How to Explain ROI of Security Systems to Residential Clients

Translating security threats into a simple ROI may help bridge these gaps, appealing to your customers’ business insight.

Using an ROI Calculation

Customers have a hard time perceiving their risk, which makes conversations based in fear of a potential break-in difficult. A simple return-on-investment calculation can comprehensively answer customers’ questions about the value of a security system.

Frame the investment in business terms by explaining the cost of a security breach, the value of the assets at risk and the reduction of risk provided by security measures.

Understanding Your Customers

When it comes to security, people can often fall into two personality types: Type A and Type B. Type A customers have dangerous habits that they justify with their organizational skills and “control” over their environments.

Conversely, Type B customers perceive their assets as being of little value to would-be thieves, qualifying their lax security measures.

Type A customers believe that they’re in control of their home, including its security. Convincing this type of customer through fear of a break-in won’t be as effective as an appeal to their inner manager.

Recommending DIY security systems that utilize smartphone technologies for constant home management appeal to these personality types. Once you place your customer in the driver’s seat for their security system, you can begin comparing system costs to help keep them in control of the final investment as well.

Reaching Type B Customers

Type B customers incorrectly value their assets and justify their lack of security by purposefully underestimating risk. Your Type B customers’ aversion to security may even be driven by a simple lack of willpower. In these cases, appealing to their desire for a hands-off approach to security may be your best bet.

You can use an ROI calculation to emphasize the simplicity of a home security system. Emphasizing home security packages that minimize client effort, like monitored systems, offer an alternative to inaction that doesn’t slide to the back of your customer’s priority list.

You can use an ROI as the final selling point for a system that ultimately reduces your customer’s total effort spent over time (since they won’t need to deal with a potential break-in).

Above all, an approach that carefully identifies a customer’s needs, preferences and personality traits will be most successful, even with your most stubborn or technology-averse clients.

If you listen carefully to your client’s hesitations, you’ll be better equipped to offer an approach that meets their doubts with solid, business-friendly explanations.

Emily Long is a freelance journalist based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She writes about tech, security and home automation. She previously covered tech and innovation for NextGov and federal policy for Government Executive.