On August 26, 2008 at 04:33, juliejacobson said...
ONce again, a bunch of integrators complaining that a
manufacturer has given them an option that is "too simple"
Read more "
Silly
Things Integrators Say"
1. They’ve made the programming too easy, now anyone can do it. This absurd |sentiment became popular at the 2005 CEDIA Expo, where AMX, Crestron and |Vantage introduced new drag-and-drop programming environments, just as Control4 |has done since the beginning. The new platforms can cut programming time in |half—or more. Bad news according to many dealers, who have apocalyptic visions of |diminished programming revenues. Give me a break! Complaining because a |manufacturer has just doubled your productivity and made it possible for you to hire |lower-cost technicians?
This makes sense. Until a couple of hacks start programming things for super cheap and taking business away because the programming is simple and investment (time or money) is minimal. Then 2 months later they are out of business because they never made any money. Now customers complain that CIs are flaky and always going out of business.
2. All electrical contractors suck. This is one of my favorite maxims. The theory |goes: Electricians only know how to do one thing, and that is run high-voltage wiring. | Despite thousands of hours of classroom and on-the-job training, all electricians are | too inept to be taught to run low-voltage wiring. However, that doesn’t stop them, |and they go ahead and run Cat 5 anyway—always parallel to their Romex, of course. | I’m not sure how it follows that electrical contractors cannot learn the low-voltage |business, yet car-audio dealers and A/V retailers—where most of our industry came |from—can in fact learn the trade. (See CE Pro, “Standing Up for ECs,” Sept. 2004.)
This just comes from experience. Not reasoning. I have some very intelligent associates that are electricians that couldnt wire an AV system if the had too. Heck, I dont do electrical. However, I am sure there are competent electricians that can install AV. Just because you pull wire doesnt make you a CI or an electrician.
3. Cookie-cutter home automation and A/V systems undermine the very fabric of the | “custom electronics” industry. I’d say that failure is the only thing that undermines |the fabric of the CE industry, and failure is what happens to a lot of companies that |create every system from scratch and give every customer everything they ask for. |Sure, some integration companies do just fine in the ultra-custom world. However, for | the majority of integrators, prosperity comes to those who standardize on systems |that work well enough for most of their clientele. (See CE Pro, ”Cheeseburger, |Cheeseburger, Pepsi,” Sept. 2005.)
This really isnt a matter of being stubborn. Some product just doesn't work in some situations. If there is a solution that exists and you are capable of offering it then you should.
Cookie cutter systems work. As long as the CI isnt depriving a client of a solution just for the paycheck when an actual solution exists.
4. I’ll never buy product from XYZ company because they sell through |distribution—or worse, retail. I won’t get into all the fiscally sound reasons for buying | through distribution here. Suffice it to say, they are many. To be sure, buying direct | has its privileges, but how many dealers really analyze those benefits with an |accountant by their side? Often, buying direct amounts to little more than stroking |one’s ego and enjoying fabulous dealer trips to exotic locales. (Don’t get me wrong, I | enjoy them too!) Furthermore, dealers should not categorically write off |manufacturers who sell some product through retail. Our industry is too small to rely |on custom integrators to generate all of the exposure for categories like distributed |audio and automation. DIYers, in any case, are not your customers. (See CE Pro, |”Channel Conflicts be Damned,” Aug. 2004.)
I buy through disty a lot. In fact, we are probably one of their biggest dealers down here. It saves us money on a larger warehouse and time tracking shipments.
Also, I think retail sales help the client see the product and gain interest in it. I loved having Tweeter around. It was like CI 101 for my clients.
1 out of 4 is not bad.
