In this guide, we’ve offered up some tips and tricks for anyone looking to successfully sell access control systems and your installation services to their customers. If that’s you, use this information to better your understanding of the market and to improve your own knowledge and sales technique too.
Firstly, develop an understanding of who might use access control
To be able to sell your access control systems and your services, you need to know who is on the lookout for them, or who could be interested in them when approached.
It’s the commercial market that typically invests in access control systems, with the vast majority of sales coming from developers working on new office units and industrial units, or those looking to improve their existing units. These businesses and individuals are the kind of client you should spend most of your time targeting, when looking to sell access control.
You will also find that developers of apartment buildings will be interested in some sort of access control system, so it’s well worth approaching these businesses to speak to them about your product and your services. You should also consider any new hotels being developed, along with existing hotels undergoing renovation.
When assessing the market you could promote your product and services too, location plays an important role in how well you do with your sales. Consider areas in the country that are currently undergoing a lot of development and think about offering your services in and around that location.
Top tip: If you haven’t covered these four basic steps to promoting your locksmith business as a whole, you might want to start here before focusing specifically on access control.
Ask questions to get a potential customer thinking about their security needs
When it comes to approaching a potential customer and meeting with them to discuss your product and service, it’s a good idea to really get them thinking about their security needs.
You’ll probably find that many prospects will shun the idea of investing in high end security, or changing from their existing (perhaps more traditional) security system. However, with a little conversation and further detail, you could soon help them to understand just how useful and beneficial access control can be.
Find out how many people access or will access the building on an hourly or daily basis. Explain that with so many people coming in and out of the building, it can be difficult to keep up with who should be accessing the space and who shouldn’t. Better yet, access control can allow the right people in and out at a much quicker pace than traditional security, such as keys.
Ask them what their current process is when an individual makes it into the building that shouldn’t be in there, or when someone attempts to enter the building without the proper permissions. Chances are most buildings won’t have a solid protocol in place, and from there, you can explain just how beneficial access control can be in these situations.
Bring the conversation back to efficiency, by discussing their need for remote locking features. Are there any areas of the building that need to be locked when someone enters and exits? Is there too much risk at stake by relying on individuals to lock the door themselves? You can explain how access control could automate the job for them and as a result, keep all private spaces in the building as secure as possible.
Another question you could ask them is whether or not they require a telecom system. Explain the benefits of having a telecom system and how a short term investment into this type of access control could greatly benefit the security of the building in the long term.
These are just a few of the topics you could discuss when meeting with a potential customer regarding access control and your installation services.
Think about the potential for an upsell when you win a client
When you successfully win a client over and you’re booked in to install a quality access control system into their building, it’s worth thinking about any other security areas you could upsell to them.
From CCTV to high quality key locks, has your client considered all areas of security and if not, is there anything you could suggest or recommend to them, that will help to establish trust with your new client and encourage further business down the line?
You should also consider upselling your services, by encouraging them to sign up to a contract where you regularly services and maintain the access control you have installed for them. This will sign the client up to a long term relationship and if you carry out a good job, could see you being recommended by them to other potential clients in the long run.
When it comes to selling access control and your installation services, it all comes down to knowing the target market, what is going to encourage them to sign up, and how you can create a long term relationship to promote further sales down the line.
If you’re a budding locksmith who has stumbled on this post a little early on in your career, why not think about booking onto our access control course for developing your skills and expertise? Access control is set to be one core component in the future of security, so having the skills to carry out the installation of these services is essential to the success of your long-term locksmithing career.
