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®.
Throughout
the course of the last year, Advanced has increased their office space from
15,000 sq. ft. to over 25,000 sq. ft. The increased space includes an expansive
sales floor with state of the art showrooms and logistic capabilities, and a broad
professional development facility for both corporate and education clients. With
the newly expanded offices, the staff at Advanced has increased 20 percent in
the last year.
