Learning From Leaders

Dave Elkin addresses the crowd while accepting DOW’s Fourth Distributor of the Year Award at KnowledgeFest Dallas 2019.

Going Small Pays Off Big

Landing the right job at a family-owned company turned into a 25-year stint at DOW Technologies where Dave Elkin continues living the dream.

WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER

Part of a unique brotherhood of workers who have built their career with one company, Dave Elkin, senior vice president of sales and product management, found his perfect match with DOW Electronics—now DOW Technologies—right out of college.

“I was bitten by the car audio bug when I was 17 or 18 years old, like a lot of young men,” he explained. After a stint at McGraw Cellular, formerly Cellular One, where he served as a regional trainer, Elkin made a strategic move. “It’s 1995,

I’m 25 years old, and an opportunity came about at this little place called DOW Electronics. I decided to give it a whirl.”

As it turned out, the choice was career-making. Elkin got into the company and had a chance to do a little bit of everything. “The fortunate thing about working for a small family-owned business is you’re asked for input in a lot of areas,” he said. “You wear a lot of hats. You see things from many different angles. You understand every aspect of what it takes to run a business.” He

added that the experience provided a 360-degree view—and it was probably the best business education he could have possibly received.

Learning to Adapt and Grow

Just as Elkin’s career has evolved over the years, so has DOW, which has been in business since 1959 and owned by the Yodis family since the early 70s. “I have technically worked for the grandfather, the father and now the son,” Elkin said. “And on March first, the company

You wear a lot of hats. You see things from many different angles. You understand every aspect of what it takes to run a business

officially changed its name from DOW Electronics to DOW Technologies.”

Elkin explained that the previous name limited the company because “it wasn’t what we were really about anymore.” Previously, the company sold replacement television parts and other products, so the word “electronics” made sense. Now, though, DOW Technologies focuses more on solutions and providing services—offerings beyond physical products. “‘Technologies’ just fits us a lot better,” he added.

According to Elkin, the company started out distributing television parts in the heyday of TV repair shops. In the days of VCRs, camcorders and related products, all of which the company sold, they were able to get involved with Dish Network in its early phases of the small satellite launch, Elkin said.

“We were a C-Band distributor, big 8- and 10-foot dishes, for years. Then we moved into the small dish category.” Energized and capitalized by the small dish business, DOW was positioned for its next steps. The owners continued to think about the long haul and invested back into the company, he recalled.

“Back in 2012, we started thinking that while we were a very big satellite distributor, there were other things happening,” he said. “It was this whole world of connectivity and people were becoming more and more reliant on their cell phones and apps.”

Technology had evolved into using cell phones to control music through car audio speakers, he said, or even controlling different components in the home. “It got to the point that smart home controls were rooted in smartphones,” Elkin continued. “We decided to expand and extend our reach into other areas.”

Today, Dow sells TVs and smart home electronics, 12-volt products, UCaaS services and more. “We sell some different platforms,” he said. “To break it all down, what Dow is really good at is selling to the independent dealer.”

The company’s main imperative, he said, is keeping the independent dealer in mind. To assist in this, they built a number of value-adds within the company to support this mission. “We understand that most of our dealers are smaller mom-and-pop shops with folks who wear a lot of hats. They’re probably sitting at the kitchen table at home late at night doing payroll or placing their orders,” Elkin explained, adding that they began honing in on “what we could do to help support them and make those tasks as easy as possible for them.”

Don’t Forget To Be Remembered

Keeping the lines of communication open is an ongoing job, regardless of the pandemic. “We want to make sure dealers know what’s here for them,” he said, adding that while they have a team of salespeople, much of the work this year has been conducted from the office. In a typical year, the company’s sales team works both inside and out in the field. “They’re responsible for territories, but they work as a team.”

Outreach means a significant amount of outbound calls are made every day, according to Elkin. “We’re big on KPIs and making sure that actions to create the sales volume we need are done every single day,” he said. “If I have nine sales guys and each one is responsible for 30 outbound calls to a new set of dealers every day, then we’re touching almost 300 dealers each day.”

The calls, he said, might revolve around orders the dealers have already made, pushing different manufacturers’ specials or promoting a product of the week. “I wish more dealers would take advantage of the services we have to offer,” Elkin said, adding that the services are varied: The team at DOW can assist in social media messaging, design vehicle wraps or even rework a company logo.

While marketing efforts today for companies most likely include social media, Elkin said it’s important to keep messaging consistent, and to be sure it doesn’t get lost. “There are lots of ways that companies reach out to customers these days,” he said. “They’re trying to build a following and create enough content that doesn’t always revolve around selling a product that’s on special.”

Content needs to be engaging to the customer, he said. This means companies have to think carefully about the information they provide. This could be information about a new technology that might entice customers to buy the product at a future date.

“You’ve got to stand out and you’ve got to be remembered. Everybody is looking to sell something.” This means dealers have to provide an experience for customers, focusing on more than just selling a product.

Control Only What You Can

And these days, with many companies still struggling to stay afloat after a challenging year, one of the biggest lessons is one of the simplest. Elkin advised retailers to focus on what they can control. Many in the industry, he said, have had to

go through standard operating procedures and look for areas in which efficiency can be increased.

“Find your strengths and focus on those areas,” he said, adding, “It’s senseless to focus too much on things that are out of your control.”

Since everyone is dealing with product shortages, for example, Elkin said this means changing the way retailers set their expectations with customers. “We have to position ourselves in the sales environment so that we’re not overpromising.” Including variations in the weather and winter storms, it takes over a week-and-a-half to ship a product from California to Florida, he said, offering an example.

“There are so many variables in getting business done that you can’t get hung up on things that are out of your control. Focus on what you can control, and focus on what you do well. I’m not a big believer in changing a strategy just because someone else is doing it,” he added.

A Handshake or Fist Pump

Elkin is a frequent trade show attendee. He said he hopes that in-person gatherings can continue in the near future, and sees these events as an integral part of the marketing mix for retailers and manufacturers. He also admitted to feeling fatigued from all the webinars this year. DOW recently attended the first virtual KnowledgeFest in December.

“My 12-volt managers and sales guys were involved. I didn’t go around and chat with the different vendors like I would normally do at a physical show,” Elkin said, adding that slower breaks during the day at a trade show often involve socializing and doing some business with vendors at other booths.

“But when you’re on a webinar,” he said, “it’s so down to business that you lose that personal touch.”

The sales team has already been discussing when they’ll head out on the road. “We’ve talked with dealers to gauge their comfort level, and we also have to be concerned with the safety of our employees,” he explained. “Our in-house counsel keeps us updated on the vaccine status and what the states are doing.”

While the phone has been effective, Elkin said it doesn’t come close to making up for a face-to-face meeting. “Nothing is more personal than being able to visit dealers on a regular basis,” he said. Some dealers who have brick-and-mortar stores prefer that in-person visit, while others don’t necessarily have a physical location, Elkin noted.

“They might work out of a van. They don’t necessarily have showroom space. When we have face-to-face meetings, it might be in one of our offices, a hotel or a Starbucks.”

Regardless, he said, everyone is looking forward to “shaking hands or fist-bumping or elbow-pumping or whatever it might be.” For now, he feels grateful to be able to channel his passion into a job he loves. “We get to stay on the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and sample products before anybody else,” he said, adding, “That’s living the dream.”

And when he’s not in the office? Elkin is out driving his 1968 SS Camaro a couple of times a week.

“My first car in high school was a 1969 Camaro. I loved that car and hated to get rid of it when I did.” When the opportunity came up to buy another one, he said he jumped at the chance. Whenever the weather’s nice, “the guys at the office know I’m probably showing up in that car,” he added.