Lisa Long is a sales consultant for J. Becher & Associates, a security systems firm in the Twin Cities.
An alumna of Cooper High School, as a teenager, Long didn’t love school, and challenges at home forced her to quickly become independent and be mindful of her future.
“The day I graduated high school, I moved into my own apartment, and since then, I’ve never looked back,” she says.
As an employee at a company that manufactured circuit boards, Long soon was given full-time employment at eighteen.
From there, Long simply worked hard and was opportunistic, trying her best to provide for herself.
“I just went wherever life took me, and made as much money as I could,” she says.
“But all this was done without any thought of if I actually enjoyed the work because I needed to survive and take care of myself.”
Over the years, Long eventually got married and had children, and in many ways, life was good.
But four years ago, her responsibilities as a mother were less now that her kids were older, so Long sought to find more purpose.
That’s when she joined J. Becher as a sales consultant, her job being to outfit homeowners with security systems.
“I started going into people’s homes and meeting with them to discuss residential security systems,” says Long, who admits that initially she knew very little about security technology.
“Over time, hearing why people wanted security systems, and how I could help them, that made me feel good, and it also inspired me to want to help people as much as I could.”
Fortunately, Long didn’t need to be a technological savant because her clients weren’t looking for omniscience when it came to their security system.
Instead, they were seeking to partner with a company who actually cared about their needs and desires.
“Our customers want an experience as much as they want a product,” Long says.
Thanks to her congenial nature and genuine desire to assist others, Long quickly endeared herself to homeowners across the Twin Cities, to the point where soon more opportunities in the commercial space appeared.
“Now, I still do residential security systems, but these days I’m getting a lot of calls in the commercial space,” Long says.
A security system may seem relatively straightforward, but in fact there is a lot of nuance involved.
At its core though, security systems offer just that, which is security.
“Peace of mind,” Long emphasizes.
“That’s not always in the realm of protection though. People also want security systems for awareness, especially with businesses.”
In the commercial arena, businesses like having security systems installed because cameras can capture accidents and reduce a company’s liability risk.
For context, installing a security system in the commercial space can cost as little as $5,000, but can easily get up into the six figures.
That total ultimately depends on the level of technological sophistication that a business owner is seeking.
At the same time, it’s not just price that clients are examining when vetting security system companies.
J. Becher, Long’s employer, has been in business for 36 years, and they have a full-time installation staff, as well as a dedicated customer service team that clients can conveniently contact.
“We have someone who answers the phone when you call in with a question,” Long says.
“Unlike other companies, with us, you don’t have to leave a message and wait for someone to call you back.”
J. Becher even offers 24/7 emergency response, plus Long, even though her role is a sales consultant, is always willing to pick up her phone and help a client in need.
“For the people who just want to deal with one person directly instead of having to talk to seven or eight other people throughout the course of the job, we are a great fit,” Long outlines.
Keep in mind, bigger, more nationwide companies, despite their size, struggle to deliver outstanding customer service.
Worse, often these companies outsource a lot of their labor to third-parties who may or may not possess the competency to perform the scope of work.
“Those massive companies that you see on TV are contracting people to do installations,” Long says.
“But our installers are union, so they’re all vetted, insured, and trained on all the equipment we install.”
Adds Long:
“These security systems can get very technical, and therefore it’s imperative for clients to partner with a company who knows what they’re doing. There’s nothing worse than making a big investment and then not having this awesome technology function properly.”
Think any random company can perform when it comes to your security system?
Think again.
“I had a new client come in this year because his past provider sent out installers who were literally on the phone with a tech the whole time. They didn’t know what they were doing. I mean, that’s how little they were trained on this stuff, and I just think the customer deserves a better service than that,” Long explains.
For the foreseeable future, Long plans to continue servicing Twin Cities clients with their security system needs.
Outside of her daily work, Long’s presence is growing.
She was recently asked to join a conference panel to talk about her expertise, something the humble Long couldn’t have envisioned just a few short years ago.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that [speaking on a panel] would happen, that someone would be referring to me as a securities expert, but here I am,” Long says excitedly.
“Truthfully though, I am grateful. I am grateful that Sam Auseth introduced me to this industry, and for all the people who have put me in a position to be successful and help our clients.” QS
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