“We already have an alarm”: what to say at the door
Maybe it is a full system, maybe a camera doorbell and a dog. The answer is not to knock what they have. It is to ask about it.
The situation
A home security rep is at the door, and the homeowner says they are covered. Sometimes that means a monitored system. Often it means a camera doorbell, an old panel nobody arms, or a dog.
The rep does not know which until they ask, and the wrong next sentence, “ours is better”, ends the door.
We already have an alarm.
The buyer
We’ve got cameras. We’re good.
The buyer
What it can mean
- We have a system we are happy with.
- We have something, and I don’t want to think about whether it is enough.
- We are under contract with someone else.
What a good answer covers
Respect what they have
Knocking their choice makes them defend it.
Ask what it is and how it works for them
The answer tells you whether there is a conversation, and they do the talking.
Ask one question about how it is monitored or used
An unarmed panel or a camera nobody watches is something they notice themselves when asked.
A strong answer
Good, that puts you ahead of most of the street. What do you have, if you don’t mind me asking? And when it goes off, who gets the call?
The rep
Why it works
- It compliments the choice, so there is nothing to defend.
- It asks what they have, which tells the rep where the conversation is.
- “Who gets the call” is a question they can answer, and the answer is often “my phone”, which they notice for themselves.
What not to say
- Naming or criticizing another company’s product.
- Telling them their system would not stop a break-in.
- Pitching an upgrade before you know what they have.
How to practice it
Five minutes, before the shift. Any manager can run it.
Say the line
The homeowner points at the doorbell: “We already have an alarm.”
Answer with two questions
Respect it, ask what they have, and ask who gets the call when it goes off.
Listen for knocking
Stop the run if the rep says anything negative about the system the homeowner has.
Run it with three homes
A monitored system under contract, a camera doorbell only, and an old panel nobody arms. The rep should end up somewhere different each time.
Shadowpitch puts this drill in every rep’s pocket. A voiced buyer says the line, the rep answers out loud and keeps the take worth hearing, and a manager hears it before the rep says it at a real door.
Questions
What if they are under contract with another company?
Ask when it ends, thank them, and offer to leave your card. A rep who respects a contract is the one they call when it is up.
Is a camera doorbell an “alarm”?
To many homeowners it is. Don’t correct them. Ask how they use it and who watches it, and let them decide whether it is enough.
Can a rep mention monitoring?
Yes, as a question. “Who gets the call?” lets the homeowner say what they have without being told it is not enough.