Home Theater Retailers Honolulu HI

HOW TO SET PARAMETERS TO RE-ENFORCE THE VALUE OF YOUR WORK

The scenario plays out like this: someone asks what you do for a living. “I design home theaters,” you say, knowing what comes next. “Oh, my uncle (or dad, or brother) has one of those; he got it at Costco,” comes the response. “What brand do you sell?”

So, what does the term “home theater” really mean? This is not a trivial question. In fact, unless professionals establish a definitive meaning, how can we demonstrate the value of our expertise? In a recent workshop delivered to home theater professionals we received answers like:

• An AV system with HDTV, surround sound, and integrated control
• A two-piece projection system and stateof- the-art surround sound audio equipment
• An AV system with HDTV, surround sound, and at least two rows of seats.

If we, the professionals, have relegated the definition to a list of equipment, how can we expect our clientele to want more? In fact,

Creating a theater like this one (designed by the author) that enables the “willing suspension of disbelief,” requires special knowledge and skill.

who is helping the prospective home theater client to know what to expect?

Clearly, home theater definitions are dependant on perspective. If our client is unclear on what is possible and why it is desirable, we may never have the opportunity to do our best work. This can cut both ways. If a client believes we can work miracles with very little effort (meaning very little cost), then we will end up either falling short of their expectations or losing money. If a client does not believe there is value in the results that we can deliver, then they will always gravitate to the lowest price solution. The result of that trend is the devaluation of the specialty and ultimately, commoditization.

WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF

In that same workshop we asked nearly 100 integrators if they were familiar with the term, “The willing suspension of disbelief.” Only one or two responded. We were surprised. When we entered the market nearly 20 years ago that phrase was regularly referred to as the goal.

Originally coined by poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1817, the phrase has since been appropriated by Hollywood and is used to describe the phenomenon in which an audience, while watching a movie, is willing to accept it as reality. Without a willing suspension of disbelief, the audience will not relate to the movie and its characters, or connect emotionally with them.

This type of experience takes knowledge and skill to produce. If our clientele understands what type of experience is possible in their home theater and is led to perceive that experience as a highly valued result, then the services of those who can deliver that experience will be in demand and highly valued. This is the position we need to be in.

COMMUNICATING THE EXPERIENCE

First, we must establish exactly what we want our clientele to perceive.

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