Selling AV — Episode 135: When Do You Walk Away?
This week I go to LinkedIn and answer this question from Jason Ward: “When do you walk away from an opportunity?” Tune in to learn when to walk away (and when to run). Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
The Future of AV is Unreal
In 2016, I asked the AV industry, “Why aren’t we talking about NVIDIA?” If you read my blog, I listed a lot of different areas where I thought NVIDIA could have a huge impact on AV, and although “Video Wall and Multi Window Screen Servers” were included as one of those potential opportunities, I have […]
Selling AV — Episode 134: How to Qualify Customers and Projects Part 2
Even if a customer meets your ideal profile, sometimes we need to qualify the project further to ensure we’re equally invested. Listen to this Selling AV episode to find out how. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Is the Future of AVoIP Wide Open?
In 2013, I did my first blog on video extension technology for rAVe. That was the year that Valens and HDBaseT exploded into the market based on it’s successful beta with Crestron, driving their original Digital Media product line. There were some manufacturers doing AV over IP at that time as well, companies like Just […]
Selling AV — Episode 133: How to Qualify Customers and Projects Part 1
How do we continue to grow our businesses effectively as technologies change? The secret to qualifying new customers and projects lies beyond the technology itself. Give this episode a listen for more! Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
The Flexibility vs. Performance Trade-off
“For every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.” – Sir Isaac Newton I talk to a lot of people about the future of work and how businesses are rethinking their real estate footprints and spaces to adapt to the reality of a hybrid future. Companies want people to come back […]
Selling AV — Episode 132: Lead, Follow or Lose on Margin
In today’s world, you can win on price and not make money, bid to make money and lose on price … or you can lead the problem-solving and discovery process to create a scenario — and everyone wins. Listen to this Selling AV to find out how. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
The Space Between: Transitions in Hybrid Work
Over the last couple of years, with the shift to remote work, one of the biggest positive changes people really like is that they no longer have a long commute. Living in the Los Angeles area myself, I can relate that not sitting in traffic for 2-3 hours a day is a huge plus. Interestingly […]
3 Often Overlooked AV Design Considerations
In a world of highly repeatable, commoditized solutions, the art of good design can definitely get lost. In the current market, we see a lot of products being kitted together and marketed based on the size of the room. A small room kit, a medium room kit, a large room kit, etc. In other cases, […]
Innovation Beyond the Tagline
I’ve written a lot about innovation over the years and if you’ve read any of my blogs on the subject, you know I’m pretty skeptical about the use of the term most of the time. A lot of people use “innovation” to describe iterative improvements over time, and I’ve come to terms with the fact […]
Adaptability in Business: Lessons From Sports
The ability to adapt may prove to be the most valuable superpower businesses can possess in today’s world. Business as usual has been disrupted repeatedly by natural disasters, climate change, geopolitical conflict, war, a pandemic, supply change issues, and the great resignation … and that’s just in the last 24 months. If you think those […]
Is it ‘Native’ 4K/UHD?
About eight years back, I got really geeky and introduced AV Phenom’s Definitive Guide to 4K. It was a simple chart. Since then, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that images that were 3840 pixels wide are going to be called 4K (although secretly I still think 2160p is a better descriptor […]
Going From ‘Wow’ to ‘Whoa’
Working in the experiential space, I hear one phrase all the time: “Wow” factor. Companies are looking for ways to create a wow factor to differentiate themselves from the competition and to get the attention of new talent and new customers. Wow factor is an important first step. In a world clamoring for your attention, […]
Selling AV — Episode 131: Setting Proper Expectations
In sales, the biggest mistake can often be failing to set the proper expectations. In this episode of Selling AV, Mark Coxon talks about how early communication can have a positive effect in the long run. Find out why that is by checking out this latest podcast! Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Saving the Office Park
I’m sure you’ve all seen the LinkedIn or other social media post that looks like this: “Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. And Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate. Something […]
AVPhenom’s InfoComm 22 Booth Visit List
This time of year you will see a lot of lists for InfoComm 22. There are lists about what to pack and where to eat, as well as a litany of press releases touting “must see” products. There are more lists of events, dinners, tours, and shows outside the convention center. And on top of […]
Samsung Announces What It WON’T Be Making
It’s InfoComm season and the PR blitzes are in full-force announcing new products that will be available to see LIVE in Las Vegas next week. We’re used to this being a period of time for product announcements and merger and acquisition news, so it was unique to see a company make an announcement about what […]
InfoComm Survival Guide- [Un]Compressed Video
Well it’s trade show season and the press releases are starting to pour in. Before you head onto the InfoComm ’22 floor, it’s a good idea to polish your armor to best avoid being hit with a poison arrow of misinformation. If you missed my first post on “deceptive specs” you should check it out […]
Up Your Whiteboard Game by Combining the Best of Analog and Digital
Trade show season is back. ISE is going on in Barcelona as I type, and Infocomm 2022 in Las Vegas is just 25 days away. This means that manufacturers, integrators and *gasp* end users are all converging to explore new partnerships and help people bridge the analog-to-digital gaps that have been isolated during the great […]
InfoComm Survival Guide- Know These 3 Deceiving Specs
It is May 2022 and we are about 1 month away from #Infocomm22 in Las Vegas. I’m excited to see the show back in a big way, and I know there is a lot of pent up excitement for a return to glory. With that, there will be a lot of manufacturers on the floor […]
Rethinking Space
If there’s one topic that has been totally exhausted and “overthunk” in the last year, it’s the post-COVID return to work. I don’t say that because it’s unimportant; I say that because most of the pieces we see written try to draw some new one-size-fits-all conclusion to what the… gulp… “new normal” will, or should, […]
What Business Are YOU In?
I had the opportunity to attend the Almo E4 event in Anaheim, California, earlier today. If you’ve ever been to an Almo event, you know that rAVe founder Gary Kayye usually kicks off the day with a thought-provoking keynote, and this E4 was no different. I won’t give away the whole talk, as Almo still […]
AV Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts
There’s a very popular ride at a theme park here in California that has an infamous history. The ride technology itself is based on a motion platform coupled with a screen. Riders enter, sit down and buckle up. Then the screen comes alive by mimicking a windshield as the video plays, creating a high-speed adventure. […]
Desire Paths: Hidden Opportunities for Improvement
You have most likely run across one of these pictures posted on social media, showing a high-end corporate campus or university with an engineered walkway through a large expanse of grass that is marred by a dirt trail worn through the landscape as a shortcut. It’s just as likely that you’ve seen these in real […]
Selling AV — Episode 130: Online and Hands-On
We live in a world of endless online meetings. Want to make yours stand out? Add a hands-on component. Now, how do you do that? Listen to this Selling AV episode to find out. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Meetings Are Up but Collaboration Is Down
One of the most eye-opening statistics of the last couple of years is that even though our time in meetings has increased (in some places literally doubled) and worker productivity is slightly up, collaboration time is actually down. As technology people, this may seem counterintuitive. If people are in more meetings and using platforms like […]
A Case for Over-ear Headphones
Have you ever seen one of those charts that shows Apple AirPods revenue as measured against other tech companies? If not, I’ve included one here: It’s amazing that AirPods do more revenue as a single product than companies like Adobe, Nvidia, AMD and Spotify do in their total revenues. Expand that figure out to all […]
Selling AV — Episode 129: Does the Math Really Matter?
If you’re an AV Professional, should you know the math behind your system designs? Does the math really matter? Find out on this episode of #SellingAV! Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Workflows — Fighting Yesterday’s War
In 2012 I did a job for the U.S. Navy. I was invited to a site walk to upgrade what they called their “Adaptive Planning rooms.” These were the rooms the Navy would use to model potential operations. One team would use the first room and assume the role of the protagonists (us) and the […]
Selling AV — Episode 128: The First Meeting
As salespeople, we are always eager to tell the story of how we help customers. It’s not a bad story to tell, but perhaps it’s better to start with learning a little about the person on the other side. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Collaboration Is About Workflows — Not Screen Sharing
As we navigate the reasons to get together in person, collaboration seems to be one of the main terms used as to why we still need physical spaces. We’ve seen a multitude of solutions pop up in this arena, typically consisting of a screen, cameras, microphone, speakers and screen sharing software. Some systems take this […]
Selling AV — Episode 127: Two Tips for Better Presentations
It’s tempting to use slides as a crutch and read them like a script to the audience (or even have them read along). However, this is a bad idea for several reasons. Get my two tips on better presentations in this episode. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS