We have recently fitted CCTV to our house mainly to watch the car and the van but there was also something winding up my chickens early in the morning..... This made me no friends at all! Turned out to be a cat but that's another story. To be honest when we started looking into security cameras we didn't have a clue the only thing we did know (after three quotes) was we were looking at about £700 for 4 cameras and a hard drive.
I know it doesn't sound a lot for a security system but at the end of the day it's just 4x cameras a few pieces of wire and a hard drive with a plug socket to power it all. If you have a look around the big DIY stores, you will see that 4x camera cctv packages cost around £300, you get pretty much what we were being quoted for and you save yourself £400.
It took me no more than a day to put my system up and that was with all the ducting i used to tidy the wire up. Imagine if that third and final quote had been for £550, i would have snapped his arm off there and then! Without being greedy he would have netted himself around £200 for a day's work (£300 for the cameras and £50 for nice ducting).
To set up a business like this it's pretty simple, you don't need to be an electrician as the equipment comes with plugs and sockets. All you simply do is think about where the cameras are going to go, get up there and drill some small holes, put up the camera, connect and run the cable from the camera to the hard drive, check it's all working well, put the wire away inside the ducting to make it look nice and collect your cash.
The most important thing in this job apart from the quality of the installation is your image!!! You will have to convey quality, professionalism and honesty. Remember people are letting you in their houses to fit security, they want to be able to trust that you're not going to be coming back to rob them. I believe with this type of business appearance is everything, appearance of your vehicle, appearance of your website, appearance of your business card but most importantly the appearance of you!!
I wouldn't show up in a hoody because that will fit the wrong stereo-type and put people off. I would aim for a clean set of black overalls or black trousers a shirt and a tie. Dress like a security guard because it psychologically reassures people as to what you do, it may sound a bit like we are trying to con them but were not! We just have to start somewhere in an industry that is very personal to people. Put yourself in your customer's shoes all the time.... what would you want to see???
Clip boards are always a good idea as well, they are handy for keeping all your papers and a pen close to hand, and the biggest selling point for me is that they look professional especially when you team them up with a brief case.
As for getting started you will need;
• A vehicle (doesn't have to be a van but is preferred).
• Some ladders (steps and long reach).
• A good cordless drill (and a few spare batteries).
• Hand tools (hacksaw for ducting, screwdrivers, hammer, pencil)
• Business cards.
• Web site (you could use a free one).
• Some magnetic signs for your car/van (£30ish)
I would also look to put an advert in your local paper for a special offer, something along the lines of special offer four cameras for £500 in September. Then deliver leaflets to as many houses as you can without the offer on but telling them to check the papers for special offers, this builds instant credibility and gets people looking for you. When you do get a job it is very important that you leaflet drop the surrounding area, people will give you more of chance if they can see someone else trusts you.
Remember this is a 'trust service' they have to trust you to do a good job and trust you in their house. DO NOT ever talk about previous installations or where on a house you put cameras.
If you already have the vehicle you wish to use, this business may only cost you £200 to set up including advertising.
Why not try getting some stickers made that say "you are on camera" fitted by joe blogs call 01547******* for a free quote, to put on the front door so people know they are on camera and where they can get them from if they ever need them. Another way is to get your own "we do not buy anything from cold caller" signs with your logo's and details on and give them out to all your customers.
I hope you found this interesting, if you would like to see some other ideas for low cost business start ups, feel free to visit my blog. New business ideas are posted daily.
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