https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/ One idea a week for dealers who still do every part of the job. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/the-market-split-in-two-and-small-dealers-decide-which-side/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/the-market-split-in-two-and-small-dealers-decide-which-side/ Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A new midyear report shows integrators splitting into winners and losers. Here is what that gap means for a small Control4 shop. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/a-walkthrough-checklist-that-catches-the-surprises-before-the-quote/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/a-walkthrough-checklist-that-catches-the-surprises-before-the-quote/ Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A simple room by room checklist catches the surprises during the walkthrough, so your quote holds up and your install day stays calm. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/a-big-security-show-and-why-i-still-watch-from-home/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/a-big-security-show-and-why-i-still-watch-from-home/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A large security trade show is heading to Atlanta. Here is what it actually means for a small Control4 dealer running real jobs. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-to-say-when-a-client-asks-cant-i-just-buy-this-on-amazon/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-to-say-when-a-client-asks-cant-i-just-buy-this-on-amazon/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A calm answer to the Amazon question that respects the client and protects your install. It is about what happens after the box arrives, not the box itself. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-to-photograph-before-you-close-up-every-wall/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-to-photograph-before-you-close-up-every-wall/ Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT A phone camera is the cheapest tool on the truck. Here is the short list of shots I take before the drywall crew covers my work. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-many-buttons-is-too-many-on-a-keypad/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-many-buttons-is-too-many-on-a-keypad/ Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT A keypad with too many buttons stops being a light switch and becomes a puzzle. Here is how I decide what stays and what goes. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/the-five-minute-final-walk-through-that-prevents-a-callback/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/the-five-minute-final-walk-through-that-prevents-a-callback/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Most callbacks are small things we could have caught before we drove away. This is the short lap I take through every house before I pack the truck. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-a-builder-needs-from-us-before-the-drywall-crew-shows-up/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-a-builder-needs-from-us-before-the-drywall-crew-shows-up/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Builders do not want a system diagram. They want a handful of decisions in writing, early enough to act on. Here is what to hand them. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-to-quote-a-change-order-so-it-does-not-feel-like-a-bait-and-switch/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-to-quote-a-change-order-so-it-does-not-feel-like-a-bait-and-switch/ Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Clients do not hate paying for changes. They hate being surprised. Here is how I write a change order that stays friendly. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/naming-scenes-so-a-homeowner-remembers-what-they-do/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/naming-scenes-so-a-homeowner-remembers-what-they-do/ Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A scene name is the only instruction manual most clients will ever read. Use their words, not ours. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/where-keypads-actually-go-so-nobody-hunts-for-a-switch-in-the-dark/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/where-keypads-actually-go-so-nobody-hunts-for-a-switch-in-the-dark/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A keypad in the wrong spot is worse than no keypad. Walk the house the way the family will, then put it where their hand already goes. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-to-label-now-so-the-tech-six-months-from-now-does-not-curse-you/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-to-label-now-so-the-tech-six-months-from-now-does-not-curse-you/ Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Labels are a note to a stranger, and half the time that stranger is you. Here is what gets labeled on my jobs and how. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-to-say-no-to-a-job-that-is-not-worth-doing/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-to-say-no-to-a-job-that-is-not-worth-doing/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every shop has one job a year that eats the whole year. Here is how I spot them early and turn them down without burning the bridge. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-actually-slows-down-a-smart-home-wi-fi-and-how-to-explain-it-to-a-client/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/what-actually-slows-down-a-smart-home-wi-fi-and-how-to-explain-it-to-a-client/ Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Slow Wi-Fi is almost never the internet plan. Here is what it usually is, and how I explain it without making the client feel dumb. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/a-pre-wire-checklist-for-a-room-you-have-not-decided-how-to-use-yet/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/a-pre-wire-checklist-for-a-room-you-have-not-decided-how-to-use-yet/ Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Half the rooms in a new house change purpose before move-in. Here is the small package of wire I put in every undecided room. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-to-price-a-job-so-the-client-trusts-the-number-not-just-the-total/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/how-to-price-a-job-so-the-client-trusts-the-number-not-just-the-total/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Clients are not comparing prices as much as we think. They are trying to figure out who understood the job. Write the proposal that shows it. https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/welcome-to-the-trimout-blog/ https://trimoutsoftware.com/blog/welcome-to-the-trimout-blog/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT What this blog is for, and why it sticks to one idea a week instead of a roundup of industry news.