Learning From Leaders: Five Lessons From Leaders

This month our, as a Valentine to our readers, we’ve highlighted some excerpts we love most from the Learning From Leaders series. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it is that experience is a great teacher. Attention to detail, communicating well, connecting across channels, committing to a job well done and adapting quickly to change are at the heart of making an impact in the 12-volt world.

#1: Uphold Attention to Detail

As someone who meticulously stacks his yogurt containers in the fridge, Alex Camara puts that same emphasis on details at the store level. It’s a quality he brings with him from his time as a night shift manager at Sainsbury’s where setting the store for the next day was crucial—not only for consumers who would be shopping the aisles the next day, but also for the day shift crew that would come in to take over the next morning. “I’m a pretty creative person, but definitely detail-oriented when I need to be. It’s the ability to know when things aren’t quite right, and then figuring out the right questions to ask, or different questions to ask. As a night shift manager for Sainsbury’s, part of it involved managing packages that would arrive and then putting them on display. We had to be certain it looked good for the customers, and there was always a delight when the day shift would come in, walk around the store and say how amazing it looked. All those things make a big difference when you’re running a store.” Camara noted that AudioControl dealers manage store presentation well and that it’s an important focus for the company to uphold. “We try to help retailers display their products effectively, and then we want to train their teams so everyone is aware of what our products can do,” he said. “It’s been tough during COVID times, but we’re trying. One thing we have been aiming for is shipping within 24 hours—to go above and beyond and to amaze people.” – Alex Camara has held the roles of president and CEO of AudioControl for nearly 10 years.

#2: Maintain Good Communication

One way to keep dealers motivated and keep things running smoothly has been adapting former in-person dealer visits to something which creates an equally meaningful vibe. To maintain those on-the-road visits virtually, AudioControl implemented what it has nicknamed the ZAP call—Zoom AudioControl Presentation.

“People were getting tired of webinars,” Camara explained, “and this is something new. When we were out on the road and visiting dealers, in pre-COVID times, we would go to a territory and spend time with our rep. This is important because a rep definitely benefits from it. They learn about how we present, which they can take forward and utilize. We would typically visit eight or nine dealers in a day, so we wanted to figure out how to spend the time with them.” The decision resulted in a proactive Zoom session, he said. AudioControl launched the calls with its home audio business first, then adapted the concept for the car side. Calls range from 30 minutes to more than an hour. “Of course, we don’t want to abuse peoples’ time as we know everyone is busy, but it’s turned out to be a good way for us to gel with our dealers,” Camara said. “We send lunches over or some pizza and it’s definitely been successful for us so far. It’s a great way for us to be interactive and to keep things more personal. I’ve been impressed by how these ZAP calls have gone.” Of course everyone wants things to go back to normal, he added, “and we’re looking at that now, but we know there won’t be the same level of interaction like there was before. It will be different on the road or at tradeshows, at least for the next few months or maybe even longer.” – A.C.

Michael Roberts, VP of Sales & Marketing for JVCKENWOOD. Alex Camara, president and CEO of AudioControl.

Chris Cook, MEA President and shot of Learning from Leaders

#3: Find New Ways to Connect

With so many ways to communicate these days, including text, email, Zoom and phone calls, Michael Roberts of

JVCKENWOOD still prefers old-school face-to-face meetings when it comes to establishing new relationships. “If you have already have a relationship with someone, it’s a lot easier to do Zoom calls,” he said, adding that it’s much more difficult dealing with a new customer or trying to drawn in new customers in this fashion. “It can be more difficult when you don’t know the person. Part of having a good meeting with someone is to quickly understand what’s important to them, and a face-to-face is going to offer much clearer communication,” he added. For starters, he said, in a faceto-face meeting, you’re able to read body language and facial expressions more effectively. It also allows you to determine what kind of personality someone has and what’s important to that person. “For example, if you meet someone in his office, you can take a look around and immediately get an understanding of what’s important,” Roberts explained. “Some guys have certificates and achievements framed on the wall, but someone else might have all kinds of pictures of his family instead. So, yes, face-to-face is super important especially when you’re trying to get new business.” He added that trade shows are very important, too. “I’m sure we’ll get back to them, but things won’t ever go back to normal,” he said. “It will be something in between where we are now, and what it used to be.” – Michael Roberts, VP of Sales & Marketing for JVCKENWOOD

#4: Remember the Power of Word-of-Mouth

Today’s younger generations have not only grown up with a smartphone in hand, but with a different mindset on vehicles. These are folks who take Ubers and Lyfts—and may not be as interested in owning their own car. Mike Anderson of Alpine admitted this is an issue the industry will face long-term. “The younger generation’s desire to own a car is nowhere near as strong as it was 10 years ago. Your first car was your first expression of who you were as a young adult,” he said. “You wanted to redo it, put audio in it, add motoring accessories. It was this personal statement.” Anderson recalled his first car, a 1967 Chevy Malibu that he purchased for $500 from a neighbor. “Within days, I had an under-the-dash 8-track player and 6 by 9 speakers in the rear deck.” Reaching out to today’s younger consumers is a challenge that retailers have to address on many levels, according to Anderson. “That’s where social media becomes so important today,” he said. “Kids get all of their information from their phones on social media, so you’ve got to be active to get your message out.” This means one thing hasn’t changed, and that’s the value of word-of-mouth marketing. “That’s how you build an audience and a loyal following—but then you’ve got to keep communicating to those people.” – Mike Anderson, vice president and GM of Alpine Electronics of America

Aron Demers, senior vice president of VOXX Electronics Corporation.

#5: Adapt to Changes to Survive and Thrive

The pandemic has demonstrated that strong retailers who already communicated well with their customer base through platforms like Instagram and Facebook will get through these difficult times. “Dealers who didn’t adapt are definitely feeling the pinch,” said Aron Demers of VOXX. “My guess is the dealers who were already making changes, and those who made changes quickly, will continue to make it through. Then you have another set of dealers who will unfortunately die off slowly.”

For VOXX, the new year brings new opportunities. Demers said the company already had a good direction before acquiring Directed. “When Directed came on board, it paused a lot of things we were doing, but we focused on folding the two companies together and making it seamless for our customer base,” he explained. “That was our challenge.” As VOXX continues to release new products, and now works with Directed, Demers added, “We are looking at all the synergies, taking products and making them work with other products. Just think of the connected car: With all the assets we now have at our disposal, we can look at developing new products and new integrations.” VOXX has been working on a new product for the last 18 months called the VOXX Power System, which Demers explained is an on-board jumpstart for a vehicle. “It wires into your battery, just like an amplifier does, and gets a trickle charge from the battery while the vehicle is on and in motion. It’s basically like having a portable jump pack at your disposal that’s charged at all times.” The Power System provides power-on-demand. If the battery dies, he said, “From a security standpoint, you don’t have to ask someone to jumpstart your vehicle or call AAA. This takes vulnerability out of play. We ship that product in the first quarter of this year.” – Aron Demers, senior vice president of VOXX Electronics Corporation

Mike Anderson, vice president and GM of Alpine Electronics of America.