By any measure, Sean Weiner has had an exemplary run in custom integration. His blue-chip resume includes significant roles with custom integrators such as Myer Emco, Starr Systems, and Bravas, where he was the organization’s Chief Technology Officer.
But now he’s left the role of integrator and created something new, called Spexi Advisory. And in so doing, he may have created a new business model – something that puts him on the side of the buyer (client).
See what Weiner has created…and if you should consider the same idea
Weiner’s latest role is an interesting twist on his multi-decade integration career, as he is no longer a custom integrator. Yet in his latest self-created role, he may be even more important to his residential integration clients than ever before.
The Buyer’s Advocate
Most in our industry tend to define that connection between the tech industry and the end user – the local dealer – as a binary choice. Either that dealer is a retailer…or a custom integrator. But is it possible that there is a third option? And could that third option offer some advantages for the major players in any significant luxury residential system installation?
Baltimore-based Sean Weiner, Co-Founder and President of Spexi Advisory, thinks he’s defined a new role that could be the critical connecting point for an entirely new business model in smart home installations. In launching Spexi Advisory LLC, Weiner has crafted a compelling role that looks to do just that – offer homeowners another option. He calls this option the buyer’s advocate.
How the Idea for This New Role Evolved
In a video call with Weiner, he told me the name of his new company, Spexi Advisory, is derived from the word specification, which is a bit of a homage to his earlier days of working with production home builders. Over the last couple of decades, however, Weiner has mostly worked in the luxury residential home market.
After he left Bravas at the end of 2021, Weiner took a few months off to think about what he wanted to do next. During this time off, he kept hearing from – and having interesting discussions with – many of his former clients.
Taking Time Off to Think About a Better Way
Taking some time off was really helpful, and actually gave me an opportunity that I didn’t expect to have. I had clients calling from my past lives, looking for help with things, and it made me think about how I could do a better job representing homeowners and representing the industry than I could in the business I was in before [TG: referring to the integration business].
Sean Weiner, Co-Founder and President of Spexi Advisory
Integration, he told me, can be a really tricky business. “The integration world is a pretty high-stakes business when you think about the clientele they work for,” Weiner explained. “And, relatively speaking, it’s a pretty low-margin business that’s super complex. So you’re sort of putting it all on the line with every project. And no matter how good a job you do, there’s always a potential for it to go sideways due to things that are out of your control.”
Architecting A Change to the Way Business is Done
Weiner went on to add that sometimes integrators feel as though they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. That’s when he architected a new process…a new way…that would better share the risk and rewards of the integration process for all parties.
And it felt like this was a way for me, not necessarily to revolutionize the industry, but to just start changing the way business is done and see if I can create better outcomes.
Sean Weiner
‘We Don’t Sell Any Products At All’
So in mid-2022, he launched Spexi Advisory to test out his theory and see if the new model would work. As luck would have it, he received a call from a former client who had an imminent project. Weiner pitched him on his new concept…and we had our first proof-of-concept test case.
How different is Weiner’s process? Well, for one thing, “We don’t sell any products at all,” Weiner proclaimed. “So I sit on the side of the table with the client and the builder. I’m not on the integrator side of the table anymore, so I’m not selling anything.”
Solving Trust Issues
This is a key element of why Spexi Advisory’s new model is attractive to high-end, high-net-worth clients. From Weiner’s experience as an integrator, he knows that the relationship can often get started on the wrong foot – though it’s not anyone’s fault…it’s the situation. Typically, a client reaches out to an integration company. He knows he wants a smart home, but he knows nothing about technology.
Often, this makes clients nervous in those early meetings with integrators…if not a little suspicious because they know that the integrator is motivated to try to sell them stuff…a lot of stuff. This can cause trust issues.
A Flat-Fee Advisor for the Client…Instant Trust
Enter Spexi Advisory for a different beginning. Spexi is a flat-fee-based advisor for the client. They are not an integrator and hence, as Weiner delighted in saying, are NOT trying to sell the client stuff. That means the client instantly trusts Spexi to design and facilitate a project objectively that best meets the homeowner’s needs.
Our fee schedule is based on our performance and what we deliver, not on what the client purchases. So it doesn’t matter to me if the client spends $100,000 or a million dollars. Our fees are the same.
Sean Weiner
And in a bit of good news for the homeowner, Weiner notes that it almost costs them nothing, or very little, to bring Spexi into the project, as it is simply providing a service they would have to pay an integration company for anyway.
A Three-Phase Process
Spexi fees are largely based on the complexity and the scope of the project. The company offers a three-phase process for its clients. The first phase is “discovery, design, and pre-construction services,” which is pretty much as it sounds – where Spexi works with the client to determine their needs and wants and designs the entire system. As the Spexi website notes, “Our advice is driven by your needs, not product sales.” Part of phase one is assisting the client in selecting the installing integrator.
The second phase is “engineering, specification, and documentation services.” This phase, Weiner tells me, has become optional. In the original concept, Spexi was to provide full engineering services. However, Weiner has come to realize that many integrators would prefer to use their own engineering documentation, and so this is optionally available if the integrator would like Spexi to do the engineering.
Construction Administration is a Big Deal
The third phase – and Weiner tells me this is the most important one – is “construction administration.”
So construction administration is a big deal for us. It includes everything from holding integrators and contractors to budgets that were set with the client…to managing timing and process and product…to handling changes throughout the entire course of a project.
Sean Weiner
Spexi is also responsible for detailed financial management of the entire project on behalf of the client, including ensuring all changes are properly accounted for, whether upcharges or credits. Adds Weiner, “It’s a big, big job and kind of a heavy lift,” but they take it seriously and do it well.
Who Brings Spexi Into the Project?
I asked Weiner, who typically brings Spexi into the project? He answered that normally it’s the builder, architect, or client bringing him into the project. Generally, he noted, it’s not the integrator. He thinks this is because some integrators are threatened by Spexi being brought on board because they feel they’ll lose some level of control in the project.
Interestingly, in analyzing Spexi’s results so far, Weiner tells me that project sizes actually increase when Spexi is brought into a project. Says Weiner, “I can only attribute that to trust.”
Weiner believes that the sweet spot in the market for the services provided by Spexi is in the Ultra Luxury market segment. “This is where we bring the most to the table,” he told me. It is in this segment where systems have the scale and multi-discipline complexity where a homeowner would likely turn to an advisor such as Spexi.
Looking for More Partners
Spexi Advisory’s business is expanding, and Weiner told me he’s looking to bring more partners on board. He has a very specific view of the type of individual that would be a good fit at Spexi. Specifically, like his background, the profile would be for someone who has experience as an integration business owner, maybe aging out and looking to step back a little, but wants to keep engaged.
Additionally, he’s looking for someone who has the capacity to understand not just the client relationship aspect, but also possesses a feel for “what clients are looking for.” The right candidate would also have a feel for the needs of builders and architects in the process, as well as possess the ability to manage and oversee projects from start to finish. They don’t necessarily need engineering capabilities, but just the general concepts of how a good project is supposed to run.
Learn more about Spexi Advisory by visiting spexihomes.com.
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