How would you like to be approached?

[parkingandsecurity]

As i said we are applying for ACS. Having an SIA license is immaterial for the most part. It is a legal requirement to have a license to carry out licenseable activities as defined by the Security Industry Act. This is a personal license for each operative and a non-frontline license for any management who are directly involved in the deployment of licensed staff. The company does not need to have any accreditation in its own right.
The holding of an SIA license for an individual also does not allow you to use the SIA logo or in any way imply you are approved by the SIA.
The website does at several points make it clear the patrols are carried out by SIA licensed staff.

 

[Mr D]

If you have all the accreditation with the SIA why are you not shouting about it?

This is by far one of your major downfalls on your website... tell your clients exactly what they're money is buying from you... sell the business not the product!!

Security is by far one of the most important things in life for anyone or any business... people will want to know whether you're a "proper" security firm and not one of these flyby in the night crackpot schemes...

Shout about your accreditation's you've earned the right to do so!!

Put it this way... The company that I work for is an MLA Approved Locksmiths - every page on our website has the MLA logo... we're also a UKLA member... every page states this.

I have people ringing me asking me to do X we're booked out for the next 2-3 weeks, we can't take on any more work... this is how our website works for us.

Likewise, our sister company is an SSAIB Approved installer of Access Control, CCTV, Alarms... BAIF for fire alarms, we're ISO9001 compliant... they're a part of the FIA... We don't need to ring around for our business... people come to us... Because of all of our accreditation's.

And if I'm looking around for a security firm the first thing I'm going to check is the ones with the accreditation I'm looking for.
People also talk - they can and do say 'avoid xxx they aren't accredited' when someone asks them about who to use.

 

[parkingandsecurity]

Norwich, where im based is mainly covered by 3 companies:
Dardan Security
Broadland Guarding Services
Security Solutions Yes (SSY Group)

The first 2 are ACS the third is the police contractor for securing properties and is not ACS, doesn't appear to be SSIP in any way. The first 2 are large companies employing possibly hundreds of people each.

I am a new-co. I already have CHAS, im working towards ACS and ISO:9001. I cant publish what i dont have. I am clearly willing to progress to any suitable standards but until such time as its viable this isn't something i can just chuck tens of thousands of pounds at.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

As i said we are applying for ACS. Having an SIA license is immaterial for the most part. It is a legal requirement to have a license to carry out licenseable activities as defined by the Security Industry Act. This is a personal license for each operative and a non-frontline license for any management who are directly involved in the deployment of licensed staff. The company does not need to have any accreditation in its own right.
The holding of an SIA license for an individual also does not allow you to use the SIA logo or in any way imply you are approved by the SIA.
The website does at several points make it clear the patrols are carried out by SIA licensed staff.

Immaterial?? What??!!

Is it hell immaterial... your customers look for this! your customers want this! As you've said it's a legal requirement for the operatives...

There are 100's of security firms out there that have use of their logo... all you need to do is ask them and they'll provide a logo with a clickable link back to their site...

Your website should be making this point on every single page to be honest... people forget once they leave one page about other "services" as they're looking for one in particular... if you have it on every single page it will stick.

 

[Mr D]

Norwich, where im based is mainly covered by 3 companies:
Dardan Security
Broadland Guarding Services
Security Solutions Yes (SSY Group)

The first 2 are ACS the third is the police contractor for securing properties and is not ACS, doesn't appear to be SSIP in any way. The first 2 are large companies employing possibly hundreds of people each.

I am a new-co. I already have CHAS, im working towards ACS and ISO:9001. I cant publish what i dont have. I am clearly willing to progress to any suitable standards but until such time as its viable this isn't something i can just chuck tens of thousands of pounds at.

Plus several London based companies.

 

[parkingandsecurity]

Plus several London based companies.

Not many London based companies are largely active in Norfolk. They do indeed have a presence but not a strong foothold (stronger than me though of course)

 

[parkingandsecurity]

Immaterial?? What??!!

Is it hell immaterial... your customers look for this! your customers want this! As you've said it's a legal requirement for the operatives...

Every page about security says SIA licensed operatives or similar on it. I also have insurance as is a legal requirement but dont have this on every page. Maybe i underestimated the obvious?

There are 100's of security firms out there that have use of their logo... all you need to do is ask them and they'll provide a logo with a clickable link back to their site...

You are correct. I have just re-read the SIA "Use of our brand" and it does make it clear the logo can be used with consent when linking back to their page. It does also say there are very few occasions where we let people use our logo. One company i know has it emblazoned on their shirts which is a bit of an issue id imagine.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

Every page about security says SIA licensed operatives or similar on it. I also have insurance as is a legal requirement but dont have this on every page. Maybe i underestimated the obvious?

You are correct. I have just re-read the SIA "Use of our brand" and it does make it clear the logo can be used with consent when linking back to their page. It does also say there are very few occasions where we let people use our logo. One company i know has it emblazoned on their shirts which is a bit of an issue id imagine.

Your front page, which is the what people look at first and foremost does not state anything related to SIA operatives,

 

[parkingandsecurity]

The frontpage doesn't really state much of anything having re-looked at it. This thread was about how to approach clients and has been rail-roaded into a "how much of my website do i need to change" thread. There is co-indicentally another thread about that in the full members website review section.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

With all due respect, you're forgetting one of the most important things in life... people are extremely cynical, especially when being approached by any company... however when it's a security firm, things are completely different...

The customer wants to know who you are, where you come from, why you're in this industry... how long you've been doing it... and majority of this information is online, then they're interested in what you can offer them, why they should choose your business over the 1000's of others in the country, or why should they go with you and not someone more recognised like Chubb or ADT...

What is your USP? Why should they use your services? what makes you stand out? these are things you need to be able to answer straight away... these are the things you need to be shouting about...

Get all of the information on your website, let them look you up after you've approached them, if you tell them something they want to hear, if it says it's so on the website they'll be more inclined to go with your services, if you've told them something and it's not shouted about on your website they're less interested... We've worked out that the more you shout about your services the more chance people will listen.

Your website will back you up so much, you'll have no need to do the shouting they'll be calling you... but until you sort it out (I'm sure the likes of @fisicx will be able to help you out big time) you shouldn't approach anyone yet... Just my personal opinion to be honest... simple mistakes on any website can be a killer for any business, but when Security is involved... it can make a massive difference.

 

[tony84]

How would you like to be approached...
I was thinking down a dark alley by a tall leggy blonde....called Dave.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

How would you like to be approached...
I was thinking down a dark alley by a tall leggy blonde....called Dave.

 

[parkingandsecurity]

.

@fisicx is assisting me with re-doing the website. I agree having looked at it form outside of my aesthetic only approach that it serves little purpose.

Being a new Co im fairly limited customer reviews, trading history and so on. I do have CHAS accreditation which is sought after by clients. I am also now working on ISO9001:2015 and ACS which will help to show commitment to the industry but this takes time. Until then I fully understand its going to be the smaller contracts which are attainable by me but that is a start, a foothold of sorts. The Parking side is very dog-eat-dog but i dont need to explode in this area in order to make a comfortable income and grow the business.

Thank you for your reasoned feedback.

 

[Root 66 Woodshop]

Another thing that All Security firms have to consider "somewhat more than other businesses" is how GDPR will affect their business...

To approach any company offering your security services in certain aspects breaches GDPR yet as a security company we have to abide by tighter security... which is a smack in the face to some companies... ... in most circumstances, we sit back and wait for people to approach us... yet we're on social media every day, pushing the company and it's services... people are not buying our products, they're buying the company... they're buying us... it's irrelevant what we sell or install.

Last year we were asked to provide a quotation for some local MP's the quotations were sent to the Government as it was a Government ran scheme, we were also asked to provide quotations for places of worship, again another Government ran scheme... anyway... The Director, walked into one office, picked up a laptop off a desk, and walked straight out... all the while the receptionist sat there wondering what the hell was going on...

He waited 2-3 minutes outside, then walked back in, introduced himself and the company and said... I'm here to talk to you about your security.

To put it bluntly, we received about 6 orders based upon that very tactic... did it hit home?... of course it did... will it work for everyone? probably not...

 

[Ginger Egg]

Solve a problem for them... Something your competitors haven't thought of. Go to them with a new idea and get their attention. Even if they say no they will remember you in the future.