Mobile Electronics September 2015

September 2015

me-mag.com

The Helper,

REWARDED

JT Torres Combines Installation Excellence and Sharing of Knowledge for IOTY Win

KnowledgeFest!

速

Packed Rooms, Attendance Records Promise Industry Resurgence

PLUS: Directed: Staying Ahead of Change Industry Awards: Fishman Recognized Business: Social Media Marketing

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Volume 32// Issue 7

Ad Index ®

14 FEATURES 14// Industry Awards Making the Top 12 is a big deal. Especially considering the number of candidates that submit every year in hopes of winning an award. But for those who went, the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards can make you feel like a winner, regardless of the outcome. This year’s winners included JT Torres for Installer of the Year and Dave “Fishman” Rivera receiving the new Career Achievement award.

Accele Electronics.................................. IFC & p. 3 Alpine Electronics ............................................... p. 5 AutoDesign NYC .............................................. p. 50 Directed .................................................................... BC Firstech .................................................................... IBC Infinity ...................................................................... p. 7 InstallerNet ......................................................... p. 53 Kenwood ................................................................. p. 9 Memphis .............................................................. p. 50 Metra ....................................................................... p. 51 Mito ......................................................................... p. 45 Mobile Electronics ........................................... p. 39 Sony ......................................................................... p. 11 Thank You Sponsors ........................... p. 30 & 31 Voxx ........................................................................ p. 13

20// Installer of the Year For some, retaining a humble disposition after achieving great success is a nearly impossible task. Not for JT Torres, 2015 Installer of the Year. With a jolly smile and a fun-loving attitude, no one better represents what the top award in the industry is all about.

34// Behind the Scenes: Directed After a long journey that saw the company change its focus and come back to its roots, Directed Electronics has proven that in its categories of aftermarket security and remote starts, it’s a force to be reckoned with.

40// KnowledgeFest 2015 Retailers from across the nation gathered in Dallas for the 12-volt industry’s biggest event. Networking and education topped the event’s most popular activities. Attendance proved to the be the best ever.

48

48// Business Feature: Social Media and Online Marketing Gaining the upper hand in a competitive market can be a challenge, but thinking outside the box can save you time and money. Retailers and experts weigh in on how best to utilize social media and online marketing to take charge of your business’s future.

Articles 26 Retail News/Who’s Who 32 External Effects 54 Installs

On the Cover Every element on the cover is meant to present what’s happening not just in the magazine, but in the industry as a whole. If you were at KnowledgeFest, you know, there is no other event that can rival it in the 12-volt industry. This year’s event proved to be bigger than ever in both attendance and opinion. Throughout the event, attendees marveled; not at the lavish venue, the high-quality educational seminars, or the new products on display with top manufacturers. They marveled at the fact that this event is uniquely designed just for them, where they can mingle with friends, make new ones, and interact with their heroes.

COVER DESIGN: ROBIN LEBEL

4 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Departments 6 Feedback 8 Editor’s Forum 10 Stats 12 Helpful Stuff 58 Guest Editorial

facebook.com/me-mag

WITH ITS 9-INCH TOUCH SCREEN AND COUNTLESS FEATURES, THE X009-WRA IS READY FOR YOUR NEXT BIG ADVENTURE

The 9-inch screen is 89% larger than the factory radio and 55% larger than a standard aftermarket screen.

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Your Jeep Wrangler deserves the ultimate dash upgrade. The X009-WRA Restyle Dash System has a large 9-inch screen that is the hub for your entertainment and information needs. Use it with separate front and rear view cameras to reduce blind spots and maneuver around off-road obstacles. Let your adventures start with Alpine.

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* Jeep and Wrangler are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. The Bluetooth® word mark is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such mark by Alpine Electronics, Inc. is under license. Other vehicle makes and models are those of their respective owners. © 2015 Alpine Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

me-mag.com 5

 feedback

Here’s The Problem...

Retailers share some of their biggest challenges and solutions for the year so far.

“Everyone who walks through your door is ready to buy. Never prejudge your customers.” Rob Rice, Car Toys Tusla, Tulsa, Ok. “When giving a customer a ride somewhere, make sure to use a vehicle that has some of your product and work in it.

We installed an ESCORT integrated system with the display installed in the mirror in one of our vehicles. Two days later we gave a customer a ride home in the vehicle. The detector went off but he couldn’t see it so he started asking about the system. Long story short, he came back the next day and it turned into a $3000 radar sale.” Jamie Lewis, Sounds Fast, Bend, Ore. “I can’t sell it if I don’t have confidence in it!” Howard Kamish, Howard’s Electronics, Glenwood, Iowa “Stop selling below map pricing and devaluing your own product. There’s no recovery from this intense problem in our industry and it is destroying our ability to give proper service and have properly trained people working for us.

The Internet has changed the industry to focus on price and has no concern with service. Let’s start sending a message to manufactures that we want quality and service and will settle for nothing less.” Stephan Sunday, Creative Sounds, Sonora, Calif.

“We fired our installers for drug use in February and haven’t found anyone

yet. That is, guys with a driver’s license and/or don’t do dope. Employment ads could help but I doubt that California guys would want to work in Milwaukee.” Betsy B., Captain Install, Milwaukee, Wisc.

“We recently hired a new store manager for our Altoona store and did a vehicle wrap on our new install van. Now we’re looking to remodel the store front and need ideas of what type of displays are most beneficial.” Travis Thompson, Sound N Logic, Altoona, Wisc.

“Our new Website is working well, and having people create content for it is a big-time pressure saver. I would like to find someone who knows our industry to do the same for Google Adwords campaigns.” Anonymous “How to train a new installer from zero to being able to work on a daily basis is huge for us. I’m not an installer so I can’t teach them everything. How to do that in a laid-out process with a timeline and goals along the way is the challenge.” Anonymous “Don’t sell products by themselves.

Sell them in a package with one price, including any installation. “ Eric M. Carter, Cartronix, Inc., Valparaiso, Ind. “Like everyone else, money is tight so marketing correctly is what is keeping me up at night lately. I want to get the most ROI.” Mike White, Auto Audio & Video, Little Rock, Ark.

6 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

ADVERTISING SALES Kerry Moyer 703.598.6759 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com ®

EDITORIAL Solomon Daniels 213.291.1528 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Ted Goslin 800.949.6372 ext. 466 • tedg@mobile-electronics.com Creative Layout and Design: Robin LeBel Contributing Editors: Jamie Sorcher, Ruth E. Thaler-Carter and Rosa Sophia.

Published by

®

Chris Cook, President 978.867.6759 • chrisc@mobile-electronics.com Kerry Moyer, VP Strategic Partnerships 703.598.6759 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com Solomon Daniels, Dir. Media and Communications 213.291.1528 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Richard Basler, Dir. Technology Solutions 978.645.6449 • richb@mobile-electronics.com Karin Drake, Events Manager 978.645.6478 • karindrake@mobile-electronics.com Robin Lebel, Creative Director

978.645.6456 • robinlebel@mobile-electronics.com

Mobile Electronics (USPS 957-170) (ISSN#1523-763X) is published monthly by Mobile Electronics Retailers Association, Inc. 85 Flagship Drive, Suite F, North Andover, MA 01845. Periodicals postage paid at Lawrence, MA 01842-8887 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mobile Electronics PO Box 92587, Long Beach, CA 90809-2587. Please allow 6-8 weeks for address changes to take effect.

Subscription Prices - United States $35 per year, Canada $42 per year, Foreign $75 per year, Single copy price - $5; Buyer’s Guide $25. Please allow 6-8 weeks to receive your first issue.

me-mag.com   7

 editor’s forum

Cheap and Cold: What You Missed in Dallas KnowledgeFest broke attendance records, but there’s always room for one more: you.

For those of you who missed KnowledgeFest, I have a saying: Don't buy a $400 refrigerator when all you have is $400.

Quick story: I had just gotten laid off from a company that made in-car TV tuners that played through the radio via FM modulation. (Turns out their engineers thought computer ribbon cable was a good way to connect the dash-mount keypad to the control module and were surprised at the number of returned units that failed during installation.)

I had some irons in the fire, though. Clifford offered me a job, but the pay was crap. It was down to Pioneer and Code-Alarm. Pioneer was close to my house, but Code-Alarm was offering monthly trips to its headquarters in beautiful, wonderful (and eff-ing freezing, as I found out later) Michigan.

But in the meantime, being jobless meant I was broke, and unfortunately, so was my refrigerator. I needed a new one, but my budget quit at $400.

What did I do? Refer to my saying above.

Now some of you might take this to mean, don't spend all your money when you’re broke. In fact, it's the opposite. A refrigerator is a long-term investment, and whatever you buy, you’re stuck with for years. I knew that I was broke today but I wouldn't be broke forever, so I wasn't going to commit to a $400 refrigerator that couldn't meet my needs down the road.

So I did a weekly rental agreement on a cheap model, and when I got my first paycheck from Code-Alarm, I went out and bought the one that I would have bought if money wasn't an object.

So that's what my saying really means: Don't make decisions that have long-term ramifications based on your current limitations. And if you didn't come to KnowledgeFest because you were broke, too busy, scared to lose business or didn’t see the value, then that's exactly what you did: you made a long-term decision (not to attend) based on very temporary circumstances.

For those of you who attended KnowledgeFest, I also have a saying: Frickin’ A! You got to schedule your classes ahead of time and hit the show with a plan and itinerary. You got to attend classes that in many cases did not have enough seats for all the attendees. You got to see many first-time attendees marvel at the wealth of information, camaraderie and industry participation that made up KnowledgeFest. You got to hang with some of the most talented technicians and smartest

8 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

businesspeople in retail. You got to congratulate a tearful, grateful Fishman as he accepted the firstever Career Achievement award and exuded passion for our trade while on the stage. You got to meet the newest Installer of the Year in JT Torres, a guy who’s not only willing to share his knowledge, but goes out of his way to do it. And then there was that time after the awards in the bar, when that group of “guests from another conference” walked in and … well, if you were there, you know.

Now back to you no-shows: you missed all that.

To be fair, there are several reasons why one might not attend a show of this caliber. I know there are extenuating circumstances, and if you had them, you have my best wishes for a quick and fulfilling resolution.

But for everyone else, here’s another quick story: One month, I was under an insane amount of pressure to get the magazine finished and to the printer. A freelancer had dropped the ball and I had to pick it up. We were already a week late and the publisher, production manager and printer were constantly asking when it would be done. On top of that, I wasn’t sleeping, I was coming home late, and I was neglecting my family time because I HAD to get the magazine out, and nobody could get it done but me.

Then I got sick. Four months in the hospital. Six months off work. Suddenly, that magazine wasn’t the most important thing I had to focus on. And it got done without me.

We’ve all heard a version of this story. The point is that there is always something more important than what we think is important. We just need a change in circumstances to change how we prioritize.

The people who attended are not all richer than you, or sitting on more disposable income than you or relishing more extra time than you. A lot of them scraped and borrowed to get to Dallas and roomed with others to cut the costs, knowing they were foregoing salaries or sales opportunities to be there. But they did it because they saw the long-term value, and didn’t give in to short-term circumstances. They made it more important to them.

KnowledgeFest doesn’t come around every week, but you have another shot next year in April, and again in August. Start now to eliminate reasons and circumstances that stop you from going. It’s important. Make it important to you, and I’ll see you there. 

me-mag.com   9

 stats

So, You Went to Attendees from this year’s show share their thoughts on their experiences in Dallas. u80% of attendees stated they could reduce costs or increase income as a result of what they learned at KnowledgeFest.

uTop Four Attended Education Sessions From Each Category:

uHow many KnowledgeFest events have you attended?

Sales Professionals Face To Face Selling - The Forgotten Skill Twelve Keys to Sustainable Selling The Sales Roadmap - Introduction, Qualify & Commitment How to Build a Profitable Sales Quote

62.8% - Have attended three or more events

22.8% - Were first time attendees of KnowledgeFest 12.8% - Have attended two KnowledgeFest events

uIn order of importance the top three reasons retailers attended KnowledgeFest: 1 - Education Seminars

2 - Networking with others in the Mobile Electronics Industry 3 - Meet with Exhibitors & Vendor Training

Owner / Manager Making More Money from Every Sale 10 Steps to Successful Change Implementation Growing Revenues with Inventory Management Dealing With Difficult People and Situations

Installation Technicians Tuning Cars - Part 2: The Next Step The Three Questions of OEM Integration Tablet Integration in the Dashboard Advanced Trim Panel Fabrication

uBased on their experience at KnowledgeFest, over 90% of attendees plan on attending a future KnowledgeFest event

u1021 - Total number of seats filled during vendor training

10 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Congratulations to DOW Electronics, a Sony authorized mobile electronics distributor, for being awarded Mobile Electronics Distributor of the Year for the second year in a row. For over 25yrs, Sony Mobile and DOW Electronics have enjoyed a mutually beneficial and proud partnership that has set a high bar for distributor based, independent Specialty dealer service and support.

It underscores a commitment to the 12V community who truly define the aftermarket business and represent Sony’s commitment to it.

From everyone at Sony, thank you for all that you do!

me-mag.com   11

 helpful stuff

Sites To See: SBA.gov WWW.SBA.GOV

It might seem obvious, but the Small Business Administration (SBA) is an invaluable resource. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the SBA has regional and local offices to assist companies, as well as a vibrant website that is packed with tips, news, programs and more. The blog provides invaluable information; a recent post discussed how to get health coverage for your employees, while another related to preparing to open a franchise. Founded in 1953, the SBA has delivered loans, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses. Its programs are varied as well as its many initiatives like “Startup In A Day”, which aims to make it simpler for entrepreneurs to get a new business going. The initiative reduces the amount of time it takes to register and apply for permits and licenses on the local level. The site has a Learning Center with courses that can taken online for free.

Services: StartupCompanyLawyer.com WWW.STARTUPCOMPANYLAWYER.COM

For the most part, your day-to-day business runs smoothly.

On the chance that you need a legal question answered and don’t want to hire an attorney, this site can fit the bill since it addresses the issues most frequently queried. Subscribe by email for new posts on a wide range of matters, and to the RSS feed for updated content. The site has a wealth of information from explaining what corporate bylaws are to what trademark and legal issues are involved with choosing a company name.

Software/Apps: BuildFire BUILDFIRE.COM

Having a website is mandatory for many these days, but businesses ready to take the next leap can create an app to help boost sales. BuildFire, ideal for small businesses, helps do-it-yourselfers build an app for free in several simple steps with no coding involved, and plenty of ready-made templates.

There are tools to create an in-app point-based loyalty program to reward those customers who spend money at your business or visit your site as well as ways to send Selective and Smart Push Notifications through your app to all of your users. You pay when you publish ($44 per month) which can be done for both Android and iOS devices.

Books: The Content Code

BY MARK W. SCHAEFER HTTP://WWW.AMAZON.COM/THE-CONTENT-CODE-ESSENTIAL-STRATEGIES/DP/0692372334

College educator, best-selling author of five marketing books, holder of seven patents, and the founder and Executive Director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions, Mark W. Schaefer is full of energy and ideas.

After hearing him speak at Rutgers University, he demonstrated that he is a wealth of knowledge on social media trends, influence marketing, blogging, entrepreneurship and more. In his latest book, “The Content Code”, he has outlined the six factors to help you, and your business, break through the overwhelming wall of information density to win at marketing now. “The Content Code” starts where your current marketing plan ends, and provides the launch code for next-level success. The book dives deeply into the true value of social media marketing and the steps companies need to enable to achieve measurable results. A pioneering book that explores the psychology of sharing, it is also highly practical, offering hundreds of ideas that can be used by a business of any size with any budget. The book covers in-depth exploration on the connection between brand and content transmission, steps to build “shareability” into all of your content, and the new role of promotion, distribution and SEO in a very competitive, digital world.

12 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

 industry awards 2015

The Winner’s Circle The 2015 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards featured the winners of the top prizes in the 12-volt industry and their elation at their accomplishments.

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

O

n the last day of KnowledgeFest 2015, when seminar lecturers spoke their final words and exhibitors closed their booths, one thing permeated the air: excitement. That excitement culminated in the crowning of JT Torres and John Schwartz as Installer of the Year and Retailer of the Year (single store), respectively.

For the second year in a row, the industry awards took place at the popular

14 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Hilton Anatole hotel and convention center in Dallas, Texas, and the 2015 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards proved to be a night to remember. With a gourmet buffet dinner and the soulful sounds of the returning Mark McKenzie Jazz Quartet to serenade guests, the evening began with buzz from the rest of the show, which included retailers sharing their thoughts on the event.

“I think attendance is better this year than it was before,” said Luke Fidler of

Audio Expert Car Stereo. “Vendor traffic was good, the trainings were excellent and we’re hoping Cartronix wins.”

Also in attendance were several firsttime nominees, who were understandably nervous about the prospect of speaking on stage. “I feel a little nauseous right now. I’ve thought about it, but what I would say if I win just jumps right out of my head,” said Brent Leavitt, Top 12 Installer. “I think Stereo King has a good shot at winning. It’ll be a surprise to

anybody who wins. On the Top 12 Installer side, it’s anybody’s game.”

Despite being a 20-year industry veteran, Leavitt emphasized his displeasure on not being able to attend until now, citing financial difficulties as his main obstacle, among other things.

“I’m pretty upset that this is my first time. I should have been here every five years at the very minimum,” Leavitt said. “Money kept me away before, and so did being kept so busy at work.

Also I think that a lot of the time I wasn’t informed enough about how important the event was. Now, in the age of the Internet, I have that. I think that every single shop should send one person per year, mandatory.”

One difference that many industry veterans pushed for on forums like the “ME Advisory Group” was enhancing the experience on every level possible. This meant, since the awards took place in a lavish setting with gourmet food with hosts dressed to the nines, many felt it would be best for attendees to join in the festivities by wearing suits, much like hosts Chris Cook and Solomon Daniels.

“I believe all of us as a group, and furthermore an industry, are trying to better the experience. This is the “Academy Awards” of our industry. That is how I see it,” said Matt Schaeffer in a July post on the ME Advisory Group. “I feel like everyone involved should dress up to their comfort level. Not saying everyone should wear a suit or tuxedo like the Academy Awards, but instead of cargo shorts and your shop gear, maybe wear khakis or nice jeans and a button down. This isn’t a training or a seminar. It is an awards ceremony dinner. Let’s treat it like any other very important event in your life. I feel if enough people clean up for the event, it will set a certain standard.”

Store owner and master fabricator JT Torres accepts his award for Installer of the Year.

Fresh Fish In his opening remarks, presenter Solomon Daniels noted that after last year’s awards concluded, many attendees contacted him about the length of the awards, in hopes he would amend the program to be shorter this year. In response he replied, “Last year we had 15 awards. This year, we have 22.”

The added categories include Rookie of the Year and various retail performance awards, such as Best Online Presence and Best Store Presentation. After accepting his award for Most Improved Store, Bryan Turvaville of Auto Trim and Design, who sported a full suit for the occasion, voiced his surprise for the win.

“Stoked is the only word I can think of right now. This win was a team effort,” Turvaville said. “We’ve got 14 employees at Auto Trim, and we all work together trying to produce the best quality product that we can. A year ago we were still learning and trying to push forward, which is what we’re still doing today.”

Another win of note was for Best Online Presence, with Cartronix taking home the award. Conspicuously absent store owner Eric Carter, who was back home welcoming his newborn daughter, sent friend Mitch Schaeffer, who manages the website, to the lectern in his place.

“We design and manage the content for the Cartr-

Left to right: Run-up Installer of the Year Matt Schaeffer, Career Achievement Award recipient Dave “Fishman” Rivera and Installer of the Year JT Torres celebrate after their respective wins.

me-mag.com 15

 industry awards 2015

»

Big Winners

The complete list of retail and installer award winners INSTALLER OF THE YEAR JUAN TORRES INSTALLER OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP MATT SCHAEFFER TRUSTED TECH BRYAN PIPER RETAILER OF THE YEAR - SINGLE STORE PERFECTIONIST AUTOSOUND RETAILER OF THE YEAR SINGLE STORE RUNNER-UP MUSICAR NORTHWEST RETAILER OF THE YEAR STORE CHAIN STEREO KING RETAILER OF THE YEAR STORE CHAIN RUNNER-UP TINT WORLD CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD DAVID “FISHMAN” RIVERA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TYLER CLEMENCE MOST IMPROVED AUTO TRIM DESIGN OF AMARILLO BEST ONLINE PRESENCE CARTRONIX BEST CUSTOMER RETENTION PROGRAM HANDCRAFTED CAR AUDIO BEST STORE PRESENTATION TUNES-N-TINT

TOP 12 RETAILERS:

STEREO KING PORTLAND, ORE. EXTREME AUDIO MECHANICSVILLE, VA. TINT WORLD BOCA RATON, FLA. AL & ED’S AUTOSOUND, PACOIMA, CALIF. PERFECTIONIST CAR AUDIO & SECURITY AUDIO DESIGNS & CUSTOM GRAPHICS, JACKSONVILLE, FLA. CARTRONIX, INC., VALPARAISO, IND. GNC CUSTOMS, GOSHEN, IND. KINGPIN CAR & MARINE AUDIO WILSONVILLE, ORE. MUSICAR NORTHWEST, PORTLAND, ORE. PRESTIGE CAR AUDIO & MARINE SOUNDSGOOD AUTO SERVICE, COQUITLAM, B.C., CANADA

16 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

TOP 12 INSTALLERS:

RICH CLAPP, MUSICAR NORTH WEST, PORTLAND, ORE. MATT SCHAEFFER, SAFE AND SOUND MOBILE ELECTRONICS, MANASSAS, VA. MATT CROPPER, STEREO KING, PORTLAND, ORE. CHARLES BRAZIL, FIRST COAST AUTO CREATIONS, JACKSONVILLE, FLA. TIM BAILLIE, SOUNDSGOOD AUTO, COQUITLAM, B.C., CANADA KEVIN KESSLER, EXTREME AUDIO, MIDLOTHIAN, VA. KYLE GOLDEN, SUNDOWN ONE, SPRINGFIELD, ILL. BARRY BARTH, PRESTIGE CAR AUDIO & MARINE METAIRIE, LA. JASON KRANITZ, KINGPIN CAR & MARINE AUDIO, WILSONVILLE, ORE. BRENT LEAVITT, LOW NOTES GARAGE/SOUND DEPOT, BOISE, IDAHO JT TORRES, AL & ED’S AUTOSOUND, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. JAMIE SCHUH, SPOKANE AUDIO VIDEO EXPERTS, SPOKANE VALLEY, WASH.

»

Top of the Heap

The complete list of vendor award winners.

VENDOR OF THE YEAR: ORCA DESIGN & MANUFACTURING EXPEDITOR OF THE YEAR: AMERICAN RADIO DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR: DOW ELECTRONICS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR: ANDY ADKINS REP FIRM OF THE YEAR: MARKETING PROS TOP VENDOR AUTOSOUND & VIDEO: ORCA DESIGN & MANUFACTURING TOP VENDOR ACCESSORIES & MATERIALS: METRA ELECTRONICS TOP VENDOR CONNECTIVITY & INTEGRATION: AAMP OF AMERICA TOP VENDOR SAFETY & RETENTION: FIRSTECH

onix website. Eric is at home being a great dad and husband,” said Schaeffer. “In addition to that, Eric is a really great retailer who takes his business very seriously. The whole process of creating this website was a great experience for us, with Eric contributing a lot of ideas.”

If crowd reaction is any indication, perhaps the most popular speech of the night was given by Dave “Fishman” Rivera, who made his triumphant return to KnowledgeFest after being away from the event for nearly 14 years. As he took the stage to accept his Career Achievement Award, Rivera generated excitement with his flamboyant stage presence which was dwarfed only by his height.

“Solomon sent me a message a month ago telling me he wanted to present me with an award. I asked him what it was and he said, ‘I can’t tell you, just make sure you’re there,’” said the teary-eyed, choked up Rivera. “For a kid that grew up in Puerto Rico very poor, I used to build my own toys and used to be a loner because I wasn’t very good at sports and stuff. I made a delivery to a car stereo shop in 1990. From that moment, with no prior knowledge of the industry, I knew this is what I wanted to be and this is what I wanted to do.”

When he discovered a career as a truck driver did not suit him, the “Fishman” began reading car audio magazines like “Car Stereo Review” and became instantly hooked. Through hard work and determination, Rivera built his first car, went to his first show, realized it got little interest and decided to be more like himself. “I am Latino, we’re crazy,” he said. “Imagine putting a fish tank in a car. How do you keep the fish alive? I’ve never killed a fish, by the way.”

After making the famous fish-tank-ina-car concept a reality, Rivera took his idea to the IASCA Finals, where car audio legend Larry Frederick told him what he needed to hear.

“I go to the IASCA Finals in 1991 and

competitor at major industry events. “I used to go to the Alpine booth to see what he had and he would come to whatever company I worked at at the time to see my builds. All I was trying to do was generate excitement for the industry,” Rivera said.

“For every good experience I’ve had, I’ve had a bad one. I’ve lived in eight different states going from one job to the next,” he added. “For me, after 25 years, after all the good and bad things, to see so many familiar faces, I am beyond honored. I’ve got so much more to give. This is the 12-volt industry, man.

We create magic in cars. You have to close your eyes, visualize something and make it the best it can be. So dudes, let’s make

“It’s unbelievable to win again. I think I was more nervous this time. I feel on top of the world and so blessed.”

John Schwartz, Perfectionist Car Audio & Security

show it to Larry, who listens to the car and says, ‘This sounds like crap, dude.’

He didn’t even care about seeing the car,” Rivera said, receiving a laugh from the crowd. “So I have a room at Motel 6, take the car back, turn my room into a shop, build some new pods, come back the next day, haven’t slept for 20-something hours, they listen to it and tune it. Somehow, the Puerto Rican with a fish tank gets to win IASCA Finals in 1991 by 11 points over second place.

This is the guy that, just a year before, was a truck driver looking at car audio magazines.”

Rivera went on to tell his personal history of attending CES for the first time, his admiration for Bryan Schmitt—who taught the famous “Fish Camp”— and his respect for Alpine’s Steve Brown, who he recognized for helping to generate car audio awareness by being his primary

me-mag.com 17

 industry awards 2015

Solomon Daniels and Nalaka Adikari look on as Nick Wingate, Jr. accepts the Vendor of theYear award on behalf of Orca Design & Manufacturing. this industry the best it can be. I’m working on a new TV show that will be all about representing the 12-volt industry.”

Top Marks To recognize companies that represent the best of the 12-volt manufacturers, along with reps and distributors, awards are given to cover a variety of categories, including accessories and materials, top distributor, and auto sound and video.

While the number of vendor categories has changed, the names of two of them were replaced to help clarify the purpose of the categories: power/integration changed to connectivity and integration, and the power/installation components award became the accessories and materials award.

“It’s an absolute honor and privilege to be accepting the award for Metra. We strive day in and day out to come out with quality products that our customer will enjoy and rely on,” said Tom Comenole, Southern U.S. Territory Manager for Metra, while accepting the Top Vendor Accessories & Materials award. “I had a conversation this weekend with a dealer who is still surprised that we still make

18 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

our own dash kits. It means a lot to us as a 66 year-old company.”

For the second year in a row, AAMP of America took home a trophy, this time for connectivity and integration. Last year, the company won for the power/ installation components category, which essentially represents the same award slot.

In a surprise to some, Orca Design & Manufacturing won two awards: Top Vendor Auto Sound & Video, and the Vendor of the Year award.

“This really is because of your hard work. To those of you who have supported us over the years, we couldn’t have done this without you. I cannot thank you all enough for voting for us,” said Nick Wingate Jr. during his acceptance speech for Orca. “We at Orca have done our absolute best over the last 10 years to get to a point where our product is better.

It is a testament to all of you.”

The Big Kahunas To recognize it as its own award, the Trusted Tech trophy was given its own category. The award was given to the person the industry felt best represented

the most knowledgeable installation technician around. Last year’s award was given to Chris Ott, who won it as a runner-up award for Installer of the Year.

This time around, the votes were directed at Bryan Piper.

“I’m speechless. I honestly had no idea that this would happen. I thought this was Carlos’ [Ramirez] all the way,” said Piper. “I have never won an award like this before. The closest I’ve been to anything is Top 12 last year. This is big for me. With what I have coming up in the future, this is going to make it really special. We are opening a new shop in Corpus Cristi, Texas that will be the benchmark for car audio and custom fabrication in South Texas.”

Piper attributed the reason for winning the award to his openness to answer any technical question from any 12-volt installer, any time. “I’ll do anything I can to help. I spent years gaining knowledge, and the only way for me to leave a mark is to pass it on.”

Repeating his 2011 victory in the Single Store Retailer of the Year category was John Schwartz of Perfectionist Auto Sound & Security. The company has been

“This is the 12-volt industry, man.

We create magic in cars. You have to close your eyes, visualize something and make it the best it can be. So dudes, let’s make this industry the best it can be.”

Dave “Fishman” Rivera

a fixture in the Top 12 for several years and the top selling Compustar dealer in the country, thanks to its shop culture which makes customers its top priority.

“It’s unbelievable to win again. I think I was more nervous this time. I feel on top of the world and so blessed,” said Schwartz after his win. “I feel like I have to keep pushing forward and earn this and keep making my shop better. We’re expanding globally with different avenues of business to keep the industry alive in different ways. I want to be a good example for everyone to work hard and love the industry. Keep reinventing yourself and be better.”

Winning the Chain Store Retailer of the Year award, which has only existed for two years, was Stereo King, based out of Portland, Ore. The company was able to dethroneTint World, who won last year’s award but took home the runner-up award in that category this year.

“Solomon summed it up perfectly when announcing the list of the Top 12. ‘That’s some serious competition,’” said Kevin Cornutt, store manager for one of the chain’s five locations.

Seconding the excitement of the win was Top 12 Installer and Stereo King Installation Manager Matt Cropper. “I thought I was going to pee myself,” he said jokingly. “It’s unreal. What makes us unique is that everyone at our company is devoted. We have a great owner, great management and work hard every day to push and give our customers that value that no one else in our area gives.”

Despite the looks of surprise on the faces of many award winners, perhaps no one could top the look on the face of the new Installer of the Year, Juan “JT” Torres, whose speech, or lack thereof, summed up how moved he was to receive the award.

“Just a few seconds ago, I thought there was no way I could ever win this. I was happy to just be on the Top 12 list and make the same list as so many others who are super talented. This is awesome,” said Torres during his speech. “I’m having a lot of fun right now. We’re building and doing cool stuff. Obviously making a living is important to me, but I’m not doing it for the money.” 

John Schwartz thanks the industry for his second win in four years for single store Retailer of the Year.

Tyler Clemence accepts the first ever Rookie of the Year award. me-mag.com 19

 installer of the year

Dreams Come True DEK: After taking an unconventional route to 12-volt, and suffering personal lows, 2015 Installer of the Year Juan “JT” Torres has proven that hard work and passion can pay off in the biggest of ways.

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hang out with your heroes every day? Imagine, as a basketball fan, going one-on-one with Michael Jordan while he teaches you how to drive for the basket. Or taking batting practice while Mark McGwire blurts instructions into your ear.

Now imagine, not only do you get to work with legends, but you actually have the talent to become one yourself.

That’s exactly what happened to Juan

20 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

“JT” Torres, the 2015 Mobile Electronics Installer of the Year.

As a regular staff member who works with 12-volt installation guru Bryan Schmitt, owner of Mobile Solutions, Torres has been able to achieve his dream threefold: by working alongside one of the top names in the industry, learning the best techniques available,and helping the next generation of installers to achieve their dreams. With a humble attitude and a friendly disposition, Torres

has earned the respect of his peers by openly giving advice to anyone who asks, regardless of the question or the person’s status in the industry.

While these goals are attainable to most people, Torres couldn’t have achieved any of them without an unflinching work ethic and lots of hard-learned lessons along the way.

Throughout his 28 years as an installer, Torres has worked his way up from bussing tables and working on cars on the

A Word With JT weekends to standing on stage at the biggest show of the year, holding his very own Installer of the Year trophy proudly for all to see.

Like many great stories, this one begins in a small town, far from where it ends.

Small Town, Big Dreams The town of Santiago Del Maria, located in Usulutan, El Salvador, has a population of 18,201, according to a 2007 census.

Primarily known for its coffee, having the second largest number of condos in the country (at one time) and for political upheaval caused by a major earthquake. Of all those things, there is one thing it was never known for until this year: producing an Installer of the Year.

Torres wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he may has well been born with a lug wrench in hand. Torres began his work on cars at the tender age of seven, helping his uncle at his local body shop.

“Over there you go to school from seven in the morning to noon. After that I didn’t have anything to do,” Torres recalled.

“I was in charge of helping my uncle with his body shop. It was the kind of place where we would take whatever comes through the door to help make a dollar. That’s how I got into cars.”

When he was 13, one of Torres’ uncles wanted his daughter to come to the U.S., but she needed an escort. That’s when his mother volunteered to go to the states, giving her the opportunity to create a new life full of new opportunity for her family.

“Three years later, she brought me. I moved to Hollywood, California with my mom in 1987,” Torres said. “I went to junior high at Lacont Jr. High, then went to Hollywood High. I got my first job as a bus boy at a restaurant, called El Tango Grill where I started making a little money.”

But it wasn’t enough to help his family, who had limited resources. Despite filling his weekends to the brim with work hours, the money was poor and the exhaustion took its toll on Torres’ school work, causing him to fall behind.

“In order to get caught up, they sent me to Freeman Occupational Center in downtown LA on Saturdays. It was one of those deals where I needed extra credit to graduate and the school provided occupational courses that counted towards that,” he said. “I started out in the body shop, because that’s all I saw when I signed up. The body shop was on the second floor, but on the first floor there was a mobile electronics class. I could see everything going on through the window. I asked if I could transfer, they said yes, and I started doing alarms and stereos.

The next thing I knew, my family and friends asked me to do installs for them.”

Down to Business As Torres was about to earn his high school diploma, thanks to his extra efforts on single-DIN Saturdays, he noticed a car audio shop across the street from his house.

“It was on the corner of Western and Santa Monica. I was 17 and the owner used to let me come work after school. I did mostly door actuators and alarms. It paid five to 10 bucks a day

Who are your biggest influences and why?

“One of the guys who has done so much for me and the whole industry is Bryan Schmitt. He brings a lot to the table.

I’ve known him for about 14 years and have been to probably 30 of his trainings, easy. This year I got invited to help teach. I believe he’s one of the most influential individuals in the industry.”

What would you say is your specialty as an installer? Is there a name for your technique?

“I do a little bit of everything, but I call my main style OEM Plus. When we take a customer’s really cool-looking vehicle to work on, we know there was a lot of time invested in making car look the way it looks. When you try to put something in that doesn’t flow, it kills the look of the vehicle.

Anything added should match and enhance the look of the vehicle at the same time.”

What is your favorite thing about the 12-volt industry?

“I think the dudes in the 12-volt industry, we’re a little weird, geeky, we like vehicles. It’s awesome to call them my friends, and that you can send them a message on Facebook or call them and they will give you an idea. The networking aspect of being able to help guys and they help you is pretty awesome. To make the industry grow we should all try to help people. If I can help somebody overcome a problem and deliver something at a high level, it’s good for the industry.

Any way to help someone else helps change customer perception of the industry as a whole.”

What are your plans for 2016?

“It’s a good time to be in the industry. I’m having a lot of fun.

All the technology we have is awesome and is very affordable. We have a CNC machine (Computer Numerical Control) which can be programmed to cut a door panel for a Honda Accord hundreds of times with the same result. It comes down to us investing time to learn the technology and integrate it with everything we do every day.”

What’s your advice to other installers who hope to one day win the IOTY or make the Top 12?

“Time and effort. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.

Winning installer of the year is really amazing, but earning the respect of so many people in the industry means a lot more to me. I’ve been trying to win this for a long time. I’ve put in a lot of time and effort. For me, it shows my kids, if you want something bad enough you just gotta keep pushing.” me-mag.com 21

 installer of the year

For 14 years, JT Torres has attended Bryan Schmitt’s Mobile Solutions trainings. This year, he was invited to help teach them as an equal.

but it wasn’t about the money,” Torres stressed. “I learned how to do remote starts with just relays. A lot of guys now wouldn’t know how to do that without a module. The owner, Mr. Kim, had been doing it for a long time, I learned a lot from him.”

Sadly, Torres would learn years later that Kim was shot and killed by an area gang. The gang was known for shaking down local businesses for money and he supposedly refused, according to Torres.

After his brief internship, Torres realized that in order to have a career doing what he loved, he needed a degree.

He began attending ITT Technical Institute, not knowing at the time that it would end up leading him down the wrong path. Two years later, he graduated and began seeking work to help pay for his newly-started family.

“It helped me learn the basics of electronics and how to build AM radios. One of the coolest things about it was that I got a pretty good understanding of electronics and what makes them work. It’s one of those things that allows me to troubleshoot now,” Torres said. “I had already started a family and had two kids, so it was time to go make some money.”

Despite being only 19 at the time, Torres had experience raising small children at a young age, helping take care of his two younger brothers—ages five and three—as a teenager. To make ends’ meet, Torres took a job repairing copier machines at offices. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good fit, but it provided a valu-

During his time at ITT Tech, Torres met electrical engineers who already had jobs but needed certifications to get pay increases. It gave Torres a goal that would end up taking him on his chosen path later.

Realizing his current path wasn’t working, Torres found a 12-volt shop in downtown Los Angeles, where he worked for several months before leaving due to payment issues. His next job was as a window tinter in Hollywood, where he would stay for six years.

“A customer explained to me that if I were a surgeon, they want me to do operation on my best day and I only get one chance.”

JT Torres

22 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

able lesson.

“I grew up without a dad and never wanted my kids to not have a father figure in their lives. I figured I had to step up and handle it,” Torres said. “That’s what I did, making $250 a week living in my own little apartment. I was broke but very happy. Those were some of the best times of my life.”

Moving On Up

Window Tints, Etc. is a small shop in the heart of Hollywood, Calif. that specializes in its namesake but also offers other services. Those services would depend greatly on the amount of time and expertise available to the primary installer, who also handled the store’s sales and management. Fitting that role had its challenges for Torres, but ultimately helped make him the powerhouse business owner he is today.

“I was the main alarm installer and window tinter. I used to do gold plating and wood kits for them. I worked six days a week. It was an awesome job, I learned

a lot,” he said. “That’s where a lot of my management skills came from. I had to learn how to manage my time, and deal with customers.”

During that time, Torres developed his own client base and fabrication skills, allowing him to open his own business on the side.

The side business proved to be more profitable to him than his full-time position, which led him to quit and go into business for himself full-time.

“I was making more money on the side than I was making with them. I was only paid 25 percent commission from them, and I was doing everything. They had another crew doing window tinting and those guys were the ones that used to make real money for shop. Commercial window tinting is by far more profitable than automotive. Working after hours doing other stuff, I just got tired. So I decided I

in Los Angeles. Impressed

by Torres’ work, the owner asked him if he was interested in co-owning a store.

Torres said he was, and began working at the shop for nine months, taking a pay cut to show his dedication to the store.

“So I go and take over a store with him. The deal was 50/50. He was supposed to do 50 percent of the work.

But the deal fell through,” Torres said. “He wanted me to keep managing the store, but I ldecided to leave go back to my own business.” was going to go on my own and do dealer work. I did that for three to four years.”

During his time running JT Window Tinting, Torres brought in his own employees and made a very good living doing what he loved. He also made friends, doing work for other shops in the area. That led him to doing a job for an owner of Al & Ed’s Autosound

Soon enough, Gabi Mashal, then-president of Al & Ed’s Autosound corporate, notified Torres that the Huntington Beach location was for sale and offered Torres a deal he couldn’t refuse. Mashal moved his original amount from the previous store over to the new one, giving Torres credit for work done on top. And just like that,

Since 2002, Torres has worked hard to create a positive atmosphere for his employees where he considers himself one of the boys. me-mag.com 23

 installer of the year ormance 1 In order to achieve maximum perf install, Tesla from the radar detector in this shifter iver/ rece Torres decided to make the housing using fiber glass.

2 The part s are

l on the front of

s pane eted fiberglas 3 The compl

primered p

rior to insta

llation.

the Tesla.

my e r ’ y e h t h “Althoug I see them as my es, got a e employe v ’ e W . s rker fellow wo eds to get done.” ne JT Torres job and it 4 For extra credit, Torres modded the rear mirror with radar display and control ler.

24 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Special Thanks

Like all successful people, Torres acknowledges that his goals could not be achieved without the help of some special people along the way. Torres would like to thank the following people, without whom, he would not be the person he is today:

Andy Esparza Romel Medina Hien Nguyen Andy Canaza

in 2002, JT Torres was the proud owner of his own car audio shop.

“On the first day, I walk into the shop and nobody knows who I am, but they know someone’s coming. The manager at the time, who’s name was Aaron, doesn’t give me the time of day,” Torres said.

“Back then it was different. The manager didn’t do anything. He was just there to oversee the operation. The salesmen were supposed to do everything.”

After taking over, Torres realized he didn’t need another manager, so he took over the role, relegating Aaron to be assistant manager. He soon took another job, as would be expected, leaving Torres to run the store solo. His salesmen soon left as well due to punctuality issues, and Torres had the opportunity to craft the shop in his own image. He was soon able to overhaul the shop, which was built in 1987, thanks to a credit Mashal provided.

In 2004, after a store overhaul and some staff restructuring, Torres paid off his debt to corporate and owned the store free and clear. Today, the store operates in a new location and offers customers top quality work at affordable prices. Torres also takes pride in the shop’s atmosphere, where employees are valued and treated with respect.

“I have three installers and two salespeople working at the shop. I’m a pretty mellow boss,” he said. “Although they’re my employees, I see them as my fellow workers. We’ve got a job and it needs to get done.”

Unexpected Places Being located in an upper class neighborhood would have its pros and cons for

Elmer Harville Jamie Schuh Matt Schaeffer Mark Klette

any car audio facility. For Torres, those include expensive rent and customers showrooming product with no intention of buying.

“The biggest challenge that we have right now is that customers are trying to always find a deal. If you look hard enough, you can find something for a dollar less,” he said. “When we were at the shop on Beach Blvd., where rent was ridiculous, we would have $30,000 worth of product on display and kids would come in, play with your stuff, waste your time by asking you questions. You’d tell them what products fit best with their vehicle, they would say, ‘thank you very much,’ leave and come back with that product, where they bought it for a few dollars over cost online. They put you in the position where you can either tell them no and they get it installed at another shop, or you say yes and hope to keep them as a customer.”

To combat this, Torres avoids providing specific prices for installations and instead charges using labor hours as the guide. An average install could go for three to four hours, costing $75 per hour.

“Sometimes I’m happy to bring the customer in because if it breaks, they pay me to take the radio out. If we sell it and it breaks, we take care of it,” he said. “Treating the customer right and doing the best work possible is what keeps them coming back. A customer explained to me that if I were a surgeon, they want me to do operation on my best day and I only get one chance.”

Unconventional thinking also helped his store to thrive in a difficult area, by offering different types of products that

Gary Bell Jeremy Katz Steve Brown Bryan Schmitt

would feed into car audio.

“At one time, we were the only authorized Apple dealer. You don’t make a profit selling Apple. The margins are very small. But we would sell an iPod and the customer would want it to play in their car. So we would do the installation.

Apple put a lot of money in our business,” Torres said proudly. “Every company has a loss leader. For us, window tinting is a good strategy. It’s very profitable and it almost doesn’t matter what price point we sell at. Material is so inexpensive, even if you do a crazy sale you’re still making money and it generates a lot of foot traffic.”

As Installer of the Year, Torres intends to help set examples for the industry by continuing to offer advice, which he’s donefor years on social media and in person, visiting various shops around the country. That advice usually includes some straight talk about how to attract and keep customers.

“I think that as an industry, a lot of store owners are still thinking we’re going to go back to 50 percent margins on product. That’s just not going to happen again.

Very few products give us those margins,” he said. “With window tinting, paint protection, vehicle wraps, radar detectors and safety we do really well. Basically everybody wants all the cool stuff like blind spot detectors; those are really profitable as well. As a whole, I think the challenge that we have is that there are a lot of people with too much pride that are struggling and don’t want to ask for help on how to improve. If you can just ask for help, maybe people are willing to share their experiences.” 

me-mag.com 25

 retail news

The Growth Factor With great visibility and high standards for quality, Benchmark Soundworks shares how it has grown to become a highly successful business.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

Potential customers see Benchmark Soundworks very easily from the street. “We were in a location for four years that was off the beaten path, and people had to look for us,” Stackpole said. Every day, people drive by Benchmark has built its clientele through a busy and see the sign by location, strong sales methods and social media. the road. Also, due to high standards of excellence, they get When it comes to increasing growth, business from referrals as well. But what the hardest factor is visibility. Gary Stackabout advertising? The answer: Facebook pole, owner of Benchmark Soundworks and Instagram. in Alpharetta, Ga. said the biggest hurdle “We post pictures of what we do: is getting people to visit the store in the before and after shots. That generates first place. “A lot of it has to do with locaa lot of sharing,” Stackpole explained. tion,” Stackpole said. “Once they are in, People view the Facebook page, see the the best salesperson wins. The hard part before and after is getting them in the front door.” shots of a car, and Benchmark Soundworks has been in call up to find out business for roughly six-and-a-half years, how much it would employing two salespeople, two car cost to do someinstallers and one home installer. Stackthing similar with pole himself has been in the business their own car. “That for 39 years; he started out in 1976 as an works really well. I installer. “I made it through the econdon’t do any other omy downturn,” he said. “When I opened advertising because the store, the stock market had just gone down. I survived in a small place that had the local news print or direct mailings inexpensive rent. I was able to build the business enough to survive.” Although the we could afford did not generate rent tripled when he moved to his new any new business.” location, the incredible increase in traffic Instead of using made up for it. the old-fashioned

26 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

approaches, Stackpole finds that Facebook is a huge boon to his business. He refers to Instagram as a “wait and see” attempt. “We have gotten a younger demographic from that. A few people called,” he said. But most of all, Facebook has been their best marketing tool.

When it comes to advertising, Stackpole did not focus on any particular demographic. “We do see some younger, 16 to 25, but the vast majority are between 25 and 45,” he said. The retailer is situated in a very affluent area, which happens to be one of the highest income areas in Georgia. As a result, many of the vehicles Benchmark Soundworks services are cars like Ferraris, Porsches, Mercedes and other high-end vehicles. However, it is important to remember a person might have plenty of money, but not appear as though they do. “There are too many folks who prejudge the customer

»

The shop attributes its success to doing quality builds and posting them on social media, like this 2014 Mercedes Benz sound system install.

Who’s Who ERIK QUICK Mobile AVC Garden City Park, N.Y. Years of industry experience: 22 Hobbies: DJ-ing What you’re really good at: System setup, design and tuning JAIRO ZUNIGA NVS Audio Linden, N.J.

based on how they look or what they are driving,” Stackpole said.

“They could drop 10 grand, and they’re wearing a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.”

Some clients come in for home audio or theater, and when they discover what the business can offer them in terms of car audio, they decide to purchase something for their vehicle. “We’re also doing window tinting, radar detection,” he explained. “That is of interest to higher-end clients. More so than audio. The high-end car already comes with factory high-end audio, usually. Then we add higher-end bass or something.”

However, despite the demographics of their usual clientele, they will welcome anyone. “We do anything. If a 16-year-old shows up with a 1990 Honda Civic, we wouldn’t turn him away, but just because of the market we see a lot of higher-end cars.” Stackpole explained the business’s main growth is coming from Facebook and referrals, as well as taking good care of the customer. Benchmark Soundworks is an attractive store both inside and out, which he feels is important.

“We do things differently than a lot of shops,” he said. In the time period between his departure from a previous position with Tweeter and opening his own store, Stackpole had a job in which he had to visit other shops, which motivated him to start his own. “So many don’t look very good.” When he saw places like this, he questioned why customers would spend their money at those businesses, citing two essential factors when it comes to growing your own business: appearance and attitude. “When I decided to do my store, I wanted it to look nice, like you’re walking into someone’s house, and treating customers the way you want to be treated. When they go to other shops, they don’t get the same experience, and they come back to us.”

Stackpole said there are a lot of small things a business can do to focus on growth. “One thing we do from time to time, we put up little signs you don’t have to get a permit for, and they can stay up as long as you want,” he explained. “We put something out related to whatever… graduation time, gifts, that kind of thing, nothing in particular on any brand, just something to spark them, to get them inside.” 

Years of industry experience: 2 Hobbies: Cars, paint ball, dancing What you’re really good at: Wiring

TRAVIS PENDLEY CSD Audio Murray, Utah Years of industry experience: 15 Hobbies: House music DJ What you’re really good at: High-end sound and tuning TONY GESTRI Doc’s Auto Sound Chico, Calif.

Years of industry experience: 32 Hobbies: Flying RC helicopters/drones What you’re really good at: Custom fabrication and installation parts MOE SABOURIN Soundcrafters Daytona, Fla. Years of industry experience: 37 Hobbies: Golf, shooting pool, NASCAR racing What you’re really good at: Audio system tuning

me-mag.com 27

 retail news

To prep for the big day, Larson conducted an advertising campaign via eblasts, radio, social media and old-fashioned mailers.

28 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Party On Sound Connection celebrates 20 years in 12-volt with food, fun and giveaways.

Words by Rosa Sophia Ben Larson opened Sound Connection at age 18, when most are still trying to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Starting out in a tiny space with few resources didn’t deter Larson, who was determined to make it work. Now, the business has been the recipient of numerous well-earned awards, including Mobile Electronics magazine’s Top 100 Installer and Top 50 Retailer awards. The business moved a few times, and is currently located in Sartell, Minn. where Larson has 10 employees and a respectable reputation.

August 2015 marked Sound Connection’s twentieth year in business, a milestone that merited a huge celebration. “To be honest, I don’t remember the exact date I opened,” Larson said. “I know it was in August sometime, so I just went with August first as the official birthday of Sound Connection.” However, Larson decided not to celebrate on the first, because it would have meant competing with other weekend plans. “In Minnesota every nice weekend is packed with events that are much more important to people than the anniversary of Sound Connection,” he added.

To keep from conflicting with other outdoor events, Larson chose to hold the celebration on a Thursday. The event lasted all day, and the store stayed open late. The highlight of the anniversary celebration was the giveaway.

“I built a Rockin’ Grill that we gave away at the anniversary. It’s a 4-burner gas grill that I bought new and installed 6.5-inch light-up speakers, a Kenwood Bluetooth/amp combo, magic mount phone holder, XS power battery, on board

charger/maintainer, halo switch for powering on and off, and LED strip lights under the shelves,” Larson said. “It’s pretty awesome and has attracted a lot of attention.”

For maximum exposure, Larson began promoting the event about four months ahead of time. With essential knowledge of their client base—24- to 35-year-old males—Sound Connection promoted the day’s events via Facebook, live DJ announcements, direct mail, email blasts, and air time on five radio stations. The outcome was successful, though the weather caused cancellations of outdoor activities.

“The weather did not cooperate with us,” Larson said. “We did have a blow up obstacle course, car show, corn hole

competition, and various other outdoor activities planed. There were a few of our vendors who backed out at the last minute and some others that just didn’t want to come which was very disappointing.”

A live DJ turned the anniversary into a real party, and music was played all day long. Free pizza was provided for lunch, as well as a hog roast for dinner. Visitors filled their bellies, and enjoyed demo vehicles.

“I worked with my top vendors to secure a handful of specials that were better than Black Friday specials,” Larson said. “My top vendor partners also donated prizes and merchandise to give away throughout the day. We offered a free detailing seminar, Apple Carplay and Android Auto demos all day, as well as Smart Start and Bluetooth unlock demos.”

Despite the bad weather, Larson said it was a very successful event.

With a goal of attaining about 18 times more in sales than that of a normal, “our sales were about six times that of a normal day,” he said. “We added a lot of customer info into our database that day—about $1,000 worth of emails—we reconnected with a lot of past clients, had substantially more foot traffic than a normal day, and spoke to a lot of new clients that had never been in before, getting great feedback.”

Larson’s plans for the future are focused on continuing the growth of the business. “I will continue to train my staff, work on infrastructure, perfect my marketing strategies, and strengthen my relationships with my business partners,” he said.

“Once I am happy with that, I plan on opening three more stores in Minnesota as well as a 12-volt school.” 

me-mag.com 29

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 external effects

Sharing Economy Is Hot Button What’s Going On: The 2016 Republican primary, still months away, is tracking to be the most crowded in modern presidential history. A record number of 17 contenders for the GOP (the previous record was 16 candidates for the Democratic Party back in 1972), along with five declared Democrats, and colorful candidate Donald Trump in the mix, has turned the presidential race into a spectacle.

According to an NBC News online poll conducted by SurveyMonkey, Trump was at the top of the list for Republican primary voters, if they had to cast their vote last month.

How It Can Affect You: A new president impacts everyone: from small business owners to major corporations. Candidates are getting attention, but so are the issues. The sharing economy (businesses like Airbnb and Uber) has emerged as a major 2016 presidential argument, spotlighting different views on how new technologies should be embraced without damaging the U.S. economy or, more critically, hurting American workers. Democratic party nominee Hillary Clinton has spoken about the risks with these new businesses and has opened up a serious conversation about a topic that is only bound to get more complicated.

Muscle Maker What’s Going On Now:

Muscle cars are back in fashion and enjoying a return to glory. Detroit’s latest group of performance cars could outperform the classics of yesteryear, yet are priced affordably when compared with some of the mega-glamorous cars with equally high-performing engines.

How It Can Affect You:

Performance cars are becoming a big business—and performance categories like electronics and accessories could benefit as well. Some of the cars enjoying this renaissance include the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 which produces 650 horsepower and accelerates to 60 m.p.h. in 2.95 seconds. Ford’s 526-horsepower Shelby GT 350 Mustang uses a V-8 engine typically found in high-end cars from Porsche and Ferrari. The 2015 edition of the Dodge Hellcats sold out early, and the company is planning to double production for 2016. The first muscle car boom died due to the high price of gas, insurance and emissions limits, but the tide has turned. Performance cars have been among the three most-researched vehicle types on car-shopping website Autotrader for the last 10 months.

Soccer Moms Get Sporty What’s Going On: Lamborghini plans to test the loyalty of its fans as it expands its product line.

The carmaker, owned by the Audi unit of Volkswagen since 1998, currently makes just two sports cars: the Aventador, with a starting price tag of $404,195, and the Huracan, at $241,945. Now the company wants to explore other markets.

How It Can Affect You: With its next model, the Lamborghini is introducing a super-luxury sport utility vehicle to attract a broader base of customers—moms. Code-named “Urus” and slated for sale in 2018, it has got the potential to be a big hit. Lamborghini recently broke ground on a factory where the Urus will be manufactured with its own dedicated workforce. For the launch to work, management has tapped the Volkswagen group for much of the vehicle’s structure. If done right, it will give Lamborghini an entrée into a new market and a way to diversify its portfolio of products.

32 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Unlocked Is The Future What’s Going On:

In technology, the wheel always turns. Take Motorola, for instance. Its handset division was a pioneer in mobile phone design years ago. Ultimately, the company was sold to Google, where it ended up in Chicago; Lenovo then bought it and now new leadership is steering the ship. Yet the products keep coming with the latest being the Moto X. Two new models—the first new smartphones since Lenovo took over—will soon arrive: the Moto X Play, and the Moto X Style which is the company’s new flagship device. It will be available in the U.S. under the name Moto X Pure Edition, but above all, it has an opportunity to put Motorola back on the map in a big way.

How It Can Affect You: The Style smartphone, which has a 5.7-inch, quad-HD screen, and 21-megapixel camera in the back, is also reported to be one of the fastest charging (34 percent of its battery in 15 minutes.) Even with all of that, what’s most important about this phone is that it’s being sold unlocked for $399 and supports every band of LTE. It will work on any carrier in the U.S. (for almost two years it was illegal to unlock your smartphone, but legislation last February loosened the rules.) Motorola is bypassing selling through the carriers and is instead selling the phone directly to consumers on its website and through Amazon. What happens next is to see how well Motorola executes. If it is successful for Motorola, it could change the way we buy smartphones—and which ones we choose.

Directions Please What’s Going On: Toyota has turned to a lesser-known company than Apple or Google for its navigation and phone connectivity. The 2016 Tacoma pickup is the first of several Toyota models that will use Scout GPS Link from Telenav. The company lets Android and iPhone users pull up directions and traffic information on their phone or Toyota dashboard, while offering the carmaker more say over the system’s configuration.

How It Can Affect You: The solution gives Toyota full control, according to Telenav’s director of automotive business development, Niall Berkery. “The big aspect for Toyota was the driver-distraction element and making it a safe experience, “ he said. “A lot of customers are using mobile nav in the car today, but many are doing it in an unsafe manner, whipping out the phone and typing while driving.” Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto have turned car companies’ dashboards into screens that closely mirror their smartphones, but Toyota has held back among global automakers. Its deal with Telenav allows Toyota to offer a unique search and navigation experience to its drivers.

Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Telenav supplies to Ford as well as GM.

Set Up In Silicon Valley What’s Going On:

The phrase “Silicon Valley”, which dates back to 1971, was first used to describe the location for the semiconductor industry in the San Francisco Bay area. Today the area is booming with tech investors and geeky entrepreneurs, but now traditional companies are setting up shop here, too. Ford and Honda recently unveiled their innovation centers. Volkswagen is funding a lab at Stanford University, while Mercedes and BMW have outposts in the area as well.

How It Can Affect You: According to a recent study of 200 large non-tech companies, over one-third have established corporate innovation centers in Silicon Valley. The outposts are designed to develop and nurture techy projects like connected cars, mobile devices and smart gadgets, but also to put companies in the target zone giving them “access and exposure to the latest technology.” The ultimate goal is to bring about change, according to Brian Solis, an analyst with the Altimeter Group, which conducted the study with fellow marketing advisor Capgemini Consulting. The report revealed that businesses surveyed—even giants like Walmart—are discovering that change must go beyond product development and should include company processes as well. These kinds of labs, the study further found, can jolt the home office with high-voltage ideas.

me-mag.com 33

 behind the scenes

A Forward Direction

After a long journey which saw the company change identities, Directed Electronics has proven itself to retailers as a force in the category of aftermarket security and remote starts.

WORDS BY BILL BRAUN

C Glenn Busse, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Directed Electronics

34 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

ertainly more than a few installers are unfamiliar with household names like Viper, Clifford, Avital and Python.

Their parent corporation—a publicly held company called Directed Electronics—has gone from an alarm company to a diversified audio corporation and back again.

The San Diego security powerhouse spent nearly 40 years offering technology and security in equal doses to the consumer world, and like many major players in the twelve-volt industry, the path to get from their beginnings to where they are now has been an amply-curved road.

A near 30-year veteran of Directed Electronics, Glenn Busse has been the senior vice president of sales since 2007.

He believes that while the golden days of

easy sales have long since passed, the age of the salesman has never left. In fact, he believes it has more relevance now than ever. “We can make a great product, but once we have really good presentation of the product and merchandising at the retail level, we can have someone that can engage with a customer that knows about the equipment and can help that customer make a buying decision. That’s what [we want].”

To help in that presentation, Directed offers an operational display. Being able to show a customer how to remotely activate, lock or interact with their vehicle with a phone or smart watch has an irreplaceable value; one that the VP believes will transform a simple sales pitch into a visceral, experiential process the

customer remembers well beyond that of a brochure.

Busse understands the challenges are massive, especially in the security category. Every retailer trying to install an alarm has to contend with decades upon decades of vehicle years, makes and models, introducing nearly endless permutations that have to be contended with during sales, as well as installation and programming. Compound the technical challenge with geographic and seasonal customer preferences, and the need for a sales staff that is truly on their game becomes evident.

Finding a Path One solid example of those variables resides in the Sunshine State. The Sales VP explained that in Florida, Directed’s research showed customers were coming into shops for a window tint or a stereo,

but when approached about remote start, consumers didn’t see the value in the ability to crank the engine from a distance.

The solution was to associate value in a way that was directly relevant, not just to the customer base in general, but targeted toward the Floridian customer.

“Their mindset is much more about connecting the dots with a consumer that isn’t as educated about technology. Changing the value statement from “I can air condition my car” versus “I can remote start my car” helps the customer understand. When you say you can remote start your car, they say, “Big deal, what’s that going to do?” But when you tell them you can remote cool your car, now they’re interested.”

That positioning in both the marketplace and headspace of the retail world takes education. Training sales staff,

installers and owners is as important as it is challenging. Alarms are, by their nature, the most demanding technical environment in the industry. To get their message across as clearly as possible, Directed targets their training to all three types of “audiences.”

“What we sell is computers for cars,” said Busse. “It’s a fundamental understanding of what we do. We have to first understand the vehicle, then we have to understand how the consumer is using that vehicle. Then I can offer some solutions and educate them without getting in too deep.”

Busse added that the company is making modular information, packaging it, and using web tools from PC or smartphone. “It’s a big challenge technically.

The mistake is to just blob it out there,” he emphasized. “People get tired, they

me-mag.com 35

 behind the scenes don’t have time to go look for stuff. Road mapping out the information is the next step.”

Adding new levels to their training process is geared to make alarms and their integration a more comprehensible process, and, more importantly, a less intimidating one. The company’s market research shows remote start is becoming more and more

“We can make a great product, but once we have really good presentation of the product and merchandising at the retail level, we can have someone that can engage with a customer that knows about the equipment and can help that customer make a buying decision. That’s what [we want].”

Glenn Busse, Directed

Directed DBALL2

of a factor in OEM, and is being used more often to sell cars.

“We see a nice runway here,” said Busse, “and by dialing into the opportunities, it’s going to be a little more vehicle specific. So you need to be better at targeting a specific vehicle, similar to what you do in car audio. You have to know what fits.

It gets back to that salesperson engaging with their customers. It’s key to our business. If you want to be successful with us, we are going to help you. We engage with the owner/buyer, the salesperson on the floor and the technician. We interface with our dealers on those three tiers.”

Digital Direction

Smart Watch SS4.0 App

36 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Directed has also developed a tool for the consumer in the form of the Viper.com website. Once they get a feel for the basics, the retailer can get to the heart of what a customer really wants in their alarm system. Busse believes that some retailers do it really well. “They have it down to a science.”

That science is necessary. As Busse aptly observed, Directed essentially makes “computers for cars.” Few segments of our industry can lay claim to the programming and installation complexity of the modern alarm and remote start. These factors play a large role in a consumer’s need to both buy most alarms in-store, and get the subsequent expert install that only a qualified shop can offer.

Case in point: according to Busse, Directed alarms can contain a wide range of wires, from as many as 28 wires to as few

dealer in touch with a qualified lead, then as six. The shop installing the device still promises that contact will occur within has to have access to have the web tool, 24 hours via email or a phone call. as well as knowing proper programming techniques. The overtly technical nature of alarms makes the DIY install a comPolished Protection paratively rare thing, To service but consumers are no defective gear, less likely to investiDirected’s wargate the possibilities ranty policies of an alarm’s potenare designed tial and how it can to be straightbest meet their needs. forward. “If “We know the it’s on the Internet is not going price sheet it’s away,” the VP said, “so covered,” said we want to control Busse. If the that experience as product is not much as possible. We on the current would price sheet, it’s love our retailers to still covered sell with installafor 18 months. tion online. Use the Logging on to internet as your prothe company motional tool.” website allows To make the alarm a retailer to selection process verify the wareasier, Directed has ranty status of refined www.Viper. a product, as com’s look and funcwell as offer the tionality in recent ability to check years. The website on the status now features a vehicle of an RMA as selection tool, which needed. The in turn offers alarm website also options. As the steps serves as a advance, the user is central hub for Smartphone SS4.0 App asked to select what placing orders, kind of alarm they viewing purare looking for, explaining the basic difchase history and downloading artwork ferences between each. Once a base alarm for advertisements. is selected, additional options are then When technical support is necessary offered. Based on their functionality and to installers, the vaunted Directechs webcompatibility with the alarm, items like site offers wiring info, technical notes, a backup battery, field sensor, glass break software updates and more. If a phone sensor and more can be explained and call is necessary, Directed has a “one call selected. Finally, the user has an option to culture.” This means a tech support call print out a summary of choices they have comes to a resolution with a single phone made, as well as find a local dealer. Prices call, regardless of the length of that call. are not published in the summary, nor The tech will stay on the line with an are methods to buy the raw parts. installer while they verify a solution to What is offered to the consumer in a problem so that the installer doesn’t the selection process is notable. Beyond have to call back, wait on hold and rely an easily comprehensible way to select on another tech’s notes. According to compatible raw alarm componentry and Busse, Directed’s call center peaks at over accessories, the site is designed to put the 35 thousand calls a month; it represents

a sizable commitment in manpower and time.

The process of choosing what products to make is vital to the company’s success.

In considering the viability of any product, one vital factor is the voice of the customer. In this case, that customer is the installer. “In our business we often listen to the voice of the installer,” says Busse. “We pride ourselves on making products for installers, by installers.

We have a pretty big tech team closely affiliated with our engineers, so we beat the stuff up in the car. We make sure it’s going to install right, we make sure the wire lengths are right, we make sure it’s going to be able to be mounted correctly.

It’s a good synergy.”

Direct also has a group of beta testers— customers that are given the product ahead of a launch to market. They evaluate the products by putting them through their paces. Once completed, they return a report back to the company as a way of getting unfiltered feedback. If all goes well, Directed releases the gear to the retailers.

Periodically, Directed also does dedicated research on the consumer and trade fronts. Busse described Directed’s approach of planning well into the future.

“We’re currently building our plans for the next three years. It helps us decide what we want to do and what we don’t want to do. It has became a big part of reinventing the company, which is to say part of our problem was that we were trying to everything.”

Plan of Attack The company’s corporate direction has evolved into a mentality of focusing on gear that they see as makes the biggest difference to their customers. The research helps them define opportunities that may exist in the alarm market, and point their efforts toward gear that would make a difference in the marketplace.

Sometimes that research says they are too late to the party. In other cases, technology is going to the OEM too quick, making it difficult for the aftermarket to have enough runway to make a difference. “In our research we found 14 or 15 things we decided we weren’t

me-mag.com 37

 behind the scenes

SmartStart

going to do,” says Busse. “Some are closer to our core of security and convenience, like extending the range of a factory system, or things that were too expensive to manufacture. So by the time we marketed it, it wasn’t enough.”

When they found products that weren’t worth pursuit, the resources were siphoned into something else.

Segmenting the pie into areas of opportunity is the name of the game.

For example, some things are a lot easier to do. Say a car can be started with six wires. Directed sees an opportunity in that option, and so it is then screened through a team of design and engineers called a “Stage Gate” process. That process acts like a funnel which is periodically filtered through, as a business case is made for it. If the case is solid, the beginnings of a product are born.

Pick of the Litter

7756V-Viper LCD Remote

“We know the Internet is not going away. So we want to control that experience as much as possible. We would love our retailers to sell with installation online.

Use the Internet as your promotional tool.”

38 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Choosing who to do with a business is a multifaceted process for Directed.

Busse says that once you are approved, there should be some freedom in who you choose to buy from. “We don’t have a restriction (direct vs. distributor), but we do have some conditions as to how we look at you as a retailer. For our premium brands, we typically look for a retailer that can merchandize the product, has a salesperson and has an install bay.”

The goal behind the differentiation centers around the consumer experience.

When a customer comes in, they can recognize that store is a retail operation, with products, and can find a display area. In the age of the warehouse-style

superstore, not everyone has sales staff that a consumer can engage with and ask questions, let alone have their products installed.

The company supports retailers with merchandizing and the tools to help them merchandize, which helps them focus on salesmanship and the physical experience an alarm can offer. Busse believes that an in-store experience is more than just a sound business tool—it shows the company’s commitment to success. “There are retailers that invest in the layout of their store and they’re successful. They’re out there and they are promoting. Those are the successful ones. If they’ve got a good mix, a good business plan, and have the fundamentals right, that’s what we’re looking for.”

While Directed’s ideal for retailers is far from uncommon, the absence of an ideal sales or display situation doesn’t necessarily preclude that retailer from being a dealer. At the end of the day, the proof is in the proverbial pudding. “It’s based on performance. You can come join as a dealer and select our products, we then do all the normal credit checks. We do vary brand distribution, so we have a network of brands in given areas. We hand pick the retailers based on their skillsets: their abilities and how they go to market. We don’t want to over saturate areas. We want to have a good harmony.

It’s about how much time and effort they’re going to put into our product and vise versa.”

Looking forward, Directed is excited, especially about Smart Start. With the interface already on version 4.0, the technology works with smartphones and smart watches to perform remote functions like activating door locks, auto start a vehicle and show vehicle location.

It will also allow a Geofence alert and enable voice activation for several of the alarm functions.

A company of this size and reputation has to work as hard, if not harder, than the competition to continue to be the proven innovator in the category. Such high standards often accompany superior products, and are the markings of a company that wants to stay at the top of the heap. 

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 knowledgefest feature

The Pla to

Hundreds of retail and installa to KnowledgeFest in Dallas t one-on-one time with vendo Read more on the

40 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

ace o Grow

ation professionals came to get fresh ideas, spend ors and learn new skills. next page.

me-mag.com   41

 knowledgefest feature

KnowledgeFest Sets New Attendance Record

After two decades, KnowledgeFest has proven itself to be the 12-volt industry’s premier event, featuring more focused seminars, manufacturer trainings and networking opportunities than any other industry gathering.

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

T

he comic book industry has Comic-Con. The consumer electronics industry has CES. The 12-volt industry has KnowledgeFest.

Hundreds of industry veterans and newcomers alike gathered in Dallas, Texas at the Hilton Anatole Hotel and Convention Center to check out new products from manufacturers, attend

42 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

educational seminars and, above all else, network with one another.

“In the six years since re-inventing KnowledgeFest, this year’s event in Dallas was our biggest and best ever,” said Chris Cook, president of Mobile Electronics.

“Our objective is to grow our new April show in Indianapolis in the same way, while making Dallas even better for our attendees and exhibitors.”

With over 960 retailers in attendance, the event surpassed last year’s total number of around 900. The show floor featured 46 exhibitors representing over 60 brands and 50,000 square feet of exhibit space. The educational seminars featured record numbers as well, with many of the 28 classes filled to the brim, registering a total number of almost 800 people who sat in classes on day one. To

help attendees reserve space, the show runners offered a new feature, allowing pre-registration to help guarantee a seat for those interested in specific trainings.

Some of the hottest seminars included a two-part tuning course hosted by Andy Wehmeyer of AudioFrog and Larry Frederick from Cerwin-Vega, and a vehicle safety product course hosted by Steve Witt of American Road Products and Derik Schmiedl of NAV-TV. Attendees were highly enthusiastic about the quality of the seminars, having nothing but positive things to say.

“It’s my first time at KnowledgeFest and I’m blown away. It’s so much fun,” said Matt Cropper, Top 12 Installer from Stereo King, Portland, Ore. “Andy had a great class regarding tuning. Brian [Piper] also did a really good job in his class on how to set up your install bay.

Each seminar I’ve been to so far has had something good that I can take back to the shop.”

After the first day of seminars concluded, the event was officially kicked off with the keynote speech and Town Hall presentation, which have become a staple of the opening night festivities at the show.

Talk of the Town This year’s keynote speech was delivered by Tim Parenti, a motivational speaker brought in by Peggy Finley of K40 to teach an important lesson regarding employee attitude. Parenti, who would later conduct a seminar in the sales track, discussed the difficulties of finding quality employees in any profession, acknowledging what he had learned about the installation shortage currently plaguing 12-volt retailers.

To begin, Parenti challenged the group, consisting of nearly 200 attendees, to get into groups to identify the qualities and characteristics that make up a quality employee. Those elements included honesty, loyalty, self-motivation and integrity, among others. He then asked the audience to break the qualities into two categories: attitude and skill. Attitude won by 80 percent, revealing Parenti’s thesis: the majority of employers use attitude as the most important quality when

This year, Sony came prepared, releasing new head units, a new, functional display board for retailers and partnering with Metra to enhance head unit integration with the CAM BUS. hiring new employees. Parenti went on to make several more points, which included revealing the science behind an individual’s attitude.

“In 2003, the U.S. government began the Human Genome Project, which decoded the 20,000 DNA strains in our body. When they isolated a gene they found a unique character called an ‘epi-gene,’ which is just Latin for ‘above the gene.’

They found that this epi-gene Top 12 Installer and Retailer Jason Kranitz tells the gene what to do, shows off his newest products from Kingpin whether it’s active or pasUniversity. sive,” Parenti said. He went Later, the scientist would review the on to explain an experiment that a top scientist performed with rat pups. Broken rats’ genes again to see that the epigenes in each set of rats had flipped from into two sets, one set of rats were left being off to on and on to off in terms of alone and the other left in the care of the stress. This proved that environments can mother rat. The nurtured set was relaxed, greatly impact the attitude of an individresponded well to outside touching and ual, with even the most positive-thinking had a pleasant appearance. The non-nurpeople susceptible to losing their cool in tured group was the exact opposite with negative environments.” rampant obesity, hostile dispositions and Once Parenti finished his keynote, poor appearance. The scientist switched Chris Cook, who moderated the event, the pups and each changed to their oppointroduced the town hall panel. This site disposition.

me-mag.com 43

 knowledgefest feature

Tim Parenti delivers the keynote speech on opening night.

Left to right: Andy Wehmeyer of AudioFrog, Jason Digos of elettromedia, Brian Layton of Sound FX, Josh Landau of JML Audio, Gary Stackpole of Benchmark Soundworks, Steve Wood of Directed and Chris Cook, president of the Mobile Electronics Group, during the Town Hall panel discussion. year’s group consisted of three representatives from the manufacturer side and three from the retail side. The retailers were rounded out by Gary Stackpole of Benchmark Soundworks, Joshua Landau of JML Audio of St. Louis and Brian Layton of Sound FX. The manufacturers were represented by Jason Digos from elettromedia, Steve Wood from DIRECTED and Andy Wehmeyer from

44 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

AudioFrog.

To expedite the process, Cook introduced the segment by stating there would only be four questions asked. The questions were in regard to customer perception, market growth, how to promote the value of 12-volt expertise and finding and cultivating the next generation of installers.

“Intallers are the worst paid highly

skilled workers on earth,” said Wehmeyer, regarding the installer shortage.

“It’s the chicken and the egg. Installers need to be productive but a shop needs to make more money to invest in them for certification.”

To combat the installer shortage, many suggestions were batted around, from inspiring local youth with events to working with installation schools to find jobs for recent graduates.

“We’ve got an installer institute grad that has done an outstanding job for us since being hired,” said Layton. “We’re giving him the opportunity to have a career in the industry, and in return he has inspired us old-timers at the shop to work harder. We invest in talent, and our talent will reinvest in us.”

The group also provided solid insight on how to increase awareness for the industry. According to Wood, many companies are already offering a wide variety of products for consumers to utilize. It’s just a matter of marketing it properly to the masses.

“Without exposing them to emerging technologies, they’re never going to know about them. That’s the sales person’s job,” Wood added.

To promote the industry and the value of installation expertise better, many panelists emphasized the importance of how the shop is laid out and the importance of the shop tour. Landau described his process as letting the client see the showroom last, since the customer’s car will be worked on in the install bay, which is their biggest concern.

“If we built our facility today we would have the entrance be the bay and have the showroom in the back,” he said. “It’s about taking the client through the bay and explaining different products that are out there like backup sensors and radar.

Be really proud, show off the fabrication rooms and let them see your work. Help them understand it’s not just about car audio, it’s about custom fabrication and other new technologies. On the digital side, send out email blasts, use SEO and social media to let them know about new technology or new parts. A lot of those things they will share with friends and family.”

The Learning Curve During the course of three days, KnowledgeFest offered 28 seminars, plus almost 50 manufacturer trainings, which offered various giveaways and discussions of more than the average product training might offer at other industry events.

“KnowledgeFest has been a very successful show for us this year. We were pretty busy during exhibition hours. We talked to a few hundred people and got some new dealers out of it,” said Nalaka Adikari, Sales Director, Orca Design & Engineering, who won the coveted Vendor of the Year award at this year’s Mobile Electronics Industry Awards. “The most successful element of the show was the two training sessions we did. In the first session there were only a few chairs left, but in the second there weren’t enough chairs.”

Adikari went on to explain that despite the issues a store might have with closing down or paying for employees to attend the event, it is well worth the value gained in return. “One of the reasons we were there was for the training, to get dealers from across the country. If we can do better in getting more people from outside that Dallas region it would benefit all of us. We need to try to find a way to work with these dealers more. Maybe compensate them for coming out to the show. I know it’s an expense, but at least send one person from your shop to bring back valuable information to share with the team.”

Of the most popular classes that gained attention throughout the event was in the Installation track, which included seminars with some of the tops technical minds in 12-volt like Bryan Schmitt, Carlos Ramirez and Larry Frederick.

In “Tuning Cars Part 2: The Next Step,” Frederick of Cerwin-Vega delivered what most were expecting with an honest, humor-filled seminar, complete with lots of expletives to enhance the experience for the packed room.

The bulk of Frederick’s lecture was focused on the tools of the trade needed to properly tune. Those tools included RTAs, oscilloscopes, and the CD=104 reference compilation, which contains a wide spectrum of music that can help

“Intallers are the worst paid highly skilled workers on earth. It’s the chicken and the egg. Installers need to be productive but a shop needs to make more money to invest in them for certification.”

Andy Wehmeyer, AudioFrog

installers create the most balanced sound in a vehicle. He also emphasized the importance of using fewer speakers and subs whenever possible since “the more shit you put in a car, the more fucked up it’s going to sound,” as he put it.

“If you have a normal radio in your car, go to NPR and listen, then put on one of your rock stations. What’s the sound difference? I’d bet money it’s huge. I bet it’s 10 dB,” stated Frederick during his seminar. “One of the problems with all this music is, depending on the quality of music you’re listening to, there’s going to be a real problem because some guys are

using junk MP3s and only care about how loud it is. It’s about making the car sound better.”

While installation seminars drew large numbers, they weren’t the only ones. The sales track saw strong attendance as well, with positive reactions to both regular KnowledgeFest presenters like Marcel Newell of Avidworx, and to non-industry first-time presenters like Tim Parenti.

“There are a lot of sales classes that are repeated every year and it’s really refreshing to have someone like Tim Parenti, a person from outside the industry, paint a

me-mag.com 45

 knowledgefest feature new perspective on sales,” said Nick Akin of Musicar North West. “He presented subconscious things that we see every day but don’t necessarily think about.

His class can help you navigate situations better and hopefully help your sale.”

Parenti was very impressed with the way the event was executed, as well as the reaction attendees had to his class, “Face to Face Selling: The Forgotten Skill.”

The class focused on using knowledge of facial expressions to help navigate a client’s reactions during the sales process.

“I’ve been to several conventions in a variety of different industries and I expected it to be a lot more competitive in nature. What amazed me was the unique camaraderie amongst everyone, even between competitors. There’s a genuine fellowship that I don’t think you could masquerade insincerely; a lot of natural warmth that really took me by surprise,” Parenti said. “The seminar was very interactive. They were able to appreciate that I knew their business. I did a lot of homework prior to the session. You could tell how passionate the people are about their businesses. They do it for the love, not for the money. That manifested itself throughout the whole event in helping each other.”

The concept of helping each other was ever present in specific seminars as well with the seminar, “Safety is No Accident: Creating a Successful Safety Business.”

The seminar was hosted by Steve Witt and Derek Schmiedl and focused on the important of the emerging product category and how to not only sell it better, but also attract different demographics of customers to help sell other categories.

“Can you name a single category where you can sell something to the consumer and call them back for added features that can be updated for nothing?” asked Schmiedl. “Visual aids like rear view cameras are a very important category. Why is the mobile DVR used in insurance to lower your insurance rate?” He went on to explain how Schmiedl’s boss gave his son a sports car for his 16th birthday.

Soon after, the young man was driving around at 10pm and drove through an intersection where the light was green.

An elderly couple ran the red light

46 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

coming the opposite direction and t-boned the young man’s car. When the police arrived, the couple claimed the boy ran a red light, causing the accident. Luckily for him, the vehicle was equipped with a DVR dash cam that streamed directly Ken Ward, co-owner of Musicar Northwest, provides to his smartphone, insight on sales tactics in the “12 Keys to Sustainable which recorded the Selling” sales seminar. whole accident. He showed the footage to the officer and was off the hook.

The duo went on to make other points regarding the importance of safety products and ways to partner with organizations like Kids and Cars, which aims to prevent tragedies involving children being hurt or killed Mobile Solutions featured several fabrication tools, by vehicles. including completed door panels, at its booth.

“Kids and Cars is an extremely valuable sales resource between the seminars, show floor and for you guys. If you remember last year at manufacturer training. Their answer: the KnowledgeFest, Kids and Cars introduced networking. a retail promotional kit. It’s $249. Buy New to this year’s event was a spethis kit!” exclaimed Witt when speaking cial networking night, sponsored by the to the seminar crowd. “Set up an event manufacturers. The event was a direct for safety. Don’t include any dB drag response to the popularity of the netracing. Have the Kids and Cars display working element, in an attempt to better out. Have other types of safety displays facilitate interaction between dealers and out. Think about it. DVRs can be sold as manufacturers. accessories next to radar in a store. It’s a The networking wasn’t limited to one very simple category but has gotten very location, however, as by simply being sophisticated and is exploding. You can on the premises, attendees found ways make an $800 dollar sale at a 50 point to interact like sitting down at random margin. Don’t let your lack of experience tables, talking in the hallways between deter you from making that sale.” seminars and sitting down for meals together.

On the floor of the Mobile Electronics The 12-volt Network Show, deals were struck between dealers During the course of the event, sevand manufacturers like Focal, who had eral attendees were asked what the most a positive experience throughout the valuable aspect of KnowledgeFest is

show, even managing a few new deals throughout.

“We were pretty busy during exhibition hours. We talked to few hundred people for sure,” said Adikari of Orca. “We did get some new dealers out of it, not just from the Dallas area, but from all over like Virginia Beach and Florida. In that regard, the event exceeded expectations.”

Aside from the standard impact made visually by companies showcasing fancy cars (like the McClaren at the K40 booth), several companies showcased new products. AudioFrog, primarily known to audiophiles as a high-end product company, has released a mid-priced component set of speakers to expand its client base. Its GS line of components is priced between $249 to $299 per set and offers variety with its GS10, GS40 and GS60 size ranges, which can be mixed and matched based on the need of the vehicle.

Following the trend of safety products is Accele with its Optix 360 front-facing camera with built-in monitor. The device doubles as both navigation, resting on the dash of the vehicle, as well as a DVR video system that feeds to any smartphone. A second camera can be added to the feed and used as a backup camera on the rear of the vehicle.

Another company looking to make a move on the audio component side is elettromedia, looking to release a new line of Hertz Mille components this fall with its Mille Pro line. The purpose of the line is to make improvements on the popular Mille Legend series.

“Mille has always been the flagship of Hertz. It’s so focused on the higher price points that we wanted to expand that more. Earlier in the year we launched Mille Legend with the higher price points and with Mille Pro, this is going to expand the Mille line and for our current dealers this overlaps what the High Energy line is now,” said Jason Digos, Technical Director for elettromedia. “The basis of Mille Pro is to mirror the performance of high energy. What’s going to happen in the next six to 10 months is that High Energy will start to phase out and Mille Pro will take over. You’ll get a little bit better performance because of the improvements that were made to the

In its Mercedes G demo car, the company displayed its soon-to-be-released SA4100i measurement microphone, designed to help installers tune vehicles.

The mic is set to be released at the beginning of October and can be paired directly with the Audiocontrol Mobile Tools app, which is currently available. speakers above and beyond High Energy but are now in the Mille family.”

According to Digos, one of the biggest

“To help promote the event we should all spread the word more on social media and let guys know that this is not like CES. It’s not a car show. To be able to hang out with other installers and fabricators and share information is one of the best reasons to come out.”

JT Torres, Al & Ed’s Autosound improvements in the Mille line is with the tweeters, which will offer a much wider frequency range to help with the distance from the mids in the vehicle.

There’s Always Next Year Given its success with every aspect of the show, and the fact that this year’s event was the most successful one to date, retailers can expect any future show bearing the name of KnowledgeFest to offer the same level of benefit to its attendees.

For those who missed the show due to either financial difficulties or other obligations, there is always the KnowledgeFest Spring event in Indianapolis.

This year’s spring event offered a smaller atmosphere, which many attendees enjoyed because it allowed them to get up close and personal with people they may not have had a chance to speak to at larger shows. The spring training event will take place at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, Ind., from April 9-11, 2016. The flagship KnowledgeFest show will return to Dallas in August.

“I think it’s a little different than CES because the attendees here are really here to attend the different trainings and care more about being here. The seminars are really cool, really informative.

They’re really specific to our industry,” said Installer of the Year, JT Torres. “I’ve been trying to make it to KnowledgeFest but it’s been the costs that have kept me away. I didn’t know about all the different trainings and how specific it is to our industry. To have the top guys that are doing real business in our industry here teaching is key. To help promote the event we should all spread the word more on social media and let guys know that this is not like CES. It’s not a car show. To be able to hang out with other installers and fabricators and share information is one of the best reasons to come out.” 

me-mag.com 47

 business feature  business features

Focused Exposure Social media marketing and online marketing are versatile tools that provide impressive results. Top retailers like Cartronix and NVS Audio have maxed-out exposure with unique marketing tactics.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

E

ffective marketing should target the intended audience, while demonstrating the business can take care of the customer’s needs. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” In marketing, confidence is essential, and so is innovative thinking. Onlineand social media marketing open new doors to creative options for advertising. But how can retailers think outside the box and expand their marketing approaches? The answer is through simple things such as online marketing, social networking, and even well thought-out photography of builds and installs.

When it comes to social media marketing, effective images prove indispensible.

Instead of using before and after pictures, photograph the various steps of a build in order to gain the trust of your viewers. Ken Ward, co-owner of Musicar Northwest in Portland, Ore. uses photographing the steps of each install to “build trust and also demonstrate value.”

Carlos Ramirez of NVS Audio in Linden, N.J. focuses on parts of the

48 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

installs that he feels are done differently than the competition. “I try to post pictures daily of what we do in the shop,” he said. Ramirez chooses to capture behind the scenes photographs that customers wouldn’t see otherwise. “Special mounting hardware, special fasteners, we show pictures of all that, basic steps to justify why we’re more expensive, because we use better materials. We get 20 percent of our business through social media.”

When a customer spots photographs of a car similar to their own on NVS Audio’s Facebook page, for example, they know the shop has experience. Constant exposure is essential when it comes to building a business, but it is also important to remember that advertising isn’t what a business should be targeting.

Instead, people are the target. Define that target audience.

Rose Lawless, president of Your Office on Call, has worked as a marketing specialist for over 25 years with companies such as Energizer Battery and Di Vosta Homes. She stresses the importance of constant exposure. Although it seems

like a simple idea, it is something that many businesses have difficulty pinpointing. Those that are not utilizing constant online exposure, keeping websites and social media pages updated, are missing out on many cheap or free ways of promoting their services and expertise.

Lawless encourages business owners to always consider their ideal customer, and bring those ideas to life when focusing on marketing. “Retailers need to advertise where that type of person would see the offer,” she explained. “Do research on your clients. Learn the wants, needs and habits of your prospects. You have know how they think. Then you will know which social media platforms will work the best for your products.”

Personal Touch Eric Carter of Cartronix in Valparaiso, Ind. targets the customer as an individual and considers their hobbies or line of work. “Alpine has a nine-inch radio, made for pick-up trucks, so… who has pick-up trucks? Well, people who own horses, so instead of targeting truck owners in

Constant exposure is key to marketing success. As a specialist in social media marketing, Lawless uses both traditional and out-of-the-box thinking to encourage clients as they increase exposure and revenue.

Marketing must be constant, with no interruptions. “Your brand enables you to connect with your customer,” Lawless explained. “Your brand identifies you and your product. It shows you have a great reputation in the marketplace. It takes prospects seven to 13 times seeing a brand or logo before they even start to pay attention.” This means businesses must be constantly vigilant when it comes to marketing.

Sharing on social media, and encouraging others to share the posts, is a great way to increase exposure for free. Paying for boosted posts on Facebook is affordable as well, and also increases a brand’s reach. “We generally post three to four times a day,” said Eric Carter of Cartronix. “We also schedule a lot of posts in advance. Facebook works best for us.

We’ve been using it for ten years or so.

The first year we tracked sales with Twitter, we had a sales increase.”

website is the main source. We hired a new company, 168 Media, and they know our industry. [168 Media] teams up with other guys to help people boost website sales.” When Cartronix creates a post or article, it is then posted on Facebook and leads potential customers back to their website.

Scheduling posts for all your social networks is an effective way of doing the work without having to spend time in front of the computer every single day. “If you use a scheduling program like Hootsuite or Buffer, it allows you to set up Rose Lawless, President of Your your week all at one time,” Lawless said.

Office on Call “The biggest complaint I hear from my clients is that they do not have the time to be consistent in their posting. Which general, we target horse owners and is why they end up hiring me to do it for horse shows,” Carter explained. When it them.” Lawless recommends schedulcomes to video game systems, Cartronix ing posts to get it out of the way. “Then considers the end user of those systems: you are done. You don’t have to find time mothers who often drive their children to every day to do it.” and from school or daycare. Cartronix has When it comes to photographing studied their market, where they have builds and installs, everyone agrees this put a great deal of thought into who puris a great tactic to share successes and chases such products. get potential customers excited about “You have to be consistent in your a shop’s approaches or unique pracbranding strategy, marketing and advertices. However, it’s much too easy to take tising to be successful in getting your sloppy photographs with a cell phone message out,” Lawless said. “Once your camera. “Try to take good quality picbrand is defined, there are many differPaying the Piper tures,” said Ramirez of NVS Audio. “We ent ways to get your message out to your Cartronix also utilizes Facebook for do a lot of fabrication, so we show custom prospects, including integrating your paid advertising, spending between five brand message into every aspect of your and eight hundred dollars a month on the builds, and by the volume of photos we post, customers see we work on a lot of business. All of your social media marpopular social media network. “We also cars. We are really busy.” keting should include your branding.” tie everything together,” he added. “The Avoid the temptation to snap a quick photo and upload it without considering its effectiveness.

Ken Ward of Musicar Northwest urges shop owners and managers to put thought into each photograph. “Every time I see a Facebook post from an install shop taken with a cellphone camera, blurry, poorly composed, with bad lighting, it makes me pull my hair out,” Ward said. “If they can’t take the time to take a picture right, will they Cartronix targets customers with a specific hobby or career that fits the install exhibited. take the time on my car?”

me-mag.com 49

 business feature Ward explains that some photos of high-quality touchscreen receivers are ineffective because the “lighting hasn’t been programmed to match the vehicle lighting. People want their new receiver to look right in their car, especially their new car, especially their premium car. Why make them wonder? Take the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment,” he added.

The Long Haul

Musicar Northwest utilizes the concept of long-term branding when creating videos and photo spreads on social media, always releasing the highest quality video and images.

Musicar Northwest focuses on long-term brand-building. “We are not selling. We are not trying to create artificial urgency.

We are sharing,” Ward explained. “We are a specialist in working with premier automobiles, and our motto is ‘World-Class Audio and Electronics Integration.’ Our goal with any marketing communication is to let owners of premium vehicles know what’s possible, let them see how good our work looks, and let them know what owners of similar vehicles have chosen—to further legitimize anything they might be considering for their car.” Ward has pinpointed a perfect avenue: sharing to increase visibility.

Lawless recommends sharing via numerous social media platforms and also using hashtags on Facebook and Twitter.

She states that Twitter can be very effective for retailers and business owners—if it’s used properly. “I met with a Twitter Influencer a few weeks ago who stated that you have to have

NOW HIRING NYC Custom Shop Master Technician with installation/ troubleshooting skills and experience in all aspects of Mobile Electronics.

Fabricators with multi-level skills in all materials. You must be crafty with a good mind for design.

We are Manhattan’s premier and only high-end custom shop. Out-of-state installers, we can help with relocation assistance, if you qualify for the position.

We are looking for serious people with long-term goals in the business.

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50 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Send resume to Stefano@ autodesignnyc.com or call 212-255-8900

at least 24 tweets a day going out to be effective. You have to be consistent and interest your prospects enough to click on your link and get them to your website,” she added. 24 per day may sound intimidating, but the fact that posts can be scheduled makes this a little less overwhelming.

Lawless pointed out that Twitter can be effective because a larger audience can often be reached, without being limited to lists of ‘friends’ or ‘connections.’

“With the proper and effective use of hashtags, you can immediately reach your audience, even if they have never heard of your company before,” Lawless said.

More exposure is gained when potential customers ‘favorite’ your Tweet or even ‘retweet’ it. “You can exponentially grow your product exposure with Twitter because your product will be in front of anyone remotely interested in that product or lifestyle.” Now, hashtags can also be used on Facebook, and this increases

opportunities for affordable “You have to be consistent in your branding marketing. strategy, marketing and advertising to be Many agree successful in getting your message out.” that images Rose Lawless, Marketing Specialist are powerful, and branding through logos how to best implement these tips and and images can make your business unique approaches. “We find that Facememorable to a potential customer or book and Instagram serve these goals,” client. “Images are more powerful than Ward said. “To a much lesser degree words,” said Ken Ward of Musicar NorthFlickr does, and Twitter and LinkedIn west. “High-resolution images created don’t work for us at all. With Facewith professional-grade gear are essential book, we boost and promote posts using for presenting your business professmall dollar amounts and with targeted sionally.” Ward also stated, “Brevity in audiences.” captions is important. Proper grammar Ward has also found that vendors and punctuation are also essential for a can be incredibly supportive on social professional presentation.” networking. Shops should always keep vendors involved, since sharing posts of installs is mutually beneficial to both Tools of the Trade shop and vendor. “When we have espeSome online posts are more effective cially great-looking pictures, we will post than others. Business owners must conthem to the vendor’s Facebook page, sider what makes a post effective, and

me-mag.com 51

 business feature professional as possible, a shop increases its chances of gaining followers and customers.

Cartronix uses a Sony camera.

“Before, we used to use an iPhone or whatever I had, and the Carlos Ramirez, owner of NVS Audio, posts specific photos pictures were from installs on social media that he knows no one else is okay but not showcasing, which helps garner interest in his shop. the best, so we tried to improve our quality,” Carter and also tag them into the picture on said. “The better quality, the more people our page,” Ward explained. “We are very will see it.” With very well-done photograhappy with the assistance on Facebook phy and posts, Cartronix has reached over we have received from our vendors, nota13,000 fans on Facebook. “We just talked bly Morel, JL Audio, and Alpine. They to a client from 45 minutes away who have been very supportive when we post found us via Facebook and read about us, pictures of our work using their gear.”

Take the time to experiment with social and he hired us.”

The business receives a lot of messages media and become accustomed with the on Facebook, and Carter makes a point to many options available when it comes answer these messages as quickly as posto marketing on this versatile platform. sible, noting Facebook’s response rating “Sometimes I think that shops don’t take feature. The response rate on Facebook more time with their Facebook pages Fan Pages keeps track of how quickly, or because they think of Facebook as being how slowly, a page takes to respond to free,” Ward said. “If Facebook cost what messages. Cartronix has a 100 percent TV ads cost, or print, I suspect it would response rate, and Carter has been known be a different story.” to respond to messages very late in the For photography, Ward recently day. His customers appreciate his dedicaupgraded from an older Canon camera tion. Newsletters and marketing through to a Canon T5 DSLR. “This upgraded the BusinessWorx also increase exposure for quality of our images marvelously. One day after using it, Tom Miller made a new Cartronix. rule that no cellphone pictures were allowed on any social media,” Ward said.

People Power “We then added an Eye-Fi card. We set up YouTube is another asset businesses the Eye-Fi card to automatically save all can utilize by filming special projects. images to a specific folder on our DropKen Ward of Musicar Northwest has seen box account. This has helped enormously great response from his YouTube videos. as far as being able to sort and post “YouTube is just like Google,” Ward images from anywhere without having explained. “If you have relevant content, to remember to manually download the you have a much better chance of being pictures first, and saved a lot of time. found. It’s more work to fake it than it is Leaving the camera on for long periods to just do it the old-fashioned way—creatdrains the battery, so we picked up some ing relevant content.” spares to keep one charged and ready Rose Lawless recommends sponsoring at all times.” By keeping presentation as community events as a unique approach

52 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

to getting your name out there. A good way to keep your business top-of-mind, other than through the usual marketing avenues, is by showing potential customers that the business cares about people and their needs, and cares about their local community.

However, one must commit to spending a certain percentage on marketing and “treat marketing not as an optional expense, but as an absolute necessity for the survival and growth of your business,” Lawless said. “A small business should budget seven to eight percent of its gross revenues for marketing. This will enable a small business to compete more effectively against larger companies.”

While Cartronix also teamed with a local Chrysler Jeep dealership to promote both businesses in the past, Eric Carter also finds that constant attention to social media platforms yield positive results. But most of all, a business has to make the time to commit to it. “A lot of people think it takes hours and hours, but you can create a lot of business in 15 minutes,” Carter said. “I’ve talked to a lot of retailers, and helped people set up pages. They say it takes too long to do or they don’t do it at all. Post the work you do. People like to look at pictures, not always read. Try to be humorous but also act like people are your best friends.”

Carter encourages businesses to share facts about their employees, even wish them happy birthday on the business’s Facebook page. Once, Carter posted the simple question, “‘What should we have for lunch today?’ We did that post a while ago and we had fifty some comments.”

Marketing is about targeting an audience and getting involved. Know the audience, think like them, and find out what they want. Rose Lawless cited trust as an important aspect of marketing.

“Your clients need to get to know you, like you and trust you before they even consider buying from you,” she said.

“There is so much competition out there for retailers and business owners. If someone doesn’t trust you or your company, they will not be buying your product.

It is very important to have a great reputation and great customer service.”

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53 www.InstallerNet.com • me-mag.com 800-444-1644

 installs

Rare Breed

SUBMITTED BY ERIK QUICK, MOBILE AVC, GARDEN CITY PARK, N.Y.

This 1990 Chevy Corvette CR-1 Callaway Supernatural is only one of 11 ever made; it is a perennial show-winning car at the annual Corvettes at Carlisle in Pennsylvania. The client requested a complete refresh of the interior, including the audio system, to help continue the car’s winning streak.

Quick and his team retained the stock radio and tuner, but gutted the Bose system piece by piece. Using the OEM radio line-level pre-outs, they fed that signal to a Soundstream Stealth ST41000D 4-channel amplifier. The front Bose components were replaced with a custom set of Vifa speakers and a two-way passive crossover. The rear Bose woofers were replaced with a pair of Dayton Audio 6.5-inch subwoofers. All OEM wiring was preserved in the install.

A stealth iPhone charger was routed through the center console along with an auxilliary cable so that the customer could hook up his iPhone to stream music and use navigation. For improved noise isolation inside, a full bulk pack of Ballistic sound dampening material (from Metra Electronics) covers the floor panels, kick panels and entire door skins.

54 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

me-mag.com   55

 installs

Custom Yukon

SUBMITTED BY: JULIO "J.C." DIAZ, INTENSE KUSTOM AUDIO, BRENTWOOD, N.Y.

This 2005 Denali Yukon has two all-around Beyma speakers in each door, and a new Beyma AST-50 tweeter to retain the factory look. Diaz and team also made a custom rear pillar post with a Beyma 605ND. A Beyma 18-inch sub was used for bass.

The system was powered by three Soundigital amplifiers and used a custom 10-inch touch screen monitor in the center console.

56 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

Stealth Shocker SUBMITTED BY TRAVIS PENDLEY, CSD AUDIO, MURRAY, UTAH

This 2014 Audio Allroad was created by Pendley and team to use as a demo vehicle and impress clients. Parts installed included Focal Utopia Be speakers and Mosconi amps. The install gave the car a stealth-looking interior, but proved to be a worthwhile effort given its ability to wow clients on a daily basis, according to Pendley.

me-mag.com   57

µ guest editorial

Get Clients Now!

7 Ways To Gain Customer Attention I gave a Get Clients Now! presentation at KnowledgeFest. I hope we saw you there, but if you didn’t go I strongly recommend every sales professional have a personalized marketing plan. C.J. Hayden’s "Get Clients Now!" is a 28-day marketing program that offers proven techniques and tools for building your sales pipeline, getting presentations and closing more sales. Most showroom-based Mobile Electronics shops have spent years developing their management infrastructures to become welloiled installation companies. But what about your sales and marketing approach? What strategies are you using to market your services? Here are some questions you should ask yourself about your current marketing strategies: • Do you know how to reach into your local community to increase sales?

• Are your potential clients unaware of what you do and the services you provide?

• Do you have all the business you want?

• Are you prepared to have a killer 4th quarter?

The fact is, traditional marketing strategies simply will not work to grow your business. Mobile Electronics shops get the best results from active, time-dependent marketing tactics such as outreach, calling, networking, referral building and hosting events, rather than more passive, money-dependent advertising strategies. You still need to advertise to maintain top-of-mind awareness, but a few simple inexpensive marketing strategies will deliver a big bang for your marketing buck.

Using a simple cookbook model, "Get Clients Now!" will help you will identify the ingredients that are missing from your sales strategies. Some daily suggestions for retaining and growing customers influence are: 1) Phone calls: Place a follow-up phone call to all of your customers within 48 hours of the installation to be sure everything is functioning as promised.

2) Thank you notes: Mail a handwritten thank you note within a week of each installation. Put several business cards in the envelope and ask if the customer is pleased with the installation—which you already know they are because you called them—and will they share your business cards with their friends and co-workers.

3) Holiday greeting cards: Every sales consultant in your company, including you, should each hand write 50 holiday greeting cards to your favorite customers. If you start now, the task will not be as burdensome in late November. Mail all of the cards the week before Thanksgiving. If you have customers using extended

58 Mobile Electronics  September 2015

financing, send each of them a card as well.

4) Host an event: Throw a Cars, Coffee and Bikes (motorcycles) event during Small Business Saturday weekend. Small Business Saturday is November 28, 2015, the day after the price-for-a-box driven Black Friday horror show. Differentiate yourself by inviting your past and present customers to your parking lot or showroom for a cup of hot coffee and a Danish. Messaging can include the fact that no one will get trampled, there won’t be aggravating lines and crowds to elbow through, and they will actually get a “knock your socks off” demonstration of some pretty amazing equipment. Suggest they bring family and friends. If this is new ground for you, Revenew has a comprehensive “Event In-a-Box” tool kit to help you work through the planning details.

5) Email: If content is King, repetition is Queen Email is also an extremely effective method of communication for the 12-volt community, and not enough of you are using it.

Two emails a month is a great place to start. One email should be informational, such as a newsletter. The second email can be more promotional. In the month of December, escalate to an email per week. If you need templates and newsletter content, don’t hesitate to call Revenew.

6) Contact management system: You will need a contact management system, and it doesn't need to be sophisticated. This system can be as simple as an excel spreadsheet that you mail merge into Word. 3x5 cards work too.

7) Gather email addresses: Make it your personal goal to gather five email addresses a day to put in your contact management system. If you are a TSS user, put those emails into your TSS/POS system. Your TSS/POS systems can be integrated with the Revenew platform to give you access to our fully automated marketing engine.

If you want to capitalize on the upcoming fourth quarter, you will need a new marketing initiative that transforms you and your sales team from a group of ‘gatherers’ to a team of ‘hunters’ with the tactics, tools and techniques you to keep your pipeline filled with new business.

Your 28-day marketing program will consist of personalized ingredients that include a quantifiable 90-day sales goal, one to three marketing projects to work on, and ten specific direct contact and outreach actions to perform every day.

This program really works. I know because I have done it a number of times. "Get Clients Now!" written by C.J. Hayden, is available from amazon.com for about $13.00. Work on your plan for this fourth quarter, and make lots of money. 

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