Quick answer: A referral program for security installers is three loops, not a poster: satisfied customers asked at the day-30 call, partner trades (electricians, IT providers, locksmiths, property managers) under a written co-referral arrangement, and peer installers for overflow and out-of-area work. Ask at a moment of confirmed satisfaction, use a script that names the kind of business you want, reward with service rather than cash, and record every referral in your Leads sheet to measure the referral rate each quarter.
What are the three referral loops?
Commercial camera work is referred, not searched for, and referrals come from three directions that need different handling. A program that only asks customers misses the trades who are asked for cameras every week; one that only courts trades forgets that a satisfied facility manager talks to other facility managers.
| Loop | Who refers | When they are asked | What they need from you | What you track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Customers | Owner-operators, facility and property managers whose system you installed | Day-30 call, after satisfaction is confirmed; after a fast service fix; at renewal | One sentence to repeat, and a reason to trust that their contact will be treated well | Referrals per completed job; conversion of referred leads |
| 2. Partner trades | Electricians, IT providers, locksmiths and access specialists, property managers | Once, in person, then a monthly check-in | A clear scope boundary, a return referral, written terms | Referrals per partner per quarter; referrals sent back |
| 3. Distributor and peers | Installers outside your area or at capacity; your distributor’s partner network for projects, demos and documentation | At association events and through your business account | Reliability on the jobs they pass, and the same in return | Overflow jobs received and passed |
Anabon’s role in the third loop is behind the scenes: Anabon is strictly B2B and never sells to your customer, and end users who contact Anabon about a system are directed to the installer or company that supplied it. Ask what partner support exists today (project review, approved demo products, per-SKU documentation, training) rather than assuming a lead program; the other channels are in how to get security camera installation leads.
When should you ask? Timing beats wording
Most installers ask at the worst moment, the final invoice, or never. The right moments share one property: the customer has just experienced the value and said so.
- The day-30 call. The system has settled, the customer has used CASE Connect for a month, and the follow-up script has already asked “is anything not working the way you expected?”. If the answer is no, ask for the review and the referral in the same call.
- After a fast fix. A camera went offline and you had it back the same day. The relief is the moment.
- At handover training. When someone on the customer’s team says “this is better than what we had”, ask who else they know with the same problem.
- At service-agreement renewal. They have just decided to keep paying you; the decision is fresh.
- After an incident the system handled. The clip was usable and the customer is telling people anyway; make sure they say your name.
Never ask while an issue is open, while an invoice is overdue, or in the same message as a complaint response. One ask per moment; if the answer is “not right now”, note it in the sheet and wait for the next moment.
Scripts: email, text and in person
A referral script does three things: names the kind of business you want (so the customer can picture one), makes the task small (an introduction, not a sale), and promises how the contact will be treated. Use your own wording; keep those three parts.
Email after the day-30 call (customer)
Subject: One introduction
Thanks again for the time on the phone today. You mentioned the night image at the loading dock is what convinced your team, and that is what other businesses ask about most. If you know another property or facility manager dealing with the same thing, a one-line introduction by email is all we need; we never pressure anyone. As a thank-you, we add a complimentary camera health check to your next service visit, whether or not they go ahead.
Text message (customer, after a service fix)
Glad we got camera 6 back online this morning. If you know anyone else running a warehouse or yard who needs cameras they can rely on, I would appreciate an introduction. Thank you either way.
In person at handover
“Before I go: most of our work comes from people like you telling someone else. If a business you know asks about cameras, give them our card or just send me their name with their permission. We will treat them the way we treated you, and your name only comes up if you want it to.”
Partner trade, in person (electrician, IT provider, locksmith)
“When your customers ask for cameras, we would like to be the installer you send them to. We install and support commercial camera and recorder systems only; we do not do electrical, monitoring or door hardware, and we never go around you. When our customers need your trade, we send them to you. Can we put that in writing?”
Which partner trades refer installers, and what do they want?
Trades refer when it makes them look good and costs them nothing. Each trade has one fear to remove:
- Electricians: fear losing the electrical scope. Promise in writing that conduit, power and panels stay theirs; you handle IP, configuration, handover and support calls. Plan pathways together under NEC (CEC in Canada).
- IT providers and managed service providers: fear cameras on their network. Promise a separate VLAN or camera network, a documented IP plan, no default passwords and a hardened recorder, as in hardening a CASE NVR.
- Locksmiths and access control specialists: fear you will quote doors next year. Put the boundary in writing.
- Property managers: fear a vendor who disappears after the invoice. Show them your as-built package and your follow-up call schedule.
The terms belong in a one-page document covered in co-referral agreements with electricians, IT MSPs and locksmiths: scope boundary, how a referral is handed over, how each side thanks the other, and how either side ends it.
Rewards that protect your positioning
A reward that looks like a kickback makes the referrer uncomfortable and makes you look like a vendor who buys introductions. Reward in your own currency: service and time.
| Reward | Fits | Why it works | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complimentary camera health check or lens-cleaning visit | Customers | Shows your work again; often turns into a service agreement | Schedule it; an unredeemed promise is worse than none |
| Priority scheduling for a year | Customers | Costs nothing when the calendar is quiet, valued when it is not | Write down what “priority” means |
| Staff training session on the system and CASE Connect | Customers with turnover | Reduces their support calls and yours | Confirm app features for their model and firmware before promising them |
| Return referral | Partner trades | The only reward most trades actually want | Track that you sent one back |
| Donation to the referrer’s chosen cause | Nonprofits, public bodies, firms with gift policies | Allowed where personal gifts are not | Confirm their policy first |
Two rules sit above the table. First, rewards follow local law and the recipient’s employer policy: many property management firms, public bodies, schools and health facilities prohibit staff from accepting anything of value, and rewarding an employee for steering their employer’s purchase can be unlawful in some contexts, so verify with counsel before offering anything to a person rather than a business. Second, cash and cash equivalents such as gift cards can be taxable income for the recipient and create reporting obligations for you in the US and Canada; ask your accountant. Never reward with a reduced invoice on the referred job: it tells the new customer your number was negotiable before you met.
How do you track referrals in your sheet?
A referral you cannot trace is one you cannot thank, and an unthanked referrer stops. Add four columns to the Leads tab of your Google Sheets CRM and one tab for partners:
- Leads tab: Source (dropdown includes Referral), Referrer (Customer ID or Partner ID), Referrer type (customer, trade, peer), Thanked on (date).
- Partners tab: Partner ID, company, trade, contact, agreement date, referrals received this quarter, referrals sent this quarter, last check-in, status.
- Follow-ups tab: a “Referral ask” row generated with the day-30 row, so the ask is a task and not a memory.
Four numbers each quarter, none of them a target to promise in advance:
- Referral rate: referred leads divided by all leads. Note the trend, not the level.
- Referred conversion: referred leads that reached a quote and a job, compared with other sources.
- Asks made: day-30 calls where the referral was actually requested. If this is low, the problem is the ask.
- Partner balance: referrals received versus sent per partner. A partner who only receives will drift.
What to tell your customer
“Most of our work comes from businesses like yours telling another business. If you know a property or facility manager who is dealing with the same problem you had, an introduction is all we need; we will treat them exactly the way we treated you, and we never pressure anyone. As a thank-you we add a complimentary health check to your next visit, whether or not they go ahead.”
FAQ
Is it legal to pay a referral fee for security installation work?
It depends on who receives it and where. Paying a business under a written agreement is generally permitted; rewarding an employee for steering their employer’s purchase can breach the employer’s gift policy and, in some contexts, the law. Public bodies are the strictest. Verify with counsel, prefer service-based rewards, and keep records.
How soon after installation should I ask for a referral?
At the day-30 call, after the customer has confirmed that the system and CASE Connect work the way they expected and any open issue is closed. Asking at the final invoice or at handover works less often because the customer has not yet lived with the system. The 7-day call is for problems, not asks.
What if the referred lead does not become a job?
Thank the referrer anyway, within a week, and deliver whatever you promised. The reward is for the introduction, not the sale; a referrer who hears nothing after making an effort will not make a second one. Record the outcome in the sheet so you know which referrers send leads that fit.
Should the reward go to the business or to the person who referred?
To the business, unless the owner is the person. A complimentary health check, priority scheduling or a training session benefits the organization and avoids the gift-policy problem a personal reward creates for an employee. When the referrer is a property manager or a public employee, ask what their policy allows first.
How do I calculate referral rate for a small installer?
Count the leads received in the quarter and the share whose Source is Referral; that share is your referral rate. Also compare how many referred leads reached a quote and a job against leads from other sources. Watch the trend over four quarters rather than one, and record how many day-30 calls actually included the ask.
