Like Dorothy Gail from the Wizard of Oz, you possess the magic that can help simplify any sale. Just click your heals three times and say, “There is no place like home.” Your key to simplifying the sale is sitting in your house. It is the TV you watch every night. It is the remote you use every day. It is the way you control your house. It is the power of what you own.
We (the AV professionals) are pretty smart. We know things about refresh rate and we can rattle off fancy resolutions. We know and understand IR, RF, and IP control. We comprehend DSP and HDbaseT (as least the concept of it). We, the audio-video integrators of the world, know quite a bit, and the best of us know there is always more to learn.
But what about the client? What do they know? And how can we teach them in the mere minutes we have their attention?
Most people these days will go online and do some research before finding you. Many will preach the praise of Consumer Reports or another review site. They may come in to your store or showroom armed with “key words” and basic data. How do you collect their information and turn it into a sale?
Keep It Simple: An integrator’s true talent lies in the ability to make the extremely complex seem simple. Look at a Crestron touchscreen. The best designs out there are exceedingly simple, yet just below the surface you will find a matrix of programming. To the common person, this programming looks like another language. This is how our entire business should work. We should be able to take this crazy world of tech and make it easy for the consumer.
Tell the Story: I sadly admit that I currently do not own a “killer” home theater (don’t tell anyone). When we moved into our house four years ago my children were only two and three years old, and our top priority was getting the kids to sleep. I do, however, have all my equipment in my basement and use Universal Remotes MX-450 with an RF basestation to control the system. It always works. My remote is custom programmed, and it is given to my parents, my in-laws, and my babysitters without fear. It has to be simple, and it is.
I tell this story almost every day to new clients when explaining why a remote system starts at a price of $489.00. It is shockingly amazing how many of these systems I sell (21 last year, to be exact). The wife is elated at the thought of one remote. I let the husband know that if the system isn’t easy to use, it is not worth the money. How good can a high-end system be if you don’t know how to turn it on?
Talking about what you own is also a great way to “sell” intangible ideas. These ideas are not something the client can purchase off the internet; these are features one gets with a custom install. The idea of playing Pandora throughout your house and the ability to bring up Netflix with the push of a button are services you should be living with and selling with the story.
Make It Personal: How many times have you been asked what type of TV you own? (I own a Sony XBR). How will you know the ins and outs of the AVR app if you’re not using it? Live with a control system, and you’ll sell more of that system. You’ll learn how it makes your life better and be able to give the potential client real-life examples verses specifications about the system. This pulls on the emotional string, not the financial one, opening up additional opportunities. If your system is not making your life better, I bet you’re not selling it.
You do this every day. You know what products work best together. You know how to create a solid-state install. You have the ruby red slippers. Now harness the power you already possess. Tell your story and make the sale.
