ADT dealer Program returns

BOCA RATON, Fla. - After taking time to re-evaluate its place in the market, ADT Security Services has once again begun recruiting dealers to its overhauled dealer program. “The company is in growth mode,” said Bill Barnes, vice president of dealer development at ADT. “We want to grow smartly and we’re looking to add quality dealers.” Although the company has been quietly adding dealers for approximately eight months, ISC West was an opportunity to publicize the initiative on a broader scale. “ISC West is a dealer show. It showcases the dealer industry,” Barnes said. The company radically downsized its dealer program in 2001 in an effort to improve the program’s performance after it experienced a 60 percent increase in business and a number of disgruntled then-authorized dealers. At its Tyco-managed peak, it had approximately 800 authorized dealers and cost $800 million per year to run. Barnes noted that during the expansive growth, Tyco leadership ran a profit-driven business. He said now the focus has moved away from the mass marketing arena ADT has become known for. Even so, ADT is aware that it cannot move forward with its initiatives without dealer support. There are currently 285 ADT authorized dealers nationwide and Barnes said they would like to have 350 to 400 dealers total. Ann Lindstrom, a spokesperson for ADT, mentioned the company has improved in regards to attending to dealer needs. “We understand that independent companies have to make their bottom line,” she said. Training seminars and sales and marketing support will be readily available to dealers as well as “all the tools to help them succeed,” Barnes said. ADT will also begin offering new services such as GPS mobile communications and companion services in response to dealer and client demands. The company has also implemented a consumer financing program in conjunction credit card firm MBNA. With all these additional offerings, Barnes is confident that the company will be able to meet its dealer quota. “We’ve been successful so far,” he said.