Here’s to You, Mr. Internet of Things. You’re Pretty Cool.

Sometimes, I sit back and smile, thinking about how my career has evolved. I started as a salesperson selling dimmers straight out of college. Today, I’m an executive for an Internet of Things (IoT) security company.

One of the biggest things that has evolved about me and the industry in general is the perception.  And it's due to the Internet of Things. IoT has not only started to change the physical objects and devices in and around our lives but also the perception of the people selling or marketing them.

A little back-story…I graduated from the University of Central Florida in 1999 and joined a relatively unknown manufacturer named Lutron. Lutron is the world leader and inventor of the dimmer. Yes, the one in your dining room that dims the lights. 

I accepted the offer from Lutron in my senior year.  When classmates asked the inevitable, “What are you going to do next?” in casual conversation, I invariably replied, "I'm moving to Pennsylvania and taking a job in sales for a company named Lutron.  They invented the dimmer." 

Their responses varied but would range from bewildered to skeptical. They’d say, “Dimmers. Like the one for lights?” They’d accompany the question with a mime; they always brought up their hand and made a motion like they were turning a knob.

I’m pretty sure they never thought the job was cool. Inside, they were probably asking, “What, was the door-to-door vacuum sales job taken?”

It took a little time, but I began to find the reaction to “selling dimmers” amusing. It became a game of “let’s see how awkward they get.”

Most people really did have this perception that I’d be going door to door with a briefcase full of rotary dimmers. I know. Super sexy. But waiting for the stereotypical reaction somewhat made up for the perceived lack of “coolness.”

Looking back, I realize the reality: I stood on the cusp of what we now know as IoT. In 2000, before there was "IoT" there was (in some cases, still is) “automation” and was only accessible to the really wealthy (or at least good automation was). We were tying residential and commercial systems together with wires, relays, and computers to create “scenes.” Home and/or business owners would press a button on the control interface for settings like “away,” “welcome,” “entertain,” “good night,” and so on.

If the owners had multiple homes or offices and wanted to control the lighting from their computer—remember, this was pre-mobile phone and tablet—we’d dial in via their landline. It was super high tech, at least for that point in time.

Then radio frequency (RF) technologies took off. Wiring was reduced, and the Internet took hold. It was now much easier to connect the control system to it, but it still required the use of a desktop computer. Eventually, mobiles and tablets came and did away with the absolute necessity of a hardline.

Products evolved in response to the new tech, mainly because of software. Software was and still is super sexy. It changed the hardware equation. Now you were seen as smart. You were doing something cool and working on “the future.”

Then came the Internet of Things.  Something changed. It wasn’t just Big Data, though that’s a part of it. It wasn’t connected devices or contextual experiences, either, at least not entirely. It was overall perception. It shifted for entire industries and the people working in them.

I wasn’t selling dimmers or access control anymore. I was selling IoT. “I work for an Internet of Things company disrupting the lighting control industry," or "I work for an Internet of Things company transforming the way people enter and interact with buildings." 

The products I sell, however, haven’t changed entirely.  There have been technological advancements, yes, but the concepts are pretty much the same. Same with the process of selling them. What has changed a lot are the customers. More find the “smart” hardware cool. They want it and can get it. The price has come down, making the “things” relatively affordable.

And the people selling smart devices? They’re viewed as “technologists,” “futurists,” and authorities on a subject that’s getting a ton of buzz. They’ve always been those things, but it’s a nice change in perspective and even cooler to play a part in it. We even get asked to speak at conferences focused on APIs. 

Some days, though, I still tell people I sell "key systems" or my father who still works at Lutron sells "dimmers "and we wait for the reaction. It’s different now. They don’t think briefcases and door-to-door salespeople. They say, “Oh! Like Nest, right? Cool. I need something like that. It’d be great to turn on the lights with my phone or unlock a door with my wearable. It must be really cool to work for a company like that.”

And it is. So here’s to you, Mr. Internet of Things. You’re pretty cool.