Integrators Upgrade Homes From Multi-Zone Audio To Full Home Control With ELAN g! System

Ask any salesman what their biggest thrill on the job is and they’ll likely tell you one of two things: making a big sale or turning a small sale into a big sale—upselling.  Whether selling to a new client or converting a customer who already owns a stepping stone product, upselling provides an important source of revenue and gets the client excited about what the salesman is offering.

Thanks to the popularity of today’s consumer technology and the recent proliferation of easier-to-use home automation systems, electronics integrators are finding that a lot of their clients are primed and ready for the home automation upsell.  Homeowners just need to be presented with compelling benefits and value, which many integrators are now offering with the ELAN g! Entertainment and Control System.  

Or as Jamie Gannon, president of Dynamic Audio Video puts it, ““Why would you spend $3,000 on a proprietary music system when you can install an ELAN g! music system for the same price, and then have the backbone to do full home automation in the future?” 

That’s a great question that integrators should be asking every client considering a multi-zone audio system. While this isn’t an immediate upsell, introducing the powerful and versatile g! system has the potential to create future revenue with no competition from other integrators.  

“When speaking with the client to determine their needs, I always stress the importance of home control and how it can make their life easier,” Gannon continued.  “This year alone I’ve had four clients come back within a month of using the g! system and ask ‘So how do I tie my lights in with the system? What about security and air conditioning?’”

And because the g! system comes from ELAN’s high-performance audio roots and is as affordable as any competing multi-zone audio system, there’s no downside even if the client is adamant on sticking with an audio-only system.  With the option of iPhone and Android control plus convenient in-wall color touchscreens and the HR2 remote, it’s easy for homeowners to wade into the waters of home control gradually rather than diving right in.  Whether the client is brand new to integrated home technology or already has experience with a distributed audio or lighting system, savvy integrators can use ELAN g! as part of a powerful upsell pitch to bring their home and its technologies into the 21st century.

 

“Two of my recent clients had distributed audio systems, and I was able to convince them to move up to full home automation with ELAN g!,” said Ryan Heringer, owner of Jonesboro-Arkansas based Sound Concepts.  “The g! system made it easy for me to do and easy for them to use.  That’s the value in a system that comes from a long history of audio distribution systems.  It does audio the right way, simple and easy, and extends those ideals to every function of the system.  Any homeowner who already has speakers and wiring in place should absolutely be stepping up to a robust home control platform, even if they don’t integrate other systems like heating and lighting right away.  It’s a small investment that can pay big dividends in terms of much easier and more convenient use, expanded functions, imcreased resale value, and even direct energy and monetary savings with automated lighting and heating schedules that ensure optimum efficiency.”

The ELAN g! Control System provides users with the most uniform and intuitive icon-based control from their favorite devices including TVs, touchscreens, touchpads, PCs, iPhones and iPads. The standardized interface works across platforms, so that the trendy g!Mobile app users love on the iPhone appears and works similarly on ELAN touchscreens, valets and handheld remotes as well as users' televisions and mobile devices. And the system's IP backbone makes it just as easy to control the system from across the room - or across the globe.

Individual "apps" for each subsystem allow the user to control security, climate, lighting, media, irrigation, pool/spa, messaging, video and photos with the flick of a finger. Access is fast and secure through any ELAN home interface or globally with mobile Internet enabled devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Netbooks and PC Tablets. Since the intuitive interface empowers users with personalized scheduling and detailed history views, high consumption subsystems like lighting and climate can be closely monitored and managed for a greener lifestyle - and substantial energy savings.

About ELAN Home Systems:

Since 1990 ELAN® Home Systems has been an industry leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video systems. ELAN systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use "whole house" solution. ELAN systems and products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and more than 58 countries worldwide.  To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.  ELAN is part of the CORE Brands division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment (www.nortek-inc.com).  CORE Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of ten iconic audio, power management and control brands into a single business unit that includes ATON®, BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech®.