Page 78 - Security Today, May 2017

TECHNOLOGY OFFERINGS
related to password protection and access rights, the risk is minimal. Most importantly, margin levels are higher than traditional competi- tively bid security projects and there are fewer competitors to get in the way of your success; so what are you waiting for?
THINK STRATEGICALLY
Streamlining your technology offerings, reducing the number of sys- tems you offer, and focusing more on the systems that your organiza- tion can use to provide you with a competitive advantage over just throwing another bid out there are just a few ways to begin thinking strategically in your business. To start this process, you also need to develop an internal vertical market focus so you can keep the tech- nology that best aligns with the customer focus of your business. Also, your sales team must become intimately familiar with their customer’s business, understanding the reasons why they need secu- rity technology and how your organization can help them meet their internal goals.
Instead of carrying five or six technology lines each for CCTV and access control, take a serious look at your customer base, what mar- kets your organization performs best in and what markets on which you want to really focus. Then reduce the number of lines down to two or three platforms that you can truly support and lead with mov- ing forward. After that, align strongly with the lines that you keep, working with them to understand the strengths and features they of- fer in the markets on which you are focused. This is also a great way of helping your organization create subject matter experts internally as it’s much harder to develop expertise when you are working across five or six platforms versus two or three. I can also guarantee you will get more support from the technology manufacturers and more leads if your numbers are growing with them instead of just flat.
Let’s now discuss a few ideas that will help your organization evolve, taking advantage of the points discussed above.
CREATE SUBJECT MATTER “CHANGE AGENTS” IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
Internally, the best way to foster change is to bring in or develop a “subject matter expert” (SME); someone who understands the new trends and technology, how it’s applied, the value proposition both internally and externally and how to position it alongside the other market offerings of the organization. Overall, this individual will help the organization orchestrate and implement the proper way of selling and deploying the technology with minimal disruption to the orga- nization.
This individual will also be instrumental in supporting the sales effort, often meeting with end users to help position the organization as a leader on the technology as well as differentiate the company against its competition (which is why you are doing all of this in the first place).
Many organizations today often have an internal group of SMEs that support the field in pre-sales, sales, and post-sales implementa- tions. Making these changes internally will most certainly come at a cost but getting the right SME to lead the charge will keep the invest- ment reasonable and help you maintain positive sales throughout the transition.
LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
Another way of helping your organization evolve is to collaborate with best-of-breed technology manufacturers to support your orga-
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nization in building out the value proposition, sales, and deployment strategies needed to change the way you are currently doing business. After all, they have probably seen it all and most likely worked with other integration firms that have taken the same path your organi- zation is going down; so why not lean on them for support? Addi- tionally, most technology partners today have some level of direct involvement with end users and if you truly collaborate with them, they can be a great source of qualified leads as well as direct sales support when needed.
Project registration on strategic accounts will give you a pricing advantage and if done correctly, your SME will give your organiza- tion the credibility needed to take the project off the street and the extra price advantage you gained by teaming with your technology partner to the margin line. Also, don’t be afraid to take advantage of the Professional Services group within a new or advanced technology partner. Getting that extra hand on the first couple of implementa- tions will go a long way in developing your own organization while mitigating the risk associated with the first couple of installations. The investment is well worth it.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE INTERNET
It still amazes me what you can find by spending some time search- ing specific topics on the Internet. Use this tool to research market trends and the technologies helping drive these trends while keeping a keen eye out for complementary technology offerings you can bring into your organization that will help you meet customer demands. Additionally, the Internet has become an excellent tool for helping technicians troubleshoot field issues that they come across during the normal course of their day. Every week, one of my technicians will tell me about an issue they came across and how they found the solution on YouTube or one of the tech chat rooms out there.
The technicians of today grew up on computers and are very com- fortable navigating vendor sites as well as chat rooms looking for an- swers. The other advantage here is that almost every reputable tech- nology partner has developed excellent Web-based training on their system; and some even offer complete system certifications online, which will save you time and money getting your team up to speed on any new technology platform you bring into the organization.
If you still don’t believe your organization needs to change and evolve to be successful in today’s security market, and you don’t agree with my comments, go out and visit the Web sites of the regional and national system integration companies that are doing well. I guar- antee, in most cases, you won’t see a picture of a CCTV camera; you will probably see things like computers, network diagrams, integrated systems and other technologies that align with the core values and strategic mission of the organization. You will also see vertical mar- ket expertise proudly displayed in the form of case studies and white papers. These documents are how these organizations successfully differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Trust me when I say that today’s end user is doing his homework and is not just looking for a security contractor, but rather a business partner who they can bring into the fold of their security operation; someone who will guarantee they are successful in meeting their in- ternal goals. It’s been my experience that once they find that organiza- tion, they will have no problem paying them a premium to keep them on the team.
Rob Hile is the general manager of Securadyne Systems.
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