Lion, ice cream sandwich, iOS, Android smartphone, tablet, mobility, the cloud, streaming services, and so on and so on. The amount of innovation and change over the last few years is incredible, and to many — including me — it can feel overwhelming. Less comforting is knowing that the pace at which these products come out will only speed up in the coming years. As this happens, the question soon becomes how to keep up with the ever-changing tidal wave of electronic products that clients desire and still operate a profitable business? These technologies are creeping into every aspect of the low-voltage industry — including security.
There is no doubt that it is an extremely competitive landscape right now. Being first-to-market with a truly innovative product means billions of dollars in sales for the manufacturer; but it has created chaos for low-voltage dealers as they struggle to keep up with educating their staff and developing new sales and marketing strategies for these products. The latest and greatest new products often come in at significantly lower margins than their predecessors, as well.