You've all heard me talk about how difficult my market is. How I compete with electricians.
The biggest chunk of my bussiness is split between small prewires, and commercial work. (network wiring, single outlet wall fishes)
I decided a year and a half ago to pursue the local cable provider, and do their commercial installations, which are wall fishes, and professional installations.
Well, I got the contract. I am hoping that this will lead to allot more commercial work after the fact.
The catv company likes my work, and likes my plan.
Have any of you considered this avenue?
Keep in mind that I don't do any big home theatre jobs. Allot of my work is pullling wire for schools and such. Some home audio, some small surround and plasma jobs. Allot of new construction prewiring.
Hopefully this will really help me too expand...

Instalz
My friend is doing that... He gets a lot of business in terms of going into their homes and seeing what junk they are using for HI-FI / Home Theater, and lets them know he is kind of their "inside guy" for getting good prices on equipment... His only real complaint is I don't think he worked out a great deal with the CATV company... and he gets paid per install instead of T&M... So on a lot of jobs he gets pretty hosed...
He also pursued the (of all things) Dental Equipment companies... He does a lot of Dental Offices installing their Nurse Call systems, Phone & Network stuff, and those little hi-def camera things they jam into your mouth so they can embarrass you, by flashing your old rotted out stumps of teeth up on the TV screen in front of the cute hygenist! Whoa!! Those are my teeth??? Hell yeah-fix em man!!!
i did it for about a year or so, and it was great because all the ceilings were usually drop-tile - easy fishes... and you could charge $85 per hour without anyone batting an eye. The best part was, informing the dentist, his old 70 volt Soundolier speakers were crap... and re-doing the Hi-Fi... A lot of kid's dentists now are putting in Theaters (Projector & Big Ass Screens in the kids waiting room areas... It's kinda nuts!

Now, If I could only remember why I quit doing them??!?!... Hmmm maybe that was not a good move....
...I wonder if I put a nurse call system in my bedroom if... never mind.
If you email me, I could give you the name of some major Dental Equipment places that might be in your area... PLUS that work is evenings and weekends when their offices are closed.

Hey Mr. Stanley. I'm only doing commercial installs, no residential stuff. The residential typically pays by the install. I'm doing hourly... I think this is going to lead to a ton of networking jobs... I'll shoot you an email. Thanks ... Bobby....

Well I am working on a deal where we will become authorized installers for them for our customers and they will recommend us for theater jobs. It saves them money in labor because their tec does not have to go out and spend the whole day putting in HD or DVR boxes, especially if there is a MA rack for the whole house. And we don't have to wait for them. We just pick up the boxes and install them on our time schedule. So it's a win win situation.

JLIntega, that sound like a great opportunity...

Mr. Stanley: Your the man... Thanks a bunch....