By David Geer
Sales success comes "when readiness meets opportunity."
Seneca, 1st century, Rome
It may seem odd to use a quote from Seneca, who lived in Rome in the first century, when talking about selling home automation, which is about as modern a feature as a home can have. Yet that ancient premise holds true today when you're discussing sales, which primarily deals with human nature, which hasn't changed since long before Rome was founded. In the case of modern technology—or any other kind of sales—the readiness comes once you've identified the best sales approaches and opportunities. Put them together, and you've got success!
Sales approaches
1. Sell home automation by another name. Call it home control instead of home automation, says Ken Fairbanks, vice president of sales, SmartLabs, Inc, Irvine, Calif., a leading authority on home automation. Home control sounds more empowering to the homeowner than home automation does. It also sounds less technical and therefore less intimidating to the average person.
2. Sell it by application. Find out which applications are top sellers in your market. Introduce those applications and selling points to your consumers based on their needs.
According to Fairbanks, home-control systems are best sold as part of a package. Popular packages include the following:
- the safety package, which combines lighting and access control with security cameras and smoke detectors
- an energy efficiency package that connects ceiling fans, window blinds and the thermostat to help conserve energy
- the digital living room package, which connects lighting, window blinds, an AV screen, TV and media center, and/or a computer.
3. Sell it in pace with the customer. According to Rawlson O'Neil King, communications director for Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) of Ottawa, Ont., you need to offer as little or as much automation as your customers can handle at the moment.
By providing the right infrastructure—structured cabling—from the outset, you can install systems in step with the homeowner's schedule and comfort zone, says King. A structured cabling system is simply a way of putting all the different types of cabling for voice, data and video in the walls ahead of time. Then the customer can have new control systems installed any time by using existing cable.
Knockout Opportunities
1. Sell when remodeling. Structured cabling was among the top three requested amenities in remodeling projects in 2004, according to the latest CABA figures.
"Structured wiring is increasingly considered when a homeowner is remodeling, since many such projects entail opening or adding walls, which is a perfect opportunity to bring areas of a home up to current wiring standards," says King. Open walls provide access to pathways where you can run cable to hard-to-reach places in the home.
2. Sell when building. When contracting new-home construction gigs, sell the customer on the popularity of structured cabling systems. "Structured cabling systems are fashionable among homeowners because they increase both the value and functionality of the house," says King. Make those points if they aren't aware of them.
According to data from CABA, new-home builds in the United States offering structured cabling rose from eight percent in 1998 to 42 percent in 2004 (the Consumer Electronics Association's State of the Home Builder Technology Market, 2006). According to 2004 survey data from the Internet Home Alliance (IHA, now part of CABA), half of newly constructed homes were expected to have smart home features including structured cabling systems "in a few years."
Let the customer know that, because of the structured cabling system you are installing today, you can come back at any time and install or upgrade any home automation systems they desire at lower costs and with much less disruption. That should be a relatively easy sell: Spend a little now to save a lot later.
Your closing shot, though, should be pointing out that since is the homebuyers' home for their future, it would be unfair to them to ignore one of the biggest trends in homebuilding today. To do so could have a negative effect on the home's value when they decide to sell it, especially if every other house in the neighborhood has home automation.
After all, why spend money on a new Lexus if you're going to end up driving an old, stripped-down Chevy?
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