Access Control
Educate customers, build solid relationships, win more jobs
By Kevin Downing
Installers are often faced with the responsibility of quoting a job that has
been improperly or inadequately specified by either the architectural firm or
the systems designer. But deficient specifications are not always the fault
of the designer. A big reason for specification problems often have more to
do with continuous improvement issues.
Access-control manufacturers are constantly improving and changing available
products, which can make it challenging for someone outside the accesscontrol
industry to keep up. It’s not uncommon for designers to spend months working
on the structural and visual details of a project and provide an access-control
spec that’s “As Build,” which, at the same time, is insufficient or just plain
wrong for the job.
This frequently means that during the design stage the exact needs are either
not specified by the customer, or the customer doesn’t know what the real requirements
are and, therefore, what equipment to include in the spec. This kind of uninformed
planning leaves the ultimate system design up to the general contractor and—in
the end—to the subcontractor.
The result is a no-win situation. Right out of the gate, you’ll often be faced
with working with a budget that is not realistic for the equipment that’s truly
needed. To further complicate matters, parking-control equipment installation
normally happens at the end of a construction project —when both time and money
are tight. There you are, stuck in the position of building a quote that meets
the needs, but quickly grows to many thousands of dollars in costs that the
customer is almost certainly not prepared for. On the other hand, if you try
to work with the specs as they are, you often put yourself in a difficult position
by trying to make do with what’s there. Bad idea.
And when things are wrong, they can only get worse after the system is installed.
Think of a few of the things that can happen. The card readers or keypads are
used by everyone that enters the facility. When the system is inadequate or
underachieving, both guests and employees have to deal with it daily. There
may be design-related problems that are not limited to the cardholder only.
System functionality and programming can be under-specified or even over-specified.
Also, there are many tasks that must be performed by the person maintaining
the database, and every job is a little different. There may be a need to provide
reports, change user names, issue new cards and create time zones. If the system
does not perform as promised, it becomes a series of no-charge service calls
as your company struggles to straighten out a mess that should have— and certainly
could have—been avoided. The bottom line is simple: The system must work seamlessly
and to the expectations of the user the first time.
When working with a customer who doesn’t know the need or the costs involved,
you must be careful. When a system is under-specified, the system is inadequate.
If it’s over-specified, you loose the bid. Remember, the goal is to bid the
job properly and win the business. One obvious way to avoid problems is to be
a consultant very early in the planning stage to make sure the design is capable
of working seamlessly. Unfortunately, that’s often simply impossible, which
leaves you in the position of being a consultant late in the game. To avoid
seeming like you’re piling on costs and equipment, you can instead take on the
role of investigator to help clients clearly understand what equipment is needed
and let them make choices with a clear understanding of what may happen down
the line if corners are cut and specs are loose.
Become a Problem-Solving Partner
There are many considerations to remember during the bidding process that can
help you become a problemsolving partner rather than simply a bidder. Some are
obvious and some are not, but each can and will cause problems if the right
questions are not answered up front. Here are some things you should find out
to help qualify a successful and realistic bid:
How many users are expected now and in the future?
How much cardholder turnover is there?
If Proximity, what is the desired read range?
Does everyone arrive and leave at the same time?
Is there a need to track users?
Is there more than one device opening at one time? For instance, will there
be a gate and an overhead door opening?
Are there problems with tailgating vehicles or pass-back of access cards?
Is your customer a property management company with multiple tenants? If
so, do the tenants have there own access-card system? If a tenant has his
own system, he will have two cards, one for the door and one for the office.
Does the parker need to communicate, via intercom or telephone entry, with
someone to allow access?
Who handles after-hours communication?
Where is the “head end” of the system going to be located or is the system
stand-alone?
Who will manage the system?
These are some of the questions that need to be answered or certainly kept
in mind during your specing and bidding. Making sure you have all the right
answers by reviewing each of the areas with your customer before you bid will
also make your customers feel confident that you’re looking after their best
interests. Not only can you help prevent a potential disaster, you just might
make a larger sale.
Where It Can Go Wrong
It’s a simple fact that when a customer spends money on a system, he expects
it to function. People who are not a part of this industry probably don’t realize
the limitations of the equipment installed. If the system doesn’t perform to
the expectations of the owner, then the installer is faced with a whole new
set of problems. It’s very important for the installing company to know and
completely understand all of the requirements before the job is bid. To avoid
problems, it may be necessary to understand much more than what is written in
the specs. Some of these issues were covered earlier; however, other factors
about the customer may come into play. Security could play a big part in the
specs, or traffic control could be an issue. If the customer wants revenue control,
the job may have to be split with other subcontractors.
You might be asked to provide a quote for a system that has been built by a
system engineer and you see design flaws or the need isn’t satisfied. You must
try to correct the spec, or maybe you should pass on the bid. Yes, that’s right—pass.
Do it professionally. Do it with confidence and provide solid reasoning,
but pass. You don’t want to build a job that you know will not operate properly.
The liability is simply too great a risk. It could work to your benefit if you
want to play the change-order game. However, it might turn out to be more effort
than it’s worth.
If you make suggestions to the general contractor or the property owner, make
certain you have support documentation ready. At this point, it’s important
to get it right. You will lose your customer’s respect and future business if
you get it wrong. Paramount to your success is education and product knowledge.
Find out what all the customer’s needs are. Understand the system expectations
and requirements. When you make changes you must have everything spelled out
in the quote. In short, be a partner in the project.
Also, it’s a good idea to recap your initial fact-finding at the beginning
of your presentation. If this is a competitive bid and your competition has
seen your client recently—since your last visit—the requirements may have changed.
You shouldn’t present your client with an outdated quote. Change the spec to
match the new need before you present. If you present your quote and it’s not
what the customer wants and you have to come back, it creates the appearance
that you don’t know what you’re doing. Remember, you want to be a problem-solving
partner who’s ahead of the game. Let the competition catch up to you.
The biggest problem is if you have to amend your proposal many times. Your
customer may continually change the need and you want to accommodate those changes,
but after many visits, the customer’s perception of you can swing unless you
are confident and prepared. You may at times feel like you’re providing a service
above and beyond the normal sale and you’re right. But if you’re not careful,
your customer will loose confidence in you.
Do the Research
If you are put in the position of building the job, you have control over what
equipment is used; however, other people will bid on the spec you built. It’s
good exercise to have an agreement outlining that situation. You’re providing
a service—one that is worth getting paid for, but that may not always be easy.
Getting paid for a bid that you’re putting together will not happen, however,
if you’re providing the services of consulting and system architecture as an
additional service. A little sales effort can go a long way.
Try to find out everything you can about the equipment. Research how it wires,
where the wire will go, where the equipment will go and how it programs, and
colors available. Take support literature. Manufactures make it available and
it will qualify to your quote. That will give you an advantage over your competitors.
Don’t forget that it’s good policy to not bid every job. Yes, it’s a numbers
game, but if your plan is to bid all jobs and learn as you go, that’s opportunity
to prove you really are not the expert. Nobody wants to pay for your educational
curve. Learn as much as you can about a system before quoting. If a request
for proposal comes up and you have little knowledge of how it works, pass on
it until you understand two things: how to install the system including software
and exactly how the system will work.
Find out as much as you can about a specific brand or type of access control.
Use all your resources before the sales call. While you’re with your customer,
if an issue comes up and you do not know the proper response, get back to him.
The customer will respect that. He will know when you are winging it and that
builds bad relations.
Get the Job
Often a contract is awarded based on the minimum specification offered. As
the customer begins to realize that the system agreed to isn’t going to satisfy
the need, the whole process becomes a challenge of change orders. Do as much
fact-finding up front as possible. Spend time educating the customer with the
general contractor and help them understand what it is they need. This will
create a comfort level with the customer. If your competition attempts to sell
something that doesn’t satisfy the need, the customer will realize it and lose
trust in the competition.
You’ll know you’ve built good relations when the contractor considers you part
of the team. This allows the general contractor to have confidence you’ll do
your part and also puts you at the top of the list for future bids. In addition
to building relations with your customer, this helps ensure the competitor’s
bidding will have to provide the same or like equipment. When the general contractor
considers you an expert, you’ll have a better chance of winning the bid—even
if your costs are higher. The lowest price doesn’t always guarantee the win.
The highest degree of confidence in the final product most often does.
Build a Healthy Future
Throughout the entire process there are a couple of things to keep high on
your list. First, when you win the bid you’ll have to work with this person
for a while and eventually bill him for work performed. If you build this relationship
with knowledge and respect, the job—from start to finish—will go much smoother.
Second, it’s nice to get additional work from someone you’ve worked with in
the past. This business is much easier to win when you’e working with people
you know or with the referrals youe received from your good customers. It beats
starting over every week.
Ultimately, the customer has a need and you can fulfill that need. Frankly,
what it all comes down to is trust. Trust that the customer is getting a fair
price, and trust in your ability to install the right equipment at a fair cost.
A tough job? Sure, the first few times. But with perseverance and attention
to the details, the tough jobs get easier and more rewarding.
Kevin Downing is the director of sales and marketing for American Access
Systems Inc., a Centennial, Colo.-based manufacturer of access-control products.
To reach him, call 800.541.5677; visit www.americanaccess.com.
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