Advanced Smart Homes become a Loxone Gold Partner

Advanced Smart Homes is only the fourth company in the UK to currently hold Gold Partner status and we’d like to congratulate Marcus Daly on such an accomplishment!

Based in Manchester, Advanced Smart Homes started offering Loxone as their smart home automation solution of choice at the beginning of 2015. With this being just last year, achieving Gold Partner status so soon is something to be really proud of.

The desire to learn and succeed is one of the reasons Marcus decided to shift the entire focus of his business; “I came to become a Loxone installer because I had reached a point in my career as an electrician where I felt that I wasn’t progressing. I wasn’t really learning anything new, I wasn’t earning any more money, I was very busy chasing my tail. I had loads of work but none of it seemed to get any bigger or better and I then thought to myself, ‘is this it, is this the pinnacle?’”.

After spending some time researching different options, Marcus decided that Loxone would be the manufacturer he’d work with but there was still some work to do before business would start picking up for Marcus.

Finding the time to attend the Expert Training was the next hurdle, Marcus was busy with his electrical work but he would need to find the time to make his way to training if he was to start this new chapter in his career. During the awarding of his Gold Partner status in Reading in September, Marcus jokingly recalled how Loxone UK’s Daniela Janovska gave him the push he needed to make the time.

“Once I completed the course and became a Silver Partner I set about trying to ‘sell’ Home Automation to my clients but this was proving to be a bit too radical because convincing someone to spend thousands on something that they had just heard about, and I had only just qualified in, was too much of a stretch. I decided to go about things in a different way.

I changed my business name, got uniforms and set up a website. I began to target people who were already looking for Home Automation but needed someone to install it.

I slowly cut off my standard electrical customers which freed up time for me to develop the new side of the company.

I have had to change my whole business attitude, the way I approach clients, the way I price jobs, the way I run jobs. It’s been a steep learning curve but each time I’ve had a setback I have not let it deter me and I always try to take a positive from each situation”.

A recent project by Advanced Smart Homes

From speaking with Marcus, I soon realised that this is someone who not only knows his craft but really understands the value of customer service too. Yes, having a great product to offer is one element but Marcus, rightly so, can boast that one of his unique selling points is how invested he is in each project from a customer service point of view: “I try to treat every potential client like they are precious and give them my fullest and best possible attention. So they believe in me as well as the Product”. This is evident in the outcome of the customer project surveys conducted by Loxone as part of the Gold Partner accreditation.

Reflecting on his journey, Marcus referred to the first full house he fitted with Loxone and how much he learnt doing it. “‘It was a 4 storey, 7 bedroom house with a gym. I took on the full electrical installation 1st and 2nd fix as well as the Home Automation, AV and data etc. I did my 1st Loxone distribution board, took me about a week! When I look back now I realise how much I learned on that project. Mistakes were made, problems were resolved and by the end of it I was really proud of what I had achieved and more importantly the client was over the moon with what they had and with me”.

From left: Matthew Emberson (Loxone), Philipp Schuster (Loxone), Marcus Daly (Advanced Smart Homes), Daniela Janovska (Loxone) at the awarding of Gold Partner status in Reading.

Considering Marcus’ passion for learning and challenging himself, it is no wonder that his sights are already set on becoming a Platinum Partner.

Once again, congratulations to Marcus of Advanced Smart Homes on becoming a Gold Partner! An accolade well-deserved and we look forward to working with you on many, many more projects.

You can contact Advanced Smart Homes via their website.

What does it take to go Gold?

As part of the Gold Partner accreditation process we conduct an in-depth satisfaction survey with two of your customers. Only Partners demonstrating the highest level of satisfaction and customer service are progressed to Gold.

As you can see, going for gold isn’t easy, but we are always on the lookout for professional, committed people who love home automation as much as we do. Sounds like you? Then we would love to hear from you! Why not find out a little more information and get in touch?