They say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Without sinking into a lengthy digression about what that really means, I’ll just gloss it over with “getting to know people is important.” For many of us, the best opportunities we’ve had have come to us by way of our personal and professional networks. […]
Everybody likes to make money, and see their business grow. That’s hard to dispute. When business is slow, it’s entirely natural to seek new business partners, both inside your channel as well as out. But how far should one go, and how far is too far? When searching for growth opportunities, the guiding question should […]
Nobody’s business operates in a vacuum. Your company is surrounded by a network of clients, vendors, collaborators and competitors. Everyone in that network has their own challenges that they’re dealing with. Some of it won’t impact you and some of it will. The key is to maintain awareness of the world outside your own little […]
I was just remarking earlier how much I’m enjoying my years-long streak of not having to attend CES. But just because I’m not there, doesn’t mean I can’t reminisce about trade shows. Frankly, my favorite part of trade shows has never been the technology. Nope, it was the catering. From the wine and cheese receptions […]
In case you missed it, back last October Gary posted a brief, to-the-point blog post entitled Are You Thinking Ahead? The Smartphone Is Killing the Large-Screen TV. Take the time to read it now, if you haven’t already. I’m going to take the opportunity to support his thesis with my own observations. He’s absolutely correct […]
With the holiday season upon us, I’m reminded of a predicament I found myself in a couple of years ago. A friend of my parents planned a combination holiday party and Trailer Park Boys marathon. I remain mystified by the obsession my parents and their peers, doctors, judges, university administrators and similar, have with watching […]
I have often blogged about the power of coffee to open doors and cement relationships. Just this past week, I walked into the office of one of my customers who, normally, have a very rigid approach towards scheduling meetings. I know that, and always respect it. However this time, I walked in armed with a […]
I wanted to use that title, so I’m going to break my moratorium on too many editorials with too many Jerry McGuire references too close together. While the business climate seems to be slowly improving, I have yet to talk to anyone in the various channels of the AV and CE business who’s told me […]
Competition in the electronics business is tough. There are lots of products to choose from, and plenty of places to buy them from. You can sell on price, or you can sell on value. The problem with selling on price is if all you have to offer is a low price, there’s no really good […]
Like Dickey Fox said in Jerry Maguire, “The key to this business is *claps hands* personal relationships!” Regardless of how fantastic their products are, vendor sales reps need to understand that the personal relationship they build with their dealers can be the make or break factor in how much business they get, or if they […]
While redesigning the new controls for my media room I encountered a technical nuisance that I felt deserved its own sidebar, separate from the larger article I’ve been working on about my new control system. Drunk with the power that comes from the potential realized by an IP-enabled control system that works over my home’s […]
Room design that allows for adequate airflow for cinema rooms can be an event more noted in the breach than in the observance. In needs assessment meetings with potential clients to develop their wish list for the things they want their media or cinema room to do, they inevitably focus on things like how big […]
When you work in sales you encounter a wide variety of personalities. That’s doubly so when you work in retail and deal with the public all day. Pivotal to being successful in sales is to identify the approach that works best with a specific person to secure their agreement, and “make the sale,” as they […]
Not that I seriously believe that anyone has been following the saga of my rebuilding of my Media Room post-flood, and my search for a new control system for my AV gear. BUT IF YOU WERE, you might be interested to know that after much research and discussion with knowledgeable AV Pros, I elected to […]
Recent experiences have brought security installations to the forefront of my thinking. Security subsystems are something that AV pros have polarizing opinions on. Some don’t mind handling them, some do so only grudgingly, and others won’t touch them. Like everything, when deciding whether to do security at all there are pros and cons. The most […]
I get asked periodically for a copy of our catalog. That’s when I refer them to our website and say “that’s our catalog now.” In any channel where technology advances quarterly, or even more often, and what’s hot can change weekly, combined with printing costs, and a general rise in eco-friendly sentiments have put print […]
I’ve written a lot of columns that can categorized as either “How To Not Screw Up” or “Someone Screwed Up And Here’s How It Got Fixed.” It’s not lost on me that sometimes it sounds like I’m moralizing, and that feels awkward. Heaven knows I’ve made my share of mistakes — probably more than my […]
The big story last week up here in the Great White North was the demise of streaming video service Shomi. It took not even two years for Shomi, a joint project of broadcasters Rogers and Shaw to throw in the towel. It was never clear in Shomi’s publicized “900,000 users” how many of those were […]
We’re all familiar with the depreciation of AV equipment. And all of us who’ve been in the business for a long time have endless stories we can tell about what things used to cost, versus what they cost now. That explains why reading the ads on online HiFi Buy/Sell marketplaces is vaguely depressing. The rate […]
I like to say that every solution has two problems. However, sometimes there are more. Long story short, my basement flooded over the May long weekend, as I think I’ve mentioned before in my blog. I can tell you that it’s a good news/bad news situation. The salvage and restoration company (who did a fantastic […]
I just finished off a longer editorial titled Finding The Levers. Spoiler alert: it was about fishing for the cues that will lead to buying decisions from end users. As is often the case, while working on my editorial, one thing led to another, and inspired me to write a more brief blog post on […]
So, there’s going to be a new iPhone announced this Wednesday. There are things about it that I know, there are things about it that I think that I know, and there are things about it that I suspect. Most of which I’m not actually allowed to talk about publicly. What I can talk about […]
I think we can all agree that, in principle, it’s a great idea for vendors and manufacturers to maintain a “FIND A DEALER” database on their website. It’s a splendid idea — in principle. It will pre-qualify interested prospective customers who’ve been doing their research and funnel them towards resellers or installing dealers in their […]
It’s been said that for many people the opposite of talking isn’t listening, it’s waiting. I’m not perfect at it, but I endeavor to listen more than I talk, and I ask a lot of questions. Not just specific questions, but general ones as well. You should always listen to what people are saying. It’s […]
I witnessed something a couple of weeks ago that was, frankly, something you just don’t see every day. At the end of July I spent a week visiting my customers up on the far reaches of Northern Alberta. Despite the fact that 90% of my job can be done by phone and email, it’s important […]
There was a time, long ago, when I venerated cables and connectors. As a self-described audiophile, and as a salesman of audiophile gear to other self-described audiophiles, I bought into the doctrine that cables were important; that they were special. Cables are still important: they take the signal from where it originates and transport it […]
It’s been a huge boon to AV that wireless solutions now exist that were little more than wishful thinking ten years ago. Today I find myself looking at the specs of things like wireless HD video dongles and I think back to specific projects and site surveys in years past where I thought, “Man, this […]
My home renovation is complete. I haven’t yet reinstalled the AV system in the Media Room, but that’s another story. With the completion of my renovation, now seemed like an opportune time to check in, and conduct an audit of how many light fixtures are now using LED bulbs. The last time I did this, […]
As I mentioned in previous blog posts, my basement flooded on the May long weekend, necessitating the complete demolition and renovation of the rooms downstairs. The restorations and renovations are almost complete. Which leaves me at a crossroads. When I installed what I loftily called a MEDIA ROOM the kids were still babies; their entertainment […]
I reached a milestone this past week. I finally had to change the batteries in my electric tape measure. “What’s that?” you ask. “An electric tape measure? You’re kidding, right?” No, I kid you not. I’ve had it for ten years, and in that time, despite being made by the down-market Black and Decker brand, […]
It’s been said that it’s a mark of greatness to create a legacy that leaves something wonderful behind you for future generations. Years before I began working there, at one HiFi store an enterprising general manager had brokered deals with two professional organizations to extend to them a corporate discount program. What that meant was […]
Big box retailers are like the weather: We all like to complain about them, but none of us ever do anything about them. But as entertaining as it is to hate them, and make jokes at their expense, the relationship between big box retail and boutique professional firms is nuanced and complex. The business practices […]
