Hey guys,
My is currently at a crossroad and was wondering if you guys could chime in with some advice/opinions. Here's the scoop: I have to opportunity to purchase a very nice home that is located downtown, it has a good location, it is beautiful on the inside and is laid out perfectly for the business. The downside to this is due to the cost we would live there too, (it is a BIG house so not a big problem) and the other MAJOR downside is that the city isn't going to allow me to put a business sign in the yard. So now I am trying to determine if this is a good idea. The other option would be to rent some office space somewhere and just have a desk and a small demo space. This would give me less gear for demo but offer more visibilty with a sign.

The house would give me 2800 sq ft of demo area that would also be able to show life applications. The office would be about 800 sq ft of space. I guess what I need help determining is, is the sign really a big deal or would the house work just fine? I am not concerned about drive by customers. But i am concerned about being considered a "real" business b/c I am operating out of my home. FYI, my biz is 14 months old and I look young. Because of that I have been discredited before and am looking to change that so would an office say I'm legit? Or would a beautiful house that is all decked out in my equipment kind of "prove" that I am legit?

I am not sure what it is exactly that I am looking for from you guys, so feel free to blurt out what you are thinking (just don't beat me up) Thanks!

aaronmc52,
(Blurt)!... (oops just had some Mexican Food)...
I probably wouldn't worry about the signage... I've gone to meet with well established architects and builders at their home offices (no signs)... Seemed a little wierd in a way, but I see more and more care doing it... Plus it might filter out the "Lookie Loos"...

Just make sure your office area looks official.

Seriously cuts down on the .. I just want to look at something shoppers.

The 2 comapnies I am working with currently have everything run from the home office. One of them stated... I have not had a customer set foot in here in 7 years.

Just something to think about.

Reputation is very important and you can't please everyone. We work with architects that are very prestigious and small systems and no one has ever stopped by the address on the business card. With an office and a showroom, it's gonna cost you big bucks to keep your office demo gear up to date.

People make weird interpretations, if you drive up to a meeting with a client and your driving a 8K car, some people think "good, this means he won't over charge me" yet others think, "if he's driving that piece of crap, he must not run a very successful business".

Look at your target market, age, financial status, and most importantly prefession and income. People look at the net, make sure you have a nice website with pictures of some past projects. Also, personal refferals will do a ton more for you than any storefront ever could. Good Luck.

True. I've always tried to drive a reasonably clean, reasonably new Honda. It spans the gap nicely, and drives well. I've never closed a deal after pulling up my my Harley, so I save that for weekends now...

One more point, I used to work for a firm here in the city, that I won't name. Their average system was 125K-3mill. The pres. drove a s430 AMG Benz and had a Very impressive professional resume and was about 48 with a nice house in a respectable burb. The office had been around for over 22 years and had not been updated since the 70s. In a parking garage, roof leaked. Once a 3mill client (after he signed ofcourse) came to the office with his entourage. During the impromteu meet, he asked to use the restroom. It was nasty in there and behind the stck room. He came back after 5 seconds and said he'd rather wait.

Impressions are not all they are crack up to be. If you have confidence in yourself people will see it. You're selling yourself not your officeappearance. Whatever your decision just make sure it's one you are happy and comfortable with.

I worked for a CI company years ago... They leased a High-Dollar showroom in a Posh Design Center... Decked it out pretty well... NOBODY ever came in... Except for time wasters and competitiors trying to pose as customers. We always went to the clients homes or offices!!! Money wasted. Do the house, but keep your wifes' underwear drawer securely locked, and don't accidentally leave a porn DVD in the demo DVD player!!!

I have no show room and it has never been an issue. I maintain great relationships with my clients. If someone insists on seeing and hearing we take a tour of other peoples homes. If I were to have a showroom, the conditions would be so ideal that it would almost be unfair to the customers who are not willing to design a room around the system. You are better off investing your money in your home and setting up your demo areas in real life scenarios. I would do the same except some of the systems I sell cost more then my home did.

Screw the office and just pay your dues. Time in this biz will wrinkle your skin and make your hair fall out. Then will you make a better impression? HMMM! Enjoy while you are young. Drive up in a decent van with a nice logo job and your license # on the side. That will command respect. If it is the vendors you worry about impressing, screw that, they work for you. If a rep does not like you, buy from another vendor. There are too many great manufactures that want your biz to deal with that.
Find a good place (like a resturant you have done the install in) and get a nice private room to meet in ,wine and dine and be wined and dined in. You will rarely need anything more. Most everything can and should be done where your client is most comfortable, in their home.
Just my always not so humble opinion.

Thats what caused my baldness..and I thought i inherited it.

We have an office with a sign by the road...and a BIG ol stiker on the door thats says open by appointment only, and we keep the front door locked. Guess how many people come to the door and find it locked, get out the cell phone and call to see if they can come in.

most are just lookie loos as said above..and we dont really have a showroom...just offices.

I think your fine with a small office in the house and use areas of it for demo if needs arise to do so, then you only have 1 payment for space

I have to ask what demographic are you aiming for? If your going for the upper B**t B*y or C****t C**y customers then you might need a showroom. But, if your going for the well off clients - NO!!

I defenately know what your going through with this. I am 28 years old and I got my C-10 (CA) when I was 25. This has probly been my biggest hurdle sence I am the youngest CI in the area and I have done it by myself with my own money(every one else in the area has had investors and or/previous failed businesses.) So I am learning the in's and outs of business. ( I am not tring to knock any of you that have investors or prevous businesses). But the age is defanately a hurdle. At one point I believed that I needed to get a show room and show everything off and prove that I knew what I was doing. But Rob Gerhert told me not to worry about a show room and he acknowledged that age could be a problem but if I worked hard and took care of my customers that the word of mouth would be more powerful than any showromm and demo office could be. It's like buying a Maybach just to prove that you can buy one. (Not saying that having one would be bad, but rather the reason behind it.).
Well, after a little over 2 years of hard work and some struggling we are becoming one of the premeir companys in town. We have also been asked to travel to Monterey, CA to work on some country club homes and also to Morro Bay,CA for some custom homes there. Some of my competetors I have herd through the grapvine have been burning bridges with some builders and customers.

So I say, Keep up the hard work and take extra care of those customers that you have now!!! If you do that first, then you wont ever need a formal show room. Now using your own house from time to time to show real world examples to those serious customers can come in handy. But I would not cater to the Reps in the way they believe it should be shown because they want every piece that they manufacture to be there and showing.

Just my $.02

(I, in no way am tring to say that those older in the business don't know anything but rather thay have a good source of wisom in the business so I value their opnion very much. Reading the posts in this fourm have been a great source of learning and I thank each and every one of you for your input.)

Every time I think about getting a showroom, I think about the extra expense of the space, staff to be available, more ins., etc. I think that in the last 6 years, I may have lost 2 clients due to not having a showroom. Many of my clients are proud to offer their homes to showcase my installs. My only problem is that I am running out of room in my home, and will need to get more storage space for my small warehouse. As for requirements of a storefront to pick up certain lines, once the reps get to know you, and realise that you are not a trunk-slammer (sorry T.S.S.) lines will become available to you.

I'll just add that cleanliness/appearance are important to business. For a small CI firm a showroom is not. However having a private showroom for meeting with reps and demoing new gear is a real plus.

You guys are my heros! I have struggled recently with very similar issues. We now have a "demo" space available in a client's loft that he lives in part time. It is reasonably well put together. By reasonably i mean that it isn't outfitted the top of the line audio but, we have installed 2 AMX Modero touchscreens controlling a HD-DVR, Marantz 7500, Xperinet MIRV + one Taurus client, 2 MX3000's, 2 MX-350's, a 60" LCOS, KEF motorized in ceiling spkrs., etc. It's a FUN space. He has given us the option of walking clients thru.

Now I've spoken with my wife and she agrees that our home could be used in a pinch as well. We already have a pretty nice office. Now she's probably going to let me install an HAI system, more DA, lighting control, etc. She already wants surveillance. Yee haw! This thread pushed her over the edge. Looks like I've got front proj. with a drop down screen is in my future.

Also, don't forget that the more of your home you use, the bigger the write off.

Grow a beard.

Seriously, do the house, no sign keeps out the rif-raf and your family gets to use the cool toys. You have to keep it clean but cleaning services are a write-off, the wife will love that.