Re: Helping DIY-ers Recognize the Benefits of Professional Home Automation

Todd, I can't agree with you more. The main difference I find between the DIY system and a custom installed system is all in the word "custom". I have a lot of DIY clients and no matter what they are willing to take on themselves, they come to me for a system that looks, acts and caters to everything on their list wish. I tell all of them if you come to me I will give you 4 things: quality, reliability, something that will fulfill all your wants and needs, and make your friends very jealous. If you do it yourself you can pick two. The custom client is not typically always wealthy; they simply want what they want and are willing to pay for it.

Re: Helping DIY-ers Recognize the Benefits of Professional Home Automation

Hi Todd

Looking forward to hearing the outcome of the dinner-the AV, not the meal. That said, I'm a foodie, so share it all!

I agree, many DIY'ers have no idea what's out there. I wrote an article about my URC install (and URC sent out to their dealer base): www.hometoys.com/emagazine/2012/11/the-quest-for-a-better-remote/2066

I personally think it's useful when trying to upsell, to have stuff like this to highlight the shortcomings.

Since the article I've got the URC fully integrated with my HA systems, so I can control anything in the house and added Siri integration to boot: www.hometoys.com/emagazine/2013/02/siri-home-automation-integration-from-start-to-finish-brpart-1--the-basics-using-a-linux-vm/2087 (part 3 is just about HA integration with Siri)

Good luck and Bon Apetit!
Mark

Re: Helping DIY'ers Recognize the Benefits of Professional Home Automation

Todd,

I love this subject and your take on how to start to differentiate what you do from what the box store offers the person with a DIY mindset.

I agree that your approach may work with some, but feel it would fall on deaf ears with others.

WiFi ranges, spectrum analyzers, etc are all great if you're dealing with someone technical, but will just lose many by getting too far down in the mud.

I think your example of the man who came back, after he experienced a problem, illustrates that. Many people don't respond to theory or logic, they respond to pain, and then they care what you know.

In my experience, selling to the lifestyle always trumps selling to logic or tech.

The most home auto I ever sold was by telling a simple story about coming home, opening the garage, and coming inside with a hand full of kids, groceries, etc. The light comes on automatically to help you see the keypad as you enter your code. Once the code is entered the hall way and kitchen and family room lights come on, to guide you to the kitchen and drop your things.

OR

A fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night and you awake to smoke in the house. The AC kicks off to stop circulating the smoke filled air and to stop feeding the fire with fresh oxygen. The lights in the home all go off, except those in the hallways leading to the doors, with the lights above each doorway in the home blinking on or off to give you safe exit.

These type of things play on real frustrations and fears as well as make the homeowner think in their head (I don't know how to do that!)

It takes the automation decision from a matter of music controlling convenience to solving problems iPod just doesn't handle easily in the app store.

Best my man!

Mark C

Re: Helping DIY'ers Recognize the Benefits of Professional Home Automation

Your dead on with that article. I just recently had a new potential client call me for a quote to hang a 70" TV on a wall and hide all wiring. No big deal right? So I go to look at the job and the wall is the backside of a indoor brick fireplace and this room was a new addition. So I explained the labor cost would have to be time I spent do to the issues that can arrows from mounting to the back of the fireplace.
He decided he would do it himself and boy did he give it a good try. He called me back with his head down low and slumped shoulders. I arrived with me crew to find the TV still on the floor and holes all over the wall. Well the wall was metal studs mounted flat with Sheetrock so it only gave you 1 1/2" clearance. I mounted the TV ran new power and had to cut out I back of the baseboard to drill to the basement to hide the cables. On a scale of 1-10 on comlication of running wires and mounting it was an 11 for the owner, for us maybe a 5. After all was done and yes we patched all his holes and the system hooked up and running, oh by the way I also sold him a Pro Control remote, he said he would never attempt again.
I also have him scheduled to check out the ELan g! System I have set up as a demo unit at my home.
I love DIY

Re: Helping DIY'ers Recognize the Benefits of Professional Home Automation

This artical is absolutlythe truth we as Cistom Integraiton companies are faced with daily. What with all the "good deals" at Costco and even now you can buy projectors and screens from Home Depots website. We Custom dealers look like a bunch of nuts with our" high Prices"

Thats until the non professional tries to do it them self and then realize there must still be a need for professional integrators. I like the new commercial on Tv about the Plumber that did the guys taxes last week. One week he did taxes now hes fixing the sink. The morel of the commercial is Dont do what we do, or inother words I dont do you job so you dont try an ddo mine.

There are consumer grade products that are great at what they do, its when the customer thinks that that product can do the same thing as the big boy custom piece is where the problems start. Or even when the custoemr is at a big box store and the "sales" guy tells them that item "X" will do the same thing as "custom item D" only they can save money. Then the customer gets it hoem to try and do it them self and they are even more confused and screwed up. Then guess who get the call to rectify all the problems.

The answer is just like what Todd says in this article. As a custom professional we need not talk down about the consumer item but explain its short commings in was a DIYer can unerstand. There are plenety of these peopele that need to be shown to beleive, and some of them need to be burned onece by doing it them self in order to realize you were giving them a fair price on a project you may have quoted them before they decided you were "too expensive" Unfortunatly for those customers they would have had to spend twice as much to get what they wanted becasue they went that route but then again they could also be an assit to your business because they will explaine this to their friends that want to go through a project they think they can do them self and youll wind up getting a referall from somone you took care of after thier disaster.

The differance between the consume and custom product will always be there. There will be was of doign things cheep and havign to compromise and then there is the custom approach that may not actually cost all that much more but give the client exactly what they want and need. its translating that if you have the opertunity to do so to the customer. After all the DIYer isnt calling you in the first place becasue they think they can Do it them self only to find out they eiither will do it them self or your phone will be rininging!

Re: Helping DIY'ers Recognize the Benefits of Professional Home Automation

My two cents? Say nothing at their house. I have a cousin who has had, and will always continue to have a Mickey Mouse system, regardless of how easy I could make it. I was there for a function, and one of the kids wanted to play the X-Box. After fussing with one of his systems for 5 minutes, I quit, and asked him to make it work. Then it took him 10 minutes to get it going. The best demonstration is when he comes to my house, and everything, including lighting control from the car, works. Let the gear do the talking.