New Frontiers: 8 Ways to Confidently Enter the PERS Space
Personal emergency response systems (PERS) can be a way to diversify your business and increase recurring monthly revenue (RMR). Successful PERS dealers offer 8 key pieces of advice when getting into this new and very different type of personal security.
For security dealers looking for new ways to diversify their offerings and increase RMR, entering the PERS market can be an exciting new challenge. “Do not be afraid to enter the market, even with no experience. People go to great lengths to provide security for their homes and businesses, so it’s a reasonable jump for security dealers to offer a device that protects an individual’s personal safety,” says Chuck Stevens, vice president, health and wellness strategic business unit, Linear LLC, Carlsbad, Calif.
Dealers planning to enter the PERS space must give it serious consideration. While many companies see growing opportunity in PERS and other health-care-related services as the baby boomers age, bringing PERS to a security business involves much more than simply adding a new product. Dealers need to educate themselves about the industry and exercise diligence in setting up their business plan. “People who do it in a casual way are probably not doing very well for the customer,” says Howard Feldman, president of Pioneer Emergency Response Services and Pioneer Security Services in San Diego, Calif. He warns dealers that with many new players entering the market, from phone companies to security dealers, the space is more competitive than it was seven or eight years ago.