Strategy & Tactics: Friendship is Knowledge is Power

WORDS BY DAVID MACKINNON

These days, we are what we know and who we know.

In the ’80s and ’90s, one of the hardest parts about selling aftermarket audio systems was knowing what size speakers fit in the doors, dash or the rear deck of your client’s vehicle. In a modern vehicle, we have to deal with audio systems with different signal processing across trim levels of the same vehicle. It’s impossible to know what’s going on with every car or truck on the road. So, how do we take care of our clients? One way to improve efficiency is to call on our friends.

A Friend in Need Back when I got started in the car audio industry (32-plus years ago), the only reason you’d contact other shops in your area was to see if they had a dash kit or replacement antenna in stock. I’d say the answers you got from whomever you talked to on the phone were incorrect as often as they were accurate. Having resources available to help you out of a jam is definitely a requirement these days. Where we used to need kits and antennae, now we need harnesses, interfaces and adapters. Having a good relationship with other shops in your area improves everyone’s customer service abilities. I spoke to three people in the creation of this article. First was Eric Carter from Modern Media Geeks and former owner of Cartronix in Valparaiso, Ind. Eric told me he was at a training seminar at Sonus Car Audio a decade ago and Micah Williams, the owner, told the class that being friends with your competitors is an important tool. Eric took this to heart and made an effort to befriend the owners of other shops in town.

Imagine if a client comes into your store looking for an Alpine Restyle kit for his Jeep Wrangler, but you only carry Sony and Kenwood. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to tell them that your friend across town can help them out? Think about how a consumer would feel hearing that. It’s a statement that puts customer service at the forefront of the store’s efforts. You could take it to the next level and call the other shop and let them know the client is on their way over.

Eric shared that he has industry friends all over the country. Sometimes they talk a few times a week, and with others, they might go months without a conversation. It was nice to hear that the conversations aren’t always about mobile electronics. They talk about their families, bounce ideas off one another or just chat about random stuff.

Eric went on to tell me that he thinks the industry is more of a family than any other he’s seen. He reminisced about being at KnowledgeFest in 2010 and listening to Jon Kowanetz (2010 Mobile Electronics magazine Installer of the Year) talk about this very topic during his acceptance speech. He said it really hit home.

Next, I talked to Ata Ehdaivand from Absolute Electronix in Rockville, Md. Ata told me he’s very close with four other shops in the area. All the stores are typically Top 50 Retailer award winners and rank on Google and Yelp with scores of 4.5 or higher. He likes sharing information with these guys because they all work on the same level to deliver quality and value for their customers.

Ata told us that his store owner friends aren’t just there for moral support, but can answer technical or vehicle-specific questions when they come up. They also admit to helping each other with products when a manufacturer is back-ordered.

Lastly, I made a call to Brandon Green from The Car Audio Shop in High Ridge, Mo. Brandon told me he’s close to several other retailers in his area. They created a Facebook group to share information, let each other know about experiences with clients and their vehicles, and organize get-togethers. He mentioned that while many of them are competing for the same customers, it’s a truly friendly rivalry and they are all happy when one of them seals a deal.

It’s clear that being friends with the other store owners, both in your area and around the world, has significant benefits. The question is, how do you become friends with these guys and gals?

Retailers like SoundsGood Auto Services in Canada often bring an entire contingency to KnowledgeFest to ensure they are up-to-date on the latest technologies in the industry.

The Often-Imitated, never-duplicated, world-famous Dallas Bottle Share is the premier opportunity to meet great car audio people and make some new friends. Organized by Jay Kent of Escort Radar.

Network and Learn

As a reader of Mobile Electronics magazine, it’s nearly impossible to not know about the three (and soon to be four) KnowledgeFest industry trade shows that take place around the United States each year. Aside from the amazing and critically important product training seminars, there are many educational seminars for store owners, salespeople and of course, installers. If you want to increase your profitability and efficiency, these are a must.

Without taking away from those scheduled events, I want to highlight the importance of networking. If someone has invested in attending Knowledgefest, you can be fairly sure they are fundamentally like-minded professionals who want to learn and share their experience and knowledge with others. You need to meet these people.

How to Meet People at KnowledgeFest

Now, this isn’t how to score the love of your life on Tinder or Plenty of Fish. Let’s talk about strategies for meeting other mobile electronics professionals. If you are in sales, you likely have a somewhat extroverted personality and can strike up a conversation with anyone. This makes meeting new people not much of a problem.

If you are on the other end of the spectrum, attending an event like KnowledgeFest brings a lot of mixed emotions. How do I know? As much as it doesn’t come across in my online behavior or in my training seminars, I am incredibly introverted. I completely understand that uneasy feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you have to talk to someone you don’t know. Yes, we all want to go to Dallas to learn as much as we can, but at the same time, the anxiety of being around people you’ve never met, in a city you aren’t familiar with can be, well, overwhelming.

What I also know is that telling an introvert to ‘not be scared’ is like telling the sun not to be hot. It just isn’t going to happen. For those of us who would rather keep to ourselves, but know that it’s extremely worthwhile to make connections, I’ll provide a few suggestions below. Take a deep breath, my friends. I promise you’ll survive the experience!

Option 1: Attend Training Seminars

My first suggestion is to attend training seminars. While you are learning about the cool features of the products you sell or learning a new way to tune a digital signal processor to wow your customers, pay attention to who is asking questions and what they are asking. If they are experiencing challenges with specific vehicles or a selling approach, you can use this as an ice-breaker to strike up a conversation after the training is done. “Hi, I’m Dave. I noticed you were having problems with those new Mustangs. Can I ask you about how you solved them?” Yep. That’s a real-world example. Use it. No extra charge!

Option 2: Tour the Mobile Electronics Exhibit Floor

Not only is the manufacturers’ exhibit floor at KnowledgeFest 6,743 times better than going to CES, but it’s also a great way to learn about new products and features from the brands you carry and find out information about products you might not offer. Knowing what other companies offer is crucial to running a business, and it’s a great way to strike up a conversation. Walking into a booth is almost always met with a greeting, so if you are shy, they break the ice for you!

If you are in a booth, ask the manufacturer rep to introduce you to someone with a business model that’s similar to yours. “Hey, can you introduce me to another dealer who does business the same way as our shop or someone bigger that I can learn from?” Getting a conversation started is the hardest part. From there, most of us can handle the rest.

Option 3: Drink Beer Oh yeah, you had to know this one was coming! One of the unofficial highlights of KnowledgeFest in August is the Dallas Bottle Share. This is an unsanctioned beer exchange organized by the beloved Jay Kent of Escort Radar fame. Jay describes the event as “the industry’s most interesting and best-attended networking event all year. Even if you can’t bring any bottles (or cans) come anyway. Last year we had over 1,000 beers. There will be plenty. Bring a glass!”

The premise is simple. Bring a bottle (or can) or two of locally-brewed beer to the meet (location to be determined – watch the thread in the Facebook KnowledgeFest group) and share with your (about to be) new friends. Rumor has it that Brian Murphy from ADS will have some of his world-famous Man’s Fire salsa on hand to sample. Take my word for it; it’s awesome!

For the shy ones reading this, it’s easy to get things started. Just ask to try a beer and offer them a taste of what you brought. I am willing to bet that cracking open a bottle and saying “who wants some beer?” will make you a friend.

Option 4: Watch the Facebook Groups

If you are planning on attending KnowledgeFest, make sure you are part of the KnowledgeFest, KnowledgeFest Dallas 2019 and the Mobile Electronics magazine Facebook groups. Every year, you’ll see people arriving at the airport looking to share a ride to the hotel. You’ll see people in the hotel bar asking where everyone is. You’ll find groups arranging dinner outings. Chime in and join in the fun!

Top Tip!: Exchange Contact Information

If you are going to KnowledgeFest to network, you really need to be able to stay in touch with the people you meet once the show is over. Consider this your official reminder to bring business cards. If you are an installer and don’t have cards, ask your supervisor or the store owner if you can pay to have some made. It’s a worthwhile investment. You can also buy business card paper at Staples and print your own. Of course, if both of you are on Facebook, hand over your phone and have the person add them to your friend’s list.

As you can see, working with your peers in the industry has huge advantages. With the increase in social media use, the world has become a much smaller place. Embrace technology, befriend your competitors, and be sure to attend KnowledgeFest in Dallas. It’s worth it!