GOOD "BREED"ING IS PASSED ON
"You need to be able to track a complicated project from beginning to end, and give the customer a report that what they've been promised is what they've paid for," Breed advises. "You also need to charge enough to be able to adequately stand behind your system. These people aren't as price-sensitive; they're more results-oriented , and your business has to be able to deliver those results despite everything."
Breed adds, "This market is different than the mass marketers who sell alarm systems. There, cost is the biggest factor. For $99, a system can be installed, but then the real money is made in the recurring revenue. This is not what motivates a high-end residential client to purchase a security system. here, the details are first, and the cost is secondary. getting it right is what counts."
Since the systems are more complicated than the typical residential system, what is involved with training these customers to use their systems properly?
"A security system that's not armed isn't any good to anyone," Breed says adamantly. "So we strive to make our systems as smooth and as easy to work with as possible."
Preplanning helps. Once the system is in place, familiarizing the homeowners, caretakers, and property managers with how the system operates is key. In a 10,000-square-foot house, this isn't always easy, Breed admits.
"There are tons of controls and we, of course, give the homeowners lots of printed materials on how to operate their system. But we go further," he says.
"We take clients through their entire house and show them, step by step, how to operate the system. We physically show them all the devices. We also show them how to escape the house in the event of a fire, according to NFPA guidelines. We even go through the process of escape with them," explains Breed.
Tasco people are not shy about having to go back to a client. They'll go again and again if they have to, to make sure that everyone operating the system knows how to do it successfully.
"We don't have a prepared competency test, but we do follow-through with each customer to ensure they're getting the most out of their system," Breed states.
It is proof positive that David Breed, and Tasco security, is a top breed of dealer, indeed.
