System 7: A Floor Plan For Success

One of the keys to running a successful business, according to Gerard Lynch, "is to look at the big picture from the outside."

By seeking outside perspectives, the president of System 7 says he has found many gems of wisdom that have helped him run his integration company better. "It is a hard thing to do, but it is worth doing."

It's not that hard to do.

To look at System 7 from the outside, just visit the company Web site, http://www.sevenhomes.com, and click on "Log into our Home." With a user name and password from Lynch, any Web surfer can peek into System 7's Topsfield, Mass. showroom via remote security monitoring.

There's a camera in the lobby and one in the conference room. Lynch says it blows away potential clients who want to learn about security cameras and remote monitoring, and it helps them understand how a similar application would work in their home.



"We don't want to be spied on all day," Lynch jokes, explaining that onlookers don't have access to cameras in the warehouse and other areas where work is primarily done. They do, however, get to control the lights in the lobby and the conference room.

When a potential client logs on, Lynch gets an e-mail alert. "I'll see that Joe logged on. Now I know that this customer is serious," he explains.

Also, Lynch says he can use it as a sales vehicle. If a potential client can't make it to the showroom, Lynch might walk them through the log-in process over the phone and give them a wave through the cameras.

"Then I'll say, 'Let me show you the system,' and give them a walk-through. I do it all the time."

Getting Literal

OK, so maybe the remote Web monitoring access isn't exactly what Lynch means by emphasizing the importance of looking at the company from the outside. From the inside, though, director of operations Eric Hawley says the Web site feature is reflective of System 7's overall philosophy.

"In terms of 'wow factor,' that's about as far as we go," he explains. He says the company isn't about shocking clients with mind-blowing home theaters or staggering control systems. The emphasis is on reliability, usability and, above all, simplicity.

Even the elaborate Web site monitoring sales technique is designed to show clients how simple their systems can be -- not how extravagant they are. Lynch says the company is dedicated to making the complex simple.

"The customers that are right for us are the ones that want simplicity," he says. "They're the people who just want to press a button and have it come on."

If there are customers that are right for System 7, it follows that there must be customers that are wrong. It's true, Lynch says. It's important to take on like-minded clients that the company can satisfy since most of System 7's business is referral based, he explains.

"Our customers are our sales force," Lynch says. In that spirit, he describes a sales presentation process that seems to also serve as interviews for new sales positions. Is this a client whose needs System 7 can meet, exceed and lead to potential referrals?

It goes both ways, of course. Lynch says he wants to make sure that System 7's approach of bringing a home's subsystems together in a simple, user-friendly control system makes sense for the client. He says there's a two-way discovery process that goes on when he meets with potential clients.

"By the time they leave, we have a good sense of whether or not they're a good fit for us," he says. "There are cultural matches and we figure out if somebody is in our wavelength."

Why is it so important that integrator and clients agree philosophically? "When people refer us they're referring us for a reason and it's because of the experience they've had with us," Lynch says.

"You have to build trust. It's not an artificial thing. You're trying to build credibility and help them understand that you're not trying to dupe them. When they trust you is when they realize that this guy isn't trying to sell me something. Then I'm getting to the point where I can design something that I think they'll like."

That, presumably, is when the referrals start rolling in.