MASTERVOICE HOME AUTOMATION 2 DAY TRAINING


Thinking of becoming a dealer?

Here are some facts to consider:

1) We are the oldest home automation company in the world.
2) We have sold more systems than all other companies combined.
3) Our Dealers are on our web page for all to see (and call).
4) For every dollar spent you get sellable product.


Below is an article I had wrote. I hope it helps you understand.

Home Automation
(Food For Thought)

So you are thinking about getting into home automation, but where do you
start? Who do you ask (And who can you trust!)? What systems should you
consider? You have been hearing about "Home Automation" for some time now
but have never taken a close look and you think "Now is the time." Well,
you are right, "Now is the time!". However before we go forward we must
take a quick look at the past (yes there is already a history to this young
industry, but we won't cover it today)

_____________________________
Home Automation is defined as Taking all of the electronics in a home and
matching it to the lifestyle of the person (or persons) living in that home.
_____________________________

Many of you wonder why Home Automation has taken so long to take off. There
are several answers to that question and here is one of them. Most people
(even those in the business) don't truly understand what home automation is.
Some think it is hardware, others think it is software, and still others
think it is a concept. Many people confuse "Remote" control and "Timed"
events as home automation. I submit that they are wrong! Home Automation
is a "Lifestyle" Home automation is defined as: Taking all of the
electronics in a home and matching it to the lifestyle of the person (or
persons) living in that home. This is a very individualized process as each
person's lifestyle will be different. It requires sophisticated (that's a
nice word for complicated) equipment and installation personnel capable of
setting it up correctly for the home owner's individual needs schedules and
requirements (LIFE STYLE). In the past many companies have tried selling
products of this type directly to the consumer with less than pleasing
results. Let's face it. If it were so easy that "anyone" could do it,
then there would not be a need for you (and for sake of argument let us
pretend your name is Ron) the dealer. The factories would sell for volume
directly to the major retailers. They have found out (sometimes the hard
way) that this will not work.

If you are going to do sophisticated home automation system installations
(using more than 30 items of control) you should be aware of and take into
account the following :

THE THREE LAWS OF
HOME AUTOMATION.


LAW 1:
The house must work correctly whether the home owner is there or not.
(The owner can't be running home to reset things every time something happens)

Examples: It suddenly gets too windy (above 14 mph for example) and the pool
pump comes on to start cleaning the pool so the dirt getting blown into the
pools is quickly skimmed off before it becomes a problem. Another example
the temperature suddenly drops below 34 degrees Fahrenheit (That's 2
degrees centigrade for those of you who follow that stuff.) The landscape
irrigation system opens a control valve and drains the water from the pipes
so the freezing conditions will not burst the pipes.

LAW 2:
The house must work correctly whether the home owner knows what they are
doing or not.
(New technology can be overwhelming to many people)

The system should be able to compensate for the owners lack of understanding
of how things work. For example the system should be smart enough to
realize that if the outside lights are turned on during the day time by
mistake then they should be turned off. If the home owner has left the
house and the coffee pot was left on, or should be turned off and stay off
if they're on vacation, the automation system should be smart enough to
handle that minor requirement. If they go to bed and forget to shut the
garage door it should be shut without you having to think about it.

LAW 3: (No kidding!)
Everything must work manually when Grandma comes to visit!
(If grandma can't make it work, your installation is done wrong!)

Though many systems can be controlled "manually," the word manually becomes
a "suspect" term. Many of the manual touch systems would scare off most
of the general public (especially grandma). Properly designed systems
should allow for multiple interfaces and interface systems that are easy for
anyone to use. Some companies are more into "glitz" and appearance than
practicality.

If you keep these three laws in mind when designing a home automation
installation, you will have fewer problems and happier customers.

Remember, Home Automation is a Lifestyle!

If after all we've discussed so for your still interested in home automation
then read on.
_________________________________

"If you are going to get the blame, you might as well make the gain."
_________________________________

As a home automation installer there are also some basic rules you must
learn to accept. The first rule is that no matter what you do or how much
you prepare, you WILL be blamed for everything that goes wrong in a client's
home (some of you already know this) whether it is really your fault of not.
( You may be saying to yourself, "Why is that?). The answer is quite
simple. When something goes wrong in a house it is easy for the vendor of
the other product with the problem to blame you then let you deal with
trying to fix it (your time and labor). There are two reasons for this. The
first is that from the other vendors point of view your automation system is
foreign in nature and in nature anything not understood is feared. Reason
number two (the real reason) is it buys the other vendor time to solve the
problem while letting you do the baby sitting of the client.

_________________________________

The first rule is, that no matter what you do or how much you prepare, you
WILL be blamed for everything that goes wrong in a client's home.
_________________________________

If you believe this first rule, that no matter what, you will be blamed for
everything that goes wrong (and I assure you this is true) then (If you are
smart.) you must abide by rule two. Rule two says the if you will be blamed
for everything that goes wrong then you might as well, sell them everything.
To put it another way, "If you are going to get the blame, you might as
well make the gain." you might as well make money on every thing you could
be blamed for.

A competent home automation installer then should be well versed in many
areas including (but not limited to) Security, whole house audio, home
theater, HVAC (That stands for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning for
those of you who were always wondering what that meant.), CCTV, Landscape
watering & lighting systems, pool & spa equipment, home automation (the new
"Black Art") and even alternative energy (What the heck is that!).

The company of the twenty first century is not an alarm installer or home
theater installer. It is the "System Integrator" who will reign supreme.
The systems integrator who is capable of selling, installing and servicing
multiple systems, is the person that will make the big money in the coming
years.

Home automation is the center point to systems integration. It is the key
to your sale. It sets you apart from the other vendors and it gives you a
very distinct advantage. Your prospective clients will see 3 to 5 plumbers,
2 to 4 electricians, 5 or so alarm companies but in this day and age they
will run into only one of you. The advantage to some one "like you" (the
systems Integrator) is that from the customer's point of view, when
something goes wrong (and they know something will) it makes good sense to
only have to call one company and they know you cannot say it's the other
guy's problem. Customers really like this idea and it's easy to sell them
on this IF you can show them you really know what you are doing.

This now brings us to the topic of what type of systems should you consider.
There are many ways to answer this question, however I like this one the
best. Pretend you are (Today) building your dream home (with your money).
You want the latest technology (and dare I say "toys") but you also want to
be sure that what ever you get will be serviceable, expandable or
replaceable in the future.

So when I design a system for a client I keep this logic in mind. If two
years from now something Breaks and is no longer available I can't tell them
(and expect no negative repercussions) that they will now have to rip open
their walls and rewire their house. As a result I tend to design system
that uses an "open" architecture approach. For example, if I designed a
home to have some 400 plus items of control (Like the mansion that Clueless
was filmed in which has 420 items.) and decided to use a Mastervoice Series
II, (That is what runs the Clueless Mansion for over four years now.) I
would know that if the product did not perform (Despite that there are over
27,000 of them out there.) or if it broke and the company went out of
business, I would know that there are other products that I could
substitute and still provide functionality for the customer.

It should be noted at this point that I mention the particular example and
product above because of my personal familiarity with that installation and
product. There are a few other products that will fit the general area of
"Open Architecture".

An open architecture system is one that uses "readily" available protocols.
Infrared in an example of a readily available protocol. So is dry contact
closure, ASCII codes, DTMF (That's Duel Tone Modulated Frequency, also
commonly called touch tones for you beginners out there.) and for all
practical purposes (I realize this could possibly be debated, but I call it
like I see it) X-10 Power line Carrier Control system.

A closed architecture system is one that, (With out mentioning any names) if
it were, fast to become unavailable, or in my quest (Ron! Pay attention!)
for product confidence, I had to keep tabs on it all of the time, it is a
system that I would personally avoid. Closed architecture systems are ones
that rely on an "in house" protocol to conveying information or control
rather than standardized ones like mentioned above.

If you don't believe this (and I do not see how you could not.), then here
is an example where a good product (At least I thought so.), the Memorex
CP8 Turbo ceased to exist. It did not become unavailable because the
company went out of business or because they came out with a new model. It
ceased to exist because Sony Corporation bought Memorex and decided the were
only interested in the media part of the company and not the consumer
products side, so they simply closed the division.

This brings us to the last part of our discussion. Who do you ask and who
can you trust? Tough question but I will give you my opinion and you can
take it or leave it. Generally there are three types of companies in the
home automation on industry today. The first group I will call the vapor
wary type. This companies shows up at trade shows, show a product with some
"future" delivery date. You don't know if the product will ever go into
production and if will work like they represented it you when you saw it last.

The second group are the ones that are more interested in making money
"off" you rather then "with" you. These companies are easy to spot. They
characteristically have a minimum opening order that if you look closely
includes a lot of things that are not resalable like books and video or
audio tapes. In most of these cases you are paying allot of money but only
a small portion of it gets you any resalable goods. If you feel you need
training there are many places you can get for very little money or even for
free. AVSI (to pick one randomly) has a good (for very little money) three
day course in home automation (I know this because I teach it). CES
(Habitec) and HAA nation trade shows offer some very good courses (You
should try to catch the on X-10 put on buy Phil Kingaery from ACT). ADI a
large nation distributor puts on several classes all free of charge to the
dealers. If, to start doing business with a company they want thousands of
dollars from you "up front" and do not give you equal "salable" product for
the money they are (in my opinion) trying to make money off you because they
do not think you will be successful. So they want the money now because
they know it will probably be the last they see from you and frankly they
don't care. These companies usually are easy to spot. They always have
nice brochures and market their products away from traditional channel.
For example you might find these people at a Business "Opportunity" show or
find an add for them in USA Today. Not only is this not good for our
industry it is probably also illegal in many states. It is specifically a
violation of something called SAMP (Sales And Marketing Practices)
legislation. (Contact your local district attorney for more information on
this topic).

The last group is legitimate companies (and they are out there) who, though
they may have a high dollar opening order, will sell you product and you get
resalable product fore every dollar spent. Their dealer support materials
and videos are very low in costs or often free with your opening order.
These companies are investing in your future and are in this for the long
haul (they are trying to make money with you not off you).

Also as a generalization, companies who bad mouth other products as a way to
sell their own should be avoided (There seems to be too much of this going
on.). Comparing features is fine and stressing difference is OK too.
However when companies bad mouth the other product, generally it means one
of three things: First, they do not really know or understand the other
product and as a sales man it is an easy way to dismiss it. Or Two, their
product cannot do or does not have a feature that the other product has (I
see this one a lot) and again it is an easy way to dismiss the feature. Or
Third, their company's idea is to get your money no matter what they have
to say (and there are some companies like that out there). Regardless of
the reason, it becomes hard to know if you can trust anything else they say.
As a result, I do not think you need get involved with this type of companies.

We should realize that when looking at the home automation industry there
are two main things to keep in mind. The first is that it "IS" an industry
and not a sideline you throw in your brief case as something else to sell.
Second you need to know this is not a "Fast Buck" kind of product. Although
it is not a fast buck it is a big buck and there is a lot of money to be
made for someone who is willing to take the time to learn and get committed
(Not just involved) to the industry. For those of you who do not know the
difference between commitment and involvement let me close by giving you a
working definition. In a steak and egg breakfast the chicken is involved
and the cow is committed. The Home Automation Industry is not looking for
chickens!

Date of Seminar: Call for Times
Time: 8:30AM to 4:30PM Lunch provided
Location: Yorba Linda, CA
In Field and Hands on training!

Here's What We'll Cover:

We have corporate rates established with local hotels. If you are arriving by commercial airline, try to arrive at Orange County Airport, known as Santa Ana. Alternatives are Ontario or Los Angeles International. Both are considerably farther away.

Suggested Accommodations:

Holiday Inn, Placentia (most popular) 714-528-7778 about $52 per night
Homestead Guest Studios (very nice) 714-528-2500 about $69 per night

TERMS: Reservation and $75 Deposit required from all attendees, due 15 days prior to Seminar date. Class is $75 with Dealer Package. For Dealers and ADI customers Class is $125.00 per person. If not a Dealer or no prior purchase (of AVSI products) is made from ADI, cost is $250 per person with a 50% credit toward opening order if placed with AVSI within 30 days of Seminar. We reserve the right to reschedule dates based on attendee reservation**. Notification will be made 10 days prior for a rescheduled Seminar.

Failure to attend will result in forfeiture of deposit.

*First person admitted for $75, additional attendees at $125 each.
**Deposits are refundable if Seminar is rescheduled.

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