CE Pro September 2021 - 55

SPONSORED CONTENT
Top-Ranked Integrator Discovers New Formula
for Success with Home Builders
S
mart Systems Technologies is a total lowvoltage
integrator operating in Southern
California (Irvine, Calif.) and has two offices
in Arizona (Phoenix/Tempe, Tucson). SST is
a licensed alarm company with a portfolio
that includes smart home, home theater,
distributed audio, structured wiring, home
networking.
The company, No. 10 in the latest CE Pro
100, targets residential tract builders and has
a custom division for one-off custom home
projects. Jimmy Salloum, SST VP sales &
marketing, tells CE Pro how Brilliant has
boosted SST's builder-related revenues.
CE Pro: What made SST seek out a new
home automation solution?
Jimmy Salloum: We forever have been a traditional
home automation installer - and still
are - but we were very hungry for something
that could be done in a tract house environment,
that would fit into the builder's budget.
We had a lot of builders approach us to do
home automation as standard in their communities,
and it was a difficult one for the purchasing agents to bite
off due to system costs.
We started to see builders trending toward the DIY-type products
- smart thermostats, smart light switches, smart door locks -
but there was really no integration. It was 3-4 apps, all installed by
different trades and not really a good handoff to the homeowner.
That was one of the biggest complaints we heard; homeowners were
moving in, couldn't set up their systems, the builder didn't know
how to set it up and quite honestly the trades installing the products
were not really geared to help.
CE Pro: How did SST connect with Brilliant?
Salloum: We started with Brilliant pretty early, and they actually
approached us; manufacturers do that all the time. They came in
and did a presentation, and there were a couple of large things that
stood out as being very viable for our business.
First, it was one of the first products we'd seen that had full
Ring integration inside of the home. We liked that because we sell
intercoms and video intercoms, but all of our builders were moving
toward a video doorbell and it was difficult to find anything that
integrated one.
The other was their ability to communicate with consumerbased,
DIY smart products and bring them into one app - thermostat
control, door lock control, the Ring and then also the fourth
piece was Sonos integration. So we felt they really hit on those cores
" We're taking ownership
of the entire smart home
platform in the handoff
to the homeowner, after
they close escrow. "
- Jimmy Salloum, Smart
Systems Technologies
of the smart home and put them under one
umbrella in one app, and it was the first time
we were able to say, 'OK, we can finally offer
a single-app solution without having to be a
full-blown home automation system that costs
thousands of dollars.'
CE Pro: How did SST present Brilliant to
builders?
Salloum: We took Brilliant to The New Home
Company. They're a tremendous builder, they
do a great job marketing, and they were looking
to make a smart home splash. As we were
having discussions, it felt to me like Brilliant
was the solution for them. We brought in a
demo and did a joint meeting with Brilliant,
presented what the Brilliant Smart Home System
was, how it looked, how it integrated ...
and they loved it, we were off and running.
The price point makes it super-attractive
because the cost of entry for the builder is
very minimal, really just the cost of a Brilliant
Control. And then you have your subcontractors
swap in smart home products compatible
with Brilliant to make it an integrated system.
CE Pro: What's the homeowner sales experience like for
SST?
Salloum: The big thing we are pushing that's led to our success is we
do what we consider a 'white-glove' appointment. What that means
is we're taking ownership of the entire smart home platform in the
handoff to the homeowner, after they close escrow.
We send a technician to the home; help them get the apps loaded
on their devices; train them on how to use the system; how to set
up scenes; and get them comfortable and familiar with all of the
integrated subsystems.
Conventionally we'll have a base program/package that goes into
every home - a two-gang Brilliant Control Panel [and other trades
installing subsystems]; we also provide standard Wi-Fi; and build in
a charge for the white-glove service. Then we have a sales team that
meets with the buyers as homes sell, which provides an opportunity
to offer additional upgrade options.
We're probably 4-5 communities in with Brilliant, and those
range from 40 to 100 homes. When we meet with the buyer [for
potential upgrades] we like to think our capture rate is 90%, which
could be a surround-sound addition, more Sonos, a home network
upgrade, security cameras, more Brilliant Controls, or smart lighting
... there's a lot of categories and they are all generating additional
revenue for our business.
www.brilliant.tech
http://www.brilliant.tech
CE Pro September 2021

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