The latest edition of the D-Tools “What’s the Buzz” podcast is definitely buzzing… pun intended.  The podcast could not have a more appropriate guest than well-known industry veteran Buzz Delano of consulting firm Delano Associates. 

Delano revealed in the podcast that is real first name is Hugh and he was given the nickname Buzz by his dad as a young boy and it stuck. After years in the industry working for companies such as SAE Amplifiers and Sonance, Delano launched his successful consulting company Delano Associates decades ago. He has recently undertaken a new venture as part of his consulting gig with a news-oriented website, newsletter and podcast called Delano News Advance, or DelanoDNA for short. He joined D-Tools’ Jason Knott and Tim Bigoness to discuss why he saw a gap in the existing industry media space and some of the surprising revelations he has already learned from his various podcast guests. 

“About a year ago I started thinking about what I could do that could bolt on to Delano Associates,” he recalls. The idea was to extend the reach of his business, expand his relationships and impart to the industry some of what he has learned in his decades in the industry. The result was DelanoDNA where he hosts podcast discussions with various industry leaders, while also covering key trends and addressing important news. 

“The interview format I like the most and I think works the best is having two people,” says Delano. The podcast discussions cover a wide range of issues regarding business and technology trends and best practices. 

One of the more surprising trends he has recognized from his podcasts is that integrators tend to be more open with their staffs than in the past.

“I am finding that more integrators—no matter what their scale—are getting better organized. I have noticed that more integrators are willing to share information about their businesses with their teams than they were 15 or 20 years ago. It seems that non-owners of companies tend to know a lot more about where the company is going, giving them a greater voice. So, I think that is good and hopefully it is a trend for small businesses in general,” he says. 

A recent installment featured veteran NYC integrators Keith Cottrell of Electronic Environments and Ed Gilmore of Gilmore’s Sound Advice. Both companies were recently acquired (EENY by Daisy and Gilmore’s by AHT Global) so the duo discussed the reasons for the buyouts and what the future holds. 

From that discussion, Delano was shocked to hear how difficult it is to operate a business in New York City, noting how both Cottrell and Gilmore noted their technicians only have the ability to work for about 5 hours per day on projects due to traffic, parking, and other big-city factors. 

To subscribe to the DelanoDNA newsletter, watch the podcasts or read the content, go to www.delanodna.com. 

Eric Bodley, president of distributor Future Ready Solutions, is an icon in the custom electronics industry. He was among the founding members of CEDIA and one of its original board members. He had a long tenure as an integrator originally with Sound Advice and later with his own integration company. Later, he migrated to work at Monster Cable and eventually formed Future Ready Solutions in 2014 as a focused distributor of connectivity solutions for the industry, carrying a focused selection of Category cable, power cable, HDMI cable, audio wire, fiber and more. Because Future Ready Solutions concentrates solely on signal path connections, it has become a go-to distributor for integrators not just for product but also for design advice and elevating the quality of installations. 

Bodley joined the D-Tools “What’s the Buzz” podcast to discuss his long industry history and why integrators need to stay focused on improving the quality of their connectivity solutions between devices. He also addressed key issues of consideration such as latency, data transfer, error rates in selecting right type of signal connectivity. 

Should you be charging your clients a design fee? It sounds like a good business strategy, but interestingly many integrators do not do it. 

That topic is the crux of the discussion in the latest D-Tools ‘What’s the Buzz” podcast with guest Josh Christian, CEO of the Home Technology Association (HTA). Christian made the case as to why integrators should be charging for their designs. In particular, he notes that architects, designers and builders will see that as a way integrators are elevating their professionalism compared to their competition. 

“It takes years for integrators to ‘get this,” and really embody this,’” comments Christian. “If you are an integrator on the fence about charging for design, let this be the impetus to do it. Get a sample set of drawings together -- it could be a fake home that doesn’t exist yet -- but when you are able to show these types of drawing to builders, architects, and designers, they will understand the labor that is involved. They will also understand what is in it for them by streamlining the process later, and massively minimize the change orders and project delays that inevitably will happen when all this stuff is kicked off until the last minute.”

When talking about design and documentation, the definitions can vary. 

“Some dealers are charging for site visits or initial consultations simply because they are trying to weed out ‘tire kickers’ who are getting a whole bunch of quotes,” says Christian.

HTA recommends that integrators charge for design and documentation (including drawings that can be done in D-Tools software) that are aimed at serving the project well, such as:

·      Device placement drawings layered on top of blueprints

·      Equipment rack drawings

·      Electrical requirements, including placement, amp requirements, isolation and grounding needs, number of circuits required, etc. 

·      Cooling requirements designed to guide the HVAC contractor on the cooling needs for the electronics

·      Pre-wire plan

·      Framing requirements to accommodate in-ceiling speakers avoiding joists, additional supports for weighty electronics, or even isolated studs in home theaters with subwoofers to eliminate room-to-room vibration.

HTA has made design and documentation a central aspect of its Design Partner designation for members. 

Reminder for everyone to hit the like and subscribe button if you are watching the ‘What’s the Buzz” podcast on YouTube and subscribe on Spotify or Apple or whatever platform you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss a single episode.

CEDIA Expo, the largest event serving the residential smart home professional installation industry is just around the corner and the excitement is building as the entire industry heads to Denver from September 4-6. D-Tools is exhibiting under the theme of Ignite Growth, where it will unveil a broad array of game-changing software features for both its D-Tools Cloud and D-Tools System Integrator (SI) end-to-end software platforms, participate in multiple educational sessions, and host several celebratory activities in its Booth #3133.

Jason McGraw, Group Vice President at Emerald, the owners and operators of CEDIA Expo, joined the D-Tools “What’s the Buzz” podcast to discuss what’s on tap at the show, which will feature more than 350 exhibitors, including 50 first-time booths.

“Some people say, ‘There is nothing new at the show.’ Well, then you are not looking hard enough." -- Jason McGraw, Emerald

He notes that all the leading names in audio, video, home theater, control, lighting and security will be on hand.

“Some people say, ‘There is nothing new at the show.’ Well, then you are not looking hard enough,” says McGraw. “There is a lot of new product and new exhibitors. There is an all-new CEDIA education conference program… over 100 sessions.”

Busy Education at CEDIA Expo

On the education front, D-Tools will be busy. The company is involved in several sessions:

CEDIA Panel -- On Thursday, Sept. 4, from 1-2:30 PM, Jason Knott, D-Tools Data Solutions Architect & Evangelist, will join a panel in the CEDIA Education track in room MH3A at the Colorado Convention Center entitled “Maximize Efficiency with Processes: Boost Your Integration Business.” The session will review how to track key processes that drive productivity, profitability, and team accountability.

Smart Stage Panel – On Friday, Sept. 5 at 11 AM, D-Tools CEO Randy Stearns will participate in a Smart Stage panel discussion entitled, “How Software Tools Help Integrators Run Better, More Profitable Businesses.” The discussion will touch on tools for proposal creation, drawings and documentation, service management, and lead and project pipeline management. Plus, software tools can help with billing and payments, inventory management and more.

Manufacturer Product Training -- D-Tools will present two Manufacturer Product Training sessions at the show, entitled “Get Started with D-Tools Cloud.” The sessions, which will take place on Thursday, Sept. 4 and Friday, Sept. 5 from 9-10:30 AM, will train attendees how to get up and running with D-Tools Cloud and start knocking out quotes within minutes. This 90-minute session will cover basic on-boarding, generating a quote, sharing a proposal, touching on the post-sales process like purchase and change orders, and tips and tricks to get the most out of this platform. 

McGraw notes that the keynote speaker at the show is Chip Wade, an Emmy Award-winning host, designer and executive producer for networks such as HGTV, FOX, FOOD and DIY. He also provides systems integration solutions for his clients.

D-Tools Sponsors CE Pro All-Star Band

During the podcast discussion with D-Tools’ Tim Bigoness and McGraw discussed the Opening Night party for the show, which will feature the CE Pro All-Star Band with Bigoness on drums. This year, the band will be playing off site at a venue on Thursday, Sept. 4 from 8 PM to 11 PM at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, 2635 Welton St.

D-Tools is one of the sponsors and all show attendees are invited to pick up drink tickets at the D-Tools booth #3133. To register to attend the show, go to www.cediaexpo.com.

Jeff Murray, CEO Of AVPro Edge, joins the D-Tools “What’s the Buzz” podcast to discuss the recent RTI acquisition and company's commitment to integrators. The Sioux Falls, SD-based company has its original roots in distribution handling products from companies like Atlona, Just Add Power and others. 

“We learned that the biggest problem in this industry is there is just not enough support. There’s not a person to talk to when you need to solve a problem,” recalls Murray. “I think the reason we’ve been in business for 10 years, we’ve grown for 10 years, and we’ve made acquired companies like AudioControl, ThenAudio and now RTI, is because we listen to the dealers. We focus on the dealers and we help the dealers.”

That dealer support is exemplified by the growth of AVPro Edge’s 25-person tech support team, full lab and training facility in St. Petersburg, FL.  

The recent purchase of RTI fulfills Murray’s vision of having AVPro Edge being “the best at audio, video and control.” The company has been building drivers for its other product lines to accommodate interoperability with various control solutions, so the opportunity to bring RTI into the company’s fold brings even more choices to AVPro Edge dealers. He also sees the acquisition helping expand the company even more deeply into the “light commercial” space. 

During the podcast discussion with D-Tools’ Tim Bigoness and Jason Knott, Murray also touted how vital the D-Tools data is in helping guide AVPro Edge’s sales and inventory management. 

“Data is very important to us,” he notes. “We like to be able to see who is looking at our product, who is quoting our product, who is spec’ing our product on to projects. As you know, it’s really hard in this space to forecast when jobs are actually going to happen, especially in commercial.”

Josh Christian, CEO of the Home Technology Association (HTA), joins the D-Tools ‘What’s the Buzz’ Podcast to discuss how certification helps integrators stand out from the competition with builders, architects and interior designers. He describes the three tiers of membership in the organization and how the HTA’s online Budget Calculator are helping close deals and avoid sticker shock from clients.  

Not many companies can legitimately claim that they “invented” a product category, but Sonos can. The company created the wireless multiroom audio category way back in 2005. The rest is history, as the old adage goes. Since then, Sonos has diversified and today is the most-recognized consumer audio brand. 

The company has deftly balanced its direct-to-consumer business while at the same time building an industry-leading position for speakers, subwoofers and soundbars in the residential integration channel.  Indeed, 22% of its global revenues are derived from the professional installation channel, which Casey Clemens, Senior Director of the Americas for Sonos, calls the company’s “sounding board” when they are developing new products. 

Just back from a brief sabbatical with a brand new baby in the family, Clemens joined the latest episode of the D-Tools “What’s the Buzz” podcast to bring us up to date on the company.

In a wide-ranging discussion, Clemens touted the launch of the new premium Era 100 Pro speaker available exclusively via integrators, along with the company’s other integrator-friendly lines such Amp and Arc Ultra. 

“For the first time in our entire company history, we just launched a product exclusively for our installation partners,” says Clemens.  “It’s the Era 100 Pro. It is addressing the No. 1 thing we have been asked for by our dealers for as long as I can remember, which is some sort of exclusive product line that serves our integration partners more than just the general consumer.”

Clemens also touched on the dedicated support line for integrators, and he teased that in the coming months the company will be announcing something that was a “massive investment” by the company designed to simplify the way dealers and distributors do business with the company. Those details will be shared next month at the company's dealer appreciation event in Santa Barbara, Calif.