How Did You Capture Your Key Account?

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Brian Rhodes
Aug 22, 2016
IPVMU Certified

In terms of single accounts with big sustaining revenue or 'biggest whale', how did you land the business?

Is it a long term personal relationship (ie: fishing buddies), a business social group (ie: Rotary Club), account growth over time, or competitive bid? Or did you earn it because of persistent sales calling and being the '#2 option' until the opportunity arose?

As an integrator, the 'biggest fish' I ever had hand in personally landing was a large consolidated school system that was won through competitive bid. It was hard work to build consultative trust with them, because the whole relationship was based on low-prices not skill or knowledge. It took a while to get 'not awkward'.

I spoke with someone recently who told me his 'big fish' was based on playing highschool football with the Chief Executive, and that he had always been his security supplier through stops at several companies.

How did you capture your Key Account?

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Armando Perez
Aug 22, 2016
Hoosier Security and Security Owners Group • IPVMU Certified

I've never been fond of pounding the pavement, so Ive always tried to build a business around inbound marketing. Bring them to us first, that way we are the expert from the beginning.

My personal best account came to me from our standard marketing about 8 years ago. I dont remember what method and it doesnt really matter. May have been a mailer, or web, or who knows. But it started out as the replacement of a single recorder that was out of budget and he was shopping the internet for a cheap replacement. The first sale was over the phone and heavy on the why we are better and I price matched anyways. It was a slow month. I asked him to let me prove we are worth the price and that I would only price match this one system. I didnt hear from him for 2 months after that. Then out of the blue, we started doing other buildings for the organization.

The relationship built, I did many building for him, then it kind of stopped after about 3 years. Six months later he reappeared at a company in the same vertical, about 10X larger, with more purchasing authority. When he asked the big man about why he chose to integrate Honeywell cameras the door was opened for us to prove our way is better.

Along the way I have taken every opportunity to prove that we have their best interests in mind, that we understand value and not just price. When questioned we explain and when we screw up we fix it, usually without them even asking. When its outside our wheelhouse I tell them. Never lie, offer more value than youre charging for. take care of them, and make them look good to their boss.

It doesnt hurt after a few years of doing business to buy them a bottle of Opus One for Christmas. ;)

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MM
Michael Miller
Aug 22, 2016

My first major project years ago I got by getting a parking ticket. It wasn't by design but getting the ticket got me in front of the police chief. I was able to get the ticket dropped and sold them a new camera system. I wouldn't recommend this a sales tactic though.

Had another large project year or so later where I got a call on a Sunday to go run a subwoofer cable in someone's house. My wife was out shopping so I said I would be right over. Turns out the guy was the GM for a large company in the area. 1 year later he called me to redo their 200+ camera system. This project was key for us to grow the company in the enterprise size systems we have been able to leverage this project to help us get many more Enterprise systems.

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TC
Trisha (Chris' wife) Dearing
Aug 22, 2016
IPVMU Certified

...getting the ticket got me in front of the police chief. I was able to get the ticket dropped and sold them a new camera system.

MM: Chief, if you don't mind pulling the video from town center surveillience system, I'll think you'll see I'm nowhere near the fire lane.

Chief: Ok, we'll do just that... Wait, we don't have a town center surveillience system.

MM: Hmmm, tell you what...

:)

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MC
Marty Calhoun
Aug 22, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Deal # 1

I was working a bid site for a local city for some fire alarm work. Once I read the opportunity I realized that the city already had what they needed from another bid they had done one month earlier and they were wasting city dollars. I cold called the head of Public Works, told him he was wasting money on junk he did not need,he listened to what I had to say and said thank you very much. Two weeks later he called me and said he had an unadvertised opportunity and could I help him out? I when to his office, discussed the opportunity with him and his assistants, closed the deal a month later. 475 door access system spread across an entire city including courts, Jail, police and fire buildings, City hall and Public works. Three years later I sold them 200+ cameras.

Deal # 2

Hard competition on a bid , I beat 52 other competitors on a city wide maintenance contract, IDIQ (10) year deal all access control, electronic security and IP Video for and entire City. Police department, Fire Department, Courts, Jails you name it. Have since sold 1000+ IP cameras

Its not a matter of how you capture the opportunity the real deal is can you impress the customer, take care of the customer enough where they respect you and your company enough to KEEP THE DEAL and sign the second sole source contract, that's when you have done something......

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Aug 23, 2016

208

Too easy.

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Brian Rhodes
Aug 23, 2016
IPVMU Certified

What does this mean? I know this is a Pokemon reference, but I don't get it.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Aug 24, 2016

The theme of Pokémon is "Gotta Catch 'em All". The ball is the trap that gets tossed at them. Basically, it's like the ghost trap from Ghostbusters. These things become relevant with a 4 year old.

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Brian Rhodes
Aug 24, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Ah, got it. Thanks!

U
Undisclosed #2
Aug 24, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Forced outdoors several times daily into the chilly New England winter air by increasingly restrictive smoking policies of the 1990's, I kept company with a few other outcasts, in the corporate tower side vestibule, aka the "smoking lounge".

There's nothing that bonds people quite like the combination of freezing temperatures, mutual shame and a shared vice.

One day my boss says to me, so you know the CFO of [large life insurance/casualty firm]? "You mean Danny? From the smoking area?"

The odds of getting in front of the guy if you didn't know him were probably pretty low. But it's hard to be proud when you're standing outside without a jacket, shivering and bumming a smoke.

They ended up becoming our first "real client".

Lucky Strike.

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Undisclosed #3
Aug 28, 2016

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