Sign up today for part 1 of the marketing series webinars:
Part 1: Building Your Marketing Foundation
Thursday, October 8th, 2015  from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
Register at:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1496530252687904769
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QUESTION: CS WHO YOU GONNA CALL 
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Ken
    We have a customer that is requesting that we never call 911.  He only wants his emergency contacts called.  What would our liability be in under this? 
Thanks
Pam
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RESPONSE
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    The general answer is the same for the Residential All in One, Commercial All in One, PERS [personal emergency response service], mPERS [mobile personal emergency service].  That answer is that you are contractually obligated to contact the designated names on the Call List.  If no names are provided then you are to call the First Responders [police, fire, emt].  The answer is a bit different if you are monitoring a commercial fire alarm pursuant to the Commercial Fire All in One.  In that case you are required to follow the call list instruction but you are also required to follow Fire Department requirements in the monitored jurisdiction.  A specific response required by law will supersede the contract provision.  NYC FD for e! xample requires certain notification.  
    There are other considerations that you may need to consider.  For example, if you've issued a UL certificate for central station monitoring, you have to consider UL response requirements.  Same for NFPA .  
    When you agree to provide monitoring a good place to look for your duties and obligations is your contract.  The terms in that agreement should address when, how and to whom a central station should respond.  For a dealer to have a clear understanding of how that works you need to get the Response Policy from your central station.  You can share that with your subscriber.
    Your question pertains to a PERS agreement.  That agreement does provide for the Call List.  That Call List should be crystal clear that the subscriber has requested no First Responders.  
    The Disclaimer Notice would be a great place to note that the subscriber has declined monitoring calls to First Responders.
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MORE ON DIY - IS IT BAD IDEA
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Ken
    There has to be greed or desperation in an alarm company's business plan to even consider DIY monitoring.  

  •     Doctors don't provide technical assistance for do it yourself operations in your home.  
  •     Accounts don't suggest you do your own correspondence with the IRS.
  •     Lawyers have said for years that a person representing himself in court has a fool for a client.

    If the DYI's found little if any acceptance within the security industry, (including the Police and Fire Services) the market would dry up overnight.  I can't think of anything affecting the industry more than a DIY programming an account into a central station.  If the industry wanted to make a statement it should be we don't recognize DIY as professional enough........... to be professional.
John W. Yusza, Jr
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RESPONSE
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    I have to disagree.  DIY systems don't have to be programmed by the consumer.  The equipment comes programmed and all it needs to be is connected to the phone or Internet line.  Most consumers can handle that.  
    As far as the DIY installed equipment, and excuse me because I am not technical, I suspect the DIY systems are not too different than the wireless systems being installed for cheap.  Many consumers can handle that too.  Alarm companies would be foolish to give up this potential revenue.  
    Installing DIY equipment and monitoring that system is not the same a monitoring an operation, dealing with IRS or representing yourself in court.  So I don't buy the analogies.  
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                 WEBINARS - free [these webinars will not be recorded]   

MARKETING YOUR ALARM COMPANY presented in a 3 series webinar
Five Marketing Methods That Provide Results, Time and Time Again!
Presented by David Morgan of Security Dealer Marketing  www.securitydealermarketing.com
Which marketing methods have worked for over 100 security companies nationwide?  According to the 80/20 rule, 80% of results are generated from 20% of your activities. This 3-part webinar series will focus on the 20%, or the 5 marketing methods every dealer and integrator must be using to generate results. Best yet, each one of these 5 marketing methods are all 100% trackable.

All webinars will be from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST

REGISTER TODAY FOR ALL THE WEBINARS [register for each one separately]:

Part 1: Building Your Marketing Foundation
Thursday, October 8th, 2015  from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
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Part 2:  Pull Marketing Strategy
Tuesday, October 13th, 2015  from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
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Part 3: Fine Tuning Your Marketing Machine
Thursday, October 15th, 2015  from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST
Register at:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4241516007012418818

About Security Dealer Marketing:
For over 4 years Security Dealer Marketing, a full-service marketing agency for the security industry, has helped dealers, integrators and industry manufacturers nationwide gain market share, expand to new markets and penetrate new verticals successfully! We have helped over 100 security companies nationwide. We know what works and what doesn’t, from experience!  We’ve been trusted by many of the industries biggest names, speak frequently at industry conferences on marketing for security companies and have been a featured monthly columnist, Marketing Madmen in SDM Magazine since January of 2014.