Description

Becoming the best custom installer has very little to do with your custom installation skills, anyone can learn to be an engineer. In fact, starting your career outside the custom installation and smart home space can give you an edge. Louise and John both had careers outside the space, Louise was a civil servant and John took on so many varied roles including house flipper and black cab driver before they became two of the most helpful people in our industry. 

In this episode, I speak to them about how to really make your smart home technology business stand out. 

What we discussed 

(00:00) From civil service to an electrical business 

(05:04) The messiest career you’ll ever come across 

(12:23) The 1 secret behind profitable electrical businesses 

(16:16) Getting their first client (& how they grew their electrical business) 

(22:11) Impressions of the custom install industry from an outsider 

(28:54) Should you add “electrical” to your business name?

(31:04) If they had to start their business from scratch

(37:02)  Affordable home cinema rooms 

(40:46) Marketing your smart home business 

3 ways to increase make your smart home technology company stand out

1. The best way to separate yourself from the competition is to be polite, know how to talk to people, and do what you say you’re going to do. Your relationship skills will make or break your business. 

1. Pick one thing to specialize in, when you nail it down you can move on to or expand to other specialties. If your focus is too dispersed, you won’t be able to effectively grow your business. The specialty you pick is your anchor point, it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything else.

1. Putting a lot of content on social media might hurt you because in your quest to be consistent you might end up posting content that distracts from the main narrative of your business and confuse people as to what you really specialize in and what they should come to you for. 

Links

Connect with John and Louise Tarling: Website | Instagram 

Inspire Audio Visual: Website

Contact the Smart Home Surgery

• Send us a DM on Instagram @smarthomees
• Email us at media@smarthomee.co.uk

Thanks for listening & see you on the next episode