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Partner With Home Remodelers For Retrofit Central Vac Installs
Without walls, plumbing a house for central vac is easier. That’s why some integrators form partnerships with remodelers -- they’re already busting behind walls.
Partnering with a builder to offer central vac is considered ideal for integrators. It can provide them with lots of referrals and the installations are easy because the walls haven't gone up yet.
Integrators doing retrofit central vac have a similar opportunity with home remodelers. Remodelers are great sources of referrals and they bust into the walls, creating easy access for running tubing and placing outlets.
Getting inside the walls is a major benefit of working with remodelers, says Paul Runyan, sales manager for Beam. He says 57 percent of remodeling is done in three sectors: kitchen remodels, gut renovations and additions.
"In each one of those scenarios the consumer is breaking through the drywall." Consumers who have already committed to cutting into their walls, he adds, are far more apt to have their home retrofitted for central vac.
Working with remodelers doesn't just make the installations easier, says Runyan. It is, however, a potentially huge opportunity for growth. "The remodeling industry will grow to $280 billion in sales in the next 10 years according to economists," he says. He advises integrators to take advantage of that growth by getting involved with their local remodeler association.
It's working for A-Tech Easy Living Store, a Des Moines, Iowa-based central vac provider that participates in local remodeling associations. "We work with hundreds of remodelers," says Bill Corwin, sales manager.
Runyan suggests that integrators allow remodelers to use their showrooms to showcase technology, including central vac. A-Tech does this and says it has paid off. "We let both builders and remodelers use our showroom as their design center," says Corwin.
"In our market, remodelers who have design centers are few and far between. We take the opportunity to help them explain the central vac part and then we let them use our conference room to meet with clients."
These partnerships are invaluable, says Runyan, because remodelers tend to have intimate relationships with their clients. This makes them excellent sources of referrals. It also makes them very invested in the quality of work done on their clients' homes.
He says integrators should respect that remodeler-client relationship by showing certification and providing a professional environment.
Integrators doing retrofit central vac have a similar opportunity with home remodelers. Remodelers are great sources of referrals and they bust into the walls, creating easy access for running tubing and placing outlets.
Getting inside the walls is a major benefit of working with remodelers, says Paul Runyan, sales manager for Beam. He says 57 percent of remodeling is done in three sectors: kitchen remodels, gut renovations and additions.
"In each one of those scenarios the consumer is breaking through the drywall." Consumers who have already committed to cutting into their walls, he adds, are far more apt to have their home retrofitted for central vac.
Working with remodelers doesn't just make the installations easier, says Runyan. It is, however, a potentially huge opportunity for growth. "The remodeling industry will grow to $280 billion in sales in the next 10 years according to economists," he says. He advises integrators to take advantage of that growth by getting involved with their local remodeler association.
It's working for A-Tech Easy Living Store, a Des Moines, Iowa-based central vac provider that participates in local remodeling associations. "We work with hundreds of remodelers," says Bill Corwin, sales manager.
Runyan suggests that integrators allow remodelers to use their showrooms to showcase technology, including central vac. A-Tech does this and says it has paid off. "We let both builders and remodelers use our showroom as their design center," says Corwin.
"In our market, remodelers who have design centers are few and far between. We take the opportunity to help them explain the central vac part and then we let them use our conference room to meet with clients."
These partnerships are invaluable, says Runyan, because remodelers tend to have intimate relationships with their clients. This makes them excellent sources of referrals. It also makes them very invested in the quality of work done on their clients' homes.
He says integrators should respect that remodeler-client relationship by showing certification and providing a professional environment.
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About the Author
Tom LeBlanc, Senior Writer/Technology Editor, CE Pro
Tom has been covering consumer electronics for six years. Before that, he wrote for the sports department of the Boston Herald. Migrating to magazines, he was a staff editor for a golf publication and an outdoor sports publication. Now, as senior writer/technology editor of CE Pro magazine since 2003, he dabbles in all departments and offers expertise in marketing. Follow him on Twitter @leblanctom.
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