You’ve always wanted to take that first step of being a business owner but just have never been sure of what you could offer.  You are pretty good with your hands, and have a knack for setting up electronic equipment in a creative and useful fashion.  Now, if you could only find a way to make a living doing this.  Relax! For the X10 Independent Contractor program is here to your rescue!

X10 Independent Contractors have the freedom of working their own hours, and doing what they enjoy while being able to make a living.  With so much going towards your advantage, let us offer information on what to expect as X10’s newest Independent Contractor!

Pricing Rates:

As an X10 Independent Contractor, you receive special rates and volume pricing on all X10, ActiveHome, & X10 Pro brand products! You’ll even receive an additional 15% discount on orders placed of $500 or more, plus gain exclusive access to the X10 Pro Line, featuring over forty products not found on x10.com!

Successful Business Advertising:

In a recent poll with some of X10’s most successful contractors, many have come up with their own successful means for advertising their installation and product services.  The following lists provide some of the more beneficial ways which have brought in results.

Traditional Methods:

• Direct Mailers
• Billboard Advertisements
• Media Advertisements (Local access television commercials or newspaper publications)
• Festivals (setting up booths at state fairs, carnivals, and more)
• Local Establishments (Bars, restaurants, & retail outlets)
• Physical Locations (hanging flyers or announcements on brick and mortar or kiosks)
• Social Networks (Church groups, trade associations, etc.)

Online Methods:

• Email
• Website
• Web Social Networks (such as MySpace, Friendster, and others)
• X10.com (listing as an Installer in our database)

Consumer Costs:

An inquiry of current contractors shows that our most experienced installers will bill for an average of $35 to $200 an hour for their time depending on their level of expertise. In addition to the cost of purchasing product, when setting up your billing keep in mind other expenses such as gas mileage or shipping costs of items, both of which should always be considered.

Speaking with X10 Independent Contractors, X10 was able to come up with a billing model profiling three types of customers you will be selling your services to.  These profiles depict the customer base you will come face to face with as you begin your journey as an authorized X10 Installer.  Depending on the customer profile, once you are able to close the deal you should generate your revenue from the costs of the items plus the time spent from installation of the equipment.

1. T&M (Time & Materials): This is a profile fitting many individuals, small companies, and larger companies.  The individual or small company whose return on investment is not based on improving his or her process and thereby increases their cost to profit ratio and will derive no direct income from this but will greatly ease their mind.  You have established his or her total cost, eased their mind, and now you just need to overcome their objections and close the deal. 

2. Flat Rate: Your customer may want the same services as the T&M customer, but they usually know what it is they want and have budgeted how they are planning to spend.  They are going to expect you to be professional, have your information ready, and guarantee them that your solution is going to return their investment and perform as stated.  You can always add additional specials and give some little extras away.  This kind of model can be a challenge for you as the installer where it may take two or more trips to their location to get the package settled and get the deal sealed.

3. Hybrid T&M plus Flat Rate: Your customers in this category should have a general idea of what he or she wants but doesn’t always know exactly how to solve their problems or what they are going to end up with when they finally choose.  You may want to help them out but never put yourself in a position where you end up not being able to provide what he or she needs.

Insurance Coverage:

As an Installer, it’s a good idea to make sure you are insured, especially since you will be working with other people’s personal property.  As a manufacturer, X10 does not endorse our contractors as they are independent from us, nor do we endorse and insurance companies.

Depending on where you reside, any general insurance dealer should be able to hook you up with a cost that is relatively small to carry $2 million in liability. 

There are two types of liability insurances that are recommended:

1. In Progress Liability; Coverage for while you are working onsite at your customers location; and
2. Finished Product Liability; or coverage for your finished product in the event something were to happen after the installation.

You may also want to have a disclaimer statement signed by your customer prior to each time you being a job on their behalf.

Support:

Through the tools on the x10contractor.com website, you’ll have the resources you need to find success as an installer/contractor.  X10contractor.com provides to you the flyer and announcement templates that you can use to make your sale a success.  You can even personalize your flyers to fit your needs.  Our team has spent many hours researching and designing these flyers in order to come up with schemes that will both maximize your marketing potential of X10 products and increase your sales.  As a contractor, you’ll even have full use of all X10 approved logos and trademarks to advertise your services in the event you want to create you own materials!

You have a full resource at your fingertips, as the X10 Contractor team is at your service.  In addition, you can even post on the Contractor forum to share your thoughts, experiences, comments or questions!

Affiliates:

A great way to diversify and reach a broader audience is to also sign up for the X10 VIP Affiliate program.  As a contractor, when you sign up for the X10 VIP Affiliate program, you’ve just found a way to increase your profits through advertising to a global market!  As an affiliate advertising partner, you receive commissions as a result of purchases made on your website regardless of where they occurred in North America.  X10 handles the shopping cart and the payments for affiliate orders, so there’s not much work for you to do!  As an affiliate, you will not have to handle any merchandise. 

Being an X10 Independent Contractor has the ability to open up a world of opportunities.  You have the ability to create a business that best suits your personal needs.  If you are a hobbyist, you can make a few dollars on the side.  If you are looking to start up a serious business and make a living, this too is all possible depending on how you choose to dedicate yourself.