Atlas Sound sent a letter to its dealers yesterday offering credits in a few different ways, including for specifying Atlas Sound products in bids they ultimately don’t win. Dealers can also receive rebates for switching out competitor products for Atlas Sound products or just specifying Atlas Sound products in the first place. This will be done through a project design registration program the company is setting up.

rAVe founder Gary Kayye says, “This is a great idea protecting those design/build and full service integrators that do the work up-front to design projects from the predatory price-based hang-and-bang dealers. I’d love to see more manufacturers do this. Loyd, why not brand this as a service and license it, for free, to other manufacturers to use to show that they care about protecting the channel partners that do the work? I’ll bet companies like Extron, Christie, Barco, Listen Technologies and Lectrosonics would sign on. All of them have eliminated box-house like integrators from their distribution channels.”

The full text of Atlas Sound founder Loyd Ivey’s letter is below:

An Open Letter to the Industry From the Desk of Loyd Ivey

Atlas Sound has been a trusted partner in the commercial audio industry since 1934. As manufacturer member number one in the NSCA and a huge supporter of all of its integrators, the warriors on the front line spilling blood, sweat, and tears working to just to make payroll at the end of the week. I have noticed a trend in our industry that I find very disturbing and unfortunate.

Integrators spend a lot of time and expend a lot of effort to write design build specifications only to lose that sale to another company that is able to undercut the price. This is one of the most frustrating scenarios an integrator can run into, have someone else take their design and specification and undercut the job. Some large manufacturers take advantage of smaller integrators by offering huge deals to a limited number of people that qualify. These deals enable them to offer a lower price and win the bid with no investment of time or capital. We at Atlas believe you should be rewarded for the work you do and for this reason we are launching a new Project Design Registration Program. This program is designed to ensure that all the integrators who specify Atlas Sound products in a system design receive compensation, whether they win the job bid or not.

Based on our commitment to be the easiest company to do business with, this program is simple to understand and allows everyone to win. We are offering integrators the opportunity to earn additional compensation based on three scenarios. First, integrators that are involved in design/build projects that specify Atlas Sound products and complete a project design registration form will qualify for a rebate credit based on the amount of Atlas products used in the specification. Second, integrators will qualify for the rebate credit if they change a specification from a competitor’s products to Atlas Sound products. Finally, a rebate credit will be issued to any integrator who creates the specification but loses the bid on projects that still utilize the Atlas Sound products from the specification.

There is no program comparable to this in the industry. Atlas has a huge assortment of high quality products that can be used in so many different types of installations that we wanted to reward our integrators for considering our full assortment when completing design/build specifications. Additionally, we want to compensate integrators that specify Atlas Sound even if they lose the bid and Atlas is still used, which is something that no other manufacturer offers.

The Project Design Registration Program includes all Atlas Sound products like speakers, horns, amplifiers, BlueBridge DSP, IP speakers, power conditioners, racks/cabinets, A-Line, sound masking, and Time Saving Devices. Participation is easy; integrators must complete a Project Design Registration Program form and submit it via email for rebate credit consideration. Please contact your Atlas regional sales manager, local representative, or Atlas customer service to take advantage of this program.

Sincerely,

Loyd Ivey
President & CEO