ISE 2012: Top 10 Intriguing Products
Super Bowl: The Ultimate Home Theater System
Inside Former New York Giant Amani Toomer's Home Theater
Neat-O: Wired for Prime Time Makeover
Print
Email
Comments (2)
Share
Central Vacuum: A Missed Opportunity
You are doing your company and your customers a disservice by not offering central vacuum systems.
Why is it that more than 65 percent of the CE Pro 100 companies are not offering central vacuums? Is it the ugly step-child the industry only offers when it's absolutely necessary? Is the category not sexy enough? Is the price point too low to include in a package?
Our company participated in a recent CE Pro 100 Summit and even offered a free vacuum system for each of the participants. Yet, they still didn't pursue the offer.
How do you reconcile this with regular statements from industry leaders that claim that central vacuums are one of their most important category products?
It's time for the industry to wake up. Maybe you'll never get excited about selling vacuum cleaners, but you should have a proper perspective of this as a "must have" item.
In Canada every home has the central vacuum pipe-work automatically installed during construction. This year in the U.S. a paltry 145,000 central vacuums are projected to be installed, according to Appliance Magazine. That's pathetic compared to the over 12 million portable vacuums sold.
Central vacuums have been clinically proven to provide one of the greatest health benefits for allergy and asthma patients because the air is exhausted outside the home. The aging population loves the lightweight convenience and versatility, especially in multi-level homes. The product fits the green initiative perfectly with tremendous efficiency.
So why doesn't the average CE pro install them? I believe the acceptance of this product centers around education and information.
The major gaps in knowledge are related to the profit potential, ease of sale and installation and technical aspects. No one wants to add a category that will contain a huge learning curve, but central vac offers one of the easiest entry pathways.
A central vacuum installation in a 3,500-square-foot home sells for about $2,500 with about $800 in component costs in the U.S. A pro should be able to complete the installation in less than eight hours. Do the math. The quick-added profit is hard to argue with.
We are told regularly that dealers love the central vacuum because it does not require any tweaking after you leave the home. In fact the accolades for the central vac are higher than most other installed devices. The central vacuum is often what brings in the referrals of new clients.
Matt Panter of Waco, Texas-based Panter Home Theater received an Internet referral for a Silent Master Central Vacuum on George Bush's home and ended up doing over $30,000 of electronics because of the quality of the lead. The central vacuum can be your entrance into projects you never knew existed.
Upon gaining the clients' trust on any one of your trades, the add-on sales are far easier.
I believe this is the major barrier keeping CE pros out of the C-Vac market. Having exhibited at 12 CEDIA Expos and almost all EHX events, I've had the dealers come up to me excited about selling central vacs but lost with the installation. New or existing construction projects are actually quite easy with the aid of training manuals and videos. Or subcontract out the installation to other experts in the area who would love the additional work. They can often assist with ongoing maintenance as well.
"CFM," "waterlift" and "airwatts" are all Greek to the average integrator. Take an hour to browse the thousands of educational pages. Over 12,000 product reviews there can help you understand what the clients appreciate and what they don't like. And if you can't find an answer, technicians can respond to your e-mails.
Don't let a lack of education keep you from adding this great category to your package of products. Give central vacuums an opportunity to prove themselves and you'll find a bright spot in these tough times. The market for existing home central vacuum installations is unbelievable and now is an ideal time for you to educate yourself on it.
Come out to California and I'll train you myself!
Our company participated in a recent CE Pro 100 Summit and even offered a free vacuum system for each of the participants. Yet, they still didn't pursue the offer.
How do you reconcile this with regular statements from industry leaders that claim that central vacuums are one of their most important category products?
It's time for the industry to wake up. Maybe you'll never get excited about selling vacuum cleaners, but you should have a proper perspective of this as a "must have" item.
In Canada every home has the central vacuum pipe-work automatically installed during construction. This year in the U.S. a paltry 145,000 central vacuums are projected to be installed, according to Appliance Magazine. That's pathetic compared to the over 12 million portable vacuums sold.
Central vacuums have been clinically proven to provide one of the greatest health benefits for allergy and asthma patients because the air is exhausted outside the home. The aging population loves the lightweight convenience and versatility, especially in multi-level homes. The product fits the green initiative perfectly with tremendous efficiency.
Get Educated
So why doesn't the average CE pro install them? I believe the acceptance of this product centers around education and information.
The major gaps in knowledge are related to the profit potential, ease of sale and installation and technical aspects. No one wants to add a category that will contain a huge learning curve, but central vac offers one of the easiest entry pathways.
Central Vacuum - Sweep in the Profits
Learn how to install and profit from central vac installations with this Advantage Series White Paper from CE Pro.
Learn how to install and profit from central vac installations with this Advantage Series White Paper from CE Pro.
Profit Potential
A central vacuum installation in a 3,500-square-foot home sells for about $2,500 with about $800 in component costs in the U.S. A pro should be able to complete the installation in less than eight hours. Do the math. The quick-added profit is hard to argue with.
We are told regularly that dealers love the central vacuum because it does not require any tweaking after you leave the home. In fact the accolades for the central vac are higher than most other installed devices. The central vacuum is often what brings in the referrals of new clients.
Ease of Sale
Matt Panter of Waco, Texas-based Panter Home Theater received an Internet referral for a Silent Master Central Vacuum on George Bush's home and ended up doing over $30,000 of electronics because of the quality of the lead. The central vacuum can be your entrance into projects you never knew existed.
Upon gaining the clients' trust on any one of your trades, the add-on sales are far easier.
Ease of Installation
I believe this is the major barrier keeping CE pros out of the C-Vac market. Having exhibited at 12 CEDIA Expos and almost all EHX events, I've had the dealers come up to me excited about selling central vacs but lost with the installation. New or existing construction projects are actually quite easy with the aid of training manuals and videos. Or subcontract out the installation to other experts in the area who would love the additional work. They can often assist with ongoing maintenance as well.
Technical Aspects
"CFM," "waterlift" and "airwatts" are all Greek to the average integrator. Take an hour to browse the thousands of educational pages. Over 12,000 product reviews there can help you understand what the clients appreciate and what they don't like. And if you can't find an answer, technicians can respond to your e-mails.
Don't let a lack of education keep you from adding this great category to your package of products. Give central vacuums an opportunity to prove themselves and you'll find a bright spot in these tough times. The market for existing home central vacuum installations is unbelievable and now is an ideal time for you to educate yourself on it.
Come out to California and I'll train you myself!
Subscribe to the CE Pro Newsletter
2 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
It’s a commodity sale just like TV’s. The margins are low and the client will shop you to death on equipment.
We have removed this altogether from our line card. As mentioned in your article - it just ain’t that sexy. AV and central vac just don’t fit in the same sentence!!
Page 1 of 1 comment pages
As You state in the article, allergens are exhausted to the outside of the home, or into a basement or garage.
Current systems do not provide or a filtered re-supply of air removed. Therefore all are removed is drawn from the outside, it’s only ingress being through insulation leaks, around doors or windows, and such. This means replacement air brings in replacement allergens and dirt.
Fix this, advertise this, and you may raise sales instead of dust.
R. Ed Huwa, AVSystems Inc. GenMgr/Eng