PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE Help Stop Scammers By Controlling the Call “Rather than say you can’t get to the job, why not refer the caller to a good competitor in your area?” The business management sessions taught by Max Muller were more than we expected, and everyone came away with workbooks to guide us in reshaping our companies for continu- ity and profitability. Don’t miss next year’s conference out west. Update on the ALOA Training Center in Dallas: The foundation is now completed, and A the general contractor has started the framing and dealing with the Dallas building, plumb- ing, mechanical, and electrical permits and inspections offices. No big surprises, and we are on track to be completed by this summer — unless one of those Mr. Murphy surprises pops up. Then we’ll have to deal with it. Since the beginning of the year, I have visited three locksmith association meetings, and I am always asked this one question: “What is ALOA doing about the scammers?” My re- sponse is, “What are you doing about the scammers!” I go on to explain that the biggest threat to the scammers sits right here in this meeting. If each and every one of you received a call for a job that you didn’t have time to do or didn’t want the job, would just refer it to one of the locksmiths in this room? The problem would start to go away because you’re controlling the flow of work. You’ve spent years build- ing your reputation, and you receive calls because of that. Now I understand that you don’t want certain types of calls. But rather than say you can’t get to the job, why not refer the caller to a good competitor in your area? I have three locksmiths in my area who are good, honest locksmiths, and I give their phone numbers and tell the caller, “Thank you for calling, and I’m sorry I can’t get to it, but either one of these locksmiths will do a professional job.” If you don’t want to be a good neighbor locksmith, do it because if you keep you competi- tor busy on car work, that will leave you more time for commercial work. Whatever your reason, control the call, don’t drop the ball! I appreciate all of the e-mails I receive with suggestions and complaints; both are impor- tant to the continued growth of ALOA. Stay safe. Best regards, Tom Demont, AHC, CAI, CFDI, CFL, CMIL, CML, CPS, ARL President ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc. WWW.ALOA.ORG APRIL 2014 KEYNOTES 5 pril is finally here, and the weather has turned from bitter cold to spring. I was at the ALOA Security Leaders Forum, and I have to tell you that it was a big success for those sponsors who came and had one-on-one sessions with the dealers. Each group talked about how valuable it was to talk to the other.
