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If you use only the best quality antennas, masts, hard-
ware, and related components, you should have
complete confidence in your products. If you plan
and install each system with care, you should have
complete confidence in its ability to do what you say
it can do. This confidence should make selling a
comfortable experience, because you know that your
customer will be getting a quality product that
will perform as you say it will, and is being sold at
a fair price.
Sell Quality, "Not "Cheap" Prices
Although most people are economy-minded, they do
not want a "cheap" installation that fails to deliver
good reception and needs replacing in a year or two.
An installer can quickly get a poor reputation and put
himself out of business if his principal sales philoso-
phy is too"undersell the competition." Installing qual-
ity equipment at a fair price is the way to build a
thriving business.
Sell "Quality Reception," Not Technical
Jargon
Another important thing to keep in mind when selling
antennas is that most consumers are neither knowl-
edgeable about, nor interested in the "technical"
aspects of the antenna installation. Most consumers
only know that they want clear, crisp, long-lasting TV
reception. They judge the quality of an installation
by the picture they get on their TV screen. You
will sell antennas more successfully if you offer and
deliver better reception than a customer is presently
receiving. Offer improved reception on the channels
already being received and, if possible better
reception on more channels.
Referral Through TV Retailers
Timing is important when selling antenna installa-
tions. A customer is most likely to buy an antenna
installation when he or she is buying a new color TV.
Few retailers maintain an antenna department. Often,
they will try to avoid the subject of antennas, or they
will refer their customers to a local antenna specialist.
This is where you come in. You can become the local
specialist who is recommended by TV retailers.
(In fact, with the right contacts you can actually get
the dealers to sell antennas for you. This will be
discussed later in this chapter.)
Color TV sets need good color-quality TV antennas.
Most TV retailers know this, but they do not know
enough about antennas to make recommendations.
Also, few retailers are set up to handle installations.
Approach these retailers and offer them your
services. Don't hesitate to approach the largest dis-
count stores and the smallest electronics shops. You
can offer them a deal that will be mutually rewarding.
S
I
ELLING &
36
S
NSTALLING
YSTEMS
Many of the complaints TV retailers and servicers
receive about television reception are caused by poor
antenna installation. You can take this burden off
their shoulders by doing all of their antenna installa-
tions and then standing behind your work. The retailer
satisfies more customers this way, and his after-sale
costs are greatly reduced. Servicers also will benefit
from more satisfied customers and few callbacks.
With your installations, a retailer's customers get the
best possible reception, which leads to a powerful
form of advertising: word-of-mouth. This in turn,
generates more TV sales for the retailer and more
installations for you.
Getting a retailer to recommend you exclusively is
beneficial to both of you. For this reason many retailers
and servicers will be receptive to this type of
business deal. Getting a retailer to sell antennas and
antenna installations for you is a situation that can be
even more rewarding.
SELLING ANTENNAS AND INSTALLATIONS
THROUGH ESTABLISHED RETAILERS
The best approach to selling TV antennas and
installations is to let established retailers do the
selling for you in exchange for a mutually agreeable
share of the profits. Or, you can sell antenna installa-
tions to retailers at "package" prices that include the
cost of both materials and installation labor. Retailers
in turn, can mark up your package prices to produce
whatever profit is necessary and competitive.
The types of established retail outlets that you
should attempt to sell through are:
•
Mass merchandisers (department and large
discount store chains that sell home entertainment
electronic products such as TV's, radios, etc.
•
Independent retailers who sell home entertainment
electronic products (TV dealers).
•
Independent servicers of home entertainment
electronic products (TV servicers).
•
Hardware stores.
•
Real estate developers and home builders.
The principal advantages of selling through
established retailers are:
•
It lets you concentrate your time, energy, and financial
resources on doing what you do best–installing TV
antenna systems.
•
It leaves the actual selling to professional
merchandisers and sales people who because of
their merchandising-oriented locations, high
consumer volume, and facilities, can sell more
efficiently and productively.
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