Has IPVM Helped You Get Business Or Make New Connections?

JH
John Honovich
Nov 05, 2015
IPVM

Just curious. I don't really think about that aspect but recently a number of people mentioned either getting business or making new connections from IPVM.

If you have, curious to hear to get a better sense of how you are using IPVM.

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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 06, 2015
Pro Focus LLC

I would say that, indirectly, there is no doubt that the depth of industry knowledge here, in addition to the great tools, has helped me land projects that otherwise may have been outside of my abilities.

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Skip Cusack
Nov 06, 2015

When I see a particularly thoughtful comment by someone who clearly has deep expertise, I may reach out to them at a later date to ask their opinion or advice in that area. That’s much more than just networking, it’s highly qualified networking. Also when I come across somebody during an engagement who is an IPVMer, there is in my mind some degree of instant credibility, because I know he or she is taking the time to stay up to date on our industry.

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Mark Jones
Nov 06, 2015

Good morning to everyone. I am of course a strong proponent of IPVM. I never hesitate to turn people in the industry on to it whenever I can, both inside and outside of our company. I now check the site at least twice per day and follow their feeds on Twitter.

Of the many things I find useful is direct feedback from customers. Some of the best services we have come directly from customers in the form of feedback. I often read negative reviews both here and elsewhere to get a feel for what customers like and dislike and then go to work on improving what we have to offer. I also take away many good ideas from other members who are integrators. Discussions on compensation, products, policies, procedures, do's and don'ts, what works and what does not are very helpful as we continue to evolve and grow our business. While I am quite independent in my thinking, I see no reason to reinvent the wheel. For me at least, a good idea does not have to be my idea. I don't mind borrowing from the best and brightest in the business and I do without an ounce of shame.

The technical reviews of products are something you do better than we do. The sheer volume of products today vs 15 years ago makes it much harder for us to conduct our own, and your international presence is one we just did not have access to.

The courses and technical guides are an excellent resource for me. We do have our own in-house continuing education effort and I don't mind saying that if nothing else, I get relevant and timely ideas on areas where we should be concentrating our efforts, as well as what is right around the corner; the "what's next" factor. Surveillance has never been about what is on a screen. Anyone can deal with what they see. A good business model, like good security should be centered around what you don't see; what you don't know. IPVM helps me bridge that gap.

The camera calculator is a no-brainer. I now have a visually vivid method to demonstrate to each customer what they will have when we complete a project and we all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. Have I been able to show a client the difference between what we will offer and what the competition offers? Yes. Has it made a difference? Yes.

I could go on for a bit more, but I would like to mention one other thing that goes overlooked or unmentioned and that is the value of SEO content provided by IPVM. Because we are a smaller firm than most, I wear many hats here. I have to be involved in many aspects of our business model. From the perspective of SEO, backlinks are very, very valuable. Quality backlinks account for almost one-third of a company's Google SEO rankings. In the world of backlinks and SEO, quality is more important that quantity. All of our backlinks from IPVM rank extremely high and believe me when I tell you, I do check.

My thanks to the staff and please continue the good work.

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JH
John Honovich
Nov 06, 2015
IPVM

Mark, nice feedback, thanks!

"the value of SEO content provided by IPVM"

That's really interesting because I have never thought about that before. What Mark is referring to is that you can add a URL that lets people click on your name in the comments and go to your site.

I can see that. Also, there is the benefit of people immediately clicking on that link. A quick scan of our web stats last month show quite a few members getting 20+ click throughs just from those name links.

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 06, 2015
Chesapeake & Midlantic

I got to meet Marty Major because of IPVM. If that's not value, I don't know what is.

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Marty Major
Nov 06, 2015
Teledyne FLIR

stone cold

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 06, 2015
Chesapeake & Midlantic

And you got to meet me! Even more valuable!

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Marty Major
Nov 06, 2015
Teledyne FLIR

I'm sorry, who are you again?

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Mark Jones
Nov 06, 2015

The same can be said for you too Ari!

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Marty Major
Nov 06, 2015
Teledyne FLIR

I joined twitter in Jan 2010. Within a week I had found IPVM (then ipvideomarket).

Within days of that, I came across this blog post by The Camera Man. It was after reading this, that I knew... I must meet this man.

And so I did.

Too bad it was at ISC East.

Pro tip: This is not a great venue to meet with Ari - at least for any period of time longer than 46 seconds. He's been doing what he does for so long - at the same place - that ISC East is where long lines of current and former customers queue up just to meet him, shake his hand - and if they are lucky, get to stroke his beard. I think I got a few minutes of his time as he went to the mens room.

But the meet-up at that bar across the street was fun - and I got to meet another really smart guy I had seen and read on IPVM there too - @NotoriousBRK

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Marty Major
Nov 06, 2015
Teledyne FLIR

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Jon Dillabaugh
Nov 06, 2015
Pro Focus LLC

Is that a Speco dome?

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U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 07, 2015
IPVMU Certified

It's actually a happy hour siren...

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Ari Erenthal
Nov 06, 2015
Chesapeake & Midlantic

I can't believe you still have that.

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Brian Rhodes
Nov 06, 2015
IPVMU Certified

I think I got a few minutes of his time as he went to the mens room.

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Richard Brady
Nov 06, 2015
Without a doubt the knowledge I have gained across the spectrum has helped me to close deals. However, A direct lead from IPVM will pay for my subscription to IPVM for the next 30 years as the job kept growing! Thank you one and all.
UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #1
Nov 07, 2015

I love IPVM and the resources it makes available to industry professionals. Personally, I have found a tremendous amount of benefit from the IPVM Integrator Finder. For a salesperson at a manufacturer, this is an extremely useful and convenient tool to use for cold calling. When planning a business trip, this is one of the first places I turn to to find new leads in a city I'm traveling to. I have gained several new customers from searching the IPVM Integrator Finder and cold calling on those integrators.

MM
Matjaz Mohoric
Nov 11, 2015

I did get many good advices here, so yes - it helps me in my day to day biz.

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