Hello security and alarm professionals,
High-quality, industry-leading service is not a necessary evil. I repeat, it is NOT a necessary evil. It’s an absolute must-have for any company that wants to beat its competition to the top (and perhaps exit in the future).
In today’s issue:
Own Local Search
It’s free, it’s local, and it fuels calls before you ever spend a dollar on ads.
Do you know what it is? Google Business Profile.
In the home service space—regardless of industry—it’s the single most overlooked lead source
If you’re tired of missing the boat, Big Reputation can manage everything on your behalf.
Their AI engine posts daily from your real jobs—not stock photos—so every update signals Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust to Google.
Also, each post is optimized by location, category, and keyword to keep your listing fresh and climbing in Maps.
All of this leads to more visibility, more calls, and higher revenue.
How to Find a Deal That Isn’t Trash
In this episode, we talk about the ins and outs of finding deals that are worth buying. With seven acquisitions in three years, we have a clear idea of what to look for in a deal…and what to avoid.
Thieves Use Advanced Technology
Burglars are now using inexpensive high-tech devices to knock out home and business security systems before breaking in. A recent case in Bellaire shows exactly how it works.
Three suspects walked up to a backyard camera and held a backpack toward it. Inside was likely a Wi-Fi jammer. A small, cheap device that overwhelms a camera’s signal and destroys the video feed.
The footage instantly turned into blurred, unusable static. What should have been clear, identifying evidence became worthless.
These jammers can be built for under $60 and assembled in less than half an hour. All a thief has to do is point it at your camera. The device disrupts data transmission, causes packet loss, and prevents the video from reaching your system intact.
This tactic is spreading. Police in multiple cities have now seen burglars using jammers to blind cameras before forcing entry.
Homeowners and businesses need to get ahead of this. If your security relies on a single Wi-Fi camera, you’re exposed. Strengthen your setup by:
Updating firmware and hardware on all Wi-Fi cameras
Placing multiple cameras on each approach so one jammed view doesn’t kill your visibility
Using systems with SD-card backups or local storage
Incorporating hardwired or PoE cameras that can’t be taken offline by Wi-Fi disruption
The threat is simple: thieves are modernizing, fast. Your security needs to modernize faster. Fortunately, there are plenty of options available.
Strong Service is a Game Changer
The overview: Most owners treat service like a burden, but that’s a mistake. Service is one of the most valuable assets in your entire business. It shapes customer experience, drives your highest-quality leads, strengthens retention, and increases the ultimate valuation of your company. When you build service intentionally instead of reactively, it becomes a growth engine instead of a cost center.
The details: Many operators see service as a “necessary evil.” They underinvest, avoid non-contract customers, price work to scare people away, or let communication slide. That mindset creates frustrated customers, surprise invoices, missed appointments, long delays on quotes, and ultimately churn. Most cancellations fall into two buckets: the customer moved or the service department dropped the ball. That second bucket is completely preventable.
The companies that win flip the script. They treat service as the tip of the spear for customer experience. They show up when others won’t, communicate clearly at every step, document issues, set expectations on pricing, and follow a defined process the same way every time. They build enough tech capacity to support demand, prioritize responsiveness, and take on calls even from non-customers.
Those “one-off” calls often turn into new monitoring, additional work, and long-term relationships because they solved a problem no one else would touch.
Service also turns into a top lead source. Their sales team gets more opportunities from service than from marketing or inbound. And because those leads come from existing engagement, they close faster, with better margins, and without friction.
A strong service department also stabilizes revenue. Recurring inspections, repeat small projects, and routine service work create predictable, rateable income that smooths cash flow and covers overhead. Buyers love that. Predictability increases enterprise value and makes your business easier to sell at a premium.
Behind every great service department is a great service manager. Not just a promoted tech or long-tenured admin, but someone who understands communication, scheduling, urgency, and technical context. They own KPIs, track revenue, hold techs accountable to notes and photos, and enforce the process. They know how many techs are needed to support growth, how to schedule efficiently, and how to maintain a “see you tomorrow” standard without overwhelming the team.
When process, communication, and staffing align, service becomes a competitive advantage instead of a liability.
How to start:
Map your current service process from first call to invoice and highlight every breakdown point the last 60 days revealed.
Define the archetype of your ideal service manager, including communication strength, technical understanding, and ownership mentality.
Set clear KPIs: revenue, gross profit, SLA turn times, communication checkpoints, quoting turnaround, and case resolution.
Document the full service workflow, including pricing confirmation, photo requirements, technician notes, scheduling rules, and quoting expectations.
Train your techs on what they should and shouldn’t communicate, and standardize how they capture notes and photos.
Secret-shop your local market to ensure your service pricing sits competitively in the middle, not at the extremes.
Build capacity intentionally so you can say “see you tomorrow” without sacrificing profitability or burning out techs.
Why it matters: Strong service isn’t about fixing broken systems. It’s about building a predictable business. When your service department runs with discipline, communication, and speed, you reduce churn, unlock more profitable work, create high-quality leads, and increase enterprise value. Service becomes a growth engine, not a headache, and your business becomes far more attractive to buyers and far easier to scale.
If you only do one thing right in your business, let it be the way you treat and manage customers. There’s no replacement for a high-quality customer service experience. It can quickly separate your business from the rest of the pack.
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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