Six Ways to Convey Your Premium- Quality Skills and Services

Sam Cavitt (samcavitt@medesign.tv) is president of Paradise Theater in Kihei, Hawaii, and Carlsbad, California.

Recently, I attended a webinar about building sales techniques and strategies for selling high-performance video solutions for home theater projects. One comment during the webinar that resonated with me was: “High performance and luxury aren’t achieved merely as a result of the products you sell.” This is not only true, but good news.

Quality components are only one of the factors that go into delivering highperformance for your clientele. But what could be even more vital? What about your performance? If high performance is solely a product-based result, then what value do you provide as the integrator? If it is only as the purveyor of these products, then the answer is “none.” The only differentiator becomes “who can offer the best price?”

As an industry, we need to focus on delivering high-performance solutions, including skills and services that deliver more than the products alone can ever achieve. Here are six ways that we can convey this message, while backing it up with our own performance:

1 Client Education

To clarify your client’s understanding of what “high performance” means, you must demonstrate, for them, various products and solutions within a high-performance environment. Also explain to them that high performance can only be achieved as a result of a professional process, which includes discovery, analysis, room design, system design, installation and calibration, and most importantly, you!

2 Client Discovery

A high-performance system cannot be delivered without careful and accurate room design.

To justify their investment, a client must develop an essential desire to possess such an experience. Performing a thorough “discovery” with your client can help them reveal their needs, desires, wants, likes, dislikes, and so on. You will be amazed when your client seizes on a dream that is even greater than the one you were prepared to suggest.

3 Room Design

A high-performance system cannot be delivered without careful and accurate room design. This includes space planning, video system analysis, audio system analysis, acoustic analysis, seating layout, and more. The best equipment in the world cannot overcome a poorly designed room. Additionally, the room’s décor cannot be ignored. If not properly integrated, the aesthetics, performance, or both, will suffer. Skillfully done, form and function can coexist and even enhance the final result.

4 System Design

High performance infers engineering. Compatible, reliable, and appropriate components must be skillfully combined to deliver an experience worthy of the term “high performance.” In addition, all factors of the room’s layout and design must be taken into account, because even the finest components, if inappropriately used or improperly placed, will under-perform. Think of a theater as a high-performance vehicle and the system as a finely tuned engine, and you will appreciate the importance of engineering.

5 Installation

Just like a high-performance engine demands mechanical precision, the skill exhibited in the installation of AV systems will affect the overall performance of the theater. This is another reason it is vital that your clientele understand the level of expertise represented by your team. Remember, the bitter taste of low quality will far outlast the temporary sweetness of a low price.

6 Calibration

Finally, providing accurate and appropriate calibration of the audio and video systems that drive this highperformance environment is analogous to the precision tuning so many of our clients will employ in their fine cars. In fact, only a well designed, engineered, and assembled system will respond optimally to this fine tuning.