Comparisons between central vacuums and portable vacuums: perspective of a salesman
There are reasons why someone would sell a portable vacuum over a central vacuum. But there are far more superior reasons to sell the central vac.
If a customer comes into a vacuum store showroom looking for a central vac, a dealer could easily convince him that he does not need one and switch him over to a quality portable vac. The customer would pay for the vacuum, and walk out of the store leaving the dealer a few hundred dollars in profit. Sale completed, the customer is happy and the dealer has been well paid. To sell a central vac, however, takes more work, requires the dealer to be far more convincing (and convinced of the superiority of the central vac) and most likely, even if the customer does want to buy a central vac, he leaves you little if any deposit or payment because his home may not be ready for the central vac for months down the road. The portable vac usually is the surefire sale, while the central vac is the “tough” sale.
This happens regularly every day! Unfortunately, the central vac is “disruptive technology” and needs to be sold more through relationship rather than brute sales tactics. The central vac is a completely different way of cleaning and the customer needs to be assured that the product will exceed their expectations. This is done through word-of-mouth, testimonials, and in-store, hands-on wow-factor.
The advantages of a central vac to a dealer can far outweigh those of the portable vacs. Of course, the large boxes portable vacs come in slowly inch dealers out of their precious real estate and counter space. And everyone seems to offer those portable vacs! A vacuum dealer must be unique, offering something that others cannot. This is why products are invented and businesses get started in the first place! At some point, there was a need in the community and the store founder or product inventor identified a way to make it a profitable opportunity. Since central vacs are sold more through relationship, dealers have good opportunities of getting the sale. And while a select few will buy central vacs over the internet as replacements, most customers will not purchase an installation over the internet from a company halfway across the country! Central vac sales make a profit far greater than portable vacs, the potential for referral sales also skyrockets, and customer loyalty (given excellent service) is unsurpassable!
Advantages of the central vac owner over the portable vac owner have been given here and here on the MD website. But they also have tremendous resale value, they only require emptying once or twice per year, they aren’t carried around the house and thus last much longer, they don’t beat up the baseboards and furniture as easily as a portable and you don’t have to live with a smelly closet where the portable vac is normally located. The central vac’s versatility allows the user to take full advantage of the suction in far more places of the home and its lightweight nature reduces back stress and fatigue. Most manufacturers offer an extra inlet on the unit for cleaning out the car as well.
Operated properly with a crushproof hose, electric beater brush and powerful motored system, the central vac will provide a far-cleaner environment. The UC Davis Study clearly proves that the central vac is healthier. The evidence then is quite overwhelming: the central vacuum is a far more superior product to handle.