Hello security and alarm professionals,
It has been a few months in the making, but the first edition of the Entry & Exit newsletter is finally here.
So, hello and welcome.
I’m Collin Trimble, CEO of Alarm Masters—a 40-year-old fire and alarm company that I’m scaling (along with my partner Stephen Olmon) through acquisitions and by applying operational excellence
Before we get into the good stuff, help me out with something:
What type of content interests you the most?
Now, let’s kick things off with some can’t miss resources.
The Entry & Exit podcast is your front-row seat to building a security and fire company (listen on Apple or Spotify)
Here’s the official Entry & Exit website (who loves the design as much as me?)
Surveillance videos of the week: Halloween 2025 edition
This one has been all over the national news…how outdated technology led to the Louvre heist
New report shows how HUB Enterprises and Champion Real Estate Services use autonomous tech to boost safety and rebuild resident confidence
Grow Your Staff With Quick Staffers
Your company is only as strong as your people. That’s good to keep in mind, but there’s a problem:
Hiring takes time (44 days on average) and can cost you thousands.
QuickStaffers solves that for home service companies. Their employees are pre-trained and ready to hit the ground running.
Here’s what you get:
Salaries starting at $550/week
Day-one ready candidates (this is the big benefit)
Global talent that plugs directly into your operation
QuickStaffers has already helped 90+ operators generate $150M. For a limited time, my readers get $500 off their first placement.
Niche Down to Win More
When I first started building Alarm Masters, I made the same mistake most operators make.
I chased everything.
If a facility manager called about a retrofit, we took it. If an oil and gas client needed cameras, we found a way. The goal was simple: grow at all costs. But what I learned over time is that saying yes to everything actually slows you down.
The companies that scale the fastest aren’t broad. They’re focused.
Why Niching Down Works
When you focus on one vertical, you start to really understand your customer’s world.
You learn their problems before they say them out loud.
For us, that vertical became K-12 schools and universities. Those clients value one thing above all else: speed to service. When a fire alarm is beeping and staff are stretched thin, they don’t want the “smartest camera installer.” They want someone who shows up today, not next week.
So we built our messaging, our website, and our sales process around that idea. Every piece of marketing, from SEO to outbound to social, talks about response time, communication, and reliability.
That focus has been a multiplier. The more specific our messaging got, the more leads turned into closed deals.
Defining Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
If you’re not sure where to start, look at your favorite customers. These are ones who text you directly, pay on time, and actually enjoy working with you.
That’s your ICP.
Write down everything you know about them:
Their role and responsibilities
The industries they work in
The problems that send them searching for help
How they prefer to communicate
What they value most about your service
Then use that information to find more people just like them. Your best customers will literally tell you who to target next.
We do short ICP interviews all the time. I’ll call a customer and ask, “What made you choose us? What mattered most in that decision?” The answers become our messaging.
How to Build Proof That Converts
Testimonials are nice, but everyone has them. What actually builds trust are customer snapshots.
Here’s what we do:
When a customer sends us a thank-you email, something like “Terry came out and fixed the issue fast, appreciate the service,” we blur out their name, screenshot it, and post it on our website, in our slide decks, and on social media.
It’s short. It’s real. It’s proof.
People trust screenshots more than polished testimonials because they feel authentic. That little extra credibility is often what gets a prospect to take your call.
Focus Beats Volume
Niching down doesn’t mean you stop growing. It means you grow the right way.
When you define your ICP, build messaging around what that group values, and collect social proof that speaks directly to them, every part of your sales process gets tighter.
You stop wasting time on bad fits. You stop writing proposals for people who were never going to buy. And you start having more conversations with prospects who are ready to close.
We’ve seen it firsthand. Once we focused on schools, our lead quality jumped, our close rate climbed, and our marketing spend went further.
The Takeaway
If you’re still trying to be everything to everyone, it’s time to change that.
Pick a lane.
Build a message that’s yours.
Talk directly to the people you serve best.
When you niche down, you stop competing on price and start competing on trust. And trust, in this industry, always wins.
Don’t be everything to everyone. It sounds counterproductive, but niching down is critical to unlocking serious growth.
PS: you can really help us out by sharing our newsletter and leaving us 5 star podcast reviews (here and here).
Disclosure: Some of the content and links in this newsletter are sponsored or affiliate links, which means we may receive payment or earn a commission if you click through or purchase. However, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.
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