CE Pro Community

Becoming an Authorized agent

2009-07-10T09:39:07-06:00

An area where more business can be found is in becoming an Authorized Agent for companies like DirectTV, Local Cable company, Dish Network, etc.

Does anyone have ideas around this? Has anyone done this and if so how is it working for you?

Other than the names listed above who else could be become an authorized agent for?

DirecTV Dealer Program

2009-01-30T17:11:34-06:00

Hello to all!
We are a small company based in Indiana. Our background comes from a production home systems. We are trying to fit ourselves into Mid and High End System market. We are trying to get advantage of almost every business opportunity. A year ago we started offering Alarm Monitoring Services. For a very long time we are considering of becoming a DirecTV dealer as well. Recently we have put more efforts in this direction. The solution we currently have is by offering this service through a third party. We have been told (a DirecTV Dealer) that in order to become a direct authorized dealer there is a requirement of selling a certain amount of contracts monthly. Unfortunately our main goal is not to do a satellite business, but rather being able to offer this service to our customers and therefore selling only when is needed. At the moment we are doing everything from selling to installing the service but still we are making half of the possible revenue. My point is: Can we become a Direct Authorized DirectTV Dealer without the constrains I described above? Has anyone experienced the problem we have or our research in this direction has not been sufficient enough?

Thank you All in advance!

as an intergrator are you happy and where do you see the biz in the next 5 years

2009-11-13T08:27:39-06:00

I am the owner of a CI company in Fl we have been in business for 8 years and almost every year beating the last revenue wise. This past year and a half we have taken hits , gone up and down and it has been shocking and eye opening in a way.We focus on a high end market and its just not been here lately but we will still manage to finish this year in a very positive note.

I however have been having alot of thoughts as to where my boz and the industry is going. The industry has alot of “new ways to make money’’ but the proffit margins keep getting smaller and smaller , my question is where do you see the biz going? where do you see it in 5 years? do you still love it? do you think it will ever be the same? I know alot of us got into the biz cause we loved audio and had interest in automation and where it was going but the bottom line is that i loved the income i was making and while i still am making a good living i wonder if these next years will keep providing that?

your opinions?

Will Walmart TV Installations Catch On?

2009-10-23T13:34:22-06:00

Walmart is now installing TVs, PCs, and home theaters, charging $99 for a basic TV installation $399 for a premium TV service.

How big of a market is there for this? And how does it affect CE pros?

Is the Resi CI Business Hitting a Wall?

2009-09-22T21:27:24-06:00

I can’t help but think that CO vNet is the Bear Stearns of this group…a seemingly material casualty that pales in comparison to the dominoes yet to fall. Things to think of:

- On the capital availability side, both consumer and business credit remain tight and will likely continue to be tight for at least 9 more months (I’d guess 15-18).

- On the company liquidity side, most companies (mfrs and CI) set the goal in late ‘08 and early ‘09 to just make it through calendar 2009 ...that they had to do whatever it took to make their cash last through flat-to-negative sales growth. Some assumed NO new sales. But the model was about lasting through 2009. 2010 is about to hit and nothing’s really changed since 1/09 except 12 additional months of cash burn.

- On the consumer spending side, the savings rate has skyrocketed. There’s a fair argument that the recession has spawned a once-in-a-century change in spending habits (like the great depression). It will be a long time before homeowners buy as faithfully into the religion that home prices only go up and home equity loans are easy cash. (That won’t happen until long after that credit loosens again).

- The stock market recovery since March has been essentially a jobless recovery and appears to be somewhat unsustainable. Many are looking at a 10,000 DJIA level as a trigger for widespread profit-taking and a hair-trigger for a big slump on any bad news. Regardless of whether that’s legit, it will keep checkbooks dusty for a while on discretionary purchases.

- On the consumer behavior side, consumers love mobile gadgets—and they’re increasingly sacrificing quality for convenience and features. The gadgets are becoming increasingly sophisticated and extensible without the aid of a professional. They’re ubiquitous, interoperable, intuitive and highly functional. Who needs a whole-home audio system when you can just buy a few ipod docks. I know the response to that question, but it’s a harder and harder case to make—regardless of the economic environment.

So that’s the question: does the pace of pocket/mobile technology and the reticence of homeowners to invest in in-the-wall solutions indicate a non-cyclical contraction of the business?

I’d love to hear thoughtful responses (beyond the typical anecdotes and “Costco will never replace us” rhetoric). And I acknowledge that there are counter-arguments about certain consumers appreciating what we offer and our solutions being robust and time-tested. But that seems a bit defensive and in denial.

This business can always survive as a boutique business…but that can be said of nearly ANY business. The question is whether there is any sustainable scale left for custom over the next five years. If so, what does that scale business look like. If not, is there any role for CI guys in a pocket/mobile CE (or any other growing) ecosystem?

Proposal Software

2009-01-28T21:10:03-06:00

Who is using what? I own a small business that is starting to get some large jobs and I am looking for a faster way to create bids. I know of Dtools (too expensive at this point), BidMagic ( Heard good and bad), and QuoteWerks (Not impressive looking props) any and all guidance is appreciated.

Trunk Slammer?

2008-07-25T18:06:00-06:00

Every industry has it’s high end and low end. Both in terms of customers and merchants. It happens that in our industry, the low end merchant has the distinct title, “Trunk Slammer.”

Don’t you think that some customers would be paired up nicely with this level of installer? How do you qualify your customers to make sure they are a match for your target market? I believe there is a great market for trunk slammers. There are more people out there who would love to pay $150 to mount a TV than are willing to pay $1,000 to have it done right.

Is it the products you specify that weed out unwanted customers?

Do you request a scope of work along with an actual budget to identify if it’s a fit? How detailed is your proposal?

In our business, we try to identify the scope of work and have a set of drawings if it is a project under construction. This helps us to identify early in the process if we are anywhere near having a project that we can do and make money doing it.

And although our bread and butter comes from the big projects, we still do service calls for existing customers and business partners to foster and strengthen our existing relationships.

Glad to be sharing in this exciting industry with you,
Morgan

DHTI Certification

2009-09-17T09:53:02-06:00

Is DHTI Certification important to installation companies? Is it a marketing plus to have certified installation technicians?

Whole House Audio and Home Automation Leads

2008-07-31T17:05:48-06:00

Can anybody recommend a good source to use for bidding on whole house audio and home automation projects? I am a new installer and am interested in growing my business. Any help would be appreciated. Additionally, I am also looking for reference material that will help me market my services appropriately. Any help with that would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance to all. I really appreciate this site. It has helped me tremendously.

What is the best way to retain a (marketing, legal, finance, recruiting, HR) team on a contingency basis?

2009-08-27T07:26:55-06:00

We’re a clean tech startup this is growing extremely fast, doubling in size every week. We’re receiving inquiries from major corporations for our products and quality investors are approaching us. Because we’re a start up, expenses must be kept to a minimum. Therein lies the rub. We want to scale good habits, not bad habits, and will be keeping the organization tight while building value. We are quite conscious that we are not a large, successful, multinational corporation, yet. However, we do have a picture of one. What is the best way to build a team of the best and brightest marketing, legal counsel, finance, operations and HR gurus without the enormous expenses associated with building such a team?

What would the structure of the agreements look like? Stock, options, deferred payment, commission

Who should come first, second, third, etc.?

What are the pitfalls of using this approach?

What are the best ways to find these uniquely talented individuals on a startup budget?