By Todd Ramsey So CES 2010 is over. It was my 23rd consecutive CES in Las Vegas and it’s certainly gone through some changes as a show, as has the profile of attendees and exhibitors, and navigating through all there is to see. There’s never really enough time to get it all in. Technology overload! I love it!
From a big-picture perspective on CES in the 12-volt aftermarket electronics segment, this show was less about groundbreaking products and more about whether the companies that were once exhibitors but did not attend, and the domestic retailers who chose not to get out and experience the show firsthand, can keep avoiding the show. Can a business in the 12-volt market really afford not to be a part of CES, even if in some small way? It leaves a lot of questions about how successful that strategy really is and what added value both parties may be missing. In particular, the networking and opportunity to recharge your industry vision is in full force at CES if you choose to engage, this year in particular due to the absence of MERA’s KnowledgeFest in 2009.
Products wise, there were still some trends and innovations happening in 12-volt aftermarket electronics. In particular, the integration companies like Scosche, Metra, NAV-TV, Dice and others had a range of exciting new opportunities that make life installing easier.
Metra showed several new dash kits with factory-matched finishes on the Ford F-150 and other Ford models with integrated electronic climate controls. They also had one for the 2010 Camaro. Perhaps the biggest relief, if installing aftermarket head units is your headache, is that Metra’s Axxess line has a self-programming steering wheel control (SWC) adapter that “learns” the type of controls (data, resistance, etc.) in the vehicle. If you have ever programmed the current SWC adapters, you know this will be a real time saver.
Scosche has their Ford Flex dash kit, which is awfully hard to distinguish from the OEM panel. There’s also a 2010 Mustang panel that has an integrated touch-screen climate control panel that Roger Alves, the company’s president, told me will begin to appear in other kits they offer, too. Watch for details on this one by the time our next issue hits the street. Scosche had two booths in the North Hall, which was the polar opposite of some companies that weren’t even there! Portable device accessories are huge for the company.
Companies like Audio Control and InstallerNet were focusing a lot of effort on simply sharing how retailers with whom they already do business are creatively positioning themselves to capture opportunities others are leaving behind and how they are partnering to help do more of that. Building business relationships was really a primary theme at this show, even more than in years past.
We did make it to some of the off-site venues, the most comprehensive of which was at Rockford Fosgate in the Palms. Lots of new stuff for the company, including audiophile-grade composite cone component speakers, ear buds for portable devices, new amplifiers and custom airbrushed amplifier shrouds to compliment one-off installations.
Frankly, getting to every off-site venue for non-exhibiting companies that were still at CES would be impossible so that’s one of the questionable strategies I mentioned that could affect a company’s efforts to gain new customers and not just serve existing ones. Even a small booth at the show to let people know there’s another thing off site would be nice. One example of a company that did this was Boss Audio, with a booth at the show and a suite at the Hilton.
At this show, I heard a lot of “oh, are they here? I didn’t know or hear about that,” which tells me the opportunity to capture attention on the show floor in the North Hall at LVCC is still very much there, even if only with a small booth.
Lots of other products and companies to report on, in addition to what we reported on from the show in Hotwire, will be appearing in the coming weeks on ME-Mag.com. We’ll have comprehensive show coverage in the next print issue of ME-Magazine! There was also a critical board meeting of the 12-volt Initiative that was held to assess where the organization is with regard to the progress of the 12-volt Awareness Campaign, so we will bring you up to date on that outcome as well.
Beyond products though, the CES show again proves that there are many opportunities to connect with colleagues and industry friends. It’s a great venue to rediscover the passion and innovative ideas that have always driven the 12-volt aftermarket electronics industry forward.
By Chris Cook
Money has a cruel way of making or breaking business. Some say you must spend money to make it (the government seems to get half this model) others say you shouldn’t spend money until you make it. Still another school of thought says you need to borrow against the future to fund the present and pay for the past (the current government model). Regardless of your school of thought, money is an ever-present constant that drives or crashes your business.
Although more money doesn’t solve every issue, it does make dealing with challenges less stressful. So how do you live another day when things get tight? Yeah, I know the stress of this situation leaves you praying for the local pro ball team to stop in for a no-holds-barred shopping fest. But if that doesn’t happen you might stop to take a deep breath and look for ways to make some money today while doing your best to save a little as well.
The doors are open with no installs scheduled and your first three walk-ins want something repaired that the installer you let go a month ago didn’t quite get right. Your sales guy is running late (probably putting in a job application at the local Starbucks) and you look out the front window and see the tumbleweeds rolling through the parking lot. If this sounds at all similar to your day then you are in luck!
Cleaning and organizing can help to get your head on straight. It also sets the stage for some customer traffic. Seems like every time I started straightening up customers would show up and interrupt things (I’m just saying). Then desperation would take hold and drive me to review last month’s invoices looking for customers who could use some more stuff for their cars. I would start with my top 10 picks then categorize the rest by potential. Next, I would get down my pitch and start making calls. The pitch can be anything that gets customers in the door. Try the system tune-up angle or the direct-sell by offering what they still need to make their system complete. Whatever your pitch, remember the mission: get customers in the door. You can sell once that happens. I can attest to finishing out the end of many months on the positive by providing an additional level of customer service that fills the cash register with money, money, money!
It seems nearly every car dealer in the nation is jumping on the “trash your car for cash” bandwagon. Driving by a new car dealer provides a view of old cars hanging out of dumpsters, piled on one another and spray painted with endearing terms like “Junk” and “Trash”.
It’s very rare for Congress to get an idea that provides an incentive to encourage growth in the free market. The Cash for Clunkers program is no exception. Although any growth that provides some glimpse of hope for a market that has been stuck in the gutter should be cause for rejoicing, we should first look at the real impact of this artificially simulated growth. So what does it cost us to add a new fuel-efficient car to our neighbors' driveways? I have heard that it’s around $6,000 of our hard-earned cash in the form of tax dollars. If congress was capable of getting a clue they would quickly realize that the increased consumer demand is directly related to the novel idea that if they give people their own money to spend, the net effect is stimulus to our economy. With this newfound wisdom I would expect them to go back to Washington (after they finish up getting a dose of reality from some town hall meetings) and get cracking on some new tax cuts so our hard-earned income can be used to buy some great new stuff, like say some cool consumer electronics for the car.
Maybe we should offer up a new program for “CARS”, the Car Audio Rebate Program. We could encourage consumers to bring their electrically inefficient amplifiers that by nature and lack of efficiency must contribute to global warming and trade them in for lighter, more efficient amplifiers that are sure to contribute to better fuel economy. Then bring old tape decks and CD players that create unnecessary waste from tapes and CDs that are clogging our landfills with unnecessary waste. Trade them in for more environmentally friendly MP3 Players. Take up this cause and call your congress person today and suggest that your tax dollars be put to good use by providing the consumer with the necessary simulating incentives to buy more mobile electronics!
So if you’re thinking that I am just venting a bit of frustration about how I feel our government is out of control and spending all our money on stuff we don’t want, I will clear it up with one of my favorite quotes from our second American President, John Adams, “In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.”
By Chris Cook
You’re up early watching a bit of the morning news while enjoying a cup of coffee, deciding whether you should fix some breakfast or just stop by your favorite breakfast spot on the way to open the doors once again. Yes, it is another day in the life of a mobile electronics retailer. You may be suffering the effects of a bad year thus far but you feel the tide rising and are hoping this recession will soon pass and all will be back to normal (whatever that was). So let’s look at normal.
What is the standard for our business and type of customer? The car audio demographic is thought to be predominately male from 16 to 24 years old. Is that who is coming in your door? Or has there been a shift to a broader demographic that requires a different approach or product offering? Has the target demographic changed their product purchase interests? All great questions that for the most part escape answers. So tell me, who is coming through your door and what products are they looking to purchase? What if we are searching for normal, hoping to breathe a sigh of relief, only to find out that normal now means something much different for your business than it did before the recession?
When reviewing all the changes taking place in the market for automobiles, wireless devices, traditional autosound and everything else that falls into our category, we may very well be witnessing a permanent shift in consumer lifestyle that now involves saving more and spending money on products that they either really need or really want and are willing to save for. This shift means that now, more than ever, you need to maximize every customer’s experience. You can’t let them leave the store without letting them know that you are there to help them save money while adding value to their automobile. The consumer experience is the key to success. As a mobile electronics retailer you must make every customer feel as if you are a trusted friend looking out for their best interests.
Treat their automobile with the utmost respect as well. Paying attention to the details, like a clean and organized store that presents an image that directly appeals to their needs will go a long way toward building a solid base of repeat and referred customers. Do that and you can celebrate a job well done and live to work another day. Now get in your car and take the long way home so you can listen to the great sound system you had installed with pride. Don’t forget to stop and pick up dinner!
You are in the middle of an install, your other installer took lunch with your slacker sales guy and the phone is ringing again, and again. Oh yeah, let’s not even try to find the wireless phone with the dead or dying battery that is taped on with your precious number 33+ electrical tape. Yes, I know you have an answering machine or service, so you let them leave a message; you can get to it when you’re not so busy. And why not let it ring, you just had someone come in with a brown box full of used equipment looking for installation, and it’s time to explain the pain you desire to inflict upon them if they don’t put it back in the trunk and come back to buy some of your stuff. The good news is that while he was headed to car to properly store his box o’stereo, your sales guy and installer pulled into the parking lot and decided to strike up a conversation. Good, you think, maybe they can earn their keep while I get this install completed.
So you take a deep breath, grab a bite of the breakfast you remembered about bringing in that morning and jump back in the car. What, the phone is ringing again! You reach for the phone you left in the passenger seat then look up to see it sitting on the workbench. You think to yourself again, why don’t they stop calling and just stop by the store? That is most likely how the call will end up anyway. As a matter of fact, maybe you should just make that your message so they don’t call back anymore.
Although this is just a made-up scenario, it is a story that plays out at retailers all across this nation. Heck, it’s played out fairly similar when I ran a store. That said, constantly letting phone calls go to your voicemail is a surefire way to turn potential customers away. The phone is just one tool in your box of marketing stuff. It is a very important tool as it is a primary means of communicating with potential customers looking to find out if you have the solution that will make the daily drive a more entertaining and informed one.
Take the time to develop a system to take advantage of this tool so you never gain a reputation of not being available. Let the phone pass from team member to the other like a baton in a relay race. Make answering on or before the first ring a priority. Pre-plan your response to specific questions, always with the goal of turning the call into dollars. Develop a question and answer template (this is good for your website too – but that is a whole other blog post).
If you make the effort, I can assure you that you will turn an annoyance into an opportunity!
By Chris Cook
By now many of you have heard about the untimely passing of the king of the pitchman, Billy Mays. Although some of us probably hit the mute button to silence that louder-than-life voice, many listened and watched the excitement he conveyed for the product of the week. What you may not of known it just how many of those products he sold: millions. From OxiClean to Orange Glow and all products in between, his pitch made sure that you would pick up the phone to avoid life without the Awesome Auger!
Billy Mays built an empire based on a passion for the products he presented. Every one was handpicked through extensive research, trials and his gut feeling that what was before him was a winning product. He had a cardinal rule that if a product was to be a hit, it must be demonstrable. The ability to show potential buyers the features and benefits were paramount to making the sale.
While the world is focused on the passing of the King of Pop or Charlie’s favorite angel, I want to pause and celebrate the King of the Pitchmen. Much can be learned from the example he provided. Believe in and use the products you sell and make every effort to demonstrate your products with passion. Regardless of your individual style or polish your customers will appreciate your enthusiasm and feel better about spending their hard-earned cash on whatever you choose to pitch.
So when you open your store today, take a moment to remember Billy Mays by making your best pitch with the passion of a true professional. “Here’s how to order.”
By Chris Cook
For me, not a day goes by without hearing about another addition to the wireless landscape. Whether a new phone, service offering application and/or network, we are barraged with a plethora of wireless offerings designed to improve our world. On the other hand, I hear little about innovation in the mobile electronics industry. Mostly products announced appear to be more evolutionary than revolutionary. I’m not saying we have no innovation, but the trends from our past that provided us with new digital innovations have been few and far between.
So what can we do to pull excitement from others to bolster our own presence? First, take a look at how you are presenting your store to the consumer. This presentation defines how you are perceived thus opening or closing the door to new business.
That said, are you taking full advantage when marketing the name Mobile Electronics? As I mentioned, consumers may be confused as to which products are for sale behind your doors. For me, the name is still synonymous with our industry and no explanation is required. However, from both the wireless industry and for many consumers, our name provides confusion not clarification. Take a moment to think about the wireless phone industry. Do you see a connection to our industry or do you view them as one industry? I tend to see them as one but also separate, with some overlapping areas. However the separation may be more confusion of each rather than an actual difference.
Let’s take the title for what it is and market and sell products that fit under this ever-broadening umbrella. If you have the ability to broaden your offering to include both wireless accessories and traditional car audio and video products then take advantage of the name and position your store as a one-stop shopping experience offering many ways to connect and enhance both traditional mobile electronics and wireless devices. By making the wireless connection with consumers you will add value to your marketing and hopefully draw more customers into your store!
By Chris Cook
Do you recall a time when selling brand names on the Internet was the exception and not the norm? When a call to your supplier launched an investigation of how this rogue reseller got their hands on your best sellers? Things have certainly changed as the Internet sales channel has evolved. Take a moment and Google your best sellers and you will probably find them readily available on websites like eBay.com, LogJamElectronics.com, BottomDollar.com and Yahoo Shopping.
At this stage, competing with those online retailers probably seems like a losing battle. It’s easy to get tired, and frustrated, with the situation when you’re competing with online resellers that seem to outnumber the stars in the sky. So what to do? Maybe call a hacker and have them shut down the Internet? Not likely, but at times a nice thought. I guess you are waiting for the usual advice to “offer good customer service and installation expertise” and everything will be alright? Not a chance. Although following that advice never hurts business, you need to look at this in a more proactive way.
First, do you have a Web presence? Is it a good one? You know, one you or your kids would visit and shop at? Have you ever thought of offering a best Internet price guarantee? Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, how would you compete selling products for less then you bought them for? Fine print helps because you can offer to beat any authorized Internet retailer (which certainly makes a difference to customers who want a valid warranty). The idea is to get customers in your store by letting them know (using your website) that you are the local guy willing to offer full service for Internet pricing on these products.
Maybe take it a step further by setting up your own e-commerce and or mail-order business using free or inexpensive software? We’ve provided you with a short list of e-commerce software providers at the end of this post. There’s no reason you can’t compete in the online world, too, while also promoting brick-and-mortar business and your installation expertise.
So let’s say you set up an e-commerce section of your site. How would you handle fulfillment? One way to handle this would be to use Amazon.com’s e-commerce fulfillment service to handle this for your business.
At the end of the month (or day) it’s how well you execute your plan to get customers in your store using any means possible (including the Internet). So log on, take a good look at your Web presence and see what you can do to break the logjam without making bottom dollar!
E-commerce providers:
Vendio (free to install and use, takes a percentage of Internet sales)
Zen Cart (free to install and use, paid support)
Your favorite industry news and information source, Mobile Electronics is joining the Blogosphere! Providing some of the best insights from our staff and key members of our industry, this venue will allow us the opportunity to discuss important developments on new technology, market conditions, technical conundrums and an assortment of hot industry topics. We will also continue to include the latest news on products and people that are making a difference.
Our hope is that this effort will further our quest to grow the industry by allowing us to connect directly with retailers on a range of topics. To get the discussion started, I would like to offer up the first two discussion topics: Where is our industry headed and how can we get there? And, tell us what is making the difference between closing the doors and growing your business? Feel free to send us your suggestions by clicking on the "comments" section and posting them. Stay tuned for more exciting topics!
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