Access Control Doctor: Get customised!

29 Jun 09

By Adam Stroud

Adam Stroud of Paxton Access answers installers’ questions... This month: attracting customers.

Q: Why should I try to sell access control systems?

A: As we all know, the investment required to get a customer to spend money with you is substantial. Meetings, quotations, phone calls and site surveys all cost money and there's no guarantee that you'll get anything out of it. Once the customer is spending money, and delighted with the service, of course, it's a perfect opportunity to offer them something else. This is used just about everywhere. Don't let that put you off though. Installing access control systems uses the same broad skills as installing intruder alarms, CCTV and other systems. Access control is not as commonplace as intruder alarms, so your customer is more likely to be in the market for a system and margins are still good!

Q: How do I get my customer interested in access control?

A: A good hook to get your customer interested is to look for current problems they may have. This might be to do with the way they handle visitors, fire alarms, ex-employees or restricting access to restricted areas. Here are a couple of suggestions: "I noticed one of your staff walking around with a big bunch of keys earlier. Don't you have electronic access control? It would make life much easier and your building would be much more secure ... I noticed your communications room is open to all staff. Ever thought of sticking an access control system on there? ... Your car park is full, are you sure that only employees and visitors are using it?"

Most access control systems are scalable meaning you can add to a system over time. Install one door and they'll be back for more. Try installing the first door at a very low cost to get them interested.

Q: How can I differentiate myself from my competitors ?

A: If several companies are quoting for the installation of a system, give yourself every opportunity to win the business. There's a lot that can be done to make you stand out from the crowd. You can increase the usefulness of the system to the customer for not much more money.

Integration – Integrating with the customer's intruder alarm system will save them the frustration and hassle of false alarms. Integrating with CCTV increases the usability of both systems and adds real benefit to the customer by making valuable data more accessible.

Energy saving – Most companies are keen to reduce their energy consumption. Using products such as energy saving readers ensures that electrical equipment such as air conditioning is used only when required. Simple things like automatically turning the lights off when the intruder alarm is set can make a big difference to energy bills.

Service – In some cases manufacturers offer free of charge replaceable covers for readers. Offering to replace these regularly is a touch superficial but gives a customer a new looking, presentable system for years to come.

Credits :

* Adam Stroud is sales and marketing director for Paxton Access, a leading manufacturer of access control systems. Paxton Access is known for its well designed, easy to use products as well as industry leading support. Adam’s role involves co-ordinating sales and marketing activities and product development.

* Contact: 01273 811011, email: sales@paxton.co.uk, web: www.paxton.co.uk, blog: www.paxton.co.uk/blog