That’s a great question and one we at CentraLite continue to work on with many of our dealers. Let’s admit it….lighting control is not an easy sell. Everyone has listened to music, and most have visited a home with some form of distributed audio. The purpose of a security system is fairly self evident. We’ve all been to a movie theater and can envision what one might be like in our homes. Personal computer penetration in homes will be equal to TV’s in no time at all. With multiple computers, phones and video entertainment, structured wiring has become almost standard in mid to high-end homes.

But LIGHTING CONTROL….why on earth do I need that? The difference in lighting control and the other systems you may install is that few consumers have had any exposure to it, much less lived with it. Since they have not experienced it and have no basis for comparison, they are naturally wary of spending significant sums on it. If you add up the cost of security, distributed audio, structured wiring and lighting control almost half is lighting control. So how do you get them to buy?

You’ve got to get your clients to experience lighting control first hand. SHE needs to be able to push a button on a key chain remote and see that she will never have to walk into a dark home again. HE needs to push a “Goodnight” button and experience all the lights going off without having to make the nightly rounds to see which lights the kids left on. THEY need to push and hold a button and understand that they now have dimmers everywhere in the house, not just in a few select locations. THEY need to understand the landscape lights will come on at 30 minutes before dusk stay on until the security lights come on at 11pm and go off at 30 minutes after dawn without ever having to touch any button.

A dealer’s showroom is the best way for clients to experience lighting control first hand. Many of our dealer’s showrooms are replicas of houses, with living areas, bedrooms, entertainment rooms…even backyards! A model home or show home is another great way for clients to sense how it is to live with lighting control. And finally, a product demonstration (demo) kit is another great tool. We offer our dealers demo kits starting at $500 to help them sell while they are away from the office. Propped up on a 2 by12 between two sawhorses at the jobsite works great, believe me!

At CentraLite, we have a demonstration requirement in order to become an authorized dealer. The reason is we know this will help them sell their first system and keep on selling. In addition to demo kits, we have showroom and model home discount programs available to help get our dealers started. Because the bottom line in selling lighting control is…“THEY GOTTA SEE THE LIGHT!”

CentraLite Systems Inc. designs and manufactures lighting control and home automation systems that are ideal for the residential and light commercial marketplace, both in price and functionality. Our products are simple to use, reliable and affordable. Founded in 1997, CentraLite has more than 150 authorized dealers in 48 states and fifteen international locations