Meet Up With Your Prospects

Security integrators rarely meet with prospects before there is a project… but they should.

In the security integration world, bad salespeople offer the cheapest possible price for solutions created by the customer. Good salespeople create solutions for the problems found by their customers. However, the great ones find the problems and solve them before they happen.

How?

They meet with their key customers and prospects on a regular basis, whether there is an opportunity or not. Here is the key secret: They always bring value to every meeting. There is no “checking in” or “touching base,” but rather there is always a purpose.

As an example, an integrator might stop by to discuss a case study of a similar company that complemented their guards with video monitoring. As the discussion is underway, the two parties will likely find an unknown problem… and the integrator will walk away with an action item to solve the problem.

Great idea, but when will you have time? This process takes planning—but not much.

The first step is to identify three customers to whom you currently sell, and three prospects that you’re trying to capture. Establish a goal to meet with each of these six organizations every eight to 12 weeks. As this becomes part of your routine, increase the quantity of your targeted accounts until you reach critical mass and become the perceived expert in your market.

Chris Peterson is principal and consultant at Vector Firm. He can be reached at cpeterson@vectorfirm.com. For more information, visit his website at http://www.vectorfirm.com.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association (SIA).