12// What’s Happening: Growing the Truck Accessory Category
In the wake of the firstTruckTechExpo at KnowledgeFest Dallas, business owners Parker Lopez of Car Stereo One in Ohio and Mike Bartells of Extreme Audio in Virginia share the varied ways they’ve offered truck accessories to their clients.
18// Retailer of the Year –Multi-Store: Team Focused Columbus Car Audio and Accessories—a two-time winner of the multi-store Retailer of the Year award—has grown upon a framework of core values and dedication to investing in employees.
42// Model Mentor: A Seat at the Table
With an aim to excel in high-end installs, Phil Cantu followed his path from Circuit City all the way to MobileToys—finally earning the Installer of the Year award in 2024.
48// Strategy and Tactics: Selling Differently
Kevin Hallinan of WINNING, Inc. shares how asking lots of questions and utilizing negative reversals can help save time and close more sales.
Since first purchasing their business, Todd and Danielle Hays have prioritized values and vision as they expand services, offering a one-stop-shop to their clientele. With a focus on continued education, Columbus Car Audio and Accessories hires enthusiastic, passionate people to continue its mission.
EDITOR’SFORUMROSASOPHIA• MANAGING EDITOR
LISTEN CLOSE
What’s an essential skill that contributes to continued growth? Learn active listening and ask the right questions.
In the coming year, we’ll be honoring the next round of Industry Awards nominees and recipients. In this issue, we highlight the accomplishments of Columbus Car Audio and Accessories in Columbus, Ohio, the recipient of the 2024 Retailer of the Year – Multi-Store Award. While chatting with Todd Hays and Jayson Cook about the business’s past and plans for the future, I was struck by how well Columbus Car Audio exemplifies the ideal: Hays is able to work on his business from a distance and rely on his team, and the business itself prioritizes the well-being of its team members as well as its customers. It’s no wonder they’ve won the award more than once. Getting there, of course, took a lot of work—and you can read more about their journey in this month’s cover feature.
LEARN TO LISTEN AND KNOW WHEN TO ASK FOR HELP
Listening and knowing when to seek help is a hallmark of any successful endeavor. When I first began my working life, I was just a teenager. I worked at a little mom-andpop deli in the small town where I grew up. I remember being afraid, then countering this by telling myself, “Just listen and ask questions when you need to. If you can do that, you can figure out anything.”
It’s a goal I’ve maintained ever since. Sometimes we’re afraid to ask questions because it means admitting we don’t know something. But most of the time, when we pose questions, people around us are more than willing to help and offer guidance instead of judgment.
I’m always heartened by the encouragement and support I witness at industry events—the willingness to share knowledge and help lift everyone up as a whole.
Active listening requires intentionality. It requires setting aside one’s inner commentary for a moment. Good listening should also be driven by empathy, compassion and a desire to help. “ ”
Whether your first job was in the mobile electronics industry, or outside of it, you probably learned important lessons that you still carry with you today. What are those lessons, and how have you applied them?
When I worked at the deli, I made listening to customers a priority. Many came in during a work break, looking tired from a long morning. When they ordered their lunch, I wanted them to enjoy every bite. I wanted them to keep coming back, and to tell their friends. And yes—to this day—I still remember how to make an Italian hoagie, Pennsylvania-style.
“CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR.”
If we aren’t good listeners, we can get better. In our Strategy and Tactics column this month, Kevin Hallinan of WINNING, Inc. says that by endeavoring to learn more, and by asking questions at the right moment, the salesperson can uncover a customer’s pain, the thing that’s brought them into the store. He also tells us, “Check your ego at the door.”
Active listening requires intentionality. It requires setting aside one’s inner commentary for a moment. Good listening should also be driven by empathy, compassion and a desire to help. How do you listen? How might you get better at listening and learn to ask strategic questions to best help your clients?
This is a skill we can always work on, and it’s my honor to keep highlighting businesses in Mobile Electronics magazine that continue to make this skill a priority.
PLAN, NETWORK AND OFFER SUPPORT
Top industry professionals encourage networking, offering mutual support to others with the aim of benefiting everyone.
“There are some great people in the industry—so many to learn from, to grow with and to get new ideas. Being able to participate in the much larger pool through social media really lets you see the trends and appreciate new or different ways of doing things.”
- Nicholas Frazier, iNNovative Concepts, Wilbraham, Mass.
“I wish I had networked more earlier on. I spent too much of my career keeping to myself with my nose to the grindstone. Only over the past couple of years have I really started branching out and speaking to people in the industry outside my local area. I would encourage everyone to start connecting with other installers and professionals in the industry and growing those relationships. It will benefit you in unexpected ways. A new perspective can offer growth.”
- Ben Freeman, Traffic Jams Motorsports, Buford, Ga.
“Always have a game plan. When starting a new project, think through the process, come up with a plan and execute that plan. There may be times when you need to pivot slightly due to unforeseen challenges that come up along the way, but the plan is still being accomplished. Design, engineer, fabricate!”
-T.J. Carlson, Musicar Northwest, Portland, Ore.
“[We want a] laid-back environment. Let’s talk about car audio. We’re doing big things here and we’re always trying to push our industry to do better. We’re open to anyone who needs help. We could’ve avoided so many issues when we first started if we’d had someone to mentor us. We’re willing to help anyone.”
94 locations serving you nationwide and into Canada.
■ Family owned and operated
■ Personalized service
■ FREE online ordering
■ Toll free phone lines
■ Spanish bilingual call center
■ Full service IT staff to manage networks, infrastructure, phones, data and security
■ Over 900 product lines
■ Over 3 million sq. ft. of warehouse space
■ Company owned fleet
■ 500+ trucks serve 48 states direct
■ 12 distribution centers
WHAT PRODUCTS SOLD AND WHERE WERE THEY INSTALLED FOR 2024?
2024 – Here are the top automaker brands seen in the install bay, and the top product categories sold.
TOP FIVE CATEGORIES BY REVENUE:
TOP FIVE CATEGORIES BY TRANSACTIONS:
2.Speakers & Subwoofers
3.Amplifiers & Processors
4.Remote Start & Security
5.Installation Kits & Accessories Headunits
TOP AUTO MAKES BY TRANSACTIONS:
2.Speakers & Subwoofers
3.Headunits
4.Remote Start & Security
5.Amplifiers & Processors
TOP AUTO MAKES BY REVENUE:
WHAT TO READ
Triumphs of Transformation: Inspiring Stories of Resilience and Life Change
BY CURATED AUTHORS
If you’ve ever faced a challenge and fought through it to emerge better than before, this might be an inspirational read. Challenge, change and complexity make up the fabric of every human experience, yet they’re often the exact opposite experiences we wish to encounter. The inspiring stories in this book reveal strategies and principles that successful people have employed to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. Each chapter offers insights and actionable advice, showing you how to apply these lessons to your life. A blueprint for turning adversity into opportunity and for cultivating both a skillset and a mindset of unyielding resilience, this is perfect for an aspiring entrepreneur, seasoned professional, or someone seeking personal growth.
WHAT TO GIFT
Boarderie
BOARDERIE.COM/COLLECTIONS/HOLIDAY-BOARDS
One of the biggest trends this holiday season is “gift grazing.” It beats a boring gift basket and is perfect for a top sales rep, frequent client, new hire, or for treating the office. Boarderie, a nationwide charcuterie board delivery company, was featured on Shark Tank and got offers from four out of five sharks, ultimately closing a deal with Lori Greiner. They have been selected for Oprah’s Favorite Things in both 2022 and 2023. The board arrives ready-to-enjoy with no set-up needed, an artisan tasting experience with fast shipping.
WHAT TO READ
Cash Stash Activity Book: 75 Fun Money Savings Challenges from $50 to $10,000+
BY ILYSSE RATNER
Saving money should be a simple enough task, but it can be stressful if you’re more of a spender. Full of easy (and, yes, slightly silly) ways to stock up on cash, this workbook guides you through 75 activities that can help you put away anywhere from $50 to $10,000. It’s important to know how you spend and save, so there’s a quiz to determine if you’re a Dreamer, a Perfectionist, an Adventurer, or a Sharpshooter. There are activities for $50 to $500, $500 to $2,500, and so on. There’s also a 100 Envelopes Challenge with activities centered around specific goals like holiday gifts, car maintenance and more. Best of all, you can set your own pace. Each challenge includes space to write down what you plan to use the money for and set a deadline that works for you. By saving a little cash at a time, you will be on your way to enjoying greater financial freedom.
WHAT TO SEE
National Automobile Museum, Reno, Nev.
AUTOMUSEUM.ORG
Heading to SEMA this month or CES in January? If you have extra time for a side trip, consider Reno, dubbed the Biggest Little City in the World. Before the 1960s, it was the country’s gambling capital. It’s also home to the National Automobile Museum where there are over 200 cars to check out. You’ll want to see the Cars of the Stars as well as the Paul Newman exhibit which includes Newman’s second professional race car, the 1987 Nissan 300zx 2+2. This car had an incredible record of 19 wins out of 22 races. Don’t miss the Limited Edition collection, which includes a 1981 DeLorean LK, Sport Coupe (Gold Plated).
GROWING THE TRUCK ACCESSORY CATEGORY
In the wake of the first TruckTechExpo at KnowledgeFest Dallas, business owners Parker Lopez of Car Stereo One in Ohio and Mike Bartells of Extreme Audio in Virginia share the varied ways they’ve offered truck accessories to their clients.
WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
As mobile electronics businesses continue to expand into truck accessories to diversify their offerings, TruckTechExpo debuted at KnowledgeFest Dallas this past September. Organized by Mobile Electronics Association and sponsored by RealTruck, the event gave attendees an opportunity to check out products from a number of different companies and learn more. In recent years—especially since the pandemic—retailers have seen the importance
of diversifying and operating more than one revenue stream.
Car Stereo One in Toledo, Ohio has been installing truck accessories for almost a year, according to owner Parker Lopez. The business itself has been around since 1976. Lopez purchased it in 2022. “When I took over, we did car stereo, window tint and vehicle safety accessories,” he said. “Since then, we’ve expanded.”
Now, the business offers bolt-on accessories like sidesteps and tonneau
covers. But they’ve taken it further and added truck lift kits, lowering kits, air ride kits, wheels and tires, vehicle wraps, light mechanical work—and even full restorations.
FROM BOLT-ON ACCESSORIES TO FULL LIFT KITS, WHEELS AND TIRES
Car Stereo One operates with 13 employees, about 8,500 square feet, with eight main garage bays and a separate four-car garage in the back. The
bolt-on stuff, Lopez said, was easy to incorporate. But when it came to the more complex aspects of the category, he and his team faced a learning curve.
“We had to invest a lot, and our techs had to learn more. Now, I have a couple of techs on staff who have a mechanical background. We had to learn the new products.”
To overcome these challenges, he said, the shop had to make those initial investments count. “Today, we’re doing it efficiently and at a high level,” he added.
Another shop, Extreme Audio in Virginia, has added the category but sticks to bolt-on accessories only. The business has two locations, one in Mechanicsville and the other in Midlothian. Owner Mike Bartells said truck accessories were added about ten years ago.
“We’ve been a traditional car audio business since 1999, and this year we’ve been in business 25 years,” he said. “As time went by, it was obvious we’d have to diversify if we wanted to continue growing.” Clients were already asking for categories they had yet to carry. “We were referring away window tint, too, and realized we could do it in-house.”
The Mechanicsville location is the longest running store, and Bartells said a lot of locals own pick-up trucks. “It was a natural progression to add bolt-on accessories, which are simple add-ons,” he said.
In that area, though, he also noted there are a number of businesses that focus only on truck accessories, thereby increasing the competition. At first, Bartells wasn’t sure his business would benefit from the added category. Fortunately, testing it didn’t require much overhead. Today, Extreme Audio has a dedicated section in its showroom for these products.
“The companies are very good about providing displays, which is a great factor for truck accessories. They set them up so you don’t have to inventory anything. There’s zero cost when it comes to getting into it.” Bartells noted that between both stores, there’s a truck accessory inventory amounting
to less than $500. The displays are low-cost.
“Once you know the vehicle, the length of the bed and what style they’re looking for, you can often get the product the next day from the supplier for a low delivery fee because they have a network of trucks across the country,” he explained.
Whether or not a business wishes to expand into lift kits and suspension may depend on cost, staffing, or other factors. With bolt-on accessories, not much training is necessary. “Lift kits require a lot more, but step bars and WeatherTech are very simple.” Additionally, Bartells has observed that many dedicated truck accessory businesses tend not to diversify. “We offer more options, which gives us a leg up.”
RAISING AWARENESS OF CATEGORIES TO CURRENT AND NEW CUSTOMERS
Over the years, Car Stereo One has incorporated numerous categories, but Lopez said lift kits were definitely the most challenging due to the learning curve and the cost of the equipment.
Another big challenge, he added, was the name of the business itself.
“We’re Car Stereo One, and that doesn’t make people think of other categories. We had to advertise and get the word out that we offer these extra services, and that was the hardest part.”
The shop utilized a number of different methods, including television advertising and digital display ads. Word-of-mouth remains the most effective, he added. “As far as paid advertising, social media helped the most. We post any time we do something people might not know about.”
The shop’s showroom is also strategically designed to let customers know what’s available. A television displays photos of various projects, highlighting lift kits. Often, customers will come in for something else and then inquire about truck accessories. Each category feeds seamlessly into another.
At Extreme Audio, Bartells said people do come in looking for truck accessories and then they’ll discover car audio. “Or they’ll come in for window tint, a remote car starter, a dash camera, who knows—they’ll
what’s happening
wander around and see what else we have to offer. It’s a way to diversify to a broader range appeal,” he explained, adding that a lot of people might never go into a car audio shop. “But once they’re in here, they might realize they could benefit from CarPlay or something else. You’re able to offer the accessories at minimal cost.”
Potential clients will also come in for sound systems and discover truck accessories. Bartells feels that most customers probably don’t expect to find truck accessories in a car audio shop. “They think it’s a separate thing.”
To let people know, Extreme Audio also utilizes social media. “It’s hard to tell if it gets results, but we do have a lot of website content, too,” he said, adding, “Hopefully, when people do Google searches, they’ll find us.”
BEFORE ADDING A NEW CATEGORY, DO PLENTY OF RESEARCH
While there are dedicated truck shops in the Toledo area, Lopez said Car Stereo One is able to offer a lot more options. “We’re really the only location around here that does everything,” he said.
On the other hand, Bartells said that because of the number of truck shops around the Virginia area, dedicated truck enthusiasts aren’t his business’s normal client base. “I don’t think they would shop here anyway. Brian Layton at Sound FX does a lot of truck accessories, but [in our area] we have a lot of competition.”
Car Stereo One frequently gets re-dos from other shops, according to Lopez. “That always happens in car audio. For lift kits, a lot of shops will say they do it, but they don’t always have the knowledge or the understanding if they run into a problem,” he explained, adding, “We can fabricate or figure out the problems when we run into them.”
If he comes across a new issue, he said he researches it first. If he can’t find the answer, he calls his friends at Titan Motoring, noting, “This industry has a lot of talented people who are always willing to help.”
Mike Bartells of Extreme Audio in Virginia said it felt like a natural progression to add bolt-on accessories to the business’s offerings. Displays are low-cost and there’s no need to stock a lot of inventory. Clients coming in for truck accessories may discover something they didn’t know the shop offered.
No matter what the category, there will always be learning curves, he said. “Now that we’ve been doing it long enough, we’ve gone through a lot of those learning curves. Now we’re just sharpening our pencils to make sure we’re doing everything to the best of our abilities.”
When it comes to just selling bolt-on accessories, Bartells said the profitability might be hard for some shops to reckon with. “You might sell something for $1,000 and only make $100. In car audio, you might make $500 on something that costs $1,000,” he said. “Mark Miller has a
good way of approaching it. You shift your perspective for an hourly income. If you can sell an hour’s worth of labor to install a bed cover and you made $150 on the bed cover, and $100 or more on the labor, and it’s out the door with no headaches, then you made a good labor rate.”
Bartells suggested retailers consider their labor rate when thinking about adding bolt-on truck accessories to their offerings. He also urged businesses to expand. “We talk all the time about how vehicles are getting more and more difficult. I have zero emotional joy when it
what’s happening
comes to window tint or truck accessories. I’m a car audio guy. But I do find joy in staying in business,” he said. “Diversifying to stay in business is something I don’t think anyone can pass up. Don’t get in over your head, but [remember change] is necessary if you want to continue to grow.”
Bartells said Extreme Audio hasn’t faced any major challenges when it comes to truck accessories, but on the other hand, the business has had difficulty finding window tint employees. “We’re lucky we have one person who’s great, but we haven’t been able to expand the category for lack of manpower,” he explained. With truck accessories, he said, “We just had to decide what we’d do and what we wouldn’t do. I think you have to take it slowly and try not to pretend to be an expert at something you’re not.”
Bartells feels that by presenting the business in a highly professional manner, customers are able to relax. “I think their walls come down when they walk in. People also recognize that the truck accessories we sell are bolt-on items, whereas car audio has constant modifications, and
sometimes you have to get creative about how to make things fit.”
Businesses interested in expanding should do plenty of research first, according to Lopez. “Don’t jump in if you don’t have the knowledge,” he said, adding that lift kits in particular aren’t a cheap investment.
“But once you’re up and running, it’s great to have all those categories available so your customers don’t have to go anywhere else.”
Additionally, if one category is slow, another one will be busy, he said, adding, “That’s the nice thing about being able to offer all of these categories.”
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TEAM FOCUSED
Columbus Car Audio and Accessories—a two-time winner of the multi-store Retailer of the Year award—has grown upon a framework of core values and dedication to investing in employees.
WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
This past year at KnowledgeFest Las Vegas, Columbus Car Audio and Accessories in Columbus, Ohio was named Retailer of the Year Multi-Store for a second time. While the company has been in business since 1978, owners Todd and Danielle Hays bought part of it in 2002 from Danielle’s father, who was considering retirement at the time.
“We had four locations and decided to downsize to get a little more focused,” Todd Hays said. “We started to diversify, bringing in new products like moonroofs, leather interior, window tint and paint protection film. We used to do just electronics. We’d be working on a vehicle doing cruise control or a stereo, and we’d have to send the car out for leather and other things. We felt if they could do it, why couldn’t we do it? That has led us to where we are today.”
Since its inception, Columbus Car Audio and Accessories has evolved to include multiple service categories and now has 34 employees and two locations. “We do everything to a vehicle except body work and engine work,” Hays said, adding that when the business was first acquired, a coach was brought in to help resolve issues.
“The coach worked with the team, not in salesmanship, but in creating a positive culture in our business—a culture with meaning that everyone could be part of.”
Hays encouraged other business owners to consider hiring a business coach. “It’s always great to have a set of fresh eyes on your business, whether it’s a peer or an expert. A lot of positives came out of that for us,” he said, adding, “It wasn’t inexpensive, but it was worth the cost.”
DEDICATION TO CORE VALUES LEADS THE WAY
As the business continues to thrive and diversify, Hays said it’s a challenge to raise awareness of the various services offered. “With a name like Columbus Car Audio and Accessories, people often just hear the ‘car audio’ part, but the accessories have become a very significant part of our business.” Any marketing efforts, he noted, must keep this in mind.
Despite these efforts, sales manager Jayson Cook said customers still come into the store and ask, “You guys do that?”
Cook noted that their number one initiative is putting clients first, no matter what, which he feels is a major component in winning Retailer of the Year – Multi-Store. “We’re also active in our industry. We want to help other businesses grow. We don’t keep things private, and we want you to learn from our mistakes,” he explained. “We want to learn from other people, too.”
Hays said his team isn’t afraid to ask for help, which he feels is a key to the business’s continued growth. “If we feel someone knows something we don’t, we want to learn from them. I think that’s how we overcome challenges.”
Continued education is an important part of the business’s longevity, according to Cook, who said the Hays’ have always encouraged training. It’s important to embrace humility, learn to ask lots of questions and be forthright with customers, Cook added. “If you make a mistake, you have to own up to it and find a solution. I think that’s played a big role in the business.”
Hays stressed that these concepts are embedded in the business’s core values which include integrity, quality, attitude and innovation. “We always want to be upfront with our customers. We built our name on quality. You can’t make everyone happy, but we do everything we can to resolve any issues. We try to have a positive outlook. With a good attitude, you can think clearly and aim to develop a solution to a problem. We want to come up with better ways of doing things. Teamwork is important. Working as a team and not against each other is always a struggle. That’s one of the most challenging things we’ve ever dealt with.”
The business’s core values are always kept in mind during the hiring process: “I want to hire someone who wants to be here,” Cook said. “I don’t want to hire someone just looking for a job. I want
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES—AND MOVING ON
Columbus Car Audio and Accessories participates in a large number of local events with much success, according to Cook. However, this past year they tried an SQ event and it didn’t go as well.
“We decided only a couple of weeks before to do a huge tent sale there,” he said. “Vendors came. It was bad, and only three people spent anything. We probably lost way more than what we spent. I thought it might work, and I’m glad I didn’t go as hard as I wanted to by closing the stores and having everyone there.”
Hays remarked that the negative outcome might’ve had something to do with having little to no control over the event itself. “If we had to do it over, we’d be much more involved in the marketing, because we’re good at that,” he said, adding, “Maybe we didn’t get involved enough.” In any case, he said, “You just have to learn from it and move on.”
MAIN FOCUS
28% Labor
21% Car, Marine and Motorcycle Audio
14% Tint and Paint Protection Film
11% Installation Accessories and Parts
10% Remote Start and Security
5% Wheels and Tires
4% Truck and Car Accessories
3% Advanced Driver Safety
3% Leather Interior
1% Other
them to be passionate about growing the business and growing themselves.”
Additionally, Cook said he would rather hire someone who’s new to the industry, rather than an industry veteran who might be inflexible or unwilling to change their methods to the store’s preferred way of doing things. “It can be better to look for an enthusiast,” he said. “Maybe [I feel that way] because when I was hired, I was an enthusiast. I wanted a job here and made the best of it.”
A FRAMEWORK BUILT FOR LONGEVITY
Hays also promotes a good work and life balance, leading by example as an owner who works on his business rather than in it. Today, Hays’ official residence is in Florida, and he’s able to travel between the two places at leisure without having to worry about his business.
“It boils down to dedication. If you’re working on the sales floor every day as an owner, you’re trapped,” he said. “You just get accustomed to that. Maybe you only have a few hours in the evening, and you burn the midnight oil, killing yourself to catch up on the business side of things.”
Working on the business, he said, instead of in it, “provides so much more opportunity for that business.” Hays added that he leans on his staff, often letting them direct things like product selection.
The key to this structure, he said, is building a good team of people you can rely on and nurturing that positive culture. The staff tenure is 10.5 years, but when people do leave—even if they’re a seasoned tech or salesperson—“life goes on. We’ll figure it out. When new people come in, you try to instill your company’s values in them, and they might leave. There’s nothing worse than saying they don’t work there anymore, because it feels like a failure, even if it’s not our fault,” he noted, adding, “Although, we must be doing something right if people stay here for more than 20 years.”
Good communication, Cook said, is the bedrock of positive culture. Both men agreed that maintaining a positive company culture will always be a challenge.
“We want to do a realignment and get everyone on the same page in terms of values, mission and vision statement,” Hays said. “I think we can do a better job of that.”
IN-HOUSE AWARDS SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE STAFF
Every January, Hays said, the business throws a party. “We celebrate the year and establish goals.” They also hand out awards for each of the business’s core values: The staff votes to decide who best represents each individual core value. The winner also receives a certificate and bonus money.
“There’s an all-star award, too, which is someone who most represents all of our core values. Sometimes that person doesn’t win a single value award, but they represent all of them really well,” he explained.
Additionally, vendors attend and help support the event by offering free product or a credit. The celebration is often held at a nice local restaurant. “Last year, I hired a comedian,” Hays said. “It’s a fun night. Spouses come, and everyone sits and talks. We also assign seats so people are forced to talk to other folks, not just their buddies.”
When the business won Retailer of the Year MultiStore for a second time, and Dan Wilson was named Top 12 Installer, Hays took everyone out to a local sports bar to celebrate.
During onboarding, new hires go through the key components, but Hays feels they don’t “own them” or perhaps don’t fully understand them. “We should spend more time on it. I think the culture would stick better then.”
Cook said he recently began to delve more deeply into company values during initial hiring processes. “With our last hire, a technician, I sat down with him to make sure his values line up with ours. We explained we’d hold him to it. So far, things are working out well, and I like to think that’s why.”
A FRAMEWORK BUILT FOR LONGEVITY
The business’s team members continue to be recognized for their skills and dedication: Dan Wilson was named a Top 12 Installer for 2024. “He also competed in the Clean Wire Contest at Master Tech Expo with Mobile
Solutions.” Due to Wilson’s work on the Columbus Car Audio’s YouTube channel, the business has seen an increase in viewership and clients coming in because they saw one of his videos, according to Hays.
When asked what contributed to these ongoing accomplishments, Cook and Hays both cited continued training and a longstanding commitment to invest in the lives of employees.
“They’re always willing to invest in their people,” Cook said of Todd and Danielle Hays. “I think that’s why we’re so strong.”
The company often brings in people to speak to its staff, Hays said, adding, “We had Zach Luke from Rockford Fosgate come in and talk about sales and management. Jody Culbertson from 5Axis Displays has done the same thing.”
While utilizing tools such as social media, Google Ad Words and email
marketing, built upon a solid reputation, Columbus Car Audio and Accessories has managed to extend its reach farther than they imagined possible.
“We have clients come from West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana. People who come from places in-state are passing shops to come to us—good shops, too. We’ll offer to send them to another shop that’s closer. We want to support the industry.” However, these clients have already made their choice.
In the future, Hays and his team feels the business will continue to flourish. “It’s still producing very viable sales. We’re creating a great livelihood for a lot of people,” he said, adding, “I see that continuing.”
In line with its commitment to the personal development of its team members, Columbus Car Audio and Accessories also has a financial advisor who not only works with the business, but with each employee individually.
“He comes in annually and sits with everyone one-on-one and goes over their finances as deeply or as shallowly as they want. He also handles everyone’s 401K, which we match,” Hays said. “At the end of the day, it’s your future— whether you’re working for us or not.”
POWER @ 4 Ω : 8 X 165W RMS
POWER @ 2 Ω : 8 X 250W RMS
BRIDGE POWER @ 8 Ω : 4 X 330W RMS
BRIDGE POWER @ 4 Ω : 4 X 500W RMS
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 6Hz ~ 40kHz
CROSSOVER LPF: 45Hz ~ 850Hz
CROSS CROSSOVER HPF: 45Hz ~ 850Hz
OPERATING VOLTAGE: 9V ~ 16V
SNR: 114.7dB
INPUT SENSITIVITY (RCA): 0.4 ~ 10V
CURRENT DRAW (MUSIC): 88.3A
CURRENT DRAW (MAX): 176.6A
TOTAL EFFICIENCY: 80.44%
DAMPING FACTOR: 95.94
POWER CABLE: 21MM² (4 AWG)
SPEAKER CABLES: 2.5MM² (13 AWG)
RE REMOTE CABLE: 1.5MM² (15 AWG)
RECOMMENDED FUSE (MUSIC): 100A
RECOMMENDED BATTERY (MIN): 100AH
Car Stereo One Continues Improvements with a Focus on Customer Experience
WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
Toledo, Ohio-based Car Stereo One is looking to expand its team and find talented individuals for either sales or installation. Owner Parker Lopez said the business has continued to go through expansions and improvements since he first took over in 2022.
“We remodeled our showroom and brought in interactive displays, and we remodeled our installation bays,” he said, adding that they worked with Jody Culbertson of 5 Axis Innovations to complete the work. Lifts and tire equipment were added, and the floors were redone. New lighting was added and the walls were painted. “We want it to look like a high-end shop from the sales floor to the install bays to the bathrooms.”
The shop features display wheels, sidesteps, tonneau covers and a TV in the waiting room to display photos of previous projects. “If someone’s waiting for a remote starter or window tint, they can see we do other things—without feeling like they’re being sold to without actually asking,” Lopez explained. “They might’ve been thinking about something else, and now they realize
they can get it all in one place. They might not spend the money right away, but now they know we offer it.”
Lopez also feels that other people in the industry are noticing what’s being done at Car Stereo One: “We made Top 5 Sales Pros. One of my installers is on the
Top 12 Installers list, and our store made Top 12 Retailers,” he said, adding, “We just want to make sure we’re giving the customer the best quality work and the best experience possible.”
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YEAR-END SHOWCASE
The last KnowledgeFest of 2024 this past September, held in Dallas, saw the arrival of new marine products, subwoofers, speakers and more.
SHOP MONKEY SPEAKS WITH RETAILERS IN DALLAS
Shop Monkey is a cloud-based all-in-one shop management system which helps automotive repair or accessory shops run everything from customer intake, to quoting jobs and following up. It assists independent business owners in offering a better customer experience and becoming more organized and efficient. Additionally, Shop Monkey’s offerings are designed to help a small business operate like a larger business, without unnecessary costs or learning curves.
SONY CAR AUDIO GS SPEAKERS
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SNAP FINANCE RETURNS TO KNOWLEDGEFEST DALLAS
At KnowledgeFest this past September, Snap representatives spoke with attendees about the company’s services. Snap Finance aims to help retailers help their customers through financing, allowing stores to close more sales and reach a wider audience.
KICKER ANNOUNCES ITS PREMIUM MARINE LINEUP
Kicker’s new premium marine lineup includes MSS Component Systems, MSC Coaxials, MW Subwoofers and an MWL Loaded Sub Enclosure, as well as PTRTP Powered Down-Firing Loaded Sub Enclosures (10inch and 12-inch at 400 and 500wRMS). Highlights include carbon-fiber-infused midrange woofers for highly accurate sound reproduction; weather- and UV-resistant, 28mm Tetoron®, audiophile-grade tweeters; and glass-infused nylon basket frames for improved thermal performance and toughness. The speakers (6.5-inch and 8-inch models at 100 and 200wRMS) include white and charcoal grilles. The subwoofers (enclosure-required or free-air models; 10-inch and 12-inch models at 400-500wRMS) include charcoal grilles (white sold separately). The loaded enclosure utilizes one active Premium Marine Sub (10-inch), and one passive reFLEX™ Sub (10-inch) for biggest bass possible (400w RMS). The line is also equipped with RGBW LED lighting.
WATTSTAR EXHIBITS AT KNOWLEDGEFEST DALLAS
WATTSTAR is an innovative company specializing in R&D, manufacturing and marketing of automotive lighting systems, dash cameras and window tint and providing comprehensive solutions in the field.
WATTSTAR EXHIBITS AT KNOWLEDGEFEST DALLAS
WATTSTAR is an innovative company specializing in R&D, manufacturing and marketing of automotive lighting systems, dash cameras and window tint and providing comprehensive solutions in the field.
SONY XAV-AX8500 DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA RECEIVER
Sony’s XAV-AX8500 offers a 10.1-inch HD quality floating face screen with a postinstallation swivel and tilt function that requires no tools or disassembly to move. This unique feature provides for ultimate screen visibility and glare minimization. It brings iDatalink Maestro compatibility, a rich multimedia SiriusXM interface and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and three camera inputs to a beautiful tablet-sized screen with an easy-to-use and customizable interface to suit any type of vehicle.
12V DASHBOARD’S TOOLS FOR RETAILERS INCREASE ORGANIZATION AND EFFICIENCY
Vehicles are getting harder and harder to work on, which means staying organized is even more important than before. The 12V Dashboard offers a tool that helps salespeople remember all the details when working with a client. The Dashboard assists the salesperson in recalling the right questions to ask during the sales process so nothing slips through the cracks. For more information about The 12V Dashboard, contact Tom Kolar at tkolar@the12vdashboard.com or visit the website at www.the12vdashboard.com.
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A SEAT AT THE TABLE
With an aim to excel in high-end installs, Phil Cantu followed his path from Circuit City all the way to Mobile Toys—finally earning the Installer of the Year award in 2024.
WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER
There is no denying that commitment to your field, passion for your work and a willingness to take chances can help you forge a successful career. Timing is another factor, and for Phillip Cantu, Automotive Design Specialist for Mobile Toys in College Station, Texas, a few phone calls and fortuitous knocks on doors led him to the prestigious 2024 Installer of the
Year award. Prior to that, he was named a Top 12 Installer in 2020. But there’s something else that helped him establish his successful career: mentors and alliances.
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Cantu moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area around 2008. Circuit City was opening a store not too far from where he’d be living. “I had some previous electrical experience installing alarm, camera
and intercom systems, so it was a natural transition to the install bay and selling car stereos,” he said.
At the time, installs weren’t as complex. It wasn’t a problem that just Cantu and his supervisor handled the bay. “He didn’t have a ton of experience either,” Cantu added, noting that his supervisor had been a salesperson. “For me, it was a bit of a struggle at first because I didn’t know
very much at that point.” Without anyone to lean on, “it was a lot of trial and error. The tasks, though, weren’t very difficult.”
Inspiration From Unlikely Places
After almost two years at Circuit City, a new opportunity arose which would have a significant impact on Cantu’s career. Across the street from Circuit City was a Car Toys.
“I always held them in high regard. I knew they did plenty of custom work and sold high-end gear. I also knew the installers worked on nicer cars than I would see in our shop.” Sometimes he’d go there to buy parts to complete a job, if they weren’t in stock at Circuit City. “That’s how it started,” he said, adding that he went there one day looking for a relay he needed in order to install an alarm.
While looking for the part, the assistant manager greeted him and asked him if he knew how to use the relay. He told him, yes—of course. Who doesn’t know how to use a relay? The assistant manager asked him if he wanted to interview for a job.
“I was surprised,” he recalled. “I thought I would need a million years of experience.” At that time, the salespeople at Car Toys dressed like businessmen, he said. “The timing was right for me.” Cantu got the job, which meant he was able to work around people who had many years of experience.
“Now, I could lean on them for learning the ins and outs of the industry, so I could establish a strong foundation when it came to building myself up as an individual and getting my career on some sort of path.”
When it came to hands-on work, dealing with vehicles and making smart installation decisions, Cantu found a mentor in Shawn Malins who has since gone on to become Research and Development Supervisor at JL Audio. In fact, Cantu said, he still talks with Malins every now and then.
“He showed me the right things to do early on with fabrication. It was incredibly important at that point in my career. That’s what I was most interested in—the fabrication and custom aspect of installation.”
It was a pivotal time for Cantu. Having guidance from Malins only confirmed that he wanted to learn to become a more skilled and respected installer. While working at Circuit City, he didn’t have access to a fabrication room or a wood shop. “I did installs by wiring things,” he said. “I had to sell pre-fabricated enclosures, and solutions were limited for things I could do because it was based on what I had available in the store.”
At Car Toys, however, he had the ability to make custom enclosures to fit specific areas and things like speaker adapters, which opened up creative possibilities, expanding the options he could offer to clients.
Tapping Into Social Media Mentors
When he was approached to run a business a few miles down the road, Cantu left Car Toys. The business focused on off-roading. “They were doing lift kits, customization, lighting and accessories,” he said. “I’d always been interested in those things, so I broke away from the car audio industry for a couple of years to go hang out and get dirty and be in some new vehicles and big trucks.”
Soon he found his way to social media and Instagram, which reinvigorated his desire to do high-end, design-focused car audio projects. “I started to see high-end installs online,” he said. “There were pictures of things I’d never seen before and, even better, with all the shots of the job right through to the finish. The exposure to the inner workings, how something was built or the techniques someone used to achieve a result, got me reinterested in the industry.”
Once again, timing was on his side.
“I got a call from a manager at a different Car Toys. We talked and I eventually found myself rejoining Car Toys, but now in Hurst, Texas, on the Fort Worth side. It was a bigger store than the one I worked at previously.”
At this point, he was still carving his own path and trying to figure out how he wanted to approach things—and he wasn’t sure what steps to take next.
“I didn’t have a future plan as far as what I wanted long-term. I was making some money and managing the location,” he said, adding that he’d been paying attention to the careers of people he looked up to and what they were doing.
Cantu took it on himself to dig in and learn what he could. “Most of my mentorship at this point came from online research and reviews. I learned a lot on social media from pictures and reverse-engineering to understand the techniques. Whether the guys I followed online knew it or not, they were inspiring to me.”
He also started watching Mark, known as Mark from CAF, on YouTube. His CarAudioFabrication channel offers step-by-step tutorials on designing and building subwoofer boxes, making custom door pods, under-seat sub enclosures and much more.
Cantu also took the initiative early on to get his MECP certification. “I was MECP-certified for my entire tenure working for Car Toys,” he said. “It wasn’t necessarily a requirement for working with them, but it was a suggestion. More importantly, it helped me build a decent foundation. I had the education and background. If I needed to refer to something, I could go back to the books. If I needed to check the industry standard, I had resources. I
really wanted to figure out the higher-end fabrication techniques.”
Trusting in Those Who Lift You Up
While the online component gave him some guidance and inspiration, it didn’t have the same impact as meeting people in person. For those wishing to thrive in the industry, Cantu recommended attending KnowledgeFest, which for him was a pivotal moment in his personal development.
“I went to trainings and met people— folks you hear about or know about, but then you finally get to meet them in person. You can ask them questions or just have a conversation face-to-face.”
He still recalls one of his most meaningful experiences: Sitting in Bryan Schmitt’s booth and watching demos. “I could see how [Mobile Solutions] products would make my life easier as a fabricator, and how I could make cool shapes and see different techniques executed. It was well worth it.”
Cantu came away from KnowledgeFest feeling motivated. “It prompted me
to invest in tools like my own routers and router bits,” he said. “Those kinds of tools weren’t necessarily provided by Car Toys or the places I was working for, but I would just pay on my own. I invested in myself.”
For personal reasons, he moved to Colorado. He knew there’d be a transfer opportunity and started working at the North Glen Car Toys location outside Denver—the second or third largest Car Toys in the entire company at the time, according to Cantu.
“I enjoyed my time there, but this was right before the whole COVID ordeal,” he said. “It really changed things for me.” In the spring of 2020, the entire company was furloughed. “We sat at home waiting to find out what would happen with the country.”
It was unsettling, he said: He always felt like he had the necessary skills to find a job whenever he needed one, but this felt different. Now, everyone needed a job at the same time. “It was a strange feeling,” he said. “I had no idea what would happen. I kept watching YouTube videos, trying to learn new skills and biding my time…and didn’t watch too much of the news.”
Again, impeccable timing and good fortune arrived when he needed it most. “I got a random phone call and missed it. When I called back, it was Andrew Woodward, the owner of Elevated Audio in Lakewood, Colorado. He knew everyone at Car Toys was out of a job. He saw it as an opportunity to pick up someone like me. I decided not to wait it out, so I went to work for him.”
According to Cantu, it was a much different environment than Car Toys. For one thing, it was a smaller shop—more boutique in nature, he said. “They had mostly high-end clients who owned Audis and Porsches. With nicer cars, you’re selling better equipment. We were working by appointment, so it wasn’t as chaotic.”
It offered Cantu an opportunity to stand out: Top installers worked there, and the shop had already been named a Top Retailer from by Mobile Electronics magazine.
According to Cantu, Woodward had high standards and made his expectations clear. “We were on the same page in terms of the quality. The ultimate goal of the company was right in line with what I wanted to do,” he explained. “I wanted to help grow this small business into something that was even more recognizable, to work on cooler installs and do high-end work on better vehicles.”
For his part, Woodward helped mentor Cantu in a way he’d not expected. “He encouraged me to participate in the Mobile Electronics industry awards,” he said. “Before I came to work for Andrew, he he’d already done some of this award preparation with his other technicians, but I had no experience in it. He
encouraged me. He told me I had what it took to enter the competition. But he went beyond that and helped me make my first video—he filmed it, asked me the questions and edited it. He basically got me started on all of this.”
When voting opened up, Cantu was in for a surprise. “Nobody really knew who I was at this point in time.” All of a sudden, he said, he was a Top 12 Installer with Elevated Audio. “I had to make my own Top 12 video. It takes a lot of time, and I just didn’t know what I was doing when it came to video editing or talking in front of a camera. My first Top 12 video is absolutely atrocious—but you have to start somewhere, right?”
After two years at Elevated, Cantu felt anxious to head back to Texas. He’d only intended to stay in Colorado for five years. “I never intended to live there for a long time,” he said. “The plan was always to move back to Texas. Being at Elevated was great—it had nothing to do with the shop. It was more about being away from family.”
After an interview with Chris Pate, who flew him out to visit Mobile Toys in College Station, Texas, a deal was struck. “At first, I wasn’t too keen on moving to a college town that’s seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but it turned out it was
central to everything and I like it here.” Plus, he added, it’s only a three hour drive to visit his parents, “which is a lot different than 16 hours.”
Attitude is Everything
In his professional life, Cantu has had a mixture of online guidance, in-shop trial and error, and a few key people who helped direct and refine his career path. For those in the industry who might wish to offer mentorship to others, Cantu has this advice: Encourage people who have a positive attitude.
“Once you find someone who’s willing to put in the time—whether that’s doing research, working on their own vehicle or advancing their education—you should heavily invest in those people. Push them along, encourage them and lift them up.” Such people should be given confidence, he said, “so they feel like this is a career worth pursuing.”
Attitude is everything, he stressed. In the past, when he had to hire employees, the first thing he noticed was a person’s attitude. “I looked at that over skill level. I can train someone in the skills needed for a job, but I can’t train the attitude. If you know someone who has a good attitude, comes into work on time and is a stable person who can handle the chaos, then invest in that person. These are the employees who will keep the industry moving forward.”
For those just getting started, Cantu urged them to get in front of the right people. This, he said, is why he went to work for Mobile Toys in the first place. “I knew there were four or five guys there who had tons more fabrication experience than I did. Even though I was a Top 12 Installer from Elevated Audio, it didn’t mean anything once I went to Mobile Toys because they’d been doing it for so long. I wanted to learn from them, understand their ways of thinking and see their processes.”
And that’s just what he did. “I wanted to learn from people like Chris Pate, David Cruz and Justin Kush. I look up to them. They were where I wanted to be, so I put myself in the position to learn from them. Now, I’m a part of that team,” he said, adding, “I was hoping for a seat at the table. Now, I’m there.”
SELLING DIFFERENTLY
Kevin Hallinan of WINNING, Inc. shares how asking lots of questions and utilizing negative reversals can help save time and close more sales.
WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
In order to grow, we must be willing to be uncomfortable, according to Kevin Hallinan of WINNING, Inc. At KnowledgeFest Nashville, Hallinan presented a sales workshop which challenged attendees to consider how they approach customers. How might a different attitude or varied phrasing change the outcome? How can a salesperson be more efficient with his or her time?
“Be willing to look at things differently,” he said, adding, “You have to stretch to grow. Check your ego at the door. If you feel like you’re already there, you’ll probably stay the same. Guess who will surpass you? People around you—whether they’re in your company or outside of it.”
Today, prospective customers tend to gather information from the Internet,
whether it’s accurate or not. They may arrive at a store believing they’re educated about price, Hallinan said. It might be necessary to qualify the customer first by saying, “We’re not the cheapest.” Otherwise, a salesperson may spend 30-45 minutes with a customer who winds up leaving anyway. He recommended finding out “how much you make per hour and how much time you waste.” It’s painful, he said, adding, “It’s a real cost.”
Sales in the 1970s and 1980s, he said, were about features and benefits. “From the mid-1980s and forward, it’s been about questions. Think about the logic of asking questions. You’ll make way more money by asking questions.”
THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE SALES PROCESS
Today, a retail store must consider how online shopping creates both pricing problems and warranty issues. “A customer may want to shop around without deciding. How much time do you want to spend with that person?” Hopefully, he added, a salesperson can find out quickly that a customer isn’t ready to decide. “Qualify. Ask questions.”
When considering any wasted time, Hallinan asked, “What would you do with that time so you could be more productive?” Possibilities include checking in on previous clients, networking, improving the hiring process, teaching, coaching, learning and professional development. “You have to work on your business. Many of us are working in our businesses.”
He suggested taking time every month to slow down, strategize and plan. “You’re either part of your own plan, or you’re part of someone else’s plan.”
Additionally, he said, how people buy impacts how they sell. “If it takes me six weeks to buy a truck, I know I don’t want to let that behavior happen when I’m selling,” he explained. “It’s hard to not accept that behavior because you know it would take you a while to make that decision. This is called the non-supportive buy cycle.”
Hallinan’s goal during his presentation was to help attendees undo any conditioning from traditional sales techniques that don’t work anymore. “What are the old rules of engagement? I have to be the lowest price to win, and the customer is always right,” he said, adding that this doesn’t work anymore.
“Features and benefits are good for web copy. They aren’t good for selling. Whose reasons do you buy for, yours or mine? Think about how often we’re telling people why to buy. It makes us sound like everyone else. Everyone says those words. It also drives the price down. If we sound like everyone else, who are we? If they can get the same thing from anyone, the only thing left is cheaper or faster. It’s just not good for business.”
Hallinan stressed that a good salesperson should always ask lots of
questions: “We make more money by asking questions than we do by answering them. That’s a mindset,” he said, adding that by understanding a little bit of psychology, salespeople can be more helpful to clients and save themselves a lot of time in the process.
UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
When a customer comes into a stereotypical store, Hallinan said, they’ll often ask a lot of questions and wind up leaving. “That’s called unpaid consulting, which is really bad for business,” he said. Then, he posed a scenario.
“We have to do a deep dive into how customers behave. Imagine you’re the customer and I’m the salesperson. The customer has cash and he’s coming into my men’s clothing store. He has five grand in his pocket, and he’s there to buy one, maybe two suits. I hear the bell when the door opens. If I’m a stereotypical shop owner or salesperson, I’ll say something brilliant like, ‘Can I
“Do prospects tell the truth? No. It’s because being honest makes you vulnerable to the salesperson.”
help you?’ and if you’re a typical prospect, you’ll say, ‘I’m just looking.’”
Although the customer came in with money, intending to buy, he didn’t reveal this. “Do prospects tell the truth? No. It’s because being honest makes you vulnerable to the salesperson.”
A customer generally doesn’t want to make an important decision and will stall, according to Hallinan. When they leave after saying, “I’ll think it over,” he added that this becomes “no” 96 percent of the
time. When following up to check with the potential client, he advised capping the number of follow-ups at three.
“In traditional selling, we’re taught to find someone who buys what we’re selling. Then we present features and benefits like CarPlay, hands-free and others,” he said. “If a customer says, ‘Give me three reasons why I should buy from you versus other options,’ stereotypical responses might be service, warranty, quality and trust. Those words are true, but there’s a problem. We’re not the only ones saying it. There’s a better way to go about this.”
While traditional selling advises salespeople to present features and benefits and then close the sale—or chase the customer to get them to buy—Hallinan said
the better way is to not allow follow-ups to happen in the first place.
“Traditional selling has taught prospects how to behave. Sellers are taught to find information and qualify. Prospects have been taught to say, ‘Let me get back to you.’ How can we make the new rules of engagement work for us? Learn a new process. Be in control of the conversation.” He noted that the person asking the questions is the one in control, while the person answering the questions “feels like they’re in control.”
HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE NEGATIVE REVERSAL
When someone wants to know why they should purchase from your
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•Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles business, Hallinan said, “Try, ‘I don’t know yet. What product do you have right now?”
He cited Dave Ramsey, who said, “The first person to answer the question doesn’t make money. The person who asks the question makes the money.” To become good at anything, he added, it’s essential to have the right mindset and cultivate good behaviors like networking, calling up previous customers just to check in and honing sales techniques through role-playing.
“There’s a technique we teach called negative reversal,” Hallinan said. “I’ll give you an example…unless you’d rather not hear it. That’s a negative reversal.”
Hallinan first learned the power of the negative reversal when he began applying through the Sandler sales methodology. “The first time I used it, I was with someone who wanted to sign up for sales training. I said, ‘Yeah, not today, though.’ As soon as I said that, he said, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’ I realized it really does work.”
If a customer comes in wanting a new stereo system, a salesperson might say, “That car has a great system, so what’s the issue?” The question gets the potential customer to defend their reason for wanting to buy something new, he explained,
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adding, “Technique is important.” Traditionally, salespeople are taught to go for the close: “I’m telling you to do the opposite,” like, “You’re not ready for that, are you?”
If salespeople don’t develop this mindset, he said, “It will cost you a lot of money. The customer needs me more than I need them. What’s the value of that mindset? It puts you in control. Imagine if you could approach every customer with a mindset of abundance. ‘They need me. I don’t need them.’ Imagine how you would behave.
You would still be kind, he said— polite and helpful. “But you’d spend less time with people who aren’t going to buy from you.”
Moving forward, salespeople should work on learning to set ground rules, as well as phone skill and networking skills. “We go to events and hang out with the same people we already know and don’t talk to anyone else,” he said.
In discussing setting ground rules with a potential client, Hallinan offered a few
ideas: “‘Is this a bad time, or do you have thirty minutes? Let me ask you some questions and find out if it makes sense to do business today.’ Why did I say, ‘if it makes sense’?” It gets them to open up, he said. “The guard comes down. They don’t lie anymore. The decision happens.”
It’s also perfectly okay, he added, to choose not to sell to someone. “If we’re not telling a customer no once in a while, we’re not qualifying enough. If we aren’t saying, ‘I don’t think I can help you,’ and mean it, we aren’t being honest enough, bold enough, or qualifying enough.”
Through asking questions, a salesperson can find a client’s pain. “Most salespeople sell to gain, meaning, ‘This product will do all these things.’ But pain is their reason for buying. What doesn’t it do right now?”
Through utilizing this nontraditional methodology, salespeople can help overcome customers’ objections before they come up. “It wastes less time and it’s honest,” he said.
LEARNING TO ASK FOR REFERRALS AT THE CLOSE OF THE SALE
When Hallinan spoke on generating referrals, he said, “If we could get referrals, are those the most price-sensitive people? No, because they come in through relationship.” He added that he often hears business owners saying they can’t get referrals. “These problems create negative beliefs like, ‘I can’t fix this. I can’t get referrals.’ That’s head trash—a negative belief that gets in our way.”
When is the best time to ask for a referral? “We don’t ask. Maybe we’re uncomfortable,” he said. “When should I ask? How do I ask? I don’t want to sound needy.” While some might think it’s best to wait until after the job is complete, Hallinan argued that the best time to ask for a referral is when the customer pays. “The customer is never happier than when they’re giving you the money,” he said. “The best time to ask is when you close the sale. It seems weird and awkward, but that’s the best time to do it. There’re never more confident in you than they are in that moment.”
An audience member shared another systematic strategy intended to increase efficiency, describing how someone at his shop put a QR code in front of the register with a sign prompting clients to leave a review. “While I’m playing with the keyboard, I see them do it,” he said. “They’ve already left a review before they’ve even paid the bill.”
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BUILDING CHARACTER
A Volkswagen Jetta Coupe, complete with creative touches and custom paint, welcomed visitors onto the show floor at KnowledgeFest Nashville this past April.
SUBMITTED BY: BENNY BROYLES, SOUND DECISION, JOHNSON CITY, TENN.
This 1991 Volkswagen Jetta Coupe was on display at KnowledgeFest Nashville. Benny Broyles of Sound Decision in Johnson City, Tenn. has owned the vehicle for 20 years. Everything on it, he said, has been modified—including the color.
“It’s a one-of color called Broyles Blue because we mixed it in-house,” he said, adding that the shop doesn’t normally mix paints. “I built this car in my garage and I did everything except shoot the paint and stitch the leather.”
The Jetta features a VR6 from a latemodel vehicle, along with Porsche wheels and brakes. “The backseat had headrests and arm rests. Those were deleted and the foam reshaped. It has Recaro front seats, a Sony double-DIN 9000ES head unit, Sony XS-163ES 3-way component set in the front, ES 10-inch subwoofers, an XM-1ES amplifier and an XM-8ES amplifier.”
Two finishing touches give the car its own personal flair. “When the cigarette is down, it’s turned down. When it’s pointing up, it’s turned up. It was a good application,” Broyles added. Additionally, a figurine on the motor has been there ever since he first built the car: “It found a home,” he said.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
“ I am looking forward to 2025 with great expectations and a highly successful year for our industry.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR 2025
Finish strong and begin the New Year with hope for your future and the future of your business.
As we finish off 2024 it’s time to ask the question? What have you done today to make your business better for tomorrow? Your business need not be defined by what you did yesterday. Past mistakes shouldn’t define your future. Learn from and then let go of the past. Your future should be defined by what you do today and then repeat those successes moving forward. I know it’s hard to make such bold statements while remembering your past failures. Just consider what you learned as that can and will produce wisdom that only comes from those who have experienced failure.
Analyze Your Past
Define the period for review, then take a hard look at your business and yourself. As you prepare for the New Year take some time to review your performance for 2024. Start by making a list of all the things that went wrong. Your list should include specific goals that were not fully achieved. Add any significant failure(s) and then call out what you think was the main reason for failing to achieve your goal(s). Don’t wallow on this but do take time to properly reflect so you can understand what went wrong.
Then, carefully review each failure. Think about what could have been done to avoid them, then document this information as if your revelation post-letdown was a success based on what you have learned. If you’re having trouble coming up with a solution, make a note of it. Don’t be afraid to phone a friend for advice. Once you have your list complete, organize it and rank them by what it may have cost your business. This ranking should take more into account than just the hard cost. For example, if one of your goals was to be successful with social media marketing and you didn’t properly execute on this strategy, then you rank it based on what you didn’t achieve in business growth. Next, it’s time to create a plan.
Creating a Plan to Succeed
After proper reflection, your next step is to formulate a plan to succeed. This plan differs from your overall business plan as it focuses on areas you have identified for improvement. Take the list you created that outlines your failures. Focus on what you could have done better to achieve what you desired as an outcome for your business. Remove anything you no longer want to achieve or have decided may not work. Each goal should be measurable. This will ensure you set your business up for success. Choose a review date and then write it all down.
Put Your Plan to Paper
Writing seems like a lost art these days, but there is something great about putting your plan to paper. A written plan is something that can be posted in an area that allows you and your team to remember and review every time you glance at it. It keeps it top of mind. If you are going to achieve anything great, a plan to get there and markers along the way will provide a constant reminder of a plan that was created with reflection and careful thought. To finish, write out what success looks like when you achieve your goal. It is important to know when you meet or exceed the challenge. When you do, make sure you share it!
Share Your Experience
Sharing with your team and others in your circle is key to growth both personally and professionally. Make it a point to meet with your entire team and share both failure and success. Take this time to review where you fell short of goals. Listen to teammates as they can provide valuable feedback. Each of you can share what you will do together to make next year more fruitful. During this meeting you should take some time to highlight both individual and team accomplishments.
Put a date on the calendar for your next review. Don’t let another year pass without reviewing how your business is measuring up against your new goals.
Don’t Give Up
Regardless of your circumstances, don’t give up! If you discover that you and your team are lacking in one area or another, maybe it’s time to learn from others. A trip to a KnowledgeFest event comes to mind (shameless plug intended). We have heard from many retailers that they were frustrated, and some were on the brink of collapse. As a last resort, and many times on the advice of a friend, they attended a KnowledgeFest event and received the much-needed information to restore their business both from the education and from networking with others in attendance.
Happy New Year!
That’s right. It will be a Happy New Year if you take the time to invest in your team, your business and yourself. I am looking forward to 2025 with great expectations and a highly successful year for our industry. See you at KnowledgeFest!
