Re: Another Scum ADT salesman

[tourman <robercampbell@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Jul 1, 9:58=A0pm, Spellcheck Patrol <alarminst...@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> IMHO 99 times out of 100 the customer is full of shit when it comes to
> not knowing the terms of the contract.
> In this economy you'd have an easier time getting Jesus to do jumping
> jacks in Leno than you would getting a dime out of a customer without
> them brow beating you on everything involved so they need to stop
> feigning ignorance and just honor their agreement.

RHC: Tom, you are correct; however, a lot of that type of consumer
response is due to the fact that the vast majority of companies are
selling the "low down" or "free" systems  in the "low end "consumer
market. Here everyone is looking for something for nothing, or not
willing to accept much if any responsibility for their alarm system
over time in any real way. You REALLY need an iron clad contract
here ! Selling door to door will always get you those kinds of sales,
but these sales will come with their own problems simply due to the
type of people who normally buy that way - the lower socio-economic
"class" of people, who by that very definition many times are not very
sophisticated, or educated, or if they are, simply have no money in
these tough economic times. And renters come with their own set of
problems due to their very lack of commitment and  permanence. I know
these are generalities, but in my limited experience, true !

Personally, I sell in a much higher end market where people have no
problem paying $500 to a$1000 right up front. These folks tend to use
their alarms a bit more responsibly and also feel they have a stake in
the system, since they paid real money for it. A lot have paid $500K
and more for the home, so this is chump change to them. Most will work
with you over time to keep it working, and heaven forbid they would
ever deliberately default on any payment. It is much more of a
personal relationship between them and their dealer, and provided you
give them exemplary service, they reward you with real loyalty and
customer referrals.

It's a very tiny part of the overall market, and as such, the large
mass marketers will never succeed in it for many reasons. And, for
someone looking to put loads of systems on line very quickly, it is
definately not the way to go. My customers don't read my contract end
to end; they trust me not to be screwing them with the usual hooks and
bait in most long term contracts. It is unrealistic to expect people
especially in the "low end market" to read the fine print, (although
it is their responsibility to do so). It just wont happen !  Which is
why legislators in many jurisdictions have written those cancellation
time frames into contracts to protect people against themselves....

After 20 years in the business, I can honestly say I'm exceedingly
glad I was never tempted to get "down and dirty" with lots of these
other companies selling in the low end market.  I'm sure they make
much more money than I do, but given the loads of problems those kinds
of customers generate, it's just not worth it (IMO).

That's not to say you're not on the right track - just that it's for a
certain market that's all.....simply my observations for what they're
worth