8 minute read
Real World Retail - The Car Audio Shop
While picking up speed and continuing to increase revenue, The Car Audio Shop and its team of installers prepares for transition in the coming months.
FAST FACTS
Main Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Number of Locations: 1
Square Footage: 4,500
Type: Boutique / Traditional Retail
Number of Employees: 5
MAIN FOCUS 66% Car, Motorcycle, Marine Audio
27% Remote Start, Security5% Safety and Lighting2% RadarKEY STAFF
Owners: Brandon Green, John Schumacher
Bookkeeper: Crystal Green
Installation Manager: Dan Castro
Installer: Cameron Noland
In St. Louis, Mo., The Car Audio Shop has been going strong since 2012, when Brandon Green opened the doors as a one-man business. Green said his main impetus for starting his own business was based on the fact that he’d observed other shops which he felt were lacking in quality customer service, and decided to step out on his own to focus on defining a higher standard.
The shop now has a staff of five, including Green. “Dan Castro was my first employee and I hired him five years ago,” he said, adding that Castro also handles inventory and ordering for the store. About two years ago, Green partnered with John Schumacher in the business. “John had another shop down in Kansas City,” Green said. “It wasn’t in a great area, and he felt the location wasn’t right
for him. We both wanted to expand a bit, so we decided partnering up would be the best option.” Now, they co-own The Car Audio Shop.
The current facility has a separate wood shop and an upholstery area at one end of the building. At the other end is a three-car install bay, along with a metal fab area that can also double as space for overflow during busy weeks. However, the business is gearing up to move within the next couple of months, though it’s unclear whether it will simply relocate or whether the owners will choose to open a second store. The shop, which is located just off a busy highway, currently has 4,500 square feet, but the new location will offer about 6,000. “Despite everything going on,” Green said, “this year has been amazingly good—very good. And we’re hoping to expand.”
Balanced Growth With An Eye on the Budget
Much of the business’s revenue comes from audio, with most of it centered on car audio and a very small percentage on marine, motorcycle and ATV. “We’ve had steady growth every year,” Green said, noting that continued growth is always at least 15 to 20 percent or higher. “We’ve had a lot of growing pains, but I think we’re finally at a point where we know a bit about what we’re doing.”
The biggest challenge has been continuing to grow the business without going over the budget, according to Green and Schumacher. “We try not to bite off more than we can chew,” Green said. To maintain the budget, the business utilizes QuickBooks Online. Crystal Green, Brandon’s wife, works as the business’s bookkeeper and provides a daily cash
report, which helps keep things in perspective, he added.
“It’s a quick summary of the previous day’s transactions, bills coming up due, and invoices. It’s a huge help for me. It really keeps me up-to-date, and keeps the numbers top-of-mind. If there’s a day when we’re traveling or something, and I don’t get that report, I almost feel like I skipped an important part of my morning.”
Providing Support for Clients Beyond the Sale
Schumacher said the team endeavors to learn what the customer really needs as opposed to what they believe they want. “At some other shops, we noticed a customer says they just want a radio, so the [shop] says, ‘Okay, we’ll put this radio in,’” he said, explaining there isn’t
enough education offered or exploration of the customers’ needs. “Here, we try to get details from them, and then we show them the process of how we can help them reach their goal,” Schumacher added.
Support extends beyond the sale. Recently, Green said the shop started a private group on Facebook for clients, which is part of their drive to improve the business’s social media marketing. “Once clients join the group, they have access to offers we only give to that group,” Green said. “It gives them an exclusive in-store discount.” Green said they’re also the first to know about new products or upcoming events.
Additionally, Groupon is used to increase the store’s reach in the community. While some businesses prefer not to
use it, Green said he considers it advertising. “It’s mainly a break-even point,” he added. “It keeps our name in front of people, but I wouldn’t say it’s a money-maker. We usually do a remote start special on Groupon. We start it at the end of October or the beginning of November and we run it through the season.” Once clients come into the shop, they often see other products they’re interested in—or maybe they’re exposed to something they didn’t know existed, Green explained.
Team of Technicians Handles Both Sales and Installs
Having an all-technician staff working both the sales floor and the install bay helps give the shop an edge, according to Green. “We do it a little differently. We handle the phones and sales as people come in, but everyone is in a technician
role. We don’t have dedicated sales staff,” he said, adding that although they’ve discussed adding a salesperson, they have yet to do so.
The system works very well, Green added. “John, Cameron and Dan handle phones and day-to-day traffic. Dan and I both handle emails and other messages. We have a good system worked out where we each have a different area to handle.”
Green and Schumacher also feel that having trained technicians on the sales floor helps when it comes to handling sales and educating customers. “We know what’s needed as technicians, so we don’t have to go and ask a tech to answer a question about an install,” Green explained. “Most of the time, we don’t need to have those separate interactions in order to complete a sale.”
Sometimes, though, there will be specific questions relating to specialties. “I do most of the fabrication, so if someone has a question relating to that, they’ll come and ask me,” he added. “John handles upholstery and sunroofs, so if someone has a question about that, they’ll get him involved. Dan has experience with more exotic cars, so he can answer questions about that.” The team, Green said, supports one another based on their individual skill and experience as technicians.
Attention to detail is a key component of the shop’s quality practices, with careful vehicle check-in and checkout processes. Additionally, there are procedures in place for other duties, such as cleaning, to ensure all daily tasks are completed. They even have a Facebook group for employees, Green said, in which any vehicle issues can be recorded. “If something is wrong, we post it in the group with photos and notify the client. It’s time-stamped and dated, so everything is covered.”
The team works well together and maintains open communication so everyone is on the same page. Schumacher added that everyone is aware of the end goal each day. “We know what has to be done, and everyone wants to make the store the best it can be,” he said.
Shifting Business into High Gear in the Midst of Transition
The staff also stays up to date with trainings, though COVID-19 meant everything moved to online learning. One or two staff members watch webinars and take notes, passing on any pertinent information, Green said. Like many other shops, The Car Audio Shop had to close for two weeks, but in this case it was due to a staff member’s potential exposure. Green said everyone got paid while the store was closed, and the premises was thoroughly cleaned before they returned to work. Additionally, the store took time to make face shields and donate them to the community. While business was lighter for a while, it’s been busy since reopening.
In the past year, the team faced other challenges aside from the pandemic. Overcoming those challenges proved to be notable accomplishments. Schumacher had family issues to handle, and Green broke his collarbone and had to have surgery in January. These difficulties further demonstrated the strength of the team, since Green said everyone stepped up to help wherever necessary. “We took care of each other and what needed to be done. We all back each other up,” he added. “We work together to overcome any adversity.”
While The Car Audio Shop looks toward its coming transition into a new building, Green and Schumacher are reworking the business’s mission statement, which Green said has been changing over time while maintaining its primary focus in taking care of clients. Getting the word out about the business’s move will be the biggest challenge, they added, and they are already working on a marketing campaign to announce it.
“The new place will give us more room and it will be closer to our target clientele,”Green said, adding that while most of the business they do is in the mid- to high-end, they also handle smaller everyday jobs.
Both Green and Schumacher explained that their aim is to continue improving themselves and the company as a whole,adding, “That’s our biggest focus.”
