Where Do I Find Leads?

Throughout my 25 years in this industry, which have included 12 as an integrator and 13 as a consultant, the number one question of all time has been: where do I find leads? In the past, I have written commentaries on efficiencies, service and technological aptitude because it is important for an integrator to be efficient when performing the work and to keep recurring revenue and retain customers.

During a recent conversation with a local integrator, the conversation centered on where they get leads from, and his challenge of finding the right resources and sources of valid leads. In fact, it reminded me of two recent conversations from manufacturers that centered on the same question about how consultants get leads.

So, what is a lead? It is an open door to new business. It is the first leg of the sales cycle. It could come in the form of a phone call, a note from an existing client about another person/company, a request for proposal (RFP), a request for quote (RFQ), Request for qualification (RFQ), or a request for statement of qualifications (SOQ). There are probably a few other types of leads, but let’s take these as the bulk of lead types and lets go back to the question: “Where do they come from?”

If you are in sales or business development, your world centers on finding and generating leads. Your world would revolve around this very thing and how you respond to them. What I found over my years of experience training sales staff was that the delicate handling of a hot lead takes more talent than skill. It’s something that you either have developed from parts of your character or have not. I have seen fantastic personalities that were great at introducing people to one another but couldn’t identify how to have, acknowledge or open/close a sales conversation to save their life. As a sales person you must to be able to recognize when the conversation with a hot lead is turning from introductory into the sales conversation. Taking a hot lead and turning it into a cold call is not going to help make your quota.

Now, let’s get back to the question at hand: where do these leads come from? The answer is there are multiple sources and almost too many at times. We will start with the easy ones to find which are referrals.

As an integrator you should have already focused on how to handle service calls and complaints when they come in, but are you prepared to handle sales leads when they come in? Does the person or system answering your phone know how to identify and handle a sales lead as it is coming in? I have seen quite a few integrators that simply took a number and said they would have someone call them. The chances of that cycle happening are dependent upon the person answering the call and the person who is supposed to then call them back.

A lot of the success depends upon qualifying the lead. If the lead is a simple pass through then we are asking the sales person that is supposed to call the person back to call 10 people back to find the one real actual lead versus the request to be the third number in a competitive bid situation.

A lead qualification step is required to handle leads appropriately and successfully. One way to do that is to have a lead qualification form, either hard copy or electronic, at the fingertips of the person answering the phone. Notice, I said person answering the phone because if your phone answering is automated then let’s hope the person calling in selects the right option to get to the sales department. Chances of success on catching a lead from an automated phone answering system are low; it requires more steps for the person calling in, and is hit and miss depending on the sophistication of automation. A sample lead qualification form should have a minimum of the following data:

  • Name of person calling in.
  • Phone number of person calling in.
  • Company that person calling in works for.
  • Is this an existing customer?
  • Is the request for card readers or access control?
  • Is the request for video surveillance cameras?
  • Is the request for intrusion detection devices or system?
  • When would the project happen?
  • Are we bidding against other companies for this work?
  • Assigned _________________ to follow up.
  • When is a good time for _____________________ to reach out to you?

You don’t want the lead qualification to be too lengthy or the person calling in feel like they are being interrogated. The above list of items can be asked in a flowing conversation and someone can be assigned as the lead so they are part of this conversation and not a virtual bucket where names get dropped off in. Knowing who is going to follow up on the lead is an important step because if it is not clear who will follow up then your sales cycle is broken, and you need to fix it.

RFP, RFQ, SOQ, or the second RFQ are all leads that are not associated with a person calling in but a form or document that defines the scope of work. The word ‘define’ here is a broad spectrum of definition. The hope is that the RFP/RFQ/SOQ has enough detail in it to identify what the scope of the project is and if not how to ask questions to find that out. These types of leads generally come from companies/agencies that are required to have at least three bids in a competitive nature.

The reason RFP, RFQ and SOQ’s are created is to achieve competitive pricing to identify the best price among qualified bidders. To identify where to find these leads, you need to understand where they come from. These lead types originate in a company or agency in an operational department and get distributed through the procurement or purchasing department.

The purchasing department ends out the bids and receives the bids to keep the process fair and non-collusive. The questions are typically answered by the operational department in charge of the project, but the handling of all data is normally the purchasing or procurement department. To find these leads you either need to subscribe to a lot of different city, municipal or government procurement notification sites. Another way of locating these leads is to subscribe to RFP distribution sources that distribute lists for cost each day. Bidsync and IMS are just a couple of many different companies that provide this type of service.

These are companies that either subscribe to as many different procurement sites from cities, municipalities or agencies as they can, or they advertise to the end user putting the RFP out that they can get more responses. Either way, the list is extensive and comes out daily.

This article originally appeared in the July 2015 issue of Security Today.

Featured

  • Survey: 60 Percent of Organizations Using AI in IT Infrastructure

    Netwrix, a cybersecurity provider focused on data and identity threats, today announced the release of its annual global 2025 Cybersecurity Trends Report based on a global survey of 2,150 IT and security professionals from 121 countries. It reveals that 60% of organizations are already using artificial intelligence (AI) in their IT infrastructure and 30% are considering implementing AI. Read Now

  • New Research Reveals Global Video Surveillance Industry Perspectives on AI

    Axis Communications, the global industry leader in video surveillance, has released its latest research report, ‘The State of AI in Video Surveillance,’ which explores global industry perspectives on the use of AI in the security industry and beyond. The report reveals current attitudes on AI technologies thanks to in-depth interviews with AI experts from Axis’ global network and a comprehensive survey of more than 5,800 respondents, including distributors, channel partners, and end customers across 68 countries. The resulting insights cover AI integration and the opportunities and challenges that exist with regard to security, safety, business intelligence, and operational efficiency. Read Now

  • SIA Urges Tariff Relief for Security Industry Products

    Today, the Security Industry Association has sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick requesting relief from tariffs for security industry products and asking that the Trump administration formulate a process that allows companies to apply for product-specific exemptions. The security industry is an important segment of the U.S. economy, contributing over $430 billion in total economic impact and supporting over 2.1 million jobs. Read Now

  • Report Shows Cybercriminals Continue Pivot to Stealthier Tactics

    IBM recently released the 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index highlighting that cybercriminals continued to pivot to stealthier tactics, with lower-profile credential theft spiking, while ransomware attacks on enterprises declined. IBM X-Force observed an 84% increase in emails delivering infostealers in 2024 compared to the prior year, a method threat actors relied heavily on to scale identity attacks. Read Now

  • 2025 Security LeadHER Conference Program Announced

    ASIS International and the Security Industry Association (SIA) – the leading membership associations for the security industry – have announced details for the 2025 Security LeadHER conference, a special event dedicated to advancing, connecting and empowering women in the security profession. The third annual Security LeadHER conference will be held Monday, June 9 – Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan. This carefully crafted program represents a comprehensive professional development opportunity for women in security this year. To view the full lineup at this year’s event, please visit securityleadher.org. Read Now

    • Industry Events

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • ComNet CNGE6FX2TX4PoE

    The ComNet cost-efficient CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is a six-port switch that offers four Gbps TX ports that support the IEEE802.3at standard and provide up to 30 watts of PoE to PDs. It also has a dedicated FX/TX combination port as well as a single FX SFP to act as an additional port or an uplink port, giving the user additional options in managing network traffic. The CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is designed for use in unconditioned environments and typically used in perimeter surveillance.