Do You Ever Hang and Bang?

We are the retro-fit Kings in our area, so hanging & banging are our specialty !
We are busy and actually are hiring right now !

By adding Universal remotes, mounts, surround sound, Directv Sat, better cables, surge protection.
We can make some $$$, There isnt much $$$ in the TV anyway !

Luigi

We refer the “hang & bang” business to compainies/independents like Luigi.  Even with add-ons, we can break-even at best.  Then, when follow up is needed, we’re in the hole!  Our nitch is custom with great follow-up.

I don’t really know too many businesses that are turning customers away at this point.  At Poole Audio Video we are only defined by a 100 mile radius, so we take on quite a few projects, including smaller flat panel installations.  Even if you are just making a small amount, you have now shown your customer your ability and that customer will come back to you in the future for more work.

Poole Audio Video
Newburgh, IN
812 454 8241

I’m located in a destinanation resort area, but a relatively small market. I believe anytime you can get your ‘Foot in the Door’, there’s an opportunity for some kind of additional upgrade, i.e. remote, 5.1 retro, BluRay, add’l TV, HD Sat, etc. The initial hanging might not be to profitable, but you can always sell them add’l cables.
Things are slow, take what work is available, it might turn into additional referrals.
90% of the time, there’s an upgrade opportunity.
Dan C

Absolutley we will.  As the above comments stated.  Business is slow, so we will take any opportunity to reach out to new customers.  Just keep it efficient.  Always keep little add ons in your truck for the upsell.

You bet we will.  Its all labor most of the time and you can get the add on sales that the big box guys missed.  Also once they have seen our service and quality work on a simple flat panel install they will call back for the big stuff.

Jason H

No… we are High End Custom.  With that said .. we will complete a small project for an existing client after the fact (we know what we are getting into).... and will also complete small projects for referrals from our custom clients…. we do not want to give our best clients a reason to stop giving us refferals.  We have a Big Box (BB) a mile down the street.. people coming to us know that they are going to pay more - and get it perfect the first time.

We take the approach that anytime we can get our foot in the door, we do it. I’ve had many customers call me back after they learn we do more than just hang TV’s for other services. They’re also great for referrals which can lead to bigger opportunities.

We won’t hang another company’s sale.  We do high end design, install, and program, but since the $$$ are in audio and integration once a unit is hung by a seller we are happy to integrate it into a whole system of our design.

Done it plenty of times, but always reluctantly, as risk can easily outweigh the reward.  Usually, the client expects the moon, which typically costs more than $399!  Hazards:  Metal stud drywall vs. large TV & articulating mount;  No electrical or cable outlet anywhere nearby;  client doesn’t realize that high def isn’t part of their basic cable, and now they need a box, so where does it go?  etc…..  Qualify the job yourself instead of relying on someone else to do it via a phone call from the parking lot of the big box store!

nope!

To hang and bang would be a waste of our time , we do high end jobs and that would end up costing us more than the install is worth.

Sure. Why not? As a matter of fact, sometimes I’d rather install something that I did not sell. That way, every little problem is somebody else’s fault so I can charge for every hour I take. If I sell the equipment, the customer expects everything to be included at no extra charge.

We do high end custom yet we definitely take these on with one caveat - make sure to set expectations up front! Clear pricing based on typical situations (steel studs, concrete, mount type, associated equipment etc.) We do enough of these to have this down to a science.  Secondly, outline warranty issues with related equipment along with who is responsible for what.  I can’t emphasize enough how profitable this business has been for us in the long run.  $600 jobs turning into $5,000+ high margin projects have been common, plus word of mouth is invaluable.  We have had the odd problem but if you do enough volume, these become a non-issue in the long run.  Our pricing is fair, but not low.  Thankfully, things here in Canada are not quite as bad as they seem to be south of the border and we are not yet running short of work so we do lose the odd job due to price which is fine with me. I look at it this way, if a customer is concerned about spending $500-$750 having a flat panel mounted, then chances are, he/she are not going to be a high value customer in the future.  Lastly, we send our better installers to these jobs as 1. You’re not always sure what you’ll run into and 2. First impressions with new customers mean everything.

If I can’t convince the customer to buy our Nuvision TV, it’s better business deal to have the TV waiting for us to install. We caveat the proposal about customer provided equipment regarding labor time if it’s defective and resposibility in general.

I use the caveats to help sell the Nuvision. When you combine the caveats with we deliver and eat the time if it’s defective including having to leave and return.

I agree with getting our foot in the door leads to bigger things, not to mention referrals.

We do it whenever possible, as making contacts and expanding our customer base is very important.  It’s also important to make $$$, so we charge a truck roll fee and T&M;on the job, and the installer sets the expectations right away once on site.  If you’re not making money on this, maybe you’re not charging the customer properly.