Theater seating can be an easy addition to your business:
Is high quality…
Is competitively priced with furniture stores…
Doesn't hold up jobs -
IN STOCK and delivered to job site…
Is easy to lay out with an online configuration tool…
Made in the USA with premium components like a Leggett & Platt wall-saver mechanism and an all-wood frame. Even the recline lever and cup holders are metal--not plastic--for durability that will stand the test of time.
This high quality mechanism means you'll need less than 6" between the chair and the wall. Intelligent geometry is used for balanced chair operation as the occupant's weight used to provide balance instead of springs. The result is consistent and smooth operation for any person. All rivet joints have either acetal (Delrin) or Bronze bushings and acetal spacers to eliminate any steel-to-steel contact.
Unlike "value" recliners, these premium mechanisms are designed for multiple positions that blend maximum comfort and flexibility for different viewing angles.
Like all good furniture, solid frame construction is the first indicator of quality. Engineered Hardwood frame construction allows for greater durability and strength. Mortise and tenon joints have replaced traditional dowel construction used in frame construction. The mortise (hole or slot) is cut into one member and the tenon or tongue from the adjoining piece fits tightly so that, when glued, these joints act as if the wood has grown together. This method of interlocking joinery provides greater stability with fewer joints. Frames are constructed of 7-ply engineered hardwood panels and solids for increased strength and durability. Frames are doweled, glued, and stapled.
Our seats are made with 1.8 lb. high-resiliency, heavy-density, polyurethane foam core with bonded polyester fibers. This provides the perfect blend of resiliency (long term durability) and softness (comfort).
Easy to clean, incredibly soft and tough as nails. The chair's elegant tailoring separates itself from mass production entry-level units that look like a wrinkled marshmallow.
This high quality mechanism means you'll need less than 6 in. between the chair and the wall. The discreet push-button control reclines the chair to the desired location.
Even the small details show your customer they're getting a quality chair.
It easy to be more professional than the next guy with our easy to use configuration tool. You can easily layout the job, get the right items and prices, and have something professional to present in minutes. Mistakes are deadly in CI and this tool will virtually eliminate them as long as your room measurements are correct.
Stop trying to sell cinema furniture that is more expensive than your customers can get at the local furniture store. Offer a better quality chair at a great value to your customers.
Don't hold up the job waiting for seats to arrive. These seats are in-stock and ready to ship the same day you order them. Because when you finish the job sooner, your customer pays you sooner.
You're not in the furniture delivery business and you probably don't want to be. Take logistics issues out of the equation and simply specify the day you want them delivered to coincide with your installation date. We'll take care of the rest. You'll save time, effort and money. To arrange for a drop shipment, call your CSR at 866-424-4489.
A confused customer never buys. Keep it simple with the seat options that represent 90% of the solutions customers want…and leave the other 10% to the interior decorators. After all, a streamlined sales process leads to more sales.
"Selling Tip - Suspended Disbelief"
The goal of a home theater is to ESCAPE! Paint the picture of total emersion into the movie- like a movie theater but better. How is it better? The site and sound might not be better, but the level of comfort is - as long as you have theater seating. When you are totally comfortable and relaxed, then you can enjoy the high performance audio and video gear. You want to enter into a mode of "suspension of disbelief".
Okay, but what the heck is, "the suspension of disbelief" and where does the term come from??
Originally, the suspension of disbelief or "willing suspension of disbelief" was a phenomena named by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge to justify the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literature. Coleridge suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative. In short, as it applies to the ultimate home theater experience, it means that the audience psychologically agrees to temporarily consider the experience as "real" - and as such, are willing to "suspend their disbelief" that it is actually happening. Another way of saying it is, it is the extent to which the viewer is transported from their present reality into a virtual reality experience that is, for a given time, the viewer's new, yet temporary reality.
The more aware you are of your surroundings the less likely you are to achieve the suspension of disbelief - and that includes suspending your sensory connection to the room through your seat. This is why it is important to be reclined - ideally, your entire body must be "suspended" and your feet should not be touching the floor. If your feet are on the floor then you are still physically "connected" to the room.
Real theater seating - truly superior theater seating, should be firm enough to support you yet soft enough to sustain long period of comfort. When a theater seat strikes a perfect balance between support and comfort your body will reach a state of "floatation" or suspension and you will completely forget about your seat and your connection to the room.
SnapAV President Jay Faison on Selling Seating
Selling seating can be a big pain in the backside. But, it can be VERY profitable. Consider the following issues and their solutions:
Issue #1: It takes 6-12 weeks to get theater seats from the vendor. This wasn't a huge problem during 2003-07 new construction bonanza. During the current era of retrofit, this can really hold up a job and delay getting paid.
Resolution: Do business with a seating vendor that has inventory in stock and can get them to you in 2 days. I happen to know of one…Camden Home Theater Seating.
Issue #2: The logistics of home theater seating can be a nightmare. If you don't have a box truck, how do you get seats to the customer's house?
Resolution: Drop ship the seats to the customer's house on the day of the install. Every time someone in your company touches something it costs money. Less touches the better. Let FedEx do as much as they can.
Issue #3: Customers think they need a lot of selection. Some vendors offer a plethora of styles and colors for the customer (or wife in many cases) to choose from. I don't know about you, but I don't like playing interior decorator. Back in the old days I remember spending a couple of hours going through swatches with wives on theater sales. Then I would get a call that they wanted to change the color. Of course the PO had already been sent to the vendor. Many times the customer would want to take the swatches home to compare to wall colors etc. Then, the fun of getting the swatches back ensued.
Resolution: I started to think like Henry Ford - let them choose any color as long as it is black. IKEA doesn't offer a bunch of color options, and these days you will see plenty of 7-Series BMWs in their parking lot. Keep it simple. Offer three colors. If they want to go custom, charge 1.5x the cost. You will find that 90% of your customers will choose one of the three colors you can deliver in 2 days versus 8 weeks at 50% more.
Issue #4: It's hard for dealers to make profit. As our industry does so well in many other categories, many vendor's theater seats cost as much to the dealer as furniture stores are selling them for. But, the quality our industry sells is so much better. Right? Customers definitely care about saving 2 grand these days.
Resolution: Choose a vendor that sells high quality seats for reasonable prices. Be sure to factor in shipping! It can be up to $100 per chair. My favorite vendor includes shipping in the price. This makes it easy to know exactly how much you will make.
Issue #5: Seating is confusing and difficult to configure. Why is it so complicated? Left arm facing, end arms that work for left only, etc. You do need to be careful about dimensions, reclining positions, etc. Don't get to the job site and be a few inches off.
Resolution: Use a vendor that has a good configuration tool that shows dimensions and part numbers.
Ok, lets assume that a vendor actually walked a mile in your shoes and fixed the stuff that made selling theater seating so difficult. The next step is knowing how to sell seating. My $.02, let them sit in the seats. Better yet, get their kids to sit in the seats - they can be powerful allies. Pretty profound huh? If you don't have a showroom, you will have to do quite a bit more footwork. If you do have a showroom, order three seats in different colors, and let the customer choose which one they want. Ask them which type they want to include on their order. Include the configuration tool drawing in the quote. Then collect 100% up front.
Of course first you'll need to find the vendor that fixed all that stuff… Hmmm.
Still have a question??
Email us at support@snapav.com
