers, locksmiths, and security system integrators…is through Education Based Security Marketing (TM). The more you educate, the more you sell. Way to go on buying the card pockets! You have now effectively added four sales reps that will deliver you more business whenever you’re out-and-about….at a next-to-nothing cost!

Technical Training…

Fred, I would go back and replay the audio success CD “How To Sky-Rocket Your Security Business With Interactive Video Monitoring”, and “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Video Analytics” these are the two (2) biggie growth industries in the security industry. Also on the next open call-in day for all Smokin’ Security Newsletter members which is coming up and I’ll give you niche industries where these are an easy sell. Before I forget pick up a couple of copies of anyone of the “Dummies” book for installing computer networks, a good way to break your techs into the TCP/IP world.

Sales Presentations…

Fred, one last thing before I go, I would take the Y.P. that I created for you and take it down to Staples, and have them print up a bunch of copies so that you can use it as a handout when your meeting with new prospects, “this is a subtle way to sell “WITHOUT” selling, that you are the the man. I would also incorporate some real sweet testimonial on to the backside of the Y.P. handout. I would also when your meeting with a new prospect, don’t forget to drip on them with your new quarterly newsletter that is part of your Smokin’ Security Newsletter membership.

Adios Amigo…

Happy Hunting with your Y.P. Ad in 2010!

Bob