Commercial Integrator May 2023 - 35

you are with a customer, and the wider the
services your fi rm off ers, the harder it is for
them to really break up with you, " Duncan
says. " For integrators thinking about how
they can strengthen their relationship with
their customers, bringing on additional
services is a good way to do that. "
Duncan points to clients calling up their
integrator partner, looking for AV work,
but then, during the site visit, the conversation
broadening. " We go in, talk to them
and tell them about everything else we
off er, " he relates. " They're like, 'Wow! You
do that and this? There's so many other
things that we can work with you on that
will make our lives easier.' " It's a compelling
approach, and, in Duncan's view, not
enough integrators embrace it.
But Duncan doesn't discard DiCesare's
point that adding off erings can be diffi cult
to do. " To be able to do a lot of things very
well is challenging, " he readily admits.
" And some AV integrators are just afraid
of that. They know how to do AV really
well, but they fear, if they go out and do
security, they're going to screw it up and
ruin their business reputation because they
tried to expand into an area that they really
shouldn't have. " Duncan readily concedes
that, yes, it's a risk.
Hire or Acquire Expertise
Duncan has some advice for minimizing
that risk. He says, " Don't try to learn
[security] and do it. Hire an expert fi rst.
Or even [approach it] through a merger
or acquisition. " Pavion's Seifert echoes
that latter point, saying, " Acquisitions are
a good thing, but not every [integration
business] has the backing to go through
with something like that. " Nevertheless,
he adds, there are opportunities for local
partnerships. " [Those are] relationships
that you can leverage to get into [security]
and really fi gure your way through the proFind
out how you, as a provider of
unifi ed AV, security and IT, can profi t
by off ering mass-communication
solutions by downloading a
free copy of " 8 Reasons System
Integrators Should Off er a Mass
Communications Solution " on
Commercialintegrator.com.
commercialintegrator.com
cess of starting your own practice, " Seifert
adds. It all adds up to DiCesare's words of
warning: AV integrators looking at this category
must do the work to train on, learn
about or acquire expertise on how security
systems work.
No Need for Animosity
At the end of the day, animosity or turf
battles between the trades will not create
or maintain successful technology deployments.
And what lies at the core of all AV,
IT and security applications is, of course,
taking care of the customer and delivering
the best possible solution.
The blurring of the lines between AV,
IT and security brings both opportunities
and challenges. AV integration businesses
that are prepared to tackle the challenges
of diversifying their services and off erings
will be able to take advantage of new possibilities
for meaningful growth. However,
they must do so mindfully, intentionally
and with a clear plan for success. CI
Celebrating Almost 50 Years as the Top Choice for Pro Audio,
Video, & Lighting Integrators and Contractors
800-356-5844 * fullcompass.com
Free Shipping | Free 2-Year Service | Low Price Guarantee
Flexible Financing | Certified Experts
MAY 2023 Commercial Integrator 35
http://www.fullcompass.com http://www.fullcompass.com http://www.Commercialintegrator.com http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator May 2023
