Re: Acceptable time from walk-thru to quotation delivery

You might THINK you're saving a customer money by selling in the lower end
of the market offering, but I bet in many cases you might not be. Here is
one example of mom and pop I had recently. If you sell him a 4, or 6, or 8
channel DVR did you do that because it looked like he could fit that many
cameras in the square footage available? I bet the mom and pop has concerns
about the register, the front door, and the back door no matter the square
footage. But did you ask what types of losses mom and pop had in the past
year? Maybe a DVR box is right for them and maybe not. I did asked that
question about loses recently and had the owner explain to me about the gun
battle he had with the Mexican Mafia at his store that left him hospitalized
for 2 full years, in addition to leaving 5 other employees with bullet
wounds. Could he get the facial details of the people that shot him off that
Speco system you just sold him, or the Geovision you built yourself?
Perhaps, if that Everfocus DVR didn't end up in pieces on the floor under
the boots of the thug that just shot your customer. Or if the ouside camera
was stolen off the wall a month ago and no one noticed it yet. What if he
felt better about being able to check in via the net and see, talk and
listen to what is happening and not worry about the video archive element
because you backed it up real time off site (at your office, or his home, or
where ever he wants from a different stream from the same encoder?) What if
liked the idea of using that same "video" system to remotely lock or unlock
the office door? So what did you sell him too much of and not enough of? A
DVR box frozen in time hardware wise, with limited software or firmware
upgrading available. Or did you sell him something that he can use now and
add to or change later, as his business changes and the threats he faces
change. Did you sell him something that "can work" on a network or something
designed as part of a networked solution? Or will you go back in a few years
when the hard drive or CPU fan fails in the DVR box and sell him another box
and start to whole sorry trunk slammer cycle all over again? Wouldn't it be
better to at least offer a solution that can run on a computer he owns
already, and that will already be part of an upgrade cycle, so that he won't
have to pay for twice for the same gear he uses for the same single
application? I compete with low end gear routinely. I believe for the same
budget dollar what I offer might weigh less in terms of pounds of hardware,
but with my solution I give the customer better features as well as a better
future of features. It is not the hardware price but the location of what
level product you offer and what YOU have done with YOURSELF as a
professional to understand and offer that level of product delivery. Where
are you on the level (below) as far as what you offer and what your ability
to install and service it in any size environment?
If CCTV is:
Level 1 VCR with MUX
Level 2 DVR with hardware MUX (limited metadata integration) [DM and GE box]
Level 3 DVR with software MUX (metadata integration) [AD, Bosch V8,
Integral, I3]
Level 4 Encoders, IP cameras with NVR (interactive metadata integration)
[Broadware, Genetec]
Level 5 Edge encoders NVR Server analytics (complete metadata integration)
[AD/Mate, Verint, IndigoVision]
Level 6 Edge encoders, edge recording, edge analytics (OS independent
complete metadata integration) [BVIP]

What efforts have you made to get yourself to a higher level of product
offering? Or do you buy your own BS when you sell the junk at the low end of
the market? You don't have to sell a $6000 NVR to offer a big feature set.
In most cases a true COTS NVR doesn't do anything but run as a service on
the server and just record. It is the workstation software that connects to
the NVR that has the features. There is lower priced gear in the
encoder/with software world that still does a lot more than most any DVR
box. Think of how fast the technology is changing nearly everywhere. Having
CCTV professionals get up to speed on new product delivery is the best way
to stop the whoring of the CCTV world like the burglar alarm world was and
is.

"Cam-man" <none@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:otgju210i3cedtgp7lmnd1h0cms36km3et@xxxxxxxxxx
Roland Moore inspired greatness with:


I can't remember a time when we did a bid for 8 cameras in less than 2 to
3
weeks at the earliest.
When it comes to bids, first there is always the person you talk to that
thinks they're in charge. But they're not really in charge, you are.
Mostly
because they only think they know what they're asking for, or think they
know what they're talking about. But they never do actually, you do. Where
are the loses coming from? How can video help? What is the budget? Is the
money in the security budget? Is it in the IT budget? Is it new
construction? Is it existing construction? Are all the cameras in one
building? Who is going to be watching it? Locally? Remotely? Both? What
ISP
are they using? Do they have a fixed IP address available? Do they use a
VPN
to gain access to their Intranet? Do they have layer 2 or 3 switches? Will
you need a VLAN to avoid network bandwidth issues? Are they all indoor
cameras? Are there PTZ cameras? Are there special lighting issues? Will
there be a joystick? Multiple joysticks? Via a video switch or added to a
PC? Does it interface with the access control system? Does it interface
with
a Point of Sale system? Will you use edge recording? Are there Mega pixel
cameras? Will you have edge storage? How long do you need to archive the
video? What is the bandwidth available? Will it be DVR, NVR or iSCSI
storage
or a combination? Will there be future expansion? Wall monitor displays?
Public view monitors? Will there be analytics? At the edge in the encoder?
On a server? On a device?

Hey! That's a bad-ass checklist. I'm going to have to plop those
questions down into a form for use onsite. Yoink!


I have been to many jobs where someone has had a "bid" ready in three
days.
It wasn't a bid, it was just an equipment list really with prices,
sometimes
not even line items, just a lump sum. Maybe it was a box of leftover parts
or something he picked up up from the parts house where he used "one or
two"
like it before. No answers to any questions, maybe a cut *** or two.
When
I am finished they throw all those other bids away.

So you've seen my bids, aye?


If you are doing bottom
rung, bottom feeder Everfocus, Speco, do it yourself Geovision or Insight
Video or any number of garage based pseudo DVRs, then the "bid" doesn't
really matter because there couldn't be that much difference in price
between you and the next guy when the dollars amounts for that stuff are
so
low to begin with. If they buy that crap anyway then be happy; because
they
never will be. Come back in a few years (if they're still in business) and
you'll get to rip all that garbage out and sell them a real system that
actually meets their needs. You will get that opportunity because you're
not
a trunk slammer selling video like it was a "three doors and a motion"
burglar alarm; but as a professional that flies to regular training, keeps
current in the latest technology, works closely with the trainers and
engineers at the factory to make sure they include the items you need to
meet your customers needs. The factory respects you because you kiss their
ass when they're right, and kick their ass when they're not. You pay your
invoices on time. You don't call a factory technician to "walk you thru" a
setup because you too lazy, or too stupid to read the directions, or don't
want to be bothered by getting properly trained. In short you protect your
interests by protecting your customer's interests.

Roland, not every situation calls for a $6000 NVR software and switch,
$1500 IP cameras, and encoders. I know your company specializes in
high-end industrial, but it is just that, a specialty. Since
Everfocus, Speco, and Geovision came out with mid-range DVR's; and the
price of decent cameras is lower a whole new market has opened up. Mom
and Pop stores that couldn't afford video before are now able to get
into a decent system that does everything they need it to.





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