NAID Briefing: Singing with the Choir

Bob Johnson

When one person tells you something, it is one thing. But when a lot of people are all saying the same thing, depending upon who those people are, it is another.

NAID has been pretty clear about its mission to increase the professionalism of the industry and its members. Professionalism itself, however, is not the goal but rather the means to an end, namely improving the market for (and the margins of) secure data destruction services.

Through the years, NAID has had a long history of initiatives to help NAID members become more to their customers and prospects; i.e., to be more than a commodity. During that same time, NAID has relentlessly talked about the value of such a strategy. I personally have pushed the message so hard, my words may have just become so much white noise. After all, I am only one person and I have a vested interest in this strategy.

So, let's take a look at some of the others business professionals who say the same thing: Jeffrey Gitomer (The Little Red Book of Selling), Chet Holmes (The Ultimate Sales Machine), Brian Tracy (No Excuses), Zig Ziglar (Secrets of Closing the Sale), Barry Maher (Filling the Glass), Ray Barry (Shred School) and the list goes on. In fact, adding value to your interaction with customers seems to be the most consistently recommended sales technique across the board. NAID Certification provides customers with a ready-made vendor selection criteria and an ongoing audit program, both of which are required by data protection regulations.

The Compliance Toolkit and the Customer Employee Training Program help your clients comply with the regulations and even insulate them from fines if they do have a disposal breach. The Certified Secure Destruction Specialist® (CSDS®) program trains you to confidently address customers' questions and keep them safe. Downstream Data Coverage provides you with specially designed coverage, which, as a result, adds a new level of protection to the customer.

At the upcoming NAID 2012 Conference, which will be March 30 to April 1 in Anaheim, Calif., we will be releasing no less than three new programs. The programs include the Legal Office Marketing Program, a sales video that helps customers understand why office shredding machines do not protect them and a video that explains how NAID Certification addresses customers' compliance requirements. More information is available at www.naidonline.org.

It is not only NAID that is preaching the added-value message; we are just singing with the choir.
 

Bob Johnson is CEO of the National Association for Information Destruction. He can be reached at rjohnson@naidonline.org.