Dealers: The Best Time to Sell a TV Is Right Now!

August and September feel slow. Back-to-school steals attention, TV margins are razor thin, and most dealers retreat until Black Friday or the Super Bowl. But here’s the truth: if you wait until February, you’ve already lost.

By the Super Bowl, homeowners have spent 20 weeks watching football, streaming shows, and hosting family nights on their old TV. They’ve already needed you — and if you weren’t there first, chances are someone else was.

The play isn’t February. It’s right now.

Why TVs Still Matter

Let’s be honest: nobody’s getting rich on TV margins. But here’s the math every integrator forgets:

• TV/Display = 5–10% margin

  
  

• Soundbar/Sub = 25–40%

  
  

• AVR/Processor = 20–30%

  
  

• Speakers = 35–55%

  
  

• Networking/Mesh = 30–45%

  
  

• Mounts/Power/Cables = 40–80%

  
  

• Labor/Calibration = 50–70%

A 65″ TV at $1,499 nets you maybe $105.

But if you add in:

• Premium soundbar + sub ($270)

• Mount + power ($100)

• Mesh node ($80)

• Install/calibration ($450)

  
  

Suddenly, that “TV job” is a $1,000+ gross sale — and a client you’ll own for life, plus referrals from every one of their friends who ask, “Who’s your guy?”

What a Lead Really Costs

Acquiring a new customer is the most expensive play in this business. Average cost per lead (typical US home services benchmarks):

Google Ads: $150–$350 per lead

Facebook/Instagram Ads: $80–$200 per lead

Local SEO/Organic: $50–$150 per lead (but inconsistent volume)

Close rate: 25–35%. Which means that customer cost you $300–$1,500 to acquire.

So when someone calls you about a TV? That’s not a low-margin product. That’s a $300–$1,500 opportunity you didn’t pay for. Blow it, and you didn’t just lose $105 on a TV — you lost the entire stack.

Why September Beats February

Homeowners are moving back indoors. Kids are back in school, nights are longer, and families spend more time streaming, gaming, and watching sports. Football alone is 18 weeks of guaranteed screen time — before you even add in MLB playoffs, NBA tip-off, NHL openers, and fall binge releases.

If you’re waiting for February, you’re missing:

• The kickoff season where lineups are set and fantasy football starts.

  
  

• The holidays, when family gatherings showcase who does (and doesn’t) have a great setup.

  
  

• Months of casual streaming that remind homeowners their picture is dull and sound is flat.

By February, the value of an upgrade has already been felt. The only question is: did you get the call, or did someone else?

The Dealer Playbook

Lead with TV as the door, not the destination

If you don’t get the call to mount it, you’ll never sell the sound, Wi-Fi, or lighting scene that makes it worth owning.

Package the season

Offer Good / Better / Best bundles, but keep installation included in every tier.

• Good: 55–65″ TV + premium soundbar + pro install.

  
  

• Better: Same + subwoofer + mesh node.

  
  

• Best: 77–85″ TV + AVR + 3.1 speakers + calibration.

Train your team on pain points

• Sound: “Can you actually hear the commentators without blasting it?”

  
  

• Wi-Fi: “Who’s checking fantasy or replays? A node keeps it smooth.”

  
  

• Calibration: “Faces look natural, motion is crisp. Worth $199 to see the game right?”

Showroom sign

“If we don’t hang your TV, we can’t tune your season.”

Think long game

Every September TV job is a spring outdoor lead. Plant the seed during installs:

“When the season moves outside, we’ll take it to the fire pit. Want me to sketch the plan now?”

Show, Don’t Sell: How to Market Game Day Without Talking Specs

Don’t just post TV promos. Show homeowners what life feels like when the game moves outside. We did exactly that with our Backyard Game Day: The Play-by-Play use case — complete with characters, chaos, and the win-win story homeowners see themselves in.

🔗 Read the Backyard Game Day Play-by-Play

This is the kind of storytelling content you can point your clients to, or model in your own marketing. Specs don’t sell Saturdays. Moments do.

The Bottom Line

TVs aren’t a margin killer. They’re a customer magnet.

Skip September, and you’ll be chasing someone else’s client in February.

Play September, and you own the season — and the home.

Rob Skuba

Lantern Room Marketing

Helping dealers sell moments — not models.