By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-05-14 17:49:34 | Word Count: 664
In the 26 years of experience that Ive been involved in the home security industry the one thing I would have never guessed is that the industry would so drastically shift from licensed locally owned security companies to what is known today as alarm company dealers. When I first got into this industry every company listed in Miami was a locally owned and operated company. Today however more than 70% of security companies actively selling and installing home security systems are what is known as an authorized dealer of a nationally recognized company.
Back in the day if anyone wanted to get into this field the only way to do that was to become an apprentice and start from the bottom. There were no shortcuts and you truly had to be a professional at what you did to be allowed to be in business. Everything was regulated from buying equipment from manufacturers to being able to connect account to a central station.
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Today things are definatelly different. Literally anyone can sell and install security systems in Miami. There are no regulations as in times past anymore. Anyone can litertally go on line and purchase alarm equipment at the same wholesale prices that licensed professionals can. In fact the most extreme example of this fact is in the case of GE securitry equipment. You see GE has gone so far beyond what a normal wholesaler would do that most security companies in Miami have no interest in using their product. If you are a licensed alarm contractor in Miami and use GE sensors as the primary equipment you use to install at customers homes then as all other companies do you would go to a local GE alarm distributor and get the equipment at a wholesale rate only available to licensed companies and then turn around and sell them at a marked up rate to the homeowner you are installing the system for. This would seem like the normal business practice but not for GE. If anyone off the street goes into their nearest Sears dept store they can find the exact GE equipment that licensed companies get at their distributors for less tham the licensed contractor pays. Yea that is what GE considers a wise decision which makes all legitimate alarm contractors raging mad. Just imagine that a homeowner can walk off the street and pay LESS than licensed contractors. And that is what the security industry has turned into over the past 30 years.
Large companies like ADT and Protection One have instituted dealer programs which make it easy for anyone to start up a security business with little or no previous experience. As long as you can find a licensed electrician who is willing to partner with you irregardless of him ever having sold or installed ever a home security system you can be accepted by one of these companies and start a business in one week.
Security companies in Miami sure have changed in that sense so drastically because back in the day if you showed up at any local distributor they would not even talk to you unless they knew you were licensed and had been in the industry for some time. They would make it impossible for you to do business because there was no way of you getting equipment to sell and install even if you were an apprentice. If as an apprenticer you tried to buy equipment they would contact the business owner you worked for and asked them if it was ok to sell you the equipment.
At Alarm Depot we have been selling and installing security systems for 26 years and are fully licensed and insured
If you would like to find out more info call us at (305) 424-9219 or online at www.homesecurityconcepts.com
