Crestron Pyng
Crestron Pyng is going to be a game changer for my integration company. It opens up whole new markets to our business. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how to market Pyng to my existing customers as well as potential new ones. The biggest challenge I face (and I assume a lot you have as well) is that I don’t want to antagonize my existing clients by offering a more affordable Crestron solution after having sold them on a very expensive Crestron “Classic” system. But, I’ve realized that to grow my company and bring new clients and markets into the fold, I have to extol the virtues of Pyng. So here are the key selling points as I see them:
1.Approachable Crestron. To some homeowners, the word “Crestron” carries a lot of baggage. They envision old-school black and white touchpanels, complex systems, constant visits by techs, and a huge invoice. While we have all been able to combat much skepticism by doing great installs, showing clients the clean look of modern Crestron software and hardware, and building rock solid systems, the price can still scare people away. With Pyng, however, the cost is brought down dramatically because there are no programming costs, no processors, no rack required for gear, and there’s easier configuration. A typical home with maybe 50 devices can be completed at almost half the retail price of a ‘Classic’ system.
2.Fully “Integratable.” While I haven’t exactly worked out the wording here (“integratable” isn’t really a word and even if it was, consumers wouldn’t get it), the message is that Pyng is not a standalone product. It can be integrated with an existing or future Crestron Classic system. It is a variation of this theme that I use when existing clients are concerned about the future of their existing system.
3.User “Editable.” While I’m at it, I’ll invent another word. Even with entry-level remotes from URC and Pro Control, homeowners cannot make simple changes to their remote; it requires a service call and an invoice. With Pyng, homeowners can change lighting and shading scenes on the fly. This is a huge benefit for them and something they will absolutely appreciate.
4.Home Automation. Don’t forget, people need to know what they are going to get! In this case, they get lighting, shading, HVAC, and door lock control all from one app, while at home or away. This is the same selling message for all automation systems, but it’s easy to overlook when trying to come up with why Pyng is different or better than traditional systems
Marketing is all about speaking in a language that your target market can understand. Put things in simple words. Avoid industry-speak, make technology easy to understand, and tell them how the system will impact their lives. Pyng is bringing bulletproof home automation to a price point not necessarily available in the past. Let people know how great it can be.
I’m sure Crestron realizes the opportunity they have here. I hope they will launch some consumer marketing campaigns to educate people about the benefits of home automation and Pyng. This will create a “pull” demand from the consumer, instead of us “pushing” the product downstream to them. Imagine an add on Monday Night Football showing someone going to bed and shutting down their home from a single button on a keypad, or going on vacation and checking their home security, HVAC, and lighting from an app, or checking to see if their kids came home from school using their personal key codes on the front door locks, or of shades lowering as the sun gets higher in the sky to keep cooling costs down. A strong consumer push by Crestron and other manufacturers could do for home automation what Sonos did for whole-home audio last year with their SuperBowl spot.
How do you sell home automation to your clients? How do you see marketing Pyng to new and existing clients?
+Todd Anthony Pumais president of The Source Home Theater Installation, Powered by Fregosa Design, in New York City.
