Re: Why Your Yugo Doesn't Perform Like a Cadillac

["Bob La Londe" <nospam@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Bob Worthy" <securinc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:h0YJl.34978$v8.18136@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> You know you have a challenge when the customer wants "a" camera to see
> this view and his head is spinning like an owl. I also love the call that
> starts out, "I saw this camera system on the internet, do you install
> these?" I started qualifying the calls for camera systems many years ago,
> especially residential. Saved a lot of time and gas by not chasing every
> call that comes into the office knowing that the majority are not going to
> spend the money on decent eqiupment. That was an easy decision after I had
> been to one house to many where the camera system would have been more
> expensive than the car in their driveway.
>

"Well, I saw this system at "box club" that was only "$cheap."'

My response to those is always the same.  "Those are inexpensive consumer
grade systems.  Box club has a fairly liberal return policy, so if you want
to install it yourself you can try it, and if you are not happy you can take
it back.  Just make sure you save your receipt and you try it out right
away."

Of course they usually then immediately ask, "Do you install those?"

I have tried a variety of responses to this but have never found one that
gives a good result.  I tried, "Sure, the labor to install and stand behind
that is $(original estimate * 1.5)."  Most people who ask are too stupid to
understand and just get pissed so I now I just tell them if they want a DIY
consumer system the consumer needs to DIY it.

Its tough, but I can't go around pissing everybody off either.  As much as I
would like to.

As to the swivel neck people. I try to explain that the more they see the
less they get.  Then I ask them if they have ever been to the Grand Canyon.
If they have it makes my explanations a lot easier from there.  They can
stand on the south rim in a few places and see most of the canyon, but there
is no possible way they can identify a person down at the ranch in the
bottom.  If they get a really good telescope with video imaging and image
stabilization they might, but then they can't even see the yard where they
are standing, much less any part of the canyon.

Most simply can not afford even a decent video system.  "Box Club" is the
only real solution for them, but I still will not sell or install those
because they will eventually not be happy, and they will remember the
features I mentioned were capable with better systems and claim I lied to
them or ripped them off.

Sometimes though you have a customer you have done work for, fixed problems
for, they like you, and have always paid your service bill without question.
You just don't want to piss them off, but in order to do that you have to
make them understand what they have.  That's why I started this thread.