Who Are You Calling a Fear Monger?

I read something today by someone in the security industry that really burned me up. I'm paraphrasing, but he was basically mouthing off about how security dealers give the industry a bad name by marketing in neighborhoods that have a had a string of burglaries or other crimes, like home invasions or rapes.

Are you kidding me? I'd like to paint this guy a little picture. Let's say you're in a horrible traffic accident and suffer major injuries. Lucky for you, there's an emergency room doctor in a car just behind. But wait. Instead of pulling over to help, you watch in disbelief as he drives on by, ignoring your bleeding body as it hangs out the windshield. What's he thinking? "Wow, that guy's pretty banged up. But I don't want to take advantage of his situation, so I'll just keep moving. Hope he'll be okay, poor sucker."

It's pretty clear what I'm getting at. If we truly believe that our products and services help keep people safe, why shouldn't we go into areas that are being victimized to let people know how we can help? When you think about, isn't it our responsibility? How is that fear mongering? These people are already afraid, and looking for ways to protect themselves and their families.

Yet for years I've heard people both inside and outside our industry beat up on security companies that have the gall to go out and talk with people in these situations. I was even ripped up by none other than the LA Times for admitting that yes, my company did indeed go into high crime areas to talk with homeowners about how to protect themselves with a security system. And many of them appreciated the information and ended up installing a system. Meaning they were safer than their neighbors. So what's wrong with that?

But these critics think we should keep the fact that we can help a big secret and "drive on by" so we don't offend anyone. People's homes might be ransacked and their families terrorized, but hey, at least we didn't step on any toes.