Mobile Electronics Magazine November 2018

November 2018

me-mag.com

MAKING Car-Tunes plans for future fortunes with digital marketing, social media

PLUS

Who Are You Giving To? Pick a Great Partner - page 6 The TARIFF Effect: It’s Here, and It’ll Get Stronger - page 14

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Volume 36 // Issue 11

Ad Index 26 FEATURED STORIES 14// What’s Happening: How Increased Tariffs Are Impacting the Industry While it’s still too early to tell how increased tariffs will impact the coming year, manufacturers including JL Audio and Audiofrog share uncertainty and deep concerns about how tariff increases will impact American companies.

26// Real World Retail: Car-Tunes, Inc. While Car-Tunes Inc. continues an ongoing remodel and prepares for a January anniversary marking 35 years in business, owner Kimberly Trainer makes innovation and strategy a part of her daily routine with the goal of giving clients exactly what they are looking for.

44// Strategy & Tactics: Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About TSS How can you get the most out of your TSS or point-of-sale program? Consider the many features you may not be utilizing and learn to apply them to maximize both efficiency and profits.

Accele Electronics….................................... p. 2 & 3 Arc Audio….............................................................p. 35 Audison…................................................................p. 23 DD Audio…................................................................p. 5 Firstech: Drone............................................... …p. 59 Harman: JBL.........................................................…p. 7 InstallerNet….........................................................p. 41 Kicker….......................................................................p. 9 Metra Electronics: iBeam.............................…p. 11 MITO Corporation.......................................... …p. 33 Orca: Focal…...........................................................p. 13 Pioneer Electronics...........................................p. 21 SiriusXM...............................................................…p. 12 Sony.........................................................................p. 25 VAIS Technology…............................................ p. 34 Voxx........................................................................ p. 60 Waylens................................................................…p. 31

Contents

38// The Support Team: DD Audio With a strong SPL heritage, brick-and-mortar business model, unwavering respect for its dealers and solid Midwest values, DD Audio delivers not just the goods, but its good nature to all.

54

48// Tech Today: Driving On With the Dream Team With preparation for KnowledgeFest Dallas 2018 underway, MSC America and the Dream Team continued to transform an Audi Q5 into a spectacular demo vehicle.

In part two, the team takes a closer look at amp rack and subwoofer enclosure design, as well as some of the more unique materials used in the build.

On the Cover COVER DESIGN: Solomon Daniels Car-Tunes, Inc. in Greenville, Miss. focuses on connecting with the local community and meeting the needs of their customers in unique and creative ways. The business continues to innovate and is currently working on a remodel to better serve their demographic, which is why we have featured them on this month’s cover.

4 Mobile Electronics November 2018

6 Editor’s Forum 8 Feedback 10 Statistics 12 Helpful Stuff 14 What’s Happening 18 Retail News 22 Hot Sellers 26 Real World Retail 38 The Support Team 44 Strategy and Tactics 48 Tech Today 54 Installs 58 From the President

facebook.com/MobileElectronics   5

editor’s forum

Give Back … But to Whom?

You need a charitable partner for your business. But do your homework first.

That’s right, I’m guilty. Or at least I feel it. Who can blame me? It’s that time of year when giving becomes a business, a profit center, an empire. Commercials, mailers, and even Santa Claus (a weird irony) are speaking to us daily, guilting us into to giving, giving, giving. “You gave to that cause? Now give to mine.”

And you know what? We should.

Whether you are making millions or just scraping by—we are all blessed to do something we love to do. Those of us doing this more than a few years are taking care of others on what we make from this industry, so in reality it’s a double blessing.

We should all have an outlet by which we give to others. Every business should have its “givee” as well. Whether you’re giving hundreds of dollars per month or just using Amazon Smile for your business purchases, (guilty!), having a charitable partner gives your business a social balance.

But to whom should you give?

Approach this like a major business decision. When you select new vendors, you consider product quality, after-service support, product mix fit, innovation and ease of doing business. Picking your charitable partner requires the same due diligence.

Before you narrow down to an organization, select a cause you believe in.

We are all products of our experiences.

I grew up in a single-parent home and saw how lack of parental guidance, low access to resources and better life examples, desire without direction and poor role models fed the endless circle of broken families and poverty. So I prioritize educational opportunities and societal change for children. You might be tempted to select what’s currently popular or in the news today, but go deeper.

What really means something to you? Ask your staff as well. You will end up with a cause you all feel good about.

6 Mobile Electronics November 2018

You’ve determined your cause; now look for organizations that proactively supply transparency.

Some charitable causes have so much bureaucracy that you don’t know if your contribution is helping someone in need or paying some high-level executive. All organizations are required to show their intake and how it is spent, but the organization you select should also let you easily see its yearly initiatives and how it uses contributions to accomplish those initiatives. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call them. If you don’t get the answers you want, consider that a red flag.

“You might be tempted to select what’s currently popular or in the news today, but go deeper. What really means something to you?”

My other thought on this is to look local first. Big organizations have the big marketing dollars, but there are smaller organizations that could be making an impact right where you live.

Once you’ve selected a charitable partner, go beyond the dollars when you can.

What’s cool about local charitable partners is that you can visit and take part in what they are doing to better society.

In any case, look for ways that you can do more than donate. Time is just as important to money. And if your business expertise can somehow benefit the organization, all the better.

Good luck with your search and let me know which charitable partners you’ve selected. Maybe we can publish a good list in an upcoming issue. And by the way, have a joyous and fulfilling holiday season!

Why You Should Trust

Absolute Electronix

As a customer, the best feeling in the world for me is to work with a business that takes the time to understand my situation rather than just sell me what’s most profitable for them. That’s the experience you get from owner Ata Ehdaivand and the staff at Absolute Electronix. Rather than selling products, the highly experienced staff uses products to sell solutions, and they do it in welcoming, no-pressure store environment. They know that every client’s needs are based on their own preferences, so their first step is to listen to understand what matters to you. Then they offer personalized solutions that will improve your driving experience.

Behind the scenes, they constantly train and research vehicle changes and product technology, so they can deliver the solution you need, when you need it.

 feedback

ALWAYS BE PREPARED

ADVERTISING SALES Kerry Moyer 978.645.6457 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com

EDITORIAL Solomon Daniels 978.645.6463 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Creative Layout and Design: Manny DeJesus Contributing Editors: Jamie Sorcher, Joey Knapp, Laura Kemmerer and Rosa Sophia.

Published by TM

mobile electronics association

Chris Cook, President 978.645.6434 • chrisc@mobile-electronics.com

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Eddy Lamour advised reaching out for help if it’s needed, while Bill Sommers stated that having an installation check-in sheet avoids numerous problems and saves thousands of dollars.

“Choose vendors who care about building your business, not vendors who only care about moving boxes.” Rick Miller, Sound on Wheels, Rock Hill, SC “Always have an installation check-in sheet as it will save you thousands of dollars. Have the customer acknowledge all issues or problems before taking possession of the vehicle!” Bill Sommers, Sommer Sound Systems, Panama City Beach, Fla. “As a team leader, I have left my staff to run the store without me increasingly more often. Although the overall sales numbers are not as great as when we are all there, the staff has proven themselves able to handle situations, and work through differences with each other, and ultimately become much stronger in their positions. It’s great to see the small business run in a way that’s slightly different than it would be if I was directing. It’s also been great to have a little more time to get away and go to training events and vacations, and have the staff totally back me up!” Luke Farley, LYNX Customs, Centennial, Colo.

“If you find your business is in jeopardy, there is no reason you can’t look for help. I would also start by understanding why you’re in the situation you’re in, how to avoid making the same mistakes, invest in yourself and your people, and strive to be better.” Eddy Lamour, DSP Audio and Video, Silver Spring, Maryland

8 Mobile Electronics November 2018

Kerry Moyer, VP Strategic Partnerships 978.645.6457 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com

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Solomon Daniels, Dir. Media and Communications 978.645.6463 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Richard Basler, Dir. Technology Solutions 978.645.6449 • richb@mobile-electronics.com Tony Frangiosa, Chairman of the Board, MEA 1) Title of publication: Mobile Electronics. 2) Publication No.: 957-170 6. (ISSN# 1523-763X) 3) Copyright © 2018 by the Mobile Electronics 4) Date of filing: Oct. 1, 2018. 5) Frequency of issue: Monthly. 6) No. of issues published annually: 12 7) Annual subscription price: $35.00. 8) Periodical postage paid at Lawrence MA and additional mailing offices. 9) Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 10) Complete mailing address of the headquarters or general business offices of the publisher: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 11) Full names and complete mailing address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Chris Cook, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845; Editor/Managing Editor: Solomon Daniels/Rosa Sophia, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845 12) Owner: MERA, Mobile Electronics Retailers Association, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 13) Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None. 14) Tax Status: Not applicable. 15) Name of Publication: Mobile Electronics. 16) Issue date for circulation data below: October 2018. 6. a) Total no. copies (net press run) Average: 10,237 Single Issue; 12,826. b) Paid/Requested mail subscriptions Average: 6039, Single Issue: 7346. c) Paid sales through dealers, etc.; Average: 0. Single issue; d) Requested distributed by other classes of mail: Average: 435, Single issue: 520. Total paid and/or requested circulation; Average 6039. Single issue: 7346. e) Non-requested distribution by mail; Average: 3593 Single issue: 4223. Free distribution through other classes of mail: Average: 0, Single issue: 0. f) Non-requested distribution outside the mail; Average: 267. Single issue: 750. g) Total non-requested distribution; Average 3860, Single issue: 4973. h) Total distribution; Average: 9,899. Single issue: 12,319. i) Copies not distributed; h1) Office use, leftovers; Average: 338. Single Issue; 507 j) Total; Average: 10,237. Single issue; 12.826 Percent paid and/or requested circulation; Average: 61.01%. Single issue 59.63%. 17) POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Mobile Electronics, 85 Flagship Drive Suite F, North Andover MA 01845-9998

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CMY

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©2018 STILLWATER DESIGNS Fiat is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.

The KICKER Fiat® features a level of audio sophistication never before heard.

Your customers owe it to themselves to request a live, in-car demo and hear the difference.

Ask your KICKER sales rep about KEY Technology today.

 stats

2 Years Ago, Part 2: Beyond the Data In last month’s issue, retailers provided data on how they dealt wit Internet issues today compared to two years ago. In this issue, we’ll see the reasons behind their answers.

On the comparison of online competitors

On losing customers to showrooming

“We mainly deal with people getting products for cost or close to cost on Amazon. Of course, we explain the benefits from buying with us and the dangers of no warranty, etc.”

“This has never been a big problem for us. We never give model numbers and our pricing is all inclusive. Been this way for as long as I can remember.”

“Urban distributors and market over-saturation is often more of a problem compared to internet sellers.”

“We have chosen to only carry specific lines that do not promote online sales. The manufacturers that we do busy with understand how important it is to get customers in the door rather than buying online.”

“Major vendors are ‘turning the other cheek’ more and more to MAP violations online - often even at major authorized online-retailers. This is causing price erosion to progress at an alarming rate. We’re finding ourselves faced with making choices between promoting major brands (that don’t protect us) or smaller brands that have less recognition and require more salesmanship but often provide higher realized margins due to less internet presence and honest MAP enforcement.”

“We’ve had to drop a couple of product lines because there are so many online sellers who have the product, often times for less than our cost from the manufacturer.”

“I have a hard time handling clients who bring in a trunk full of equipment. We never had a chance to sell our brand to them and sometimes it makes it difficult for us to sell them into returning a product.”

10 Mobile Electronics November 2018

“We make sure when we see a customer with their phone out, we then hit on matching prices. we don’t state it in the beginning of the presentation as we obviously don’t want to match internet if we don’t have too. we also offer different labor warranties for product purchased with us and on the internet.”

“I keep plenty of inventory in stock so I can make the sale happen right now! No waiting for shipping. Instant gratification and I can make margin because I have it right here.”

“We only offer product lines with price protection. We make sure we are the same price as Amazon. That way a customer feels like they are getting a good value at our store, and at the same time we are making good margins.”

“We’re saving sales at about the same rate as 2 years ago, but we’re finding ourselves discounting MORE to accomplish that.

Less gross profit means we have to save cost in other areas such as wages, advertising, etc. This isn’t a good recipe for long-term success.”

“We provide not only he product knowledge but we also provide the customer with a snapshot of what the installation process will entail. It seems like it helps to keep them in the store for a purchase.”

facebook.com/MobileElectronics  11

 helpful stuff Book:

THE FORMULA: THE UNIVERSAL LAWS OF SUCCESS

BY ALBERT-LÁSZLÓ BARABÁSI

Just like best-sellers from Malcom Gladwell and Nate Silver, this book from Barabási is a great read to tackle as the year winds down and you set your sights on what to achieve in 2019.

Barabási, a professor at Northeastern University, will help you understand a striking disconnect as he uncovers the ever-elusive link between performance and success. Ever notice how sometimes accomplishment does not equal success? You did everything you could, but you didn’t get the promotion. You had the idea, but never got credit. Here, based on years of academic research, The Formula finally unveils the groundbreaking discoveries of a pioneering study that highlights the scientific principles that underpin success, but also our understanding of why performance is necessary but not adequate, why experts are sometimes wrong, how to assemble a successful creative team and how to engage our networks.

Site to See:

SETH GODIN’S BLOG HTTPS://SETHS.BLOG

It has over 7,000 posts and more than one million readers. He recently offered his take on why people buy lottery tickets. (“It’s irrational to buy a lottery ticket. The odds of winning the $1.6 billion MegaMillions lottery are vanishingly small. You’re 400 times more likely to be hit by lightning. The only person who buys a lottery ticket for $2 is someone who, right now, thinks it’s worth more than that…”) Godin is an entrepreneur, author and founder of Squidoo.

But most of all, he is a teacher. Read his blog and you will learn!

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Product:

AudioControl DM-RTA Featuring Four Test Tools

Every expert--carpenter, plumber or doctor, to name a few-- has tools of the trade to get the job done, and installers are no different. Perfectly tuning that high-end audio system requires several analytical tools, but up until now they all had to be purchased separately. Now there is a convenient option that combines all of them in one handy solution.

AudioControl is launching its onebox wonder: the DM-RTA that features a Voltage Meter, RTA (Real Time Analyzer), SPL Meter (level match your speakers!), Polarity Checker (are all of your drivers moving in the same direction at the same time?) and Oscilloscope (see signals as sine-type waves). Its built-in battery holds a charge for three to five hours and is also portable so it goes where you need it to. According to AudioControl’s Chris Bennett, another benefit is the XLR input.

“You can use any microphone from a $20 Parts Express to a $2,000 BMW,” he said. “It has balance inputs, balance outputs and speaker level input that can handle up to 40 volts. There are also several digital outputs. Many Chrysler and Dodge now only have USB output so this is an audio USB digital output.”

The DM-RTA is compatible with your PC, Android or iOS device.

facebook.com/MobileElectronics 13

 what’s happening

How INCREASED Tariffs Are

IMPACTING The Industry While it’s still too early to tell how increased tariffs will impact the coming year, manufacturers including JL Audio and Audiofrog share uncertainty and deep concerns about how tariff increases will impact American companies.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

After a 10 percent tariff was applied to many products and items, another hike is anticipated—specifically 25 percent, expected to take effect in January.

Currently, completed speakers can be imported from China without a tariff, but parts needed to build them in the United States are subject to tariff. This causes great difficulty for companies that manufacture here in the U.S., according to Manville Smith, vice president of marketing at JL Audio, based in Miramar, Fla. “As it stands right now, if you’re building them here, you’re being penalized,” Smith said. “It’s backwards. If the goal is to support U.S. manufacturing through tariffs, the tariff belongs on finished loudspeakers made in China, not on parts needed to build them here in the U.S.” In the past 10 to 15 years, Smith said, JL Audio has focused on bringing more speaker production back to the U.S. by investing in equipment, real estate and personnel. The company has over 500 employees. “We’re committed to it,” Smith added.

14 Mobile Electronics November 2018

More tariffs are anticipated in January, but the future remains uncertain. The situation has been confusing for many companies that are now reaching out for advice, according to Sage Chandler, vice president of international trade at the Consumer Technology Association.

However, Chandler noted, customers overall aren’t noticing price increases just yet. “The smaller companies haven’t felt it yet, but the bigger companies they’re buying from will see large distributors purchasing things in massive bulk. Some of those big companies knew what was coming and they stockpiled,” she said.

Manufacturers Prepare for Increased Tariff by Raising Prices Many companies are increasing prices or planning to, according to Chandler, who stated that it may take a few months for people to fully understand the impact. “I’m getting a lot of emails from companies sending me notes from their suppliers saying that because of tariffs, they’re being forced to raise prices,” she said. More than the parts, it is also the equipment to create parts that is impacted, Chandler added. “For example,

there’s a lot of semi-conductor manufacturing in the U.S. It’s one of our biggest exports.” Despite this, the equipment needed to make the semi-conductors is also being tariffed.

Along with JL Audio, AudioControl is being impacted by the changes. “Despite being a U.S. manufacturer for the majority of our products across our automotive and residential business, we are impacted by the 10 percent tariffs recently imposed on a number of product categories,” stated Alex Camara, CEO of AudioControl. According to the company’s official response, there is no price increase across the product line yet, but prices will be adjusted January first, or even as early as December. “The costs of our raw materials and finished goods have increased, as have transportation costs.”

Tariffs on imports from China are affecting the company’s products relating to the parts used for manufacturing in the U.S., stated AudioControl. “We continue to work on a number of ways to minimize the impacts of these tariffs but at this time, price changes will need to be implemented and our aim is to hopefully do this once.”

How Increased Tariffs Are Impacting the Industry

Omega has also increased prices, as of October first, according to a notice provided to their dealers. The notice also stated that the company’s impacted products were mainly in the security and remote start categories.

So far, retailers may not be feeling the impact just yet. Kimberly Trainer of CarTunes Inc. in Greenville, Miss. stated that the company has yet to increase prices in its store. “We carry lots of different brands of electronics,” she said. “After the first of the year and more and more of this is going on, we’ll probably have to take a look at the trend. So far it hasn’t had a huge impact on us. I’ll keep my eye on it, though.”

Strategy to Build Locally Has its Own Issues Discussion on tariffs extended into a live-streaming discussion on Facebook relating to what it would take to invest in manufacturing in the United States.

Andy Wehmeyer of Audiofrog noted his reasons for choosing a specific factory in China to manufacture his products. “The main reason anyone chooses a factory is usually because of capacity and expertise,” he explained. “Expertise is what creates quality. A bad batch of products does much more damage to your bottom line than higher acquisition prices.” Wehmeyer investigated a number of factories in different countries, including in the U.S., before choosing one in China. He added that there are many elements that go into creating a product that meets specifications.

JL Audio and other manufacturers underscored all the moving parts in the equation that need to be considered. “The false choice that some people see is one that assumes a simple decision between making things in China and making them here. Those are not the only choices,” Smith said, stating that any number of countries are available. “This action is going to shift a lot of production out of China to other low-cost countries, not the U.S.” Wehmeyer stated that in order for someone to invest in a speaker factory in the United States, there would need to be a business model to support it.

W3v3 subwoofer driver assembly at the JL Audio facility in Miramar, Fla. The company continues to invest in real estate, equipment and personnel in the United States.

“Something would also have to be done about the fact that you can make speakers in Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and in other countries,” he said.

Speaker manufacturers rely on a global supply chain, said both Wehmeyer and Smith. “Many years ago, we had a vibrant speaker building industry here in the U.S.,” Smith said. “There were parts suppliers that fed that industry. As speaker manufacturing went overseas, most of those businesses went out of business and the supply chain shifted to Asia.

Whether you’re building speakers here or elsewhere, you’re reliant on that to some extent.”

In the live-streaming Facebook discussion with other industry professionals, Wehmeyer told viewers that the tariffs will continue to be a big problem unless the situation is resolved. “If you make speakers in the U.S. using parts that you source from China—and for many of those products, there’s no alternative source—then you’re already paying tariffs,” he explained. “This suggests to me that this is not about bringing the manufacturer of consumer electronics back to the U.S., because if that were the objective

then completed goods would be subject to tariffs and components wouldn’t be.”

While Uncertain About the Future, Companies Consider Global Supply Chain Currently, manufacturers are uncertain about what will happen once the next round of tariffs is enacted. “It’s a conundrum,” Chandler said, adding that she’s testified at three public hearings. “The number of companies and stakeholders testifying are increasing with every tariff round. In terms of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., it’s really unlikely that most of this will come back just because of cost. This is supposed to be because of China’s bad intellectual property practices,” Chandler said, though many of the companies she works with state that they handle all their research, design, engineering and intellectual property work in the United States.

“They have all their engineers and developers based in the U.S. Those are higher-paying jobs. They contract manufacture or build facilities outside the U.S. so they can continue to keep that intellectual property model safe here, and pay the U.S. workers higher amounts,” facebook.com/MobileElectronics

15

 what’s happening JL Audio Expresses Concern to Local Legislators

Manville Smith is the vice president of marketing at JL Audio, a company that manufactures in the U.S. and employs over 500 people.

Chandler explained. “To make it cost-effective, they go outside the country to where manufacturing is already a very sturdy part of the supply chain.”

Various parts are manufactured closely together at nearby factories, said both Chandler and Wehmeyer, which means moving any facility would still involve considering where other pieces of the supply chain originate.

“If you move manufacturing to the U.S., tariffs will still be on those products, and if the products are largely made in China, they will still have to pay 25 percent per piece that they’ve moved to the U.S. to use in manufacturing,” Chandler added.

Instead, she stated, companies are considering moving production to countries such as Vietnam or the Philippines.

“During the hearing, each panelist was given five minutes to speak. The committee would ask each panelist typically just one question. Ninety-five percent of the time, if not more, the one question was, ‘Can you move your manufacturing elsewhere?’ Anywhere other than China. I thought that was interesting.”

16 Mobile Electronics November 2018

By reaching out to local representatives and speaking with the press, JL Audio intends to raise awareness about the situation, Smith said. “We started by contacting all our legislators, our congress people, our representatives in every state we do business in,” he explained. “We have facilities in Florida, Arizona, and Oregon. We contacted all the legislators in all the states that represent us.”

The company has received no replies to their outreach, but they have retained lawyers and lobbyists in Washington to appeal to legislators as well as apply to the U.S. Trade Representatives for exemptions on products. The process is a tedious one, Smith stated, involving applying for an exemption for each individual part the company imports.

“We have invested in U.S. production and we are committed to it. We already deal with higher costs than manufacturers in other countries. The tariffs added on top of that make us less competitive in the world market,” Smith said.

In the meantime, JL Audio instituted a price increase that went into effect on

“In our opinion, the whole tariff policy needs to be re-evaluated to better support those who are manufacturing here in the U.S., or at least to avoid tilting the playing field against us,” -Manville Smith of JL Audio.

The showroom in CarTunes Inc. in Greenville, Miss. offers numerous options to customers. While owner Kimberly Trainer remains positive about the future, it is uncertain how tariffs will impact businesses in the new year.

How Increased Tariffs Are Impacting the Industry

Methods to Learn More and Get Involved

A worker assembles a 10TW1 subwoofer driver at the JL Audio facility in Miramar, Fla. Despite the fact that JL Audio manufactures in the United States, the company is currently subject to the 10 percent tariff because they import some parts in order to manufacture products.

November first. “A large part of the price increase was not tariff-related, but some of it had to do with the 10 percent tariff that was thrown into the mix,” Smith explained. “The price increases average about six percent. If we are hit in January with another tariff increase, we will probably need to revisit pricing again. We can’t absorb it without hurting ourselves, and without limiting the things we’re trying to do here in terms of product development and factory expansion.”

Policy Should be Reevaluated to Support U.S. Manufacturers, said Smith While still in the beginning phases of this change, Trainer stated that she will remain positive, though she added that a larger business might feel differently.

“Obviously it’s a bigger dollar sign to someone else. In my experience it hasn’t thus far been a huge factor. I think there’s a lot more talk about the worry than there is to actually be worried about,” she said. “It’s just one of those things where our economy will probably come out stronger and benefit from it, but nobody has a crystal ball. If things work the way they’re supposed to work, hopefully all these things will be for the good.”

Wehmeyer shared his belief regarding where things might go. “For manufacturers who build stuff in China, it’s going to be a problem. For U.S. manufacturers, companies who import parts so they can assemble stuff in their own factories in the U.S., it’s going to be a problem. If

January first comes around and there’s no fix, then the rest of the goods we import will be affected,” he said, adding that this would likely include finished speakers.

“We’ll figure out how to work through this,” Smith said of JL Audio. “We want to continue to invest in our future as a U.S. manufacturer. It will take some time, perseverance and effort from everyone in the industry to contact legislators and explain how these policies are hurting our businesses. Our customers will be asked to pay more for products and retailers will feel an impact from this,” he added.

Smith anticipates seeing an impact throughout the economy, not just in terms of audio. “American consumers will feel these price increases across a huge range of products that contain China-sourced content or are wholly made in China,” he said. “In the meantime, we adjust to the conditions and we work through it.”

He stated that he hopes JL Audio’s message is heard and that what the company is facing—as well as what other U.S. manufacturers are facing—is alleviated.

“On a larger scale, outside our industry, I am sure there are many instances in which the new tariffs are hurting U.S. manufacturers,” he said. “In our opinion, the whole tariff policy needs to be re-evaluated to better support those who are manufacturing here in the U.S., or at least to avoid tilting the playing field against us.”

Companies of all sizes should engage with government officials, said Sage Chandler of CTA. “Visit your DC representative’s office in your state, or invite them to see your operation. Send emails or call to talk about what you are working on or what concerns you on a regular basis,” she added. “It is important that they understand the reasons of successes or difficulties of business in their district.”

“Also, a little known and fabulous resource is the U.S. Department of Commerce. They have employees in every state whose sole job is to help companies export, and others who help promote small businesses,” Chandler said. “They can provide advice, information about foreign markets, research and are generally great to have familiar with your company. Keep in regular touch with these officials, too.”

Business owners can visit Small Business Administration Assistance (sba. gov) as well as the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance website (export.gov) for more information.

Get informed, added Andy Wehmeyer of Audiofrog. “Read history. Read economics. Read the congressional record.”

Learn as much as you can, he said, and “determine what you really believe is plausible and then buy a bunch of inventory.”

Wehmeyer also suggested referencing the Office of the United States Trade Representative website (ustr.gov).

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 retail news

WORDS BY LAURA KEMMERER

Columbus Car Audio & Accessories Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Business anniversaries by themselves are often special events, celebrated with thanks to the employees that make company success possible. Ohio-based Columbus Car Audio & Accessories did just that with the recent celebration of its 40th anniversary, and shop co-owner Todd Hays knows he has his team to thank for the success of the business.

Hays and his wife Danielle bought the business from his wife’s father in 2005, which makes Hays something of a second-generation owner. The two of them acquired the entire operation in 2011. Danielle’s father was considered one of the original partners in the business.

Hays himself has been with the business since 1986.

“Eventually my wife and I got involved in ownership around 15 or 16 years ago,” Hays said. The shop has seen a lot of change over the years, and one of the things Hays noted was that as time went

18 Mobile Electronics November 2018

on, there had been an increased focus on professional service and installation.

“Employees are the core to our business. We have several employees [who] have been with us for over 15 years. We have a handful who have been with us for 20-plus [years]. Those people are the ones who have given us the success we’ve had.”

Though Hays faces some recent challenges with turnover, he estimated that on average, employees stayed with the company for around eight years.

As for plans to celebrate the big 40, those at the shop have been letting peers and customers know about the milestone, along with an anniversary sale that’s bigger than normal. “We’re running some different contests where [customers] can win free gift cards.” There was also a car show in the works at the time of speaking.

Columbus Car Audio specializes in motorcycles, though that does not compose the majority of the shop’s business.

“We still do a lot of car audio. We’ve never really gone too far away from our roots,” Hays said. “Outside of the normal 12-volt stuff, we do moonroofs, we do leather interior, window tint, paint protection. A lot of truck accessories for the car dealers as well.”

Columbus Car Audio takes to heart the idea that taking care of your business means taking care of your employees— when one thrives, so does the other. The shop’s recipe for success also includes having their own marketing manage on staff, as well as using social media effectively.

“We had our best year ever two years ago, and we’re on track to have our best year ever again.” Columbus Car Audio has 40 employees on staff.

Who’s Who

Faces in the Industry

Eddy Lamour Store: DSP Audio & Video City: Silver Spring, Maryland Position: Owner Years of Industry Experience: 23 Hobbies: Music, Family, Traveling What you’re really good at: Troubleshooting

Dana LeBlanc Store: Parkway Sound & Security City: Everett, MA Position: Manager Years of Industry Experience: 23 Hobbies: Family What you’re really good at: Troubleshooting

Tony Gestri

Store: Doc’s Auto Sound City: Chico, CA Position: Owner Years of Industry Experience: 35 Hobbies: flying my drone, teaching my six-year-old how to drive go-karts What you’re really good at: Electronics Repairs

The future also looks bright for Columbus Car Audio: their second, east location will be moved in November. The new space is double the size of the old. facebook.com/MobileElectronics 19

 retail news

Muntz Audio & Video Welcomes Mike Gubiks Back to the Team If a good employee leaves a business on solid terms, there is the chance they may return in the future, and that is exactly what happened when Jeremy Czech brought Mike Gubiks back onto the team at Muntz Audio & Video.

“He worked here for about two years,” said Czech, “and we had a two-year hiatus.” Like so many others in the business right now, Czech was having trouble finding a good tech.

“What happened was: I posted on Facebook that we were looking for somebody, and all of a sudden his named popped into my head and I texted him quick [to offer him a job], so he came back.” Having Gubiks back on the team has been “simply fantastic,” according to Czech. “[Mike] was well known here. He did a lot of work, a lot of extra stuff, and he

took care of everything he had to take care of. I’m definitely glad to see him back.”

Gubiks sold cell phones before he started his mobile electronics career with Muntz Audio & Video.

He immediately demonstrated his mechanical inclination, and the shop started him off with things like basic amp and speaker setups. Now, he’s moved onto doing remote starters and “basically anything I can give him,” said Czech. As

of writing, Gubiks has been back in the shop for a month.

SoundsGood Auto Services Re-Adds Audison to Product Line To keep up with the competition often means changing product, and for British Columbia-based SoundsGood Auto Services, this took the shape of reaching back to its product past: The shop brought Audison back into its product offerings.

“We started with Audison threeand-a-half, four years ago,” said shop owner Keith McCumber.

“They set us all up. They trained us on everything. And then the

20 Mobile Electronics November 2018

offering was taken away by the distributor, and I’m [very loyal] to my distributor, so I gave all the product back [originally].”

When McCumber was asked about what he preferred about this brand over others, he responded: “Innovation, training, integrity.” Those working for SoundsGood train once a month to stay on time of their game, and according to McCumber, Audison shares the same mindset. “There’s continual training, which is really important to me.”

UPGRADE AND UNPLUG C O N N E C T I N G TO YO U R S M A RT P H O N E H A S N E V E R BEEN EASIER

The Pioneer AVIC-W8400NEX, AVIC-W6400NEX and AVH-W4400NEX in-dash receivers feature Apple CarPlay™ compatibility that works wirelessly, specifically designed to support a cable free connection between your iPhone® device1 and your car. All three units also support a wired USB connection for Apple CarPlay in case you need to charge while you drive or use additional smartphone connectivity options.

PIONEERELECTRONICS.COM/CAR TWITTER.COM/PIONEERUSA FACEBOOK.COM/PIONEERNORTHAMERICA INSTAGRAM.COM/PIONEERCARAUDIO YOUTUBE.COM/PIONEERELECTRONICS Read all safety instructions in the product documentation before use. Distracted driving can result in serious injury, or death. Only use a function when it is safe and legal in your location, pay attention to the road and your surroundings, and obey all traffic rules.

Apple CarPlay requires iPhone 5 or newer with the latest version of iOS. Apple CarPlay, CarPlay, iPhone and the works with Apple CarPlay logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. PIONEER and the Pioneer logo are trademarks of Pioneer Corporation. ©2018 Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

1

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 hot sellers

EASE of

INTEGRATION While a product may be more costly, retailers agree that demonstrating ease of integration helps a customer make a final purchasing decision.

Alpine iLX-F309 Halo9 9-Inch Floating Touchscreen Multimedia Receiver Submitted by: Alan Roath, Cartronics, Miami, Fla. Main Selling Features: “This is a state of the art multimedia receiver that can play any music format you can throw at it. It will also be an extension to your iPhone as well as update the look of the inside of your car.”

Primary Objection: Price and labor cost to install.

How to Overcome: “There is no other choice in this category. It is less costly than custom-installing an iPad in-dash and more effective in everyday use.”

Kenwood DDX9904

In-Dash DVD Receiver with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto Submitted by: Moe Sabourin, Soundcrafters, Daytona, Fla. Main Selling Features: “Customers like the ability to connect a phone to the head unit.”

Primary Objection: Learning curve.

How to Overcome: “We use education to overcome any objections.”

Viper DS4 Digital Remote Start System Submitted by: Eric Trouts, Custom Trim of America, Akron, Ohio Main Selling Features: “Free Bluetooth smartphone control of the system is available.”

Primary Objection: Price.

How to Overcome: “Show the customer how the product has more features and value for the cost.”

22 Mobile Electronics November 2018

Kenwood DNX694S 2-DIN AV Navigation System with Bluetooth and HD Radio

Submitted by: Anonymous Main Selling Features: “Speaker and amps. Most people seem to want an upgrade, but don’t want to change the radio.”

Primary Objection: Labor cost to install.

Kenwood Excelon DNX995S In-Dash Navigation System with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Submitted by: Anonymous Main Selling Features: “I have this product in my car and in my wife’s car. Explaining this helps sell the product. I let them know that it works so well that I put it in my wife’s car because of how easy it is to operate.”

Primary Objection: Price.

How to Overcome: “We explain the benefits of having built-in navigation. If they don’t see the value in that, then we step down to the DDX9905S or the DMX905S, which have all the same features without navigation—or the 905 which has all the features but is also mechless.”

audison.eu

facebook.com/MobileElectronics 23 Ann Audison_FORZA.indd 1

20/09/18 17:09

 hot sellers Sony XAV-AX200 Bluetooth Touchscreen Car Stereo with DVD Submitted by: Wes Tyson, Wet Audio & Accessories Inc., Columbus, Ohio

Main Selling Features: “Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You are also able to use navigation from your phone.”

Primary Objection: Additional parts required.

How to Overcome: “We show them that the product is high quality.”

Kicker KX800.5 5-Channel Amp with FIT Technology Submitted by: Eddie Aguilar, Audio Express of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

Main Selling Features: “Ease of integration into the vehicle, in most cases without line output converters or devices.”

Primary Objection: Some customers want another brand we carry.

How to Overcome: “Demonstrating ease of integration. The other brand will require additional parts to integrate.”

Rockford Fosgate TMS69BL14 6-by-9 Full-Range Speaker Kit

Submitted by: Jeremy Czech, Muntz Audio Video, Green Bay, Wis.

Main Selling Features: “They sound amazing and even more importantly they look very stock. It is a perfect way for a customer to add some bass to the Harley-Davidson without sacrificing much space on their bag. It offers an OEM look and feel with a high-end aftermarket performance.”

Primary Objection: Size, color, style.

How to Overcome: “The biggest objection I get is the customer doesn’t feel comfortable with us cutting their custom painted bag lid.”

Rockford Fosgate PMX Marine Controller

Submitted by: Mike White, Sounds-iN-Motion, Alexander, AR Main Selling Features: “Easy to use and understand.”

Primary Objection: Additional parts required.

24 Mobile Electronics November 2018

Get directions, make calls, send and receive messages, and listen to music, all in a way that allows you to stay focused on the road. Just connect your iPhone or Android phone and go.

XAV-AX210SXM

6.4” CD/DVD receiver with Android Auto and Apple Carplay and iDatalink Maestro compatibility

XAV-AX1000

6.2” Digital media receiver with Apple Carplay

XAV-AX5000

7” Digital media receiver with Android Auto and Apple Carplay

www.sony.com ©2018 Sony Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony and the Sony logos are trademarks of Sony Corporation. Android Auto works with devices using Android 5.0 software or higher. Some devices may not yet support Android Auto, see the Google site for the latest list of compatible devices. Android Auto and its logo are trademarks of Google Inc. Apple CarPlay works with iPhone 5 and newer phones. Apple CarPlay and its logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.

real world RETAIL

READY FOR THE NEW Even though Car-Tunes Inc. has become a premier destination for all things music, owner Kimberly Trainer makes innovation and strategy a part of her daily routine to keep up with a continually evolving marketplace.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

C

ar-Tunes Inc. in Greenville, Miss. endeavors to give the people what they want. When a nearby music store closed down several years ago, locals came into Car-Tunes and asked if they sold guitar strings, said owner Kimberly Trainer. “It just fits in so well with what we do.” She added that the business now sells musical instruments and related equipment to churches, schools, hobbyists and more.

Space for these items was factored into the recent remodel, which is still ongoing. “Eighteen years ago, we were a car stereo shop,” Trainer said, “but now we also have equal amounts of marine equipment, motorcycle equipment and safety

26 Mobile Electronics November 2018

items. We also sell guitars, keyboards and drums. Everything we do has to do with music.” Even Trainer’s youngest daughter is a musician and first learned to play the piano using a keyboard in the store.

Thanks to the remodel, everything is very interactive, she added. Customers can plug their phones into the units on the soundboard and listen to their own music to experience available products.

Relatively new to home theater, the shop also offers an area for sampling theater-grade surround sound, Trainer said, along with popcorn for the ultimate experience.

Car-Tunes has been open since 1984, and Trainer has owned the business since

2001. In January of 2019, the shop will have been open for 35 years. According to Trainer, it began as an investment and became a passion.

From Banking and Finance to Business Ownership Eighteen years ago, Trainer was looking for an investment. She went into Car-Tunes one day and asked the owner whether he’d be interested in selling. “He said no. He had started the business,” Trainer said. “But he thought about it, and a few weeks later he called me back and asked if I was still interested. We went from there.”

READY FOR THE NEW WORLD Trainer still keeps a few photos in her desk from when she first took over the business. “I think I was very ambitious, and that is a good thing. I made the right decision because at that time, I had no idea this would turn into my passion and that my kids would grow up here, and that it would become a part of our family the way it has,” she said.

Trainer has a background in business and accounting. “Most guys get into this because it’s a hobby or it’s something they enjoy. They like the music, the speakers, the amps and the subs. I have a different approach to running the business because although I have fallen in love with all of that, and enjoy those things immensely, I look at things from a business perspective first,” Trainer explained. “Running a business is totally different than installing the stuff we sell. I used to work at a bank. I thought I would be bank president one day.” Then she started her family, and an opportunity came along.

“Everything happens for a reason,” she added. “Now, I couldn’t imagine not raising my kids in our store.”

Her background in accounting provided extra leverage for owning the business, Trainer said. “My background is helpful because I look at things from a different perspective.”

Going further back, Trainer recalled how a job she held at Burger King as a teenager taught her skills that she is now utilizing as a business owner. “It’s amazing to me the things that I learned from that minimum wage job that I apply to my own business. I started out handling the food, but then after a year or two, I was doing more of their paperwork— keeping up with stats, time cards and employee management. It prepared me for what I need to do now.”

It’s important to learn and draw from daily life experiences, Trainer advised.

“Take those experiences and make sure you don’t limit yourself. Be open to how things are changing,” she said. “I’ve had to change things multiple times because the world keeps changing. Products change, the business changes, and if I didn’t keep changing, I probably wouldn’t be celebrating 35 years in business next year.”

Ongoing Shop Remodel Revitalizes Showroom, Draws New Clients When it became clear to Trainer that she wanted to present products and options to customers in a different way, she decided to move ahead with the remodel. “I look back at photos from 17 years ago, and it was basically empty and half of the store was walled off,” she said.

She felt it was time the showroom reflect the identity of Car-Tunes as a business. Trainer worked on her plan for a new showroom for almost a year, she said, to perfect everything as much as possible and choose the best placement of products. “I felt that was key. Everything had to be placed so it would make a comfortable flow for customers when they came in,” she said. “I had to have some separation in the products we were selling and keep the floor plan in a convenient flow that made sense.”

Trainer’s vision saw a customer making a stop at one display, and then moving to the next in order to build options. “It just evolved. The first thing we did was dismantle some of our older displays. It was challenging to stay open for business while making these transitions.

I tried to tackle certain tasks at a time. I took in a lot more inventory area. It freed up a lot of space for that flow, so we could be more specific to our customers’ needs.”

After constructing new walls, a free-standing feature wall was incorporated which allows customers to walk around an open area and view product. “We did all new flooring, new lighting and new paint. We had to have a way to display our equipment, so we got seven flat-screen TVs that basically highlight and offer information to the customer about the products.”

To further separate sections of the store, two additional counters were put in. Customers pay for their product at the main counter. A second

FAST FACTS CAR-T UNE S Inc . www.Car-Tunesinc.com

Location: Greenville, Miss.

Number of Stores: 1 Address: 1114 Hwy 82 E., Greenville, Miss. 38703 Facility Square Footage: 3,000 square feet total; 1,800 square-foot showroom Store Type: Retail / Boutique Number of Employees: 6

KEY STAFF Kimberly Trainer Owner / President

Robert Trainer Vice President

Dalton Trainer Head Technician

Christopher Spencer Technician

Kristen Trainer

Administrative Assistant

Katie Trainer “Little Boss”

MAIN FOCUS 70% Car Audio 10% Home Audio 20% Instruments, DJ equipment & Accessories

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real world RETAIL counter is available for consultations, while a third counter allows for customers who are signing up for payment plans to have privacy.

“We have an iPad where people can apply for certain payment plans,” Trainer said. “It gives them more privacy and freedom.” Car-Tunes offers a number of options regarding payment plans, including layaway plans without any extra cost, traditional financing plans, and a no-credit option for qualifying customers that only requires a valid checking account. Trainer stated that this option is for those who’ve yet to build up good credit, or for people without good credit.

The newly placed consultation counter is close to the add-on products. “We can talk with them and in the process show them additional things that might appeal to them.”

The remodel has also accounted for a small home theater area. “It’s something we do for our customers, but we haven’t really marketed it yet.”

28 Mobile Electronics November 2018

When customers came to Car-Tunes over the years asking about home theater, the business endeavored to provide that option. “If it’s a home or a business, we will do that,” Trainer said. “We’re bringing in Focal home products as well. This remodel is really an ongoing process.”

Staff Incentives Include Retirement Plan, Paid Vacations and More The focus at Car-Tunes is to ensure everyone is happy and productive.

According to Trainer, not only does each employee get their own retirement plan, but they also get paid vacations and paid holidays off. “I feel like everyone needs a little break,” she said. “When they get that break, they’re refreshed when they come back to work so they are more productive.

Some businesses are open every holiday, so that’s a big sale day for them. But for the holidays—Christmas, Thanksgiving— we close and we pay our employees.”

While Car-Tunes Inc. began primarily as a car stereo shop, it now carries many products in a number of categories, and has also branched out into home theater.

Birthdays are also honored at CarTunes. “Any time it’s someone’s birthday, they’re getting a birthday gift,” Trainer said. “We’re a smaller business, so we can do that. Most Saturdays are either donut days or biscuit days, something like that.”

The treat makes everyone smile, she added. It also keeps the morale high and the atmosphere positive. “If you’re having ‘one of those days,’ it makes it easier to get through it.”

The business doesn’t have much turnover. Trainer’s husband, Robert, is vice president of the company, but he is also a battalion chief at the local fire department and works long hours. “When he can, he comes in and helps out,” Trainer said. “When we can get that extra hand, it’s like a breath of fresh air. He’s a great salesperson.”

The shop’s head technician is Trainer’s son, Dalton; the administrative assistant is her daughter, Kristin; and the shop also employs a second technician, Christopher Spencer. “My youngest daughter doesn’t always work in the store, but everyone calls her ‘Little Boss,’” Trainer said of her daughter, Katie, whom she considers a member of the staff.

Employees are also cross-trained to work in various departments. It’s about

READY FOR THE NEW WORLD

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real world RETAIL teamwork, Trainer noted. “If we’re backed up, we can work together to try to accomplish everything,” she said. “Years ago, I would do some radio installs. I don’t do installs now—I don’t have the time—but I do go into our bay every day. Not in a hovering way, but more because I feel it’s important to keep in touch with all that. I want to know what the customer is talking about and what’s going on, what issues they may be having.”

The team fortifies the reputation of the store as a whole. “We tell our staff all the time, it’s not Chris, it’s not Kimberly, it’s Car-Tunes. It’s our reputation,” she said.

Car-Tunes also provides more for employees than ordinary, Trainer said. “I have things in our shop that may be more specialty-type tools that are part of our shop and not individually owned.” The business also provided designated work areas and a work bench for each tech.

“They have their own area, and they take pride in that. I think it’s good for the guys to know someone has their back all the time. If they’re overwhelmed or overloaded, everyone is always going to pitch in and help out.”

Recently, other employees were hired who didn’t work out. “A lot of people these days don’t have the same pace or drive that we tend to have at our store,” she said. “That can be really challenging.”

Regular Training and Education Builds Confidence in the Installation Bay Not only does a happy staff equal a productive one, but providing additional incentives for employees keeps them interested, Trainer added. Keeping them excited about their work means the business doesn’t need to go through the hiring process very often, she explained, and training is an important aspect of this.

“We utilize Mobile Solutions in Arizona. Bryan Schmitt is a fantastic teacher.

It’s not like you can just send them there once and they never go again,” Trainer said. “He always has new techniques, new technologies and new tools.”

The head technician at Car-Tunes, Dalton Trainer, has gone to Mobile

30 Mobile Electronics November 2018

Solutions twice. “He went back in May for some training I wanted him to do. He was just out there about two weeks ago.

We had an opportunity through Orca.

You had to have prerequisites, some other classes to have attended.” As a result, he was qualified to go to an elite training.

Ensuring technicians regularly attend training builds confidence in your installation bay, Trainer added. “It’s great for your store, great for your customers and great for your reputation. There is no negative. It’s an investment in your future.”

In-house education is also provided for employees, and most recently, Pioneer provided a sales-focused webinar. “We can dial in and it’s interactive,” Trainer said, adding, “Even if you think you know everything about a product, you’re always going to take something away. Any time we can get manufacturer training, we take advantage of that.”

In the beginning, the company’s goal was ambitious—a one-hour training before work, once per month. “We learned real quick that everyone was getting worn out with that,” Trainer said.

“It’s usually once a quarter now.”

As a team, the employees get together and go over a particular technique in a hands-on atmosphere. “Everyone completes the technique or goes over a new tool.” The best education, she added, comes from Mobile Solutions or the MESA summit she attends; Car-Tunes is a member. “When I come back from MESA, I have a list. I don’t even have enough time in the day to start doing all these new things that I want to do, or implementing all these new ideas I’ve got.”

Last year, she added, the MESA summit conflicted with an opportunity to go to France and visit the Focal facility. “It was the same exact week as our MESA summit,” she said. “I still want to visit Focal. But [I chose to attend the summit

READY FOR THE NEW WORLD

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real world RETAIL

Retirement Plan for Employees “I started a retirement plan for our employees several years back because I was looking for another way to compensate them. You don’t want to run out of ways to let them know you appreciate them. I try to always find other ways, and the retirement plan has been really successful with that. It’s like an automatic raise, but you’re also thinking about their future with the company. It just makes them a part of something that’s ongoing. It’s a permanent thing. The retirement plan works really well for that. You have to plan for your future.

“A lot of that might come from my past in banking. Things have changed so much when it comes to CDs and IRAs. Our economy is totally different now, but it’s always good to plan for your future.

“Our head tech, Dalton Trainer, is 23 years old, but he already has a retirement plan he’s been paying into. He’s growing a nice little account for his future.” because] I bring back so many fresh ideas from MESA, and make so many good contacts that make us better at what we do.”

Participating in Community Outreach Helps Car-Tunes Raise Awareness Much of Car-Tunes’ client base comes from word-of-mouth marketing and referrals. The business is well-established in the area, Trainer said, and as a result not much marketing needs to be done. “Local events are an ongoing thing with us,” she said, adding that community outreach is important for Car-Tunes.

For example, Camp Looking Glass in Arkansas—very close to Greenville—provides activities and programs for adults and children with disabilities. “It’s a great place for kids. We participate in their fundraising and donate items when they do silent auctions,” she explained.

32 Mobile Electronics November 2018

The team continues to participate in ongoing training to stay on top of new technologies. Dalton Trainer, head technician, recently returned from attending another class at Mobile Solutions in Arizona.

Additionally, the business connects with the community via the local fire department. “They do an annual fire and safety fest, and we participate whether it’s with a monetary donation, or going and setting up a table,” Trainer said. “We don’t sell products, but we do some giveaways and participate in the safety aspect. That way, our business is part of the community effort to keep everyone safe.”

Car-Tunes is also in its second year of participating in a coat drive through Compustar. “The coats we bring in are collected and donated to our local charities,” Trainer said. “We get the advertisement with a national campaign, but it benefits our local community directly.”

The business also contributes to the Make a Wish Foundation. “We donate merchandise for a yearly dinner, show and auction. The proceeds go to the children.” Additionally, the company donates music equipment and accessories to a local school for their sporting events.

New Foray into Online and Email Marketing Expected to Expand Reach While participating in local events helps the business raise awareness, Trainer said that she’s trying something new—email marketing. “That’s something I’ve tried to incorporate on a regular basis,” she added, though she admitted it’s not her favorite way to connect with potential clients. “But it’s a great way to get information out there.

With our anniversary coming up, we plan to do something special, including photos of the remodel. We’ll probably do a customer day at the store, something fun—who doesn’t like donuts, or hot dogs? We’ll have a nice, special sale day. I’ve already discussed some ideas with one of the ladies who helps me with marketing.”

Everyone’s idea of marketing is different, Trainer said, adding that she hasn’t

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Focal’s Stellar Support “Nalaka Adikari, who is the regional rep for Focal, has been really supportive of us. I know he has crazy busy days. He’s doing business with people in France while he’s in America, and there’s an eight-hour time difference.

“He’s up all hours of the night, but for me, he never seems to drop the ball. If I have a question, he’s providing the answer. He makes sure we’re informed about everything. He remembers everyone’s name. I don’t know how he does that, but he does. You’re valuable to him, just like he is valuable to you, and I think that’s a great relationship.

“Sales incentives are greatly appreciated, but Focal seems to be a lot more creative in their support of the dealer. These specialty trainings at Mobile Solutions, the types of things they sponsor, with Bryan Schmitt, it’s a skill and a technique that could be used in so many different ways, with so many different products and companies.

“They know without a doubt when they offer those things, you are going to become a better dealer, a better installer, a better business—and what better way to represent their product?

“They come up with program after program that is so creative. Because of a promotion we participated in, we started more digital marketing. Now we can promote Focal through email and social media marketing, but we can also use these tools for other aspects of our business.” had to do a lot of it in the past. “Whenever a customer comes in, we start from the moment they arrive, making them our customer or repaying them as a loyal customer,” she explained. “We have built up a base of regular, loyal customers who come to us for everything. They basically market us to other people. Not only

36 Mobile Electronics November 2018

is that free marketing, but if someone is doing that on their own with no request, then people believe what they are saying.”

Even so, the shop endeavors to stay on top of the trends. “We feel digital marketing is relevant in today’s time,” Trainer explained. “We want to stay connected with our customers in whatever way

they like to be connected. It’s a digital world. We have made that effort with social media marketing, and people are responding positively.”

Trainer feels the important thing is not to overload people with too many posts.

“Know your market,” she said. “We’ve

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settled into a pattern that works well for us. We give them the information they need.”

Signage around the store provides continuous visual marketing, and Trainer said she likes to keep things somewhat seasonal. “Every time you turn around, we have a new approach. We try to make things interactive.”

Promotions include tying key products together and calling them “product bundles,” she added. “People respond to that.

A lot of that comes down to your sales staff, too, and their ability to inform the customer of everything that’s available to them.”

Marketing is tricky, she added. “Some of it’s away from our store, trying to reach people, but a lot of it takes place at our storefront. We try to have a good balance.”

Southern hospitality is part of what they do, Trainer said, underscoring the importance of customer satisfaction. “It’s a high you get when you know you’ve made someone happy,” she added. On more than one occasion, she left the shop for the day only to receive a heart-warming call from an employee: “They call and tell me, ‘This guy loved his system.’ After they were finished with the install, the customer hugged them and said, ‘I love you guys. This is awesome!’”

“When you can deliver more than what they thought they were going to get, to the point when they are so happy they want to hug you,” Trainer added, “that’s a great deal.” facebook.com/MobileElectronics 37

 The Support Team Based in Oklahoma City, DD Audio’s entire staff is at its headquarters where its flagship subs are still hand-built. The sales and support team from left to right: Douglas Dustmann, Jack Smith, Aaron Trimble, Lewis Jackson, Kevin Holden, Seban Helms, Kevin Doyle and Shane Chandler.

With a strong SPL heritage, brick-and-mortar business model, unwavering respect for its dealers and solid Midwest values, DD Audio delivers not just the goods, but its good nature to all.

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Deep in the heart of America, based in Oklahoma City—a place nicknamed the Big Friendly—is where DD Audio has made its home. The company’s products, including marine, mobile, home, professional and industrial markets, as well as OEM, are American-designed and manufactured.

“We are very well known for our big subwoofers,” said sales and service manager Kevin Doyle, who has been with the company for nine years and is one of its 35 employees. “Our heritage is competition.”

38 Mobile Electronics November 2018

Always Available to Assist Dealers, Above and Beyond Today, DD Audio not only continues to carry that torch, but also maintains the incredibly strong rapport it has built with its dealer base. Part of that foundation comes from DD Audio’s sales team that is armed with solid product knowledge, and equally important, availability above and beyond what might be expected.

“We’re different from a lot of companies in that we don’t work through any outside distribution or rep firms,” Doyle said. “We have four salespeople domestically and every one of them has a pretty

in-depth knowledge of the products, how they work and the technical issues. Our sales team can talk most of our dealers through just about any situation they might have. Whatever the question might be, nine times out of 10 it is going to be the rep who should be called— and in today’s climate, the reps are very accessible. They have to be. Our reps are constantly monitoring Facebook, their personal phones, work email and office phone.”

For the infrequent situations where there is a need for back-up, there are two service techs and a manager who handles administrative things like service

Loud and Proud

Kevin Doyle heads up sales, service and support for DD Audio. In car audio and getting a real paycheck since 1998, he has been with the company for nine years.

tickets. He also works in tandem with the techs when there are dealer questions on enclosure design or if there is a need to troubleshoot a tricky install. This group addresses any issue that may arise that the dealer can’t seem to figure out.

Considering that each of DD Audio’s customers may have a preferred way of interacting and getting information and support, the sales team has to be on its toes on many fronts. “There are plenty of times when they are taking calls at 10 p.m.,” Doyle said. “We are centrally located in Oklahoma, but we are servicing the whole country and our domestic reps also handle Guam and Puerto Rico.

It is their job to take care of the customer so they have to be available to those customers.”

DD Audio Dealer Lounge and Other Avenues of Support Social media has also changed how dealers seek out information, and Facebook has been a quick go-to for many installers. The DD Audio Dealer Lounge, Doyle said, was started four years ago and is a closed group. It is only for authorized dealers and offers a forum for DD

Taking part in industry shows and getting face-time with dealers is a must for DD Audio, shown here in its booth at one of the three KnowledgeFest events that the company attends each year.

Audio dealers to share information like “Hey, have you ever had this issue?” or “I’m doing this kind of install; has anyone ever had this problem?”

“It is a reliable space where they can voice their concerns in a network of DD Audio dealers and see if they can get helpful answers there,” Doyle said. “The page is moderated by the entire sales team. Both the international and domestic sales teams are involved in moderating because Facebook is an international forum. We have people everywhere from Finland to Mexico on there so everyone around the world is interacting.”

Another resource for support is the company’s YouTube channel. “So many people turn to YouTube for how-to videos on everything from car audio to plumbing,” Doyle said. “We are in the process of spinning out more and more videos. We have done them in the past, but it hasn’t been a main focus.” That will change this year and going forward, Doyle added, as YouTube will be given a higher priority.

The company’s website is also a solid place for information and support, but is not as vital a resource as other avenues, according to Doyle. “We don’t think it is as vital a resource for us because

we deal solely with brick-and-mortar shops,” he said. “We don’t sell online to any customers. We get very few end-users who contact us. If we did have a lot of end-users then, yes, the website would be a better place to turn because it can be more generic and there is really no backand-forth. There is no real feedback you can get. We have not put much energy into it.”

There are basic FAQs available, he said.

“But it is the availability of the sales reps and the dealer lounge that are the two main tools for support, and those seem to be an efficient means of communicating with the dealers,” Doyle explained. “Even if it is an issue that the rep can’t handle himself, our technicians are also on the dealer lounge and they are also available via the reps. A rep may reach out to the tech and say, ‘I’ve got someone working on a box,’ or ‘We’re getting a weird noise,’ and between the two of them they can resolve the issue for the dealer.”

The DD Audio website, regardless, is well-done and easy to navigate. There is a product support section that offers detailed information on Box Design, Box Plans, Amplifier Set Up and Product FAQs (Can I run my amplifier at a lower facebook.com/MobileElectronics 39

 The Support Team DD Audio prides itself on being an American design and manufacturing company. Caleb Marx is seen here doing a hand-build. The company has a long heritage in competition audio and is well-known for its big subwoofers.

impedance than what the specs say?

What should I tune my box ports to?)

There is also helpful information on the company’s service policy, how to return a product and how to register a product. On the less serious side, the site also features a blog, The DDownlow which has features like dealer spotlights, product spotlights, news, tech talk and random articles—such as “Reasons Why A Sound Upgrade is The Perfect Gift Idea for Mom!” Most importantly, on the Support tab, there is a call to action that simply says, “We’re Here To Help.” There is an email contact form and a reminder to call for assistance if a reply isn’t received within 48 hours.

End-users can always be assisted during business hours, but Doyle wants to make sure the dealers are looped back in with any issues—large or small. “We are going to direct those end-users back to the dealer,” he said. “We are very dealer-focused. We don’t want one of our customers trying to bypass the dealer and then coming to us once they’ve started working on an install.

40 Mobile Electronics November 2018

It’s important that the dealer is involved in the install. “When an enduser calls us, he might tell us that he just got something installed at a certain shop.

We will definitely speak with him and address the issue, but then we will call the dealer and let them know we just got off the phone with one of their customers,” Doyle explained. “We bring them up to speed so they can reach out to follow up. Dealers appreciate that, but also the end-users appreciate that we took the time. Still, we want to direct those end-users back to the dealer who should be their local expert and should be the most timely and accessible resource for solving any issues.”

Face Time at Trade Shows and Events Proves Invaluable With such a strong retailer base, trade and industry shows continue to be an important part of the mix. “We are brickand-mortar focused so the person to person interaction is still key,” Doyle said.

“We are invested in KnowledgeFest. We do all three shows, Indianapolis, Long

Beach and Dallas. On each of those trips, we double dip and make it a two-week trip for the sales guys so they will go out to California for the show, but we will take a wide swing and hit as many dealers as we can.” This involves getting in touch and making appointments. Doyle said it’s important to determine whether they have any technical needs that can be addressed.

“For instance, do they need DSP training? Or we ask if they have any questions or specific needs with some of our products. Beyond that, each salesperson makes one to two trips to see their dealers per year,” Doyle added. “The salespeople set up appointments, see how the product is being merchandised and address any questions or service issues.”

Once the rep is in-store, Doyle said, dealers tend to open up. “A lot of times they won’t say anything, but then when you show up in their shop—on their home turf—they let you know what’s going and if they need anything,” he said.

“Luckily for us, most of the time these visits are all about the good news. They tell us they appreciate the integrity of

Loud and Proud

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 The Support Team The Z series is all about world subwoofer domination. It is the culmination of DD’s ultimate engineering goal—to push the limits of delivered energy by using high-performance composite technologies. The flagship line, shown here, is a custom-built DDZ4-15 ESP sub which delivers the highest motor strength, greatest voice coil cooling capability and most overbuilt design features.

the line and the territory protection. And of course, there are visits when we have issues to work through, too.”

“In having such a high level of respect for our dealers, things have been very positive for us.”

Once a year, during the summer, DD Audio hosts its DD Invitational. “We hold training sessions in the morning, but in the afternoon we do goof around,” Doyle said. “We have different stereo competitions and our installer Olympics.

It is pretty fun. There’s a woofer toss and things of that nature. That is the closest thing to a centrally located event. It is an open invitation to any current DD Audio dealer. We actually let the dealers each bring one super customer, if they have one, which has been extremely positive.

These are guys who love the brand and who have done some outstanding builds with these dealers. They get to come and tour the headquarters and see where their woofers were built and where the stuff happens.”

42 Mobile Electronics November 2018

At the headquarters, there is not only the production team (all of the company’s flagship subwoofers are hand-built here and all of the company’s own amplifiers are serviced here, too) but the business support staff, sales team and shipping team.

As he anticipates the year ahead, Doyle is pumped. “We have been lucky or blessed, or whatever you want to call it,” he said. “In having such a high level of respect for our dealers, things have been very positive for us. We’re growing as fast as we can to keep up. We are seeing growth every year. We are reaching out to dealers and connecting with those who might want to make a change or add a line. We are able to offer a team that is very accessible and has a high level of technical knowledge.”

While DD Audio made its name specifically in SPL car audio, the company has evolved. “We have grown from that niche of doing hand-builds, when only four or five people hand-built for whoever could buy them, into the company we are today.

We definitely want to maintain that heritage of competition.”

In the next year, according to Doyle, he expects to see more and more custom

work. The company is very focused on integration and customization, as well as helping its dealers to excel at these two main skills.

“Box enclosure is still a huge thing,” Doyle said. “It is a black art to some people. You can have the best speaker in the world and put it in a sorry box and it’s going to sound terrible. But you can have a mediocre speaker, put it in a good box, and you’ll get decent results.”

For this reason, DD Audio wants to help dealers with enclosure design, Doyle explained. “We do the same for them with charging systems set-up. We deal with lots of high-wattage systems.

We sell quite a few big amplifiers. Many companies stop at the 1,000- or 2,000watt range, but we have amplifiers up to 8,000 watts and we bring limited production in of 20,000-watt amplifiers, so we have to help those dealers reinforce their charging system. Next year, we will just continue to be about educating our dealers in integration and customization.

Our hard work is paying off. The dealers respect it and we’re seeing that because we’re picking up more and more customers every year.”

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 strategy & tactics

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About TSS How can you get the most out of your TSS or point-of-sale program?

Consider the many features you may not be utilizing and learn to apply them to maximize both efficiency and profits.

WORDS BY RICHARD BASLER

When I was asked if I would be willing to write an article about the top 10 things you may not know about TSS, I said yes to the opportunity pretty quickly. I was excited about the chance to write an article for Mobile Electronics magazine, but nervous as well, since I had never written an article before. After a couple of days I began to think about what readers might have to say about a TSS article, such as, “Oh, great, another story about TSS.” But when I gave it some further thought, I realized I could write the article about TSS—and incorporate my thoughts and opinions based on 22 years of retail

44 Mobile Electronics November 2018

experience, which included using TSS at a 12-volt retail store, and other point-of-sale programs I worked with during that time.

It still surprises me when I speak with retailers and hear how little they are actually using of their TSS or pointof-sale program. These programs are designed to help us, but they are often underutilized. In this article, my goal is to provide TSS users with new information, so they can take full advantage of the program’s capabilities. I also want to provide some general information to encourage retailers to use TSS, or any other point-ofsale programs, in order to better manage and track their businesses.

Google Calendar Sync with TSS Scheduler In TSS you can link each bay on the schedule screen to a Google Calendar you create within an existing Google Account.

When you create a Google Account, a calendar is one of the features of that account. You have the ability to create additional calendars and name them whatever you choose. Each calendar you create is provided its own unique calendar ID. To create the link between a bay on the schedule screen in TSS with a Google Calendar, begin by highlighting and copying the calendar ID of the first calendar and then close all browsers on the computer.

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About TSS

Now go into the employee record for bay 1 of TSS, click the edit tab, then click the link tab, paste the ID into the calendar ID field of the window that opens and click the OK tab.

Make sure there are no spaces at the beginning before the first character of the ID. You should see your default browser open and it should show, “Registered,” followed by a number. This confirms the link setup was successful. You can repeat this process for each bay you have on the TSS schedule that you want to sync with a Google Calendar you have created.

When completed, you will now be able to see your TSS schedule from any device you use to access your Google Calendar.

I suggest using the TSS Schedule because it offers great benefits. Properly using a schedule is a must these days. You never want a customer to show up for an appointment you didn’t know about, or worse, you don’t even have the products for their installation on hand.

Associated Items Function I speak to retailers on a regular basis, and one of the things I hear from them, and see on social media, is that employees may forget to add certain accessory parts that are needed to properly install a head

unit, remote start, etc. TSS gives you the ability to associate items in your inventory to prevent this from happening. You can set up an association of one part to another or a mass association in which you can associate a single item to a list of inventory items. Now when you create an invoice and put the item on the invoice, a prompt window will open with all items you have associated with it, making it less likely for an employee to forget items.

An accurate quote is then provided to a customer. Using this feature can keep you from having to go back to a customer to tell them the install price will be higher, due to a part needed not being in the quote, or worse—eating the cost to save the sale

Text Messaging There are two areas in TSS in which you can use a text messaging feature. One involves sending reminder messages to customers of an upcoming appointment at your store. If you use the text or email appointment reminder function in TSS properly, it can help reduce no shows.

Having customers not show for appointments, and having technicians with no work to do, is very unproductive and unprofitable. This feature is pretty easy to

use. Just go into App Settings in TSS and setup the email and SMS settings. Now, when you are filling in the customer’s information on the TSS invoice, you need to input the mobile number and identify the carrier of service. From the schedule screen, you can now send the text message reminder to the customer. The second allows you to send a message to a customer that the installation on their vehicle is complete, and is ready to be picked up. To send this message, you can pull up the invoice, click the Functions tab at the top and select “send SMS message.” A message prompt will open and the customer’s phone number and carrier will be populated. All you need to do is type in a brief message and click the OK tab to send.

Gift Certificate/Gift Card Tracking You can sell and track gift certificate sales in TSS. You can also sell and track gift cards if you use Open Edge, our merchant services partner. If you are selling gift cards instead of gift certificates, but with another merchant, we can still set up a way for you to sell and track those sales. It is important to be able to know what your outstanding facebook.com/MobileElectronics 45

 strategy & tactics

liability for gift certificates/gift cards are at any given time. The General Ledger function needs to be turned on for this feature to work, along with creating an inventory item for gift certificates and gift cards respectively. When creating these inventory items, make sure you check the box for tax exempt. There are a few other specific settings for properly creating the gift certificate and gift card inventory items.

General Ledger Located in App Settings, under the Bookkeeping tab, there is a tab titled Enable General Ledger. Once you turn that function on and close and restart TSS, you will have the ability to track some basic accounting activity. It also adds an additional report folder called Accounting to the reports section.

You can run an Accounting Export Worksheet report to show all results of any posted transactions that touched the General Ledger. The data is listed on the report in a debit and credit format, making it easier for your accountant to use the report to update your company accounting information.

Estimates/Commits Estimate type invoices are a function I believe most retailers are aware of in TSS. However, I think there are also many retailers that don’t know all the settings and benefits available with estimate

46 Mobile Electronics November 2018

invoices. One benefit of estimates is that when you save the estimate, it won’t commit the items on the invoice. This will prevent a retailer from having a bunch of bogus commits in their TSS which helps with inventory control.

Secondly, if you are concerned that customers may use the quote you provide them to shop around, then using an estimate type invoice in which you are able to print out a copy that does not include model numbers can reduce the chances of customers using the list to try to find items elsewhere. Lastly, make sure you are getting as much of the customer’s information as you can, including email.

If you don’t close a sale today, you can still market to them in the future.

Tracking Installer Performance In TSS you are able to track your installer’s performance, which allows you to see how efficient or inefficient they are. For each labor item you put on the invoice, you can identify the installer and the time they took to complete the labor job. By going to the serial number field and clicking on the ellipsis symbol, or pressing the F6 key, you can open a Browsing Employees window. From that window, select the installer who completed the install and a second window will open. This is where you input the time it took to complete the job. You can also have installers log in and log out of labor items on an invoice and TSS will

automatically calculate the total time for you.

The information collected by completing one of these two steps can be reviewed by running the Installer Performance or Installer Profitability reports.

The labor items need to be set up in TSS correctly for the program to calculate performance properly. If you sell labor by periods of time (e.g., 2.5 for two and a half hours) you need to set the Unit of Measure field to the Job setting in the inventory item. If you always sell labor with a quantity of one and just change the selling price, then Unit of Measure should be set to Each.

Let’s say you have three installers and one of them is consistently taking longer than the time you sold for certain types of jobs. This could be used to point out the installer’s deficiency. It can also be used during an employee review, when the installer is requesting a raise that is above his or her performance level. In another scenario, let’s say all three installers take longer than the time sold for a certain type of install. This should cause you to reevaluate the time you are selling for that job, and consider increasing the time.

Mobile APP There is currently a Mobile App (INMobile) available in the Android play store.

With the app, you can currently take pictures with your camera and then link

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About TSS

it directly to an invoice in TSS. You are able to type a description, and it will be linked to the image and TSS as a note. A great way to use this feature is during an inspection of a vehicle before beginning an install. Take pictures of any damage you find on the vehicle. (You could be held liable by the customer.) Then link it to the customer’s invoice. The notes are time-stamped, as are the photos themselves, should the customer question them. You can also use this INMobile App to upload photos to your MEA-maintained website, which should help keep your gallery up to date with your current completed work.

If you have trouble making sure you have certain products in stock, especially those for scheduled installations, this last report is one you should definitely use.

The Purchasing Advice report is designed to show you what you need to reorder to get yourself back to the stock levels you have set up in each inventory item.

This report looks at the max stock level, reorder point, current stock on hand and commits you have for a given item.

You can run this report by make, so you can streamline it to a specific vendor, or you can leave the filter blank and allow the report to advise you on your entire inventory.

Inventory Management Reporting

Multi-Store/Remotely use TSS

There are a lot of great reports in TSS that allow you to look at all kinds of data to help you see how your business is doing. I am going to cover four important reports you should be using.

These reports are designed to help you manage your inventory. The first is the Daily Items Sold report. The second is the Item Sales by Quantity report. Both reports are located under the Salesperson Activity reports section. The third is the Inventory Transaction Summary report, and the fourth is the Purchasing Advice Report. Both of these are located under the Inventory History reports section.

The Daily Items Sold report gives you a snapshot of the items that left your building on a given day. The Item Sales by Quantity report is great because it shows you best selling items over a given period of time, such as a week, a month, or quarter. Using these numbers, you can modify the max stock levels and reorder points of certain inventory items, to make sure you don’t run out of the best sellers. The Inventory Transaction Summary report gives you the ability to look at your inventory by make, class or category. You can see starting quantity on a given date, how many were ordered and added to inventory by receiving a PO, how many were added manually, how many sold, how many returned, how many were transferred (TSS Multi-Store), current quantity by end date selected and the value of the inventory on hand for the end date.

For those retailers with multiple locations, TSS allows you to maintain separate databases for each location while being able to look at data from all stores in real time. Now the owner or operations manager can see what’s going on across all locations from their office. You can transfer inventory between locations, see the schedule, look at inventory and more.

If you’re a retailer with more than one location, make sure you are using a program that allows this functionality. This will maximize efficiency and allow you to have a better work/life balance. TSS can also be used remotely, so no matter where

you are—as long as you have Internet access on your Windows device—you can use TSS as if you were still in the store.

Master TSS to Increase Efficiency and Maximize Profits I hope this article has offered useful information about the features of TSS, enabling you to utilize them for maximum efficiency. Whether you are using TSS or another point-of-sale program, take the time to learn the program’s capabilities and master them. I know retailers are investing time and money in training and education with events like KnowledgeFest, so they can be the best at selling and installing products. I imagine the reason retailers are doing this is so they can increase revenue—but simply increasing revenue is not enough.

You need to run your business efficiently by managing costs and maximizing profits. Invest the time into learning the ins and outs of your software and using it to its fullest. Combine this with the training and education you are already doing. This will help take your business to the next level. To learn more about TSS, or if you have any questions about it, you can contact me by phone or email: (800)949-6372 ext. 6449, richb@mobile-electronics.com.

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With preparation for KnowledgeFest Dallas 2018 underway, MSC America and the Dream Team continued to transform an Audi Q5 into a spectacular demo vehicle. In part two, the team takes a closer look at amp rack and subwoofer enclosure design, as well as some of the more unique materials used in the build.

WORDS BY DAVID MACKINNON

I

n the last installment, we looked at the process that Doug Dobson and the dream team of Bryan Schmitt, Tom Miller, JT Torres and Canadians Tyler Neault and Dereck Brown used to complete the door speaker installation in Doug’s new Audi Q5. In this article, we will look at the amp rack and subwoofer enclosure design and construction process and delve into some of the unique materials and processes they used to complete the project. Thank you to Bryan Schmitt, Doug Dobson and Jason Digos for providing the photographs.

ADVANCED 48 Mobile Electronics November 2018

The Dream Team

The

silv

ins

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FABRICATION MATERIALS Our industry has advanced a great deal over the years. If you think back to the eighties, it seemed tweed was the material of choice for custom installations.

This evolved to painted fiberglass and then vinyl. Lately, we see multi-layered vinyl-wrapped panels with LED accent lighting and acrylic components finished

in factory-style textures in the most memorable of projects.

The goal for Doug’s Q5 was to replicate the finishes and materials that Audi used from the factory. The team invested time in finding vinyl and carpet that matched the factory materials perfectly. The wood accent panel on the subwoofer enclosure is stained to

Fabric, vinyl and carpet samples were matched to the factory materials for a custom tailored look.

50 Mobile Electronics November 2018

match the wood inserts in the dash and center console. Painted acrylic panels mimic the hard surfaces on the dash for a look and feel that truly takes integration to a new level.

It takes some extra time and planning to execute an installation like this, but the results are well worth the investment.

The Dream Team

STATE OF THE ART INSTALLATION TOOLS

The laser allows for precision cuts. When the power was reduced, the dream team was able to engrave the BLAM logo into the grilles in the doors.

As a global leader in mobile electronics installation training, Bryan and his teamat Mobile Solutions are always looking for smarter and more efficient ways to complete installation tasks. As such, Mobile Solutions has invested in a large CNC router and a CNC laser.

While many of us can get along just fine with a router lift and templates, having these advanced tools can dramatically accelerate the process of creating components that nest together and make future duplication as easy as a press of a button.

The Importance of a Plan As we mentioned in the last installment, Bryan spearheaded the project, assigning tasks to team members in a way that optimized the overall efficiency

of the project. The team had detailed renderings from Tom Miller of Musicar Northwest to work from to further speed up the process. While Doug did a lot of work in preparing his Q5 with the installation of the source unit integration components and running of speaker wire through the vehicle, the overall fabrication stage was completed in under four days.

Subwoofer System Design Philosophy As mentioned, the design concept for this build was for the sound system to appear as a bespoke option that might have come directly from Audi. The door speaker grilles and pods mimic the styling found elsewhere in the vehicle, and as such, the subwoofer enclosure profile

would continue with this philosophy. As you can see from Tom’s rendering, the enclosure sits on top of a false floor and appears as a piece of custom luggage.

For decades, high-end coachbuilders would include suitcases designed to fit perfectly into the cargo area of the vehicles they created. Custom luggage remains an option for some vehicles as Louis Vuitton offers a set of luggage bags designed specifically for the BMW i8.

Fabrication Techniques As you can tell, the team took advantage of their access to the latest fabrication tools and technologies to create the subwoofer enclosure for the Q5. The side-profile of the enclosure was drawn in CAD, then sent to the CNC router so that

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The stock center console of the Audi Q5.

Acrylic plastic cut and finished in satin black paint.

The team took the time to add illumination to the MMI control knob used with the Director.

Forty-five layers of CNC-cut 3/4-inch MDF form the body of the subwoofer enclosure.

Here we can see that the top and side veneer panels have been installed and protected by 3M masking tape. Autobody filler is used to blend the plastic accent ring into the top of the enclosure.

each of the 45 rings could be cut out with flawless accuracy.

While it’s likely you have seen this construction process before, for those who haven’t, the technique is known as Stak Fab. Rings are stacked on top of one another to form a complex shape that offers impressive strength. Stak Fab is a popular construction method in which the outside contour of the subwoofer

52 Mobile Electronics November 2018

Tom Miller’s rendering for the trunk of Doug’s Audi Q5 SUV.

enclosure is curved or needs to follow a complex pattern.

The team chose to integrate supports and a radiused opening for the vent into the body of the enclosure. A single 10-inch Helix Q 10W subwoofer provides bass for the system. Seven holes in each layer allow the team to use long pieces of threaded rod to pull the panels together securely.

Material Choices As we mentioned, matching the wood grain in the interior accurately was crucial to the fabrication process. Doug and Tom invested time in ensuring the wood grain accent panel on the top of the enclosure matched the wood accents on the dash and center console of the Audi. They tried several different stains,

Dream Team ProjectTheNotes

by

LARRY PENN Tom and Doug testing wood stains on a piece of Veneer. applying it in varying amounts to achieve the desired result.

With the veneer color and pattern matched, a piece was cut to serve as an accent panel for the top and back edge of the enclosure and the sides. A thin accent ring was added around the top veneer insert and smoothed into the body of the enclosure using autobody filler. Once everything was smooth, the veneer was masked and contact adhesive was sprayed onto the enclosure to make way for vinyl wrapping.

An aluminum trim ring that matches the inside shape of the accent ring mimics the silver accents found in the rest of the vehicle. The finishing touch for the top was the addition of the fourringed Audi badge.

Subwoofer Enclosure Side Panels The dream team wanted to do something unique for the trim on the sides of the enclosure. They cut acrylic rings to the same profile as the enclosure and added a bevel to the sides. Once fitted perfectly to the ends of the enclosure, neodymium magnets were added to the trim ring and enclosure body. The magnets hold the trim pieces in place securely. The trim rings are finished in the same silver paint that the team used as an accent color on the door grilles and mid/tweeter pods.

Audi Q5 False Floor As you can imagine, there is a lot of equipment installed in this system. The false floor would highlight the system amplifiers while concealing the wiring that makes the system work.

The team started by removing the spare tire from the cargo area and applying a layer of SoundSkins damping

material. From there, construction of a steel support frame began. More and more retailers are adding a welder to their arsenal of fabrication tools. Welding is a fast and easy way to create mounting brackets for fuse holders or tabs for a custom amplifier mounting panel under a seat or the under the rear parcel shelf of a trunk.

All the wiring for the amps is protected with braided mesh that is secured with heat-shrink tubing. Wire ferrules ensure all the strands of wire stay bundled when inserted into the Scosche distribution blocks.

The team used aluminum accents around the amps to continue the twotone theme, and finished the panel above that in vinyl. A trim ring around the periphery of the amp rack is also finished in vinyl and includes concealed LED strip lighting to serve as a subtle accent for the system.

It’s not often that a group of master craftsmen can come together in this manner to complete a project of this magnitude. If you have seen—or even better, heard—Doug’s Audi, then you know exactly how amazing the result is.

Since acquiring the responsibility of the Audiotec Fischer and BLAM brands for the North American market at the beginning of 2018, we knew we wanted to create a unique demo vehicle. With support from our friends in Germany and France, along with a mountain of organizational work from Doug Dobson, our Director of Technical Services, we feel we have achieved and surpassed our goal.

Doug achieved his dream of assembling a team of some of the best fabricators in the world to build a world-class audio system in his Audi Q5. Quarterbacked by Bryan Schmitt, owner of Mobile Solutions, the team achieved a result that is truly world class. The design, execution and fit and finish of this system is truly amazing.

Jason Digos, Doug Dobson and I would like to personally thank Tom Miller (Lead Designer), JT Torres, Derek Brown and Tyler Neault for giving their all to this project. We would also like to thank Bryan and Michele Schmitt for making their amazing facility available to this “Dream Team.” Their facility is world class and with their procedures, processes and focus from the team, this amazing project was completed in just four days! We would also like to thank SoundSkins, Scosche, NAV-TV and Escort for their contributions. Without their valuable support, this project would not be the same!

We debuted the Q5 in our booth at KnowledgeFest Dallas in August. With the help of Heinz, Gudrun and Julian from Audiotec Fischer, we presented each of the people responsible for this build with a Brax GX2400 amplifier hand signed by the Fischer family. We wanted to present a unique gift to this talented crew to thank them for their support.

We look forward to getting out on the road visiting our dealers to let them experience what this “Dream Team” has created!

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SUBMITTED BY JAIME PALAFOX, AGOURA AUTOSOUNDS, AGOURA HILLS, CALIF.

Sometimes clients know what they want for their vehicle and need a professional to help them execute it. A BMW X2 client with a vision for their vehicle contacted Jaime Palafox of Agoura Autosounds to help breathe life into their plan. The goals of the upgrade were to add quite a bit of bass and brighten up the front stage. The plan Jaime put together would ensure the project was a home run.

The factory sail panels did not have any tweeter provisions where Jaime wanted to add a set of tweeters. To remedy that he constructed a tweeter grille overlay for the sail panel. The tweeter was mounted to the door and then the factory sail panel was trimmed to provide the opening for the new grille. Once installed, the assembly looked like a factory upgrade.

With the front brightened up, it was time to focus some attention to the rear of the BMW. The task here was to integrate a JL Audio 12W7AE into the hatch of the vehicle with an enclosure that shared some design cues with the stock interior. The aspects Jaime focused on were the lighting and silver beltline stripe in the door. Both were integrated into the ported enclosure. In addition to those elements, Jaime also used an acrylic front baffle and pressed grille accents.

Powering the upgraded elements of the speaker system are two JL Audio amplifiers. Jaime left some room for future expansion by choosing a 4-channel amplifier to power the tweeters. To integrate with the factory signal two AudioControl processors were used. The visual and auditory results of this X2 upgrade are totally bitchin’.

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SUBMITTED BY JAY SKAGGS, CARTRONIX AUTOSOUND, YUBA CITY, CALIF.

This 2016 Mustang GT came to the crew at Cartronix Autosound with a host of existing upgrades. The interior had been reworked

by Cool Customs in Yuba City. The tuning and engine work was done by Advanced Engine Development. The adjustable air ride suspension was installed at San Jose’s Because Bags. And the stunning marbled wrap was completed by the owner, Tanner Ruggieri.

With accessory and performance modifications in the bag, Tanner handed his custom ride off to Jay and Rylan at Cartronix Autosound. They were tasked with the job of upgrading the audio system, while working around the existing equipment. The focus for this first stage of audio upgrades was the bass. To provide a subwoofer system worthy of this ride, the team called on JL Audio. A pair of 12W6v3’s were installed in a custom enclosure in the floor of the trunk. Flanking the woofers is a pair of JL Audio HD amplifiers, each powering one of the subs. In addition to incorporating some of the vehicle wrap material in the build, copious amounts of acrylic and lighting were also used. The result is a head-turning trunk that grabs attention any time it is opened. Cartronix Autosound wanted to give a special thanks to Jose Garcia for the great photos of this maxed-out Mustang.

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from the President

Increasing Driver Safety The driver safety category can help save lives.

As an industry, we have a responsibility to be a part of the solution.

You take a deep breath, check your speed and then move over to let the bright flashing red and blue lights pass speedily. The traffic slows as you come upon what can only be described as a scene out of the apocalypse. Vehicles mangled, airbags deployed and a lone injured person staring hopelessly at an accident that will have most likely changed the lives of those involved. We call them accidents, but what we really want to know is, how did this happen, and could it have been prevented?

to customers who are already familiar with their backup cameras and their benefits.

That familiarity also positions you well to pitch other safety technologies such as lane departure and blind spot warning.

Lane departure and blind spot warning provides the driver with an alert when they deviate from their lane. It can also provide an alert if there is a vehicle in their blind spot. Both are great accident preventing upgrades that are not exclusive to the OEM.

As an industry, we have a responsibility to be a part of the solution. Over the years we have provided upgraded entertainment, security and convenience technologies. These all serve to enhance the vehicle and driving experience. The next step is to use your talents to provide a level of driving safety that will in turn save the lives of countless people.

Look for ways to integrate safety with a factory fit and finish.

Like integrated radar detection systems, you can provide installation techniques that provide your customers a betterthan-OEM experience.

I challenge you to not only explore this category, I implore you to embrace it as an integral part of your business. When you do, it will open a new world of opportunities that will carry over to greater awareness for your business. The driver safety category allows you to promote safe driving technologies that will in turn broaden your customer base.

There are many products within this category. Backup cameras and backup alerts are two of the staples of the industry.

They have been offered to consumers for quite some time. The recent government mandate of backup cameras on all passenger vehicles has brought heightened awareness to this product.

Don’t take for granted that everyone walking into your store knows that you can upgrade their vehicle with a backup camera.

Take the time to set up a compelling display and make sure to recommend it to every customer that does not have a backup camera.

Don’t let a factory installed backup camera deter you from making the sale. Camera technology has broadened to include more advanced products such as forward-facing cameras and 360-degree view cameras, dash cameras and night-vision (FLIR) forward looking cameras. Make it a point to pitch the upgrade

58 Mobile Electronics November 2018

All these technologies are great offerings for your customers. They are also well positioned to get you additional business by providing them to fleets. Keep in mind that there are many small fleets in your area. Make a list of companies and contacts, put together an offering and presentation and set up a meeting to see if you could help them drive safer, saving money and lives. GPS tracking systems are very popular with fleets and are a good opening in your sales pitch. GPS tracking is available for both truck and trailer. There are many product offerings and many of the fleet technology companies are eager to work with you to fulfill upgrades for small fleets.

Keep in mind that, to date, there are currently 250 models from 30 vehicle manufacturers in the United States that are offering one or more of the following technologies: forward-collision warning, auto-braking at city speed/ highway speed, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, blind-spot warning, rear cross traffic and rearview camera. While that seems like a lot, it is far less then the 260 million plus vehicles on the road today.

The opportunity to outfit late model vehicles is great and should become a focus area for new business. Don’t miss out—talk to one of the many vendors that provide advanced driver assistance systems. You will be glad you did!

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REAR CROSS TRAFFIC ALERT

senses approaching vehicles when in reverse

both systems equipped with front interior LED indicator audio/visual alerts

sensors are installed professionally inside the rear of In-Vehicle the bumperEntertainment

sensors are built into the frame that is mounted the whataround today’ license plates consumers

has been reborn with the ďŹ rst system to deliver demand - TRUE UNLIMITED CONTENT CAPABILITIES. Download your favorite apps, connect your favorite devices, enjoy your DVD collection, but best of all, this system offers full control of the system without having to see the actual monitors. Apps developed for Android and Apple allow Mom and Dad in the front seat to access and fully control the system. No more pulling the car over or reaching around the seats. Innovation at its best!

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(ACABSD20) For more information or to become a dealer visit (ACABSDLP) us at: www.voxxelectronics.com/become-dealer/

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