Weekly Tip
Are You Ready for Mobile Device Integration in Residential Systems?
By, Buzz Delano - Delano Associates
By now everyone's dealt with this scenario; the homeowner and their family have a bunch of mobile devices they use daily. As ESC's you need to embrace these products and be sure that your selling proposition, product offering and system design specs are ready. If you are ready, then you will have happier customers and make more money. That's the goal, right? The prosperity of your business depends greatly now on the inclusion of these products in home and business systems.
The obvious leader is Apple with their iOS product platform of iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. It has already been established that Apple products can be integrated into systems and in numerous ways. Brands like iPort, Control4, Savant and Sonos - just to name a few - offer a wide range of clever solutions for Apple products. Getting set-up with the right vendor is important but what about your business strategy to really go after the mobile device integration business? How do you know what to offer that is a profitable business model for you and appealing to your customers?
Monetizing the mobile device business is essential. You may not make any money on the device but you can prosper by showing your customers the value of using their mobile devices in their home system. Convenience is the key. That's what the mobile device really offers at its core. So you need to make it convenient to stream music or video from an iPod touch or Samsung Galaxy for example, to one or more zones of audio playback in the home. How? Wireless? Wired? Dock? Connecting cable? Apple AirPlay? An App? You name it, there's a way to do it but you and your team need to learn how to integrate it and sell it. Be the expert here but be concise.
Improving Wi-Fi performance; this is perhaps the most important "utility" now in people's homes. I could turn off the water in my home and my daughter wouldn't notice as fast as if I turned off the Wi-Fi. You have to learn how to design and support Wi-Fi. Meet the right vendors who specialize in this category. Do online research on Wi-Fi and invisible gremlins that affect RF (radio frequency) performance. It is, and always will be, variable. You need to be nimble and smart about it. You will not succeed in monetizing mobile devices otherwise.
ESC's need to learn networking, content management and storage along with clever solutions which result in making their customer's home systems as convenient as the gadget on the side of their head, in the palm of their hand or in their lap while driving. Good thing though, it’s safer to text at home than while driving so you're free of that liability.
In the spirit of awakening some great industry thinking here, let's hear from you on this. Right here is where you can get great value from your CEDIA membership by networking with your peers on this topic. All you have to do is express your ideas.
CEDIA Professional Services Members, trusted for their professionalism and reliability, offer CEDIA members unmatched channel expertise in specialized fields and insight into the latest trends and tactics in the custom installation industry. These individuals and companies offer a wide-array of services and consultation programs including support with marketing and advertising strategies, graphic design, website design, product launches, public relations, promotional goods, product design and development, hardware and software engineering, trade show management, strategic business planning, financial and administrative development, and more. For more information on CEDIA Professional Services Members can help you and your business, please visit www.cedia.org/psat.
