Like any great coach, I always run a post-game analysis after a big sales season. This time of year I combine the holiday time period with the Super Bowl and was reminded of several best practices we need to get better at. With the Super Bowl a few days away, we ran our post-game this week, and I came away with some new ideas and refreshed some oldies but goodies:
1. People Like to Show Off
When doing initial consultations with clients and then walking through the proposal, be sure to build up how great the system will be for the Super Bowl or other big holiday or event that might be coming up. Remind them how it will enhance entertaining with lighting, temperature and shading control, and better sound for the game and the commercials.
2. No One Want to Have the Most Expensive House on the Block
Just as in real estate, most homeowners don’t want the most expensive system money can buy. They are afraid of obsolescence or overspending. So, always have a more expensive option to show than you actually plan to sell your client. I recently read a very interesting article about Vitamix, maker of the $500 blender. They found that they sold even more $500 blenders after introducing a $700 model. People didn’t want the most expensive one, but they did want one with many of the same features for a lower price.
3. Take and Convert Troubleshooting Calls
We got several calls recently from new customers who were having trouble with existing systems but finally decided to do something about it to be ready for the game. We sent out our best “sales techs,” as I like to call them, to investigate. Not only were they able to fix things for the client, but we now are doing proposals to essentially rip out seven- to 10-year-old racks and redo them with more modern technology (streaming audio and video, IP control, iOS control, etc.) I realized that I’m just like my best customers; I like to upgrade, as you may have seen in last week’s blog where I talked about redoing my system twice in the past year.
4. Fans Want to be Like Their Favorite Players
This season I put together a binder with some of the rooms I had done in the past for New York Giants football players like Amani Toomer and Justin Tuck, as well as media rooms done by other integrators for athletes that I found in the press and worked well with my product mix and aesthetic. I would talk to the client about their team and their favorite players and then show them some pictures of players’ homes. While no one said, “I want that room,” many were inspired to upgrade to features or looks that they saw.
So take the time to do your post-game analysis and use those discoveries not just for the big game, but so you can develop a winning game plan for the next big season. What can you learn from this Super Bowl that you can apply to the run-up to summer when everyone is preparing for outdoor entertainment?
+Todd Anthony Pumais president of The Source Home Theater Installation in New York City.
