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Lifeware ‘Delivery Guides’ Offer Schematics, Parts Lists, Marketing Materials and More
Lifeware's Steve Cashman: "Approach to the marketplace is not only product-centric. We've actually invested in making it easier to get into this [home control/Media Center] business."
Lifeware has unleashed a slew of new tools to help integrators configure the company's home automation and entertainment systems.
A hefty book of "Delivery Guides" (also available online) features 13 different installation scenarios – for example home theater, whole-house control, and retrofit --complete with schematics, estimated labor requirements, bill of materials, proposal templates, and more.
With Lifeware's project summary worksheets, dealers "can do a complete 'walk-through' with their customers, either by the project [applications] or room by room," says Jeff Mahan, director of sales for the Western U.S.
An Excel spreadsheet, then, "auto-suggests a sample system," he says.
Mahan notes that "a lot of dealers are new to whole-house control," so the Lifeware tools take much of the guess-work out of system design.
Lifeware demonstrated the Delivery Guides during the recent Electronic House Expo in Long Beach.
Interviewed by CE Pro earlier this year, Lifeware chief strategy officer Steve Cashman says the company's "approach to the marketplace is not only product-centric. We've actually invested in making it easier to get into this business."
The 13 installation scenarios, Cashman says, "range from simple to complex, with very granular details, like the exact parts, and the amount of time it will take to install."
The Delivery Guides also include marketing materials, such as videos, magazine ads and Web site content. Dealers can customize the collateral "so they don't have to hire a graphic artist," says Cashman. "They just download it, stick their logo and telephone number in it, and run with it."
It's all in the interest of proving that "Lifeware is the best partner of anyone," Cashman says.
In the works are more Delivery Guides based on products available through AVAD. Lifeware recently announced a relationship with the distributor, and is setting up complete Lifeware and Media Center systems in each of AVAD's 37 branches.
The new Delivery Guides will help dealers design, install and sell similar solutions.
A hefty book of "Delivery Guides" (also available online) features 13 different installation scenarios – for example home theater, whole-house control, and retrofit --complete with schematics, estimated labor requirements, bill of materials, proposal templates, and more.
With Lifeware's project summary worksheets, dealers "can do a complete 'walk-through' with their customers, either by the project [applications] or room by room," says Jeff Mahan, director of sales for the Western U.S.
An Excel spreadsheet, then, "auto-suggests a sample system," he says.
Mahan notes that "a lot of dealers are new to whole-house control," so the Lifeware tools take much of the guess-work out of system design.
Lifeware demonstrated the Delivery Guides during the recent Electronic House Expo in Long Beach.
Interviewed by CE Pro earlier this year, Lifeware chief strategy officer Steve Cashman says the company's "approach to the marketplace is not only product-centric. We've actually invested in making it easier to get into this business."
The 13 installation scenarios, Cashman says, "range from simple to complex, with very granular details, like the exact parts, and the amount of time it will take to install."
The Delivery Guides also include marketing materials, such as videos, magazine ads and Web site content. Dealers can customize the collateral "so they don't have to hire a graphic artist," says Cashman. "They just download it, stick their logo and telephone number in it, and run with it."
It's all in the interest of proving that "Lifeware is the best partner of anyone," Cashman says.
In the works are more Delivery Guides based on products available through AVAD. Lifeware recently announced a relationship with the distributor, and is setting up complete Lifeware and Media Center systems in each of AVAD's 37 branches.
The new Delivery Guides will help dealers design, install and sell similar solutions.
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About the Author
Julie Jacobson, Editor-at-large, CE Pro
Julie Jacobson is co-founder of EH Publishing and currently spends most of her time writing for CE Pro, mostly in the areas of home automation, networked A/V and the business of home systems integration. She majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has never taken a journalism class in her life. Julie is a washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player with the scars to prove it. Follow her on Twitter @juliejacobson.
2 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
We do a ton of lifeware, and we have gotten pretty close to the company. They will be bigger than AMX and Crestron from my estimation within the next two to three years. My suggestion is quit feeling intimidate by IT and learn it. Lifeware has been very steady and straight forward and great to work with, they are actually not using AVAD the same way most manufacturers do, but rather keeping their factory presence and using that as their regional office. We like this guide as it helped us with the learning curve.
Page 1 of 1 comment pages
I see this story got zero comments so i guess this says something. We’ll have to see if this latest edition of Lifeware sales direction works. I know a few of the reps in my region and what appears to be missing is actually selling, educating and winning over the dealers they really want. BUT if they want the dealers who have never done home automation?!?!?! then this book will look cute.
But they seem to keep moving from one idea, concept, distribution, sales team to another. None of my contacts or the reps can figure out how in the world they’ve allowed this to get that off track to seeing the success they should have by now.
If they think the AVAD channel is going to get them the results they need then somebody really SOLD them a bill of goods.