PORTAL × BUZZLEAD · THE HIVE · SEPTEMBER 2026
BuzzLead

Welcome to the Hive, Portal.

Kirk, we just finished a run with Lumion, vertical SaaS for trade schools with a first marketing hire and no outbound. Portal is shaped the same way. It would have been wrong not to get this in front of you. So: a jar of honey, and the plan.

Underneath the jar: every US AV and security integration dealer mapped, the 4,500 that look like Galaxy Custom Audio Video and ZOME Smart Home Systems, and three campaigns we'd run for Portal in the next 30 days.

PREPARED FOR KIRK CHISHOLM · CHICAGO, IL · FROM ST. PETE BEACH, FL
Troy Aitken and Nick Konstantinidis, co-founders of BuzzLead
Co-foundersNick Konstantinidis & Troy Aitken
Section 01 · Why there's honey on your desk

Three things came with the jar.

01

The honey

Raw, from a US apiary. Something you'll open instead of file.

02

This page

Your market sized, the customers you already win and the accounts that look like them, and three campaigns: TAM, lookalike, intent. Built for Portal.

03

The call

Twenty minutes with Troy and Nick. We bring the account list we'd start with. You tell us where to start.

Section 02 · The company shaped like you

Lumion: zero pipeline to 50+ meetings in 31 days.

Vertical SaaS for trade and technical schools. First marketing hire, no outbound, a niche of 10,000 to 30,000 schools. We mapped five sub-verticals, timed the CDL play to a Pell Grant policy window, and routed replies straight to their SDRs. Same shape as Lumion: a public directory of buyers, a founder-led marketing motion, and a sales cycle short enough to book meetings within weeks.

In the span of a month, we've had well over 100 positive responses. We've scheduled 45 to 55-plus meetings with an 80% hold rate.Andrew Jones, Head of Marketing, Lumion

Read the Lumion breakdown

31
Days to results
100+
Positive replies
50+
Meetings scheduled
80%
Hold rate
Section 03 · The sweet part

What could be sweeter than 2,700 to 4,500 more of your best customers?

You already have the dream ones: the AV & security integration dealers that grow, retain, and refer others without being asked. We take those, run them through our lookalike tool, and find another 2,700 to 4,500 that look exactly like them. Then we run hyper-personalized, highly targeted outreach to every one.

Same size, same setup, same reasons to buy as the accounts on the right. Modeled, not guessed.

YOUR DREAM CUSTOMERS
  • Galaxy Custom Audio VideoSpends way less time on proposals; wins clients on proposal professionalism.
  • ZOME Smart Home SystemsCalls it the best proposal platform available.
  • Simply Automated Inc.Finds it easier to use than any other industry solution tried.
  • Tomorrow EntertainmentGets proposals done quickly and accurately with little learning curve.
2,700 to 4,500AV & security integration dealers that look exactly like them
Section 04 · Your market, sized

Every cell is a AV & security integration dealer.

Every AV, security and smart-home dealer sits in a public directory or state license roll with employee count, trade lines and the owner's name. We build the list from AVIXA, Census NAICS data and state licensing boards, then time sends to trade show and hiring cycles.

US audio-video and security systems installation contractorsYour sweet spot: 5 to 50 employeesIn-market this quarter
0
US audio-video and security systems installation contractors. US Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 561621 (security systems services) and 238210 (electrical/low-voltage contractors).
~4,500
Sweet-spot dealers
5 to 50 employees
3
Buyer personas
Owner/GM, Ops Manager, Sales Lead
~13,500
Relevant contacts
At 3 titles per dealer
Jan to Mar
Buying window
Budget season before spring installs
Section 05 · Intent

You're the first supplier that comes to mind.

We'll actively monitor all 18,000 US AV and security integration dealers and reach out when the right signal shows up, so Portal is the first name an owner thinks of when proposal software comes up.

  • New AVIXA Provider Directory listingAVIXA's public directory adds new dealer profiles as firms grow or rebrand.
  • State low-voltage or alarm license issuedState contractor boards publish new C-7/C-10 or burglar-alarm licenses tied to expansion.
  • Manufacturer authorized-dealer page additionBrand sites list new authorized dealers, a public signal of growth and new budget.
  • Sales rep or project manager job postingIndeed and LinkedIn postings for sales roles track rising proposal volume.
  • CEDIA Expo or ISC West exhibitor or attendee badgeTrade show rosters flag dealers actively evaluating new tools each season.
  • Competitor software contract or forum churnPublic reviews and integrator forums flag dealers switching from legacy bidding tools.
09:14 · TODAY
Midwest AV dealer with 14 employees adds a major smart-home brand to its authorized-dealer roster this week
→ NEW-LINE PLAY
YESTERDAY
California integrator posts opening for a Sales Project Manager, its third hire this year
→ HIRING-PAIN PLAY
MON
Texas security dealer renews its state alarm license and expands service into two new counties
→ EXPANSION PLAY
YESTERDAY
Integrator forum thread: dealer complains legacy bidding tool renewal price jumped 40 percent
→ SWITCH-COST PLAY
Section 06 · Three strategies, deployed together

TAM, lookalike, intent. Every angle, from day one.

This isn't one list and one email. We deploy three strategies at once, each with its own angle: the whole market gets the offer, the accounts that mirror your best customers get the proof, and anyone showing a buying signal gets a note the week it happens. Then we double down on whichever one the market answers.

STRATEGY 1 · TAM

Own the whole market

TargetThe ~4,500 dealers in your sweet spot: 5 to 50 employees, owner and sales lead enriched from the AVIXA Provider Directory and Census NAICS 561621/238210
AngleOne tool for proposals, catalog, billing and CRM instead of spreadsheets, PDFs and a separate invoicing app
~4,500 ACCOUNTS
STRATEGY 2 · LOOKALIKE

Mirror your best customers

TargetDealers that look like Galaxy Custom Audio Video, ZOME Smart Home Systems and MGi Systems: same size, same mix of AV, security and smart-home installs
AngleLead with the dealer they already know by name and the hours saved on every proposal
~2,700+ ACCOUNTS
STRATEGY 3 · INTENT

Catch them in-market

TargetDealers showing a buying signal this quarter: new sales hire posted, manufacturer authorized-dealer listing added, state license renewed, CEDIA or ISC West exhibitor list
AngleA one-to-one note written from the signal, sent within days of the trigger
~700 PER YEAR ACCOUNTS
Section 07 · The first 30 days

What happens after you say yes.

Section 08 · Join the Hive

The honey was the easy part.

Kirk, we'll walk the three strategies above, show you the accounts we'd start with, and tell you what it would take. No deck.