Looking for specific product training or general business training nearby? Look no further than your local locksmith distributor. Distributors across the country, small and large, hold events ranging from product-specific counter days to large Expos with a tradeshow and extensive class lineups. Below we list details on some of these distributor-sponsored training programs.
ADI
A leading North America's wholesale distributor of security and low voltage products, ADI has a vast distribution network, branches throughout North America, and 24 hour online access. ADI’s comprehensive services are backed by one of the largest and best trained team in the industry.
“At ADI, we believe it’s our responsibility to provide dealers with the training they need to be successful in today’s market and we are proud to offer more than 1,500 educational opportunities per year. With training facilities in all of our 103 branches and locations, we are able to provide valuable learning experiences to our dealers,” says Rob Aarnes, President, ADI North America.
ADI’s training opportunities include the popular ADI Expos, branch events, vendor trainings and webinars. More than 12,000 security professions attend the ADI Expo events hosted each year at locations across North America, participating in training and product demos from leading manufacturers.
The ADI Blog, http://blog.adiglobal.us/, is another outlet for customers to learn about the latest technology. The blog is focused on knowledge sharing, installation tips and best practices.
Locksmith Ledger asked Arnes the following questions about ADI’s training and support strategy. Following are Ledger’s questions and Arnes’ answers.
Is there a clear differentiation between marketing and training presentations?
It’s hard to say that there is a clear differentiation between marketing and training presentations. At ADI, we try to drive our training course content and presentations beyond features and benefits and really dig deep into the technology so dealers get the most out of each opportunity. We focus on helping security professionals learn how to sell the benefits of the technology to their customers, along with providing the technical expertise so they will feel confident installing the technology.
We continuously examine our course offering and are always adding new trainings, and try to offer courses that cover the overall technology rather than vendor and product specific courses. A lot of the courses we offer are vetted through our systems team to ensure the content is relevant for our dealers.
Do you have in-house call-in tech support?
Every day we have dealers reaching out to our Systems Sales & Support team for assistance with product selection and system design. These industry experts are proficient in all product areas, and field more than 1000 calls per day to provide the technical knowledge and customer care dealers need to win new business.
What are the benefits of this training to your company and to security professionals?
ADI is focused on leading the industry in high quality education and our customers depend on us to educate them on the newest products. As a distributor, we have strong relationships with manufacturers and our customers lean on us to get them the trainings they need. By providing training to our customers, we are helping them grow and uncover new opportunities.
In addition to our training program, ADI offers a number of services and benefits to help security professionals win new business and drive profit in today’s market. We understand how important our customers are to the success of ADI, and we remain committed to building long-lasting relationships with them.
What are the benefits for security professionals to attend the national shows?
Tradeshows provide a great opportunity to find out what’s new across the industry. They can learn about the latest technologies and industry trends, meet with hundreds of manufacturers, and connect with industry peers. There are also a lot of training opportunities at the shows where locksmiths can earn industry credits and update or receive new certifications.
ADI participates in all the national tradeshows, and our two-story booth features interactive product displays where attendees can see and test some of the newest products.
Can you tell us about ADI University? Is it open to customers?
We understand how important training is and we’ve made a huge investment in training our own staff through our ADI University. Our sales staff participates in online weekly training classes focusing on the latest product categories to help them serve as a valuable resource to customers. ADI received 5th place for our ADI University Training program in the Elearning! Media Group’s (EMG) Learning! 100 Awards. Learning! 100 Awards feature the top 100 organizations for their best-in-class learning and development programs, enabling learning culture that creates outstanding organizational performance)
Since we received such great feedback on the ADI University program and dealers have been asking how they can get involved, we will be making the training available to them with the launch of our ADI Academy program. ADI Academy consists of monthly online training modules that will provide an overview and general product knowledge of the all the major categories. It is an excellent training opportunity for sales, operations and corporate staff.
For more information, visit www.adiglobal.com
CLARK Security Products
CLARK Security Products is a leading wholesale distributor of security products: door hardware, key systems, CCTV, and electronic access control. In collaboration with their partners Anixter and TRI-ED, leading global distributors of communications and security products, they help our customers solve the toughest physical security challenges.
“Product education is a core part of our service offering. Our mission as a security product distributor is to be much more than a fulfillment house. We strive to be a reliable partner by providing our dealer partners the right products, tools, resources, services, and training they need to be successful. We meet with our suppliers regularly and plan initiatives at a national level to give customers the right kind of product education and training that will support their security and business needs,” says Korey Sarokin, director of marketing for Clark Security.
“The object of our training presentations is to enhance our customers’ knowledge of security and technology so they can have the confidence, knowledge, qualifications, and certifications needed to expand their business offerings. We offer a broad range of classes, from basic to advance locksmithing, door hardware and access control, automotive, safes, certifications, more. And we make these classes available across the country, from local trainings to regional expos and educational seminars. Most of our classes offer hands-on training for participants to practice and improve their skills in an interactive environment.”
Clark’s classes include:
- Certification training
- New product releases
- Fire & Life Safety Codes
- Electronic security
- Servicing and troubleshooting
- Introductory and advanced hands-on skills
“Our Marketing presentations introduce customers to the products and services we provide, from product trends to value added services that make it easier for them to do business, like ecommerce tools, leasing/finance programs, account managers in the field and technical expertise,” Sarokin adds.
Each year, CLARK hosts regional expos/educational seminars. In partnership with suppliers and industry-leading educators, at each event CLARK presents a full schedule of security and business building classes tailored for locksmiths, business owners, and security integrators.
The CLARK Midwest Security Expo and Educational Seminar was held in Chicago, March 12-15. The Southwest Security Expo and Education Seminar will be held in California in early October.
Local vendor days at CLARK branches give locksmiths a chance to learn about new products and network directly with CLARK’s supplier partners. CLARK also offers factory training and certification at branch locations, hosts webinars and exhibits at regional trade shows.
For in-house technical support, electronic security specialists are available at each CLARK location. “CLARK has trained Electronic Security Specialists (ESS) to help customers navigate advanced electronic security. They can design, configure, supply, network, and support IP-addressable electronic access control solutions. In many cases our ESS specialists are certified by the factory. They can provide level 1 and some level 2 support for PC-based, Server-based, Wireless (802.11) and Ethernet (802.3) access control systems, as well as various additional Electronic Security Solutions, from stand-alone to large networked electronic access control systems and analog and IP Surveillance/CCTV systems,” explains Sarokin/
Our customers can also access parent company Anixter’s security experts for expert-level support around IP video surveillance and security cabling.
A CLARK sales representative can:
- Augment a dealer’s expertise and resources
- Design customized solutions
- Troubleshoot business-related or security-related challenges
- Provide extensive product knowledge and technical expertise
Offer specialized knowledge from industry certifications, including CAL, CPP, CML, CPS, CMST, PSP, CRL, ALOA, and AHC.
CLARK automotive specialists provide technical support for transponder programming, originating, cloning, and code cutting. They can help determine the best machines for a business; “best practices” for a dealer partner get started in automotive security; and competitive pricing, dating, and leasing options. Government Specialists can assist institutional locksmiths working for the government or bidding for government jobs.
“As an industry, we are all trying to keep up with new technology like electronic security. The growth and opportunities in this market are tremendous, and the only way that we can all take advantage of them is through sharing knowledge and acquiring new skills. This is a learning curve for all of us — manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and end-users alike. We need each other to be successful, and education is the vehicle by which we share our knowledge and learn the skills essential to our evolution and continued success,” Sarokin adds.
For more information, visit www.clarksecurity.com.
H.L. Flake
H.L. Flake, Houston, Texas, offers a full range of locksmith supplies from the top manufacturers. H.L. Flake carries more than 27,000 line items, offers members free freight programs and has some of the most knowledgeable staff in the wholesale locksmith industry to serve its professional security industry only customers.
H.L. Flake opened in 1912. The Flake family owned and operated the company until 1988 when it was sold to Daniel Floeck, Jr.
“We are here to supply locksmiths, to the best of our ability, with competitive prices, a broad on-hand inventory, quality products, same-day service and innovative technology. We do this while following the ‘Golden Rule’. Beyond this, we support the customer,” states Floeck. “My three children are in the business and it’s important to their future for us to be responsive. We are interested in their business 20 years from now, not just today’s dollar. We know that without the customer, we do not have a business.”
Travis Howell, H.L.Flake’s marketing manager, provided this overview of Flake’s training programs and resources:
The bulk of CEU training that H.L. Flake offers directly occurs in at our annual trade show. During the two days of training, we strive to offer a wide variety of class options including Automotive, Commercial, Access Control, Safe & Small Business subjects. Aside from CEU training we regularly have counter days giving select manufacturers a venue to showcase their new products and discuss one-on-one with customers.
During the rest of the year H.L. Flake works closely with the Greater Houston Locksmith Association and the Texas Locksmith Association by providing class room space and promoting their classes. H.L. Flake attends OMLA, TLA, NCLA, ALA, Lou-Miss, SERLAC, GPLA & Yankee trade shows on an annual basis, as well as Just Cars and ALOA on the national scale.
“The distributor’s role is to disseminate information provided by the manufacture to their customer base in order to create awareness of new innovations and an understanding of where the new products fit into the marketplace,” says Howell
HL Flake also employs have an in house locksmith who answers tech support questions in addition to performing product testing and evaluation.
For more information, visit www.hlflake.com
