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Oasis in the Desert

With a focus on revitalizing the Industry Awards, the yearly ceremony has been moved from Dallas to Las Vegas. Past award winners share their perspectives on an evolving tradition.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

For the last three years, KnowledgeFest has held an event in Long Beach, Calif. But on February 18-20, 2022, the show and the Industry Awards will take place in Las Vegas, Nev. The choice was made to revitalize the awards ceremony, and to make the awards more reflective of a full year of recognition.

Elias Ventura, who was awarded 20162017 Sales Pro of the Year and now works as the Mid-Atlantic territory manager for SounDigital and Ground Zero, said the move is a welcome one.

“I think a change of scenery and structure is necessary, especially with all the present chaos,” he explained. “Having something to look forward to is important. Vegas is a perfect place for the show, and I think a little shift was needed.”

Past Winners Work to Refresh the Industry Awards

Members of the Industry Awards committee—including Ventura—meet to “make sure the process is fair, and that we move forward in a modern way of doing things,” according to Jeff Smith, director of training at AAMP Global.

He added that it’s important to have different perspectives and points-of-view on the proceedings. Smith won Installer of the Year in 2009, and his previous retail store was also awarded Top 50 multiple times. AAMP Global has been the recipient of awards from the Mobile Electronics Association, including Vendor of the Year.

“We’re always in the running for something,” Smith said, adding that he’d planned to be in Dallas for KnowledgeFest in August, which was canceled and rescheduled for December.

He feels every manufacturer tries to do the best job they can to serve their customers. But for larger companies, he added, the Industry Awards may not necessarily be top-of-mind.

“I think they move forward trying to be as helpful as possible, to be good business partners to dealers who wind up rewarding them, anyway,” Smith said.

Jayson Cook, a recipient of the Sales Pro Award, said he wants to continue to help salespeople hone their customer service skills, in order to better demonstrate to clients why shopping at a retail store is better than buying on the Internet.

Ventura noted the shared role of committee members is similar to that of an “influencer,” adding, “Everyone has the right mentality for making [the Industry Awards] better.”

For him personally, he said, “It’s about trying to grow the [Sales Pro] segment of the awards. That’s my background, so it hits home. I want to grow that until we have [the] Top 50 Sales Pros. I want to bring some excitement back in. The group we have is a great community effort.”

While his view of the industry has grown in terms of the number of people he interacts with in his work with a manufacturer, Ventura said it hasn’t changed his perspective of the awards, which he feels is a tool for growth and self-reflection. He asks himself, “What else can I do? What can I do to be better [at what I do]?”

After winning, he started teaching at KnowledgeFest, which he said opened him up to looking at sales processes and customer objections differently. “It challenges you to dissect these things. Teaching made me better at what I do and better at my craft.”

Jayson Cook of Columbus Car Audio in Columbus, Ohio was the recipient of the Sales Pro Award during its third year. (Amari Schwartz was the winner during the second year of the award.) Cook and Ventura both share the goal of gaining more recognition for salespeople in the industry.

“I want to help them learn how to deal with people better,” Cook said, adding that he wants salespeople to come to terms with the reasons why a client should come to them instead of shopping on the Internet. “I hope I can bring awareness to that.”

Industry Awards as a Tool for Growth

The process of becoming nominated for an award requires a lot of self-reflection, according to Ventura.

“Winning the award is great, but giving back is so much more rewarding,” he said, adding that the process challenges nominees to be better at everything they do. “Being able to teach was great for my personal growth. It’s humbling to be considered. I look back on it, and I think [teaching] is the best thing I’ve ever done. You never know who you’re going to help.”

When attendees come into the classroom at KnowledgeFest, he said, sometimes they only pick up one small lesson—“one little nugget.” But that nugget can make a huge difference.

Smith reflected on how much the awards process has changed over the years, and how the awards committee will continue to refine it. He remembered an additional contest called “Upload Your Install,” in which contestants would upload photos of their work and get a separate prize for the content.

The awards, he said, gives people a chance to shine, to demonstrate how they earned the nomination in the first place. Years ago, the process was more hands-on. Smith remembered writing essays and getting letters of recommendation from manufacturers.

“Times have changed. Installers and salespeople are producing videos and getting creative with them. I’ve seen guys singing and rapping in their videos, using lighting and special effects to showcase their work and their stores. Having the ability to showcase your talents is a great thing.”

The recipient of an award can use it as a marketing tool to demonstrate commitment to customers, and they can use it to motivate people within their own store and the industry as a whole, Smith added.

“When I won Installer of the Year, it blew my mind that I had all these people messaging me and calling me. I had no idea who any of them were, but they were telling me that I inspired them,” he said, adding, “You might not think about the impact you have, but when people read your story, see how hard you’ve worked and the things you’ve done, [it becomes clear that] we constantly motivate each other.”

Ventura and Cook both said the Sales Pro Award excited them because it focused on their skills and chosen path within the mobile electronics field. “It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had because I wasn’t just passionate about what I do, but I [found] I could be relevant in a certain segment of the industry,” Ventura said. “Now, I’m on the manufacturing side.” He added that, even now, the Sales Pro Award helps him reflect on what he’s capable of as well as what could come next in the evolution of his skills. “It was my motivator to push myself to be better.”

Nominees Take An Objective Stance

When he looks back at the role-played customer interaction video he recorded for his award nomination, Cook said he can see things he should have done, and he notices certain topics he didn’t discuss. This recognition helps to make nominees aware of their own processes, offering an objective view that, in itself, helps to improve one’s craft and skillsets.

Cook was slated to teach a class at Dallas. At future KnowledgeFest events, he said, he may switch his focus to a fresh topic. While he said he feels he has a standard to uphold, he still has bad days like anyone else. “I’m never 100 percent, but [earning the award] makes you really aware of it. The client doesn’t care what’s going on with you personally. They’ve come for the service.”

He makes mistakes all the time, he added. For example, he’ll forget to include something important in a sale. “It’ll be something stupid, like selling a full system and not having RCAs on a ticket, or not selling sound deadening,” he explained, adding that his team keeps him accountable. “In those situations, I look at where I can make up the difference. If not, I have to call the client and say, ‘I screwed up, are you okay with paying for this, or meeting me in the middle?’ Most of the time, people understand because we’ve all made mistakes.”

As an advocate of top-down selling, Cook said if he sees an entry-level radio on a ticket, he wants to know why—not to simply sell a more expensive radio, but to ensure clients are also being educated

about what’s available. “I want to show them something that offers CarPlay or Android Auto, for example, so they know what’s out there,” he explained. Amazingly, he added, some clients still aren’t aware they can get a unit that will offer navigation through their phone using Bluetooth.

Be Honest and Thorough

In 2009, when Smith won Installer of the Year, he was handed the award on-stage in Las Vegas. “It’s special to go back, especially for me,” he said, adding that the award continues to inspire him, even today.

“I see myself wanting to be more helpful. It makes you want to live up to the thought process of what kind of partner we, as a manufacturer, should be to a retail store. It makes me want to be a better member of our 12-volt community.”

Smith advised those pursuing an award to really look closely at the updated criteria. “Be honest with yourself on your capabilities,” he said. “You’d be surprised what others think of your talents and who you can inspire down the road. Document your work so you can use it not only to promote yourself, but also the talents of your shop.”

Cook feels Las Vegas will bring a much-needed change. And if anyone feels apprehensive about getting involved, he said, “Don’t. Just do it. Don’t worry about making the video perfect. Answer the questions to the best of your ability. Be thorough.”

The video doesn’t matter—what matters is demonstrating your skillset. And since the awards schedule has shifted, he added, there’s lots more time for those who haven’t gotten started. He invited salespeople to join the 12v Sales Pros Facebook group, adding that those who have questions can reach out to him directly.

Ventura said the aim will always be improving the industry as a whole. The date and venue change will give nominees a chance to reflect on a full year. Also, he said, consistency—such as having the awards ceremony in Dallas each year—is great, but consistency can also become complacency.

He wondered what might happen if every member of the Mobile Electronics Syndicate went for an award.

“I always encourage people to challenge themselves. To look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m really good at this.’ To take pride in what you do, and to get acknowledged for it. There’s no reason why everyone shouldn’t get involved.”