Welcome to Control the Universe, the official monthly publication of URC. In this issue, we take a close look at Total Control, our entirely new whole house control system that spans distributed audio, lighting and HVAC control, home theater automation, IP cameras and much, much more. If we had to summarize Total Control in as few words as possible, here's what we'd say:
Life, customized.
What would YOU say? Please let us know. And please keep your feedback and suggestions coming at editor@universalremote.com. Be sure to tell your coworkers to sign up to receive their own copies of Control the Universe. Just direct them to www.universalremote.com/newsletter.
We hope to see you at InfoComm 2011 next month. Stop by and see us at booth 1411.
- Your friends at URC
Visit URC at InfoComm 2011
InfoComm is billed as "the largest, most comprehensive pro-AV event in the world," and with an expected attendance of 32,000 professionals and 950 exhibitors, who can argue?
This year's pre-show training begins on Saturday, June 11, in sunny Orlando, Fla. The show floor is open June 15 to 17. We'll be in booth 1411.
All told, InfoComm offers you a choice of more than 300 seminars. Visit InfoComm's website for more information on this valuable event for commercial integrators... and for those who are thinking of becoming commercial integrators. To register, click here.
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URC Products Included in Four 2011 Electronic House Home of the Year Award-Winning Installations
Electronic House magazine just announced that URC products were included in four of its 2011 Electronic House Home of the Year award-winning homes. As always, we applaud our dealers for their ingenuity and creativity!
The winning homes were selected based upon technological innovation, creative solutions to challenges, and design elements. Here are the winning installations that included URC products:
"Electronic House has been featuring automated homes for the past 25 years, and you think you've seen it all," said EH Editor Lisa Montgomery. "But every year, the integrators amaze us with incredible new designs, easy-to-use controllers, and clever solutions to challenging requests." Yep, sounds a lot like our dealers!
You can check out all of the award-winning projects in the May/June and July/August issues of Electronic House, as well as on www.electronichouse.com/specials/hoty11.
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Total Control Is on the Way
Invite your customers into the world of new possibilities.
Install an MRX-10 and you've empowered your customer's home to grow with life. This Native to the Network Advanced System Controller provides IR, IP, RS-232, Video Sensing, Voltage Sensing, Relays and much more. And because the MRX-10 connects seamlessly to the network, you'll be amazed by how easy it is to install.
Streamlined Programming with Off-Site Option
Programming is streamlined and all performed using one editor, CCP Accelerator. You can program and make changes to your clients' systems directly from your shop via our web-based Off-Site Programming feature, which means no more emergency house calls.
Total Control is a Complete System with Two-Way Feedback.
Total Control products provide up to 32 zones of music (without degrading the audio's fidelity), stream popular services like Pandora, Sirius and Rhapsody, and turn iPods into important personal music servers. Total Control products also control lights (dim, off, on, scenes), monitor security systems, adjust room temperature and enhance security by allowing your clients to see who is at the backdoor—right on their in-wall touchscreen. Because the MRX-10 sits on the network, you can extend control to new rooms in the home simply and inexpensively. No traditional wiring is required.
Limited Distribution, One-Stop Shopping
Total Control is exclusive to only the finest resellers. At URC, we limit distribution, manage resources and provide the highest level of training and support. Asked why they sell URC, many professionals reply: "Because it works." We couldn't say it any better.
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QR Codes and You (and Us)
This is a QR Code.
QR is short for "Quick Response." If you have a smartphone and a QR app, you can scan this mark to make URC's website magically appear on your display. QR Codes can also be used to directly deliver short blocks of text to smartphones—for example, a person's contact information or business affiliation.
QR Codes originated in Japan and have been used in Asia for some time (since 1994, according to Wikipedia). They are widely used in printed advertising, product packaging and sometimes even on business cards.
It's easy to get started with QR Codes. If you have a smartphone, search the web for "QR reader" plus the name of your phone. Download the reader app and you're in business.
Here at URC, we plan to use QR Codes on our consumer/retail remote control packaging. By scanning our QR Code, consumers can instantly access more information about our products than we could realistically fit on the box itself. We also used QR Codes at the recent EHX show to deliver a link to the complete schedule of our on-site training.
We're always looking for ways to improve how we do things. Strategic use of QR Codes is just one example.
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Dealer Spotlight: Cloud 9 AV
It's not every day that our MX-980 remote control gets prominent play on Canadian television, let alone called by the presenter "the prettiest remote control I have ever seen," but Jeff Gosselin of Toronto's Cloud 9 AV made it happen on CTV's The Marilyn Denis Show.
The MX-980 pops up about six minutes into this video clip; check out the entire video to see everything Jeff's team enabled.
"The MX-980 is a beautiful remote," says Jeff. "Everybody loves it. I have a lot of female customers who prefer it, as it fits their hands nicely. Also, URC's stuff is quick and easy to program. I can do a remote in under an hour."
Jeff had a week to put together the overall segment for the Marilyn show, and because of his skills, his role on the episode expanded. "The segment was supposed to be just about the cabinet system, but the designer and segment producer ended up getting really excited about the control capabilities," says Jeff, who has been asked to return to the show to do lighting and shades segments. His participation in the show has opened doors for Cloud 9 with local architects and designers.
Cloud 9 AV was founded by two enterprising businesspeople: Jeff, the company's president, and his partner Glen Falkiner, its CTO. Jeff has worked in both small and large businesses for 20 years. After completing his Queen's Commerce degree, he learned systems integration while working with global clients at Arthur Andersen. He then helped a Toronto tech startup expand into the U.S. market, and worked for two major Silicon Valley software companies as their Canadian sales executive to wireless carriers.
One thing led to another, and Jeff and Glen started doing part-time systems integration projects, mostly commercial work like IP networks, AV displays and digital signage. As a result of the commercial gigs, Jeff ended up getting into executives' homes and deploying technology for them. Eventually, Jeff and Glen set up Cloud 9 as a full-time custom integration business. They do a lot of residential work nowadays. Last year, Cloud 9's revenues surpassed $1 million, a figure he expects to almost double this year. "We're booking a lot of business, we're doing well, we're having fun," says Jeff. "I love it."
One key to Cloud 9's success is that it focuses on what it does best, and outsource the rest to best-of-breed partners. For example, he says, "We partner with Automated Shade of Markham, Ontario, to do shades while we focus on lighting and control systems. They are fabric experts. We refer each other to clients."
As a relative new kid on the block in the custom industry, Jeff plays to his strengths. "We're not very well known," he says. "The typical guy has been in the industry for 20 years. The major advantage I have is that I know how to sell multimillion dollar deals. I work with my clients on design and planning. I have a plan. I have examples of what we can do. I can walk into the most complicated types of projects and succeed. I've built out VOIP business for major national carriers, and I bring that level of experience to this industry. And as a contractor, I'm reliable."
Jeff's advice to dealers is, "Don't over-commit yourself. Do the things you promised, and then over-deliver. Don't focus on technology. Clients just want it to work. Custom integrators need to focus on people who want things to look great and just work."
Jeff says it's just as important for the custom integrator to vet the client as it is for the client to vet the CI. "We quickly learned who would not be a good customer," he says."They hammer at you for pricing. They shop around, get multiple quotes, go to Best Buy. I tell these people up front: 'Let's not waste each other's time. Go buy a Harmony remote. Go do it yourself.' It's not a difficult discussion to have. It's an honest one."
A common scenario Jeff encounters is where the woman just wants it to work, but it's the husband's pet project. "I make it a point to tell him, 'Let us do this. I'll give you everything you need, but at the end of the day, we'll make you look good. We'll make it all work. You don't need to prove to your wife that you know all of this stuff.'" Jeff adds that the more an interior designer gets involved in a project's overall planning and decision making, the better. It usually leads to a whole house installation with hidden equipment, he says.
Jeff's business is "99 percent word-of-mouth," he says. "Three to four major jobs per month are from people calling URC, URC calling AVAD [Canada], AVAD calling us."
Don't forget, says Jeff: "The remote is the key. The most important part of your home theater is the remote control. And the more gear you have, the more important the remote becomes."
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Follow @URCRemotePatrol on Twitter!
Don't want to wait for our monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things URC? Follow us on Twitter! We're @URCRemotePatrol.
Our Twitter feed gives you day-before reminders about our live webinars and training events, links to articles of interest (including from our own newsletter archives), breaking news and much more. Become part of the URC Twitter community and follow us today!
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Know Your Industry Journalist
Grant Clauser, Technology and Web Editor, Electronic House
Grant Clauser has been a prominent and respected journalist in the consumer electronics industry for over a decade. The former editorial director of the Consumer Technology Publishing Group (E-Gear, Dealerscope, CustomRetailer), Grant joined the Electronic House team last November, with the goal of providing its consumer readers with "a trusted source of information to help them navigate the challenges of home technology." Judging from his work so far, he's achieving that goal. Grant recently responded to our questions about his career, his new gig, his thoughts on the custom industry and more.
Your passion for consumer electronics is obvious to anyone who meets you, or reads your work. When did you get hooked on this stuff on a personal level?
My first radio was probably a KISS transistor radio that I took with me on my paper route. Then I upgraded to a Bone Fone—a goofy thing that you slung around your neck like a scarf. My parents had a Bradford House stereo system, which I think I broke by playing The Damned too much. It had those cool radioactive meters like on a McIntosh, but that was the only McIntosh-ish thing about it.
I probably started getting into electronics when I first opened up my home computer and started hooking things into it like new video cards, sound cards, modems, analog camcorders and such. I got into audio/video by accident when the editor at Dealerscope switched my beat from computers to TVs, so I had to learn fast.
When did you start writing professionally? And when did you start covering the consumer electronics industry professionally?
I started writing freelance for a small newspaper after I got out of grad school. I was teaching writing at the time, so I was able to practice what I was preaching. After a few jobs in the medical publishing industry, I got a job with Dealerscope in 1999, and it's been almost all CE since then.
You took a slight detour a couple of years ago, out of the CE industry. Where did you go, and why did you come back?
Yes, I took a break from electronics in 2009, moving back to the slower, simpler world of medical publishing. I ran a magazine about cosmetic medicine for about a year and half. I was deathly bored, but there was some overlap—cosmetic medicine is largely a luxury market affected by the same issues as the custom home theater market, but with more blood and more women. I now know more about liposuction, breast augmentation and laser skin resurfacing than I ever expected. If you have a question about Botox, I'm your guy.
Tell us about your role and mission with Electronic House.
I have a dual role with EH. First, I'm the editor of the web site and newsletter, which means I'm responsible for ensuring a daily stream of original content for online readers. We post a lot of home control and home theater profiles online (Hey URC dealers—send me story ideas!), plus tech tips, news, opinion rants, trend articles... I'm also the Technology Editor, which means I do most of the reviews of speakers, TVs, remotes, pretty much anything. In addition, I write features and departments for the magazine, and sometimes I eat lunch, usually at my desk, which explains all the mayo in my keyboard.
What's the biggest challenge you face as an Electronic House editor?
Lunch mostly. I work out of my home, and there are no Chinese food carts or hot dog stands on my street, just mailboxes and things the dogs leave in the yard.
How can URC dealers get more involved with Electronic House?
That's easy—URC dealers work in the Electronic House environment. We're part of the same ecosystem (that's my word of the day so I have to use it at least once). Whenever you hear about a cool installation or application, send me an email or give me a call. Please feel free to brag about what you do.
Where can our readers follow you on social media services?
I tweet irregularly, but you can follow me @geclauser. The "e" is for Eric, my middle name. Now you know my secret and can ruin my life by identity theft.
What's the biggest challenge the custom installation industry faces? And what's the solution?
I believe the challenges differ depending on what your market demo is, but generally I'd have to say it's a combination of value and simplicity. By value, I don't mean price. A few years ago, Philips started the Sense and Simplicity campaign (which sounds like a Jane Austen novel). Sure, the campaign didn't work for Philips, but the concept was spot on—solutions must make sense to the customer and must be simple to use and implement. Technology should enhance or enable a lifestyle, not force the lifestyle.
What trends will shape the custom installation industry going forward?
I expect to see more integration and control solutions at price points to meet more markets (no, I'm not pandering here, really). Probably more reliance on cloud technology and less on devices, hardware.
You're a poet... in fact, you are the poet laureate of Montgomery County, Pa. Tell us about your poetry, and where can we view some?
Yes, I do that too. I have an MFA in poetry, and at one time I expected to have a career as a university professor. Anyway, I still do a lot of writing outside of the electronics world, run a blog about poetry and host a monthly writer's workshop. We meet in a bar, of course.
What other passions and hobbies do you have? I know you're a devoted family man, that you love the outdoors, that you enjoy seeking out great beers... and I know you are punk rock to the core. Did I just answer this question for you?
That about covers it. Two kids. Obsessive about fly fishing (I have a trout tattoo). I try to drink mostly Pennsylvania beers. A good everyday beer, especially in the summer, is Kenzinger by the Philadelphia Brewing Company. Also love HopDevil by the Victory Brewing Company. This winter, I discovered the Double Simcoe IPA by Weyerbacher. It's an amazing beer, 9% abv, and a real mind-opener.
One final, self-serving question: What do you think of URC?
Well, since you asked ... I'd change the name to UC or Universal Control. Drop the remote completely. It's not the tool that matters, it's the result.
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Tips for Better Business Writing
Everyone makes an occasional grammatical goof when speaking or writing. After all, we're only human. But when you make a formal written presentation for that big job, bad grammar and spelling could cost you the sale. Here are some common mistakes, along with some tips on how to avoid them.
The possessive form of it is its. It's, on the other hand, means It is and nothing else. When a dog wags its tail, it's going to get a treat.
With rare exceptions, punctuation goes inside quotation marks, as in this "example."
Don't overuse the word will. Instead of a statement like "Pressing this button will cause the screen to disappear," write "Pressing this button causes the screen to disappear." The next time you write, run MS Word's "Find" [Control-F] function, and count how many times you used will. Then replace as many wills as possible. It's a picky point, but an important one.
The abbreviation i.e. means id est, Latin for that is. The abbreviation e.g. means exempli gratia, which translates to for example.
Exclamation marks should be avoided at all cost, except when you're writing dialog and wish to convey the speaker's emotion ("Ouch!"). It's okay to use them once in a while, but try not to overdo it.
When in doubt, leave it out. If you're unsure about using a comma, don't.
The plural form of product names does not require an apostrophe; e.g., it's two PSX-2s, not twoPSX-2's. Use an apostrophe only to show possessive form. "I like the PSX-2's features."
Pairs of identical-sounding words are often confused. In fact, English has been influenced by so many different languages that it's surprising there aren't more. Some prominent examples:
There refers to a place. Their is possessive. They're is a contraction of they and are.
Whose is possessive. Who's is a contraction of who and is.
Your is possessive. You're is a contraction of you and are.
One way to avoid misusing contractions is to "un-contract" them when you proofread. If you always read "they're" as "they are" and "it's" as "it is," you'll never make a mistake.
Have more grammar/spelling tips, or grammar/spelling questions? Contact us at editor@universalremote.com.
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About Our ZERO-TOLERANCE Internet Sales Policy
Scott Huffman, owner of Independence Audio Video in Independence, Mo., recently sent an email to the editor to complain that URC's custom installation products are sold by unauthorized resellers on the internet.
At URC, we take this issue very seriously. We interviewed Lars Granoe, URC's vice president of sales, to get his unvarnished views on the subject.
"URC is 100-percent committed to our policy that our custom line of PC-programmable remote controls, base stations and other products must be installed and programmed by trained professionals in order for the end user to enjoy their full potential and maximum benefit," he says. "Of course, we consistently receive email and phone calls from consumers stating that they are IT professionals, neurosurgeons or, my favorite, liquid propulsion systems specialists (a.k.a., rocket scientists) who could easily handle the installation and programming of our products. We tell them that nothing can substitute for the training and experience of our custom professional installers.
"That's why we have a very strict No Internet Sales policy, and that's why we discourage resellers from selling our custom products over-the-counter to consumers, as we will not provide the end user programming support."
URC offers a full line of DIY consumer remotes (including the A6, SR3, WR7 and R50) that are excluded from our No Internet Sales policy because they were specifically designed and engineered to be easily set up by a consumer.
"We take every step allowed by law to prevent internet sales," says Lars. "We use a company called Net Enforcers to monitor the activities of unauthorized dealers. Many of these unauthorized merchants illegally steal copyrighted images and product descriptions from our website and use them in their listings. When our material is found on an unauthorized website or online auction, we force the offender to remove it."
URC's effort to curb unauthorized reselling doesn't end there. "When we see our products advertised by suspicious, unauthorized retailers, we order them," Lars explains. "Then we track the serial numbers to find out who sold it to them. We have a 'one-strike-and-you're-out' policy for dealers in order to discourage them from selling to unauthorized resellers. And we have stopped doing business with both dealers and distributors because they violated the terms of our sales agreement.
"We also do not publicly distribute our programming software," Lars continues. "A dealer or distributor will have their own invitation code in order to access our password-protected dealer-only site. When we receive a call from a consumer who is requesting software for a Custom Professional remote that he or she purchased from an unauthorized reseller, we politely tell them that they should return the remote in order to get a refund, as the remote has no warranty. We then give them the location of their closest authorized dealer."
Some resellers go as far as to remove the serial numbers. Let it be known that it is illegal in many states to remove or deface the serial number of any electronics product. For example, here's a portion of California Penal Code Section 537e:
"(a) Any person who knowingly buys, sells, receives, disposes of, conceals, or has in his or her possession any personal property from which the manufacturer's serial number, identification number, electronic serial number, or any other distinguishing number or identification mark has been removed, defaced, covered, altered, or destroyed, is guilty of a public offense, punishable as follows:"
The section then goes on to prescribe punishment of up to three years in jail. Similar laws are on the books in 27 other states.
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Prices That Are Too Good to Be True? Show Your Customer the Truth!
This tip comes to us by way of URC Central Division Sales Manager Gary Post, who picked it up from Todd Gaylord at Jamiesons Audio/Video, a premier URC dealer in Toledo, Ohio:
There are low prices, and then there are prices that are just too low to be real—because they're not.
The internet has empowered unscrupulous bandits who use modern-day variations of the ol' bait-and-switch. The bad guy advertises a low, low price, but doesn't deliver the goods unless the customer also purchases accessories at absurdly high prices. Sadly, the customer doesn't find that out until after he or she has placed the order. In many cases, the thief contacts the customer a couple days later and plays his sketch.
When a customer confronts you with a low-ball price that he found on the internet, use Google Earth to track down the suspect reseller's physical location. The bandit's "store" often turns out to be a residence or FedEx drop box... or, as in one case with which we're familiar, a gin mill!
So show the customer where that "great deal" is actually coming from, and you'll win the sale.
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How Are We Doing?
Please take a minute, click this link, and tell us what you think of this newsletter. If you have an idea for a article—or would like to contribute an article, a digital image of a recent installation, a story about a great job or business solution, or any suggestions at all, please let us know. We create this newsletter every month for YOU, and we really want to know if we are meeting your expectations.
Thank you!
– Your friends at URC
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Product of the Month: The MRX-10 Advanced Network System Controller
The MRX-10 Advanced Network System Controller is the brain of the URC Total Control solution—the central hub for all communication in a home or business. Through it, and in combination with our upcoming new URC Total Control controllers, you can enable the end user to control lighting, blinds and drapes, audio and video equipment, media servers and much more. The powerful 2-way system status feedback provided allows end users to control any room, with any remote, from anywhere on the network.
The MRX-10 stores and issues one-touch automation commands and macros via the LAN for all IP, IR, RS-232, Relay and Sensor controlled devices in a URC Total Control whole-house control system. It provides 2-way communication with all URC Total Control remote controls and keypads. Expandable via the home's LAN to up to eight MRX-1 sub-base stations, it can route macro steps to IR, RS-232, Relays and Sensors to multiple MRX-1s on the network. Included are eight IR ports, four RS-232 ports, four Sensor ports, two Relay ports, and two 12-volt outputs. Compatible with URC's RFTX-1 RF Transmitter to enable whole-house lighting, the MRX-10 is easily rack-mountable via the URC RMK-1 rack mounting kit.
You can program and make changes in your client's systems directly from your shop via the MRX-10's web-based Off-site Programming feature—which means no more emergency house calls. Programming is streamlined and all performed using one editor, CCP Accelerator.
The MRX-10 provides you the foundation for designing and implementing a robust, feature-rich, function-rich whole-house control, automation and audio distribution system via the wide variety of new URC Total Control components and controllers. Because it is native to the home's IP LAN, it provides lightning-fast response time with 100 percent accuracy and no outside interruptions. Even more impressively, the MRX-10 enables you to provide clients with control of virtually any component over the IP network, including traditional AV components not equipped with IP technology. The Total Control system is remarkably easy for our certified direct dealers to program; a whole-house system can be implemented without the need to hire more programmers. Because of the MRX-10's superb scalability, you can grow a system over time from one room to an entire house, at the client's pace. Once in place, the MRX-10 offers the promise of virtually unlimited expansion of the client's system.
The MRX-10 will be shipping to direct dealers soon with a $699 MSRP. It comes with a power cord, an installation manual, an adjustment tool, an Ethernet cable and eight IR emitters.
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URC Team Member of the Month: Russ Hoffman
Russ Hoffman, URC Education and Content Development Manager
Russ Hoffman has only been with URC for 14 months, but his impact on our training department has been substantial. Russ is responsible for all content creation for our live events and URC University; recently, he's also been busy creating installation guides and programming manuals for our new Total Control line. "I truly hope that the new style will be easy to read and informative for our dealers," says Russ.
The impact on Russ' life since he joined URC likewise has been substantial. "In order to avoid the 1,600-plus mile commute to URC," he jokes, Russ moved to the New York City area from Houston, where he had spent the prior decade.
Russ enjoys putting his content into action by doing the occasional training event. "I've been lucky enough to get in front of some great crowds," he says. "Content creation is cool, but content delivery is a real rush."
Russ' proudest accomplishment at URC so far has been creating our CEDIA 2010 training courses, especially those involving the Total Control products we announced at the show. "Normally, it's not a problem, but I was only given about a month... and the product was still in development," Russ recalls. "With a constantly moving target and a hard deadline, the courses got finished, went off without a hitch and were very well received."
The biggest challenge of creating educational programs, says Russ, is to relay information in such a way that students will enjoy, learn and retain the material. "It's easy to hit one, maybe two, of those goals, but creating an education experience that hits all three is a tough one," he says.
Russ is particularly excited to educate URC dealers about our new Total Control line. "The coolest thing about Total Control is having the chance to show exactly how much it can do," he says. "Sure, cutting programming time by 70 percent is a benefit, as is all of the cool 2-way metadata feedback, but what I can't wait to show people is how a single button press can do so much more than what a typical CI imagines it can do. 'Wait, you mean that button at the front door can turn off the lights, make sure the TVs and stereos are off, lower the temperature, turn on the security system, shut the drapes and make sure the garage is closed... really?' Yes, really!"
Like many URC employees, Russ spent the bulk of his career as part of the dealer community, beginning at the legendary/infamous Crazy Eddie. "Insane commercials, good people and a great place to start a career in this business!" says Russ. "I went from selling car stereos to home stereos until I decided to move to Philadelphia for college." Current URC East Coast Regional Sales Manager Scott Srolis was Russ' roommate in Philly, and convinced Russ to leave his gig at Wall-to-Wall Sound and come to Bryn Mawr Stereo, which eventually became part of Tweeter. At Bryn Mawr/Tweeter, Russ entered management. "Strangely enough, being a good manager has a lot of similarities to being a good trainer, and I was soon asked to join the Tweeter training department," he recalls. "I spent the rest of my 17-year career there creating and delivering sales, technology, product and management training."
When Scott joined URC, he encouraged Russ to join as well. "Scott was right the first time with Tweeter, so who was I to argue?" he laughs.
Russ likes to get to the office early, although he reports that URC Director of Marketing Jon Sienkiewicz usually beats him in. "I always smirk to myself when I, on occasion, make it to the office first," says Russ. The rest of his day is spent developing concepts that are our TIER (Training Information and Education Resource) Department's responsibility, such as manuals, trainings and product support.
When asked what he likes most about working at URC, Russ replies, "Besides the people? Besides the short commute? Besides doing what I love? Besides getting involved with all aspects of the business? Besides being able to express my opinion and give feedback? Nothing at all!"
Like many of our trainers, Russ also has a solid background in sales. "After spending so many years evangelizing products, technology and selling skills, I decided in 2006 to head back to my sales roots," he says. "I half-expected the business had changed so much that all of my time cloistered in the 'training closet' had left me a bit out of touch, but it turns out I was wrong. People were still people, sales was still sales and, in a moment of clarity, I realized that the only limitations salespeople have are the ones we put on ourselves. My first year back in sales, working for a small company, I managed $1.4 million in sales, the best anyone at the company had ever done. I'm not bragging, not at all (OK, maybe a little), but I soon realized that the real challenge is not in the sale, but in the relationship. For more details, my book Stories from the Sales Floor will be out in November (just kidding)."
Russ has a soft spot for his college town. "I could not have picked a better city to go to college: Philadelphia! After falling in love with the city, the next 16 years of my life would be spent there. I made lifelong friends, met my (ex) wife and have really developed an affinity for the city. I have a hard time answering the question 'Where are you from?', as I spent my teenage (and younger) years in the New York/New Jersey area, but my bumper sticker still reads 'I heart Philadelphia'."
Russ is enjoying the single life in his new Connecticut home. "I like to cook, read good books, watch trashy TV and play a video game or two," he says. "I love gambling; I'll play almost anything the casino offers, but I really fell in love with Texas Hold'em while I was in, of all places, Texas! I'm the one at the table who's always talking, getting into the heads of the other players, and selling them on my hand. It's amazing how solid sales skills play into this game."
URC is glad that Russ took a cross-continent gamble on us. The proof is in our training programs, which consistently receive rave reviews from attendees. We thank Russ for his fine work and his dedication, and congratulate him on being our May 2011 URC Team Member of the Month!
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You asked for it, and we responded! The new URC Countertop Display is a terrific new sales tool for your showroom, or even to bring to clients' houses. This video provides a great overview of this new dealer-focused offering from URC.
We're very grateful for one of the YouTube comments on this video: "That's one of the reasons we support URC products here at Emersive AV. They are always listening to Custom Dealers like us for ideas, and when we ask for something or pitch an idea we usually find that in a matter of time URC responds to those requests and has a product that fills the void... Thanks, URC!"
We also have plenty more videos on the installers-only URC Control Room site. Not a URC Control Room member yet? Shame on you! Click here to join.
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Your Business
By Glenn Gentilin
URC Regional Product Specialist
How much product training is too much? Ask yourself, is there such a thing as too much education for the field you're in? In reality, the only time that training can become a negative is when it interferes with your ability to get work done.
Nothing is more embarrassing than talking to a potential customer who knows more than you do about the gear you're trying to sell him. You must be able to speak with authority and confidence about your recommendations. That's the only way for you to become the technology consultant for your clients.
It's important to be educated about the equipment you want to sell, but you must know about the competition, too. You should at least be able to explain why you are recommending one product over another; that way, you can overcome any hesitation the customer might have.
Make sure that what you say is based in fact. Once your customer understands that you know what you're talking about, he or she will trust your input more readily the next time.
You also need to learn about all new relevant technology as it becomes available. More than in most fields, your customers hear new buzzwords all the time, and you need to be able to explain the science to them. Sometimes you must convince them to avoid something. Or you need to explain to them that a particular technology isn't fully vetted and, if you install it, you can't be responsible if it doesn't work exactly right. Anybody remember the first-generation DVD players? Or HD-DVD?
Also, anyone who represents your company must understand the products you sell well enough that they won't promise something that's undeliverable. They don't necessarily need to know everything about the competing brands, but they should be up to speed on all of the features of your lines.
Many manufacturers offer several different types of training these days. URC offers live training locally and at trade shows, as well as many forms of e-learning, including the 24/7 self-paced classes found at URC University and weekly live webinars. Check the schedules on our website for exciting new class opportunities.
It's a good idea to read articles in trade magazines as well, in order to keep up with current and emerging technologies. Magazines also provide personal insight into the advantages and potential issues with products as experienced by the reviewers. And, make no mistake, many of your customers read these same magazines.
So, how much training is too much? Only you can determine that based on your schedule. But there really is no such thing as too much education.
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Hank's Tip of the Month
By Hank Eisengrein
URC Regional Training Manager, East
When we introduced our MX-980 color LCD remote three years ago, I introduced the concept of stepping up 20 percent of your customers from the MX-850 or MX-900 into the MX-980. The idea took off; in fact, my friend and loyal URC dealer Brian Hudkins of Maryland's Gramophone told me at a lunch meeting, "I will move 100 percent of my sales to the MX-980." The rest is history: The MX-980 has become one of our top-selling models with custom installation dealers.
Since my idea took off, many of you have embraced that model, telling me at dealer events, training meetings and trade shows just how much you love the MX-980. Times have changed, however. The majority of the MX-980 systems you sell use the extremely popular MRF-350 one-way RF base station. The key phrase here is "one-way."
So now I have a new concept. It's based upon two of our powerful new Total Control products, the TRC-780 Remote Control and the MRX-10 Advanced Network System Controller. URC dealers can use these two new models every day with a wide variety of systems, not just a complete Total Control system. Start using the MRX-10 instead of the MRF-350 and you'll add more power to your customer's system. Here's why:
The MRF-350 is IR only. The MRX-10 is a true two-way controller that features control using IR, RS-232 Serial, and IP commands.
The MRX-10 supports video and voltage sensors and relays with separate 12-volt power outputs.
You can add URC Lighting to every sale via our RFTX-1 RF transmitter using the soon-to-be famous pink port on the MRX-10's rear panel.
The MRX-10's astronomical clock supports timers and alarms in URC custom/professional systems.
All of the MRX-10's power is housed in a sleek cabinet that's one rack unit tall and can be rack mounted using optional hardware.
Start selling and installing the MRX-10 every day and you'll open your installations to a broad new range of possibilities.
As for the remote...
The MX-850 has been one of our most durable models, taking its design cues from our Hall of Fame MX-500. When I hold our exciting new TRC-780 remote, I see a compact, modernized version of the MX-850 that dealers love, and that we still use as a key OEM mold.
The TRC-780 is the first URC model to employ a bright OLED color screen, and includes many features never before found in our affordable wand-type remote controls. Some key specs about the TRC-780:
It's powered by four AA batteries, with a 10-year memory backup and excellent battery life.
It operates exclusively using 2.4 GHz digital RF to the MRX-10 system controller, while the MX-980 and MRF-350 use analog RF. In many installations, the TRC-780 will be the only remote you need, and it will harness the power of the MRX-10.
It offers the excellent ergonomics you'd expect of a URC remote, now with feedback on the OLED screen, and room control designed into the mold.
It even offers important hard buttons for Yellow, Blue, Red, and Green, along with a hard REC key in the transport section of the remote.
I've been using the TRC-780 for a few months now while testing our Total Control system. It's a winning design that I know URC dealers can use in simple systems now, while giving their customers more power to expand and upgrade later. You can't do the same with a standard URC one-way RF remote control system. Sell our two-way products today and you can return later to update your customer's system. If you continue to sell only one-way systems, the MRF-350 will be a brick when you return later; you'll need to add new components to move forward with two-way.
Your local URC sales representative can introduce you to these new models. In a few short weeks, you can move away from one-way remotes and analog RF base stations, and instead offer a more powerful, expandable URC custom programmed solution... and at the same overall price points and profit margins. These new models, which offer the superb build quality and reliability you expect from URC, give you the added power to use your creativity to design and sell more modern systems for your customers.
In upcoming issues of Control the Universe, you'll see more detailed information on our new Total Control products. I strongly urge you to move up now to these new units when you specify custom designed systems for your clients.
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Be Social
By Cindy Davis
Principal and Founder, customCEsocial
Social networks are about having an open-door policy. So it's okay to take a look at the "Friends" list of your friends, organizations and even competitors, and ask their friends to be your friend.
You'll only have access to a full "Friends" list on Profile Pages (i.e., personal pages, not business pages). However, you should still check into and "Like" as many industry-related Facebook Business Pages as you can, as well as complementary association Facebook Pages (like CEDIA's) that make sense for networking.
On occasion, post on personal and business Facebook "walls"—if people "Like" what you have to say or comment on it, your post can potentially show up in the "News Feed" of hundreds more people, and so on. (I would not recommend "Liking" or posting on the walls of your competitors; it's not good social form.) These sites will also be a great source of content on which you can comment and add value, as well as share with your own friends. The more you post and comment, and the more your posts get commented on, the more likely "you" will show up in the News Feed of friends of friends and their friends. The math is easy.
Here are some suggestions on where you can find some "friends with benefits" on Facebook:
Industry friends
All of your manufacturers as well as competitive product pages
Product reviewers, writers, bloggers, local magazines, newspapers
Interior designers
Local associations
Builder and architectural associations
Kitchen designers
Lighting designers
Sports teams and sports writers
Green organizations
And so on. You get the picture.
You'll quickly notice that even though some industry people are often sharing information about, let's say, life in Stillwater, Minnesota, they'll also have a lot of information to share about goings-on that pertain to your business as well. This is the social aspect. If you can't get out of your house because nature just dumped three feet of snow on your front door—sure, take a picture of it and post it. Maybe you'll spend the day inside, enjoying that new media player you just got in that will be available to your customers soon. Post that, too!
In short order, you'll have more friends than you'd ever imagined!
Cindy Davis, the principal and founder of customCEsocial, can help you directly to improve your presentation to customers online. Contact her for practical advice on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or email. You can also reach her at 617-281-0736. Find Cindy's previous Be Social columns here and here.
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Tech Tips
By Joe Salvatore
URC Technical Support Manager
The KP-4000 is a great network color touch panel, but it can also be installed as a standalone in-wall RF controller.
This particular application still requires you to hardwire a KP-4000 via Cat5 and use a PoE injector or a PoE switch for power, regardless of the fact that you'll be using the keypad primarily for RF control. Additionally, you'll need to use our RFTX-1 transmitter to send data to one of our RF base stations: the MRF-260, MRF-350 or MSC-400.*
Setup for this configuration is very basic. Here are the steps:
On the RFTX-1, cut off one end of the factory-supplied 3.5mm plug. Once you splice it, you'll reveal the following three-conductor pin-out configuration:
DATA – White wire that goes to the tip of the 3.5mm plug
GND – Black wire that goes to the bottom sleeve (base) of the 3.5mm plug
5V – Red wire that goes to the ring of the 3.5mm plug.
Match the ends of these wires to the corresponding terminals on the phoenix connector attached to the "IR out/RFTX-1" port on the KP-4000.
Set the RF frequency select switch on the RFTX-1 to match the frequency of the RF antenna being used (433 MHz or 418 MHz).
Configure your RF settings in the programming steps in CCP as you normally would.
* Please note that you cannot set one unique RF address on the RFTX-1 for the MRX-1 Network Base Station, leaving you to set the ID on the MRX-1 to ID 0. As you know, ID 0 is not a valid RF address on any of our base stations because it's used for RF sniffing, and it leaves all of your emitter lines set to flash simultaneously since they're not addressed. Therefore, it is not recommended to use the RFTX-1 to transmit RF from a KP-4000 to an MRX-1. You can, however, use an RFTX-1 to transmit RF from an MRX-1 to URC lighting switches and dimmers. The MRX-1 has one output (#6) dedicated for use with the RFTX-1 specifically for this application. This port can also be used with a standard IR emitter if needed.
I planned to write more about YouTube this month, but I just received an urgent email from my sister. It seems her wallet and passport have been stolen and she's stranded in London with no way to get back to New York. She's been reduced to sending me an email with a convenient method for sending her money.
Only problem is, she's right here with me, watching the latest episode of Modern Family.
I get odd emails almost every day from friends who insist I click a link to see a funny picture, or watch a great video clip. Sound familiar? What's going on?
So prepare for more spam! Worse yet, prepare to deal with an increase in phishing expeditions, where Internet pirates attempt to scam personal information from you, or convince you to send funds to a Nigerian prince who's holding millions of dollars in your name.
I hope you already know this, but never click on email links requesting your personal information from senders purporting to originate from banks or businesses. If they want you to change a password or log in, open a new tab in your browser and type in the company's URL yourself. No legitimate business asks to conduct such a personal transaction through an email.
There are a few more obvious rules (like, is that funny email link really from your friend or family member?). But I'm confident most readers remain vulnerable to a somewhat intelligent hacker who can access most of your social networking, banking, credit card and other personal sites.
How? Well, for example, is your cat's name posted on your Facebook page? And is your password your cat's name, or some version of it ("fluffy2")? Is your banking password created with a family member in mind? Are your passwords less than 10 characters long? Well, bad news: Your personal information is virtually waiting to be hijacked.
Any shady character can buy hacking software off the Internet. Don't believe me? Run this simple Google search: "program to hack passwords". Pretty scary! Just read the extremely well-written first line from one of these fine software providers: "If you want to know password of your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend and other friend then try our special user's email id password hacking/cracking software that helps you to hack/crack that password."
Yikes. Protect yourself NOW and change every password to your email, social accounts and finance accounts – anything accessible via the web.
A "good guy hacker" friend of mine makes a living auditing corporate IT systems to find weaknesses. He makes the following suggestions regarding passwords:
Make them at least 10 characters long.
Use letters, numbers AND characters.
Make it easy to remember by picking a memorable event in your life.
For example, here's a band I played in several years ago: THEREMNANTS. Now let's add numbers by changing the letter "E" to the number "3": TH3R3MNANTS. (Or I could change the letter "S" to the number "8".) Next, let's place an "#" in between the first two words, and an "%" at the end. And there's my final password: TH3#R3MNANTS%.
Simple, yes? Perhaps a bit of a hassle to enter every time, but well worth the security. My very talented friend assures me that this password would be almost impossible to crack for any but the most sophisticated of hackers.
So what are you waiting for, an offer from Nigeria? Change your passwords!
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Strictly Commercial
By Jamie Finnegan
URC National Sales Manager, Commercial Division
As you all know, URC has been very successful in the residential market for the past couple decades, and I am supremely confident that this pattern will continue well into the future. However, our growth into the multi-layered commercial market will no doubt play a major role in our overall growth as a company for years to come.
As many of you migrate certain aspects of your business to commercial, it is important to keep your finger on the pulse of technology as it applies to commercial. What better way to accomplish this than by attending InfoComm in Orlando this June?
We will be there in full force. You will see that not only are we serious about commercial, but we are here to help you be serious about commercial as well. We are developing applications that will take full advantage of our low-cost technology so that it can be applied effectively and efficiently in vertical markets such as K-12, hospitality, corporate and houses of worship.
InfoComm is a powerful event. In some ways, it's more powerful than CEDIA EXPO; it's a larger event in terms of attendance and is directly connected to a business channel that is healthy and growing.
For those of you who are new to commercial, the first step is to understand how the commercial business flows. It has a more stringent approach to it, not only from a deployment perspective, but a certification one as well. The bid specification world is not something any of you have experienced in residential, but in commercial it is, at the very least, something of which you should gain an understanding. There are aspects of certification that are required to even bid on certain projects; this is where the commercial market is completely different from the residential market. Attending InfoComm will give you the opportunity to get in front of industry leaders who know how to play in this space.
Take full advantage of all InfoComm has to offer as you grow your business into this exciting, yet challenging sector of the market. You won't regret it!
See you on the show floor! We'll be in booth 1411.
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URC Tool Box App of the Month
Crestron Module to Control PSX-2
Our friends at ControlWorks have updated their cool PSX-2 app to version 2, expanding functionality and compatibility with Series 2 or 3 Crestron processors. Control our PSX-2 Personal Server via a combination of TCP and UDP. Our well-engineered PSX-2 iPod dock combines with reliable TCP and UDP communications to produce a fast module and a great user experience.
The PSX-2 sports a 166MHz ARM922T processor for speedy navigation of a docked iPod's content. It fully integrates with iTunes, and its video output provides album art, as well as component reproduction of video content from the iPod.
IR emulation for navigation of PSX-2 on-screen menus, meaning you can use a one-way user interface to control the PSX-2
Shortcuts for immediate browsing of playlists, artists, songs, albums, genres, podcasts, audio books and composers
Configurable list browsing
The ability to browse or manage the PSX-2's jukebox
Shuffle and repeat controls
Playback transport controls
Alpha search and more sophisticated jukebox functions
The module package includes the unencrypted module, a sample SIMPL Windows program, a sample Xpanel and a detailed help file.
This module is only $350 and, once purchased, you can use it as many times as you wish.
To access this and many more apps in the URC Tool Box, log on to the URC Control Room.
Haven't checked out the Tool Box yet? What are you waiting for? Do it today! Just log onto the URC Control Room and click "URC Tool Box" on the left side of the home page.
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URC Complete Control Partner of the Month: D-Tools
Our friends at D-Tools recently published a new white paper called "How a Data Driven Process Can Help Streamline a System Integration Company." According to D-Tools, "In today's challenging market, system integrators must wear multiple hats more than ever in order to complete projects that meet and exceed their clients' expectations. Many of the phases of a system integration project tend to overlap and, as the lines blur, productivity and profitability can depreciate."
The paper explores the potential pitfalls of three different areas of system integration that integrators face (estimation, system design and project management), and how implementing a solid data-driven software solution like D-Tools' flagship product, System Integrator 5.5 (SI5.5), can help overcome them.
D-Tools SI ™ is a total design solution that utilizes Autodesk® AutoCAD and Microsoft® Visio for comprehensive system design, documentation and project management. D-Tools SI allows residential and commercial integrators to streamline their business processes to increase overall revenues while reducing the time and costs associated with the installation and integration of low-voltage systems.
Our new Full Line Catalog includes all Complete Control, Total Control and consumer/retail products. Each product description lists the main features, UPC number and suggested retail price. You can download the catalog here.
URC accepts orders only from its sales representatives and field sales personnel, not directly from resellers. Possession of our Full Line Catalog does not entitle you to place an order. URC strictly does not sell directly to end users.
Total Control products are available only to certified direct dealers, i.e., they are not available through distributors. To find out how you can become a certified direct dealer, contact your local URC sales representative today, or call Lars Granoe, URC vice president of sales, at 914-835-4484.
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International News
Our new and exclusive UK distributor, AWE Europe, has released dates for its upcoming URC trainings for 2011. The dates are: 24th May, 17th June, 2nd August, 1st September, 4th October, 2nd November and 29th November.
The content for these dates will be finalised after AWE Expo, to be held 10th and 11th May at the company's Training Centre in Epsom.
UK dealers should contact AWE for more information about the trainings.
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Upcoming Events
Stay up-to-date with our training and events schedule for May. Click Here
