Hybrid. It’s a two-syllable word that seems like it would be easy to define, but it’s actually not. The hybrid workplace is defined as one in which by default, a percentage of employees are remote while the rest are in person. If you’re watching any of the studies out there, its obvious that the five-day, […]

At the end of February, the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) had its annual Business and Leadership Conference. If you haven’t been to one before, whether in person or virtually (like this year), then you should prioritize it next year.  There were a lot of great keynotes, talks, and breakout sessions spanning sales, marketing, design […]

If you attended rAVe’s LAVNCH WEEK 3.0 last week, you may have caught the keynote by Kevin Carroll. Kevin is a storyteller, a speaker and an author. His book, “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball,” is a highly visual explanation of the power of play in life and work. If you missed Kevin’s keynote, it’s […]

If you follow my Selling AV podcast here on rAVe, then this blog will be right up your alley. I haven’t done a point/counterpoint article in quite a while, but today I came across a blog shared by the NSCA about the importance of having a sales script, and honestly, I couldn’t disagree more. Full […]

“Value engineering” are two of the most dreaded words in AV — they typically mean compromising system designs to meet the client’s budget. Most of the time, integrators use a shotgun to evenly distribute the discount across the project. In this episode of Selling AV, I suggest that may be a really bad idea, and […]

If you’ve been paying any attention to the conversations in professional AV right now, you’ve undoubtedly heard the word hybrid over and over again. There are countless products, articles and strategies for deploying technology that bridges our physical spaces to our virtual ones in ways that try to level the playing field and create equity […]

As technology salespeople, it is very tempting to have early conversations around technology itself. I’ve attended job walks or integrator interviews where the representative of a technology company quickly turns a discussion about a room into questions about how many inputs and outputs the company needs on their switcher or what brand of control system […]

It’s always a great idea to have conversations around Technology at a higher level with regards to the value it brings to a business. As such, it’s tempting to talk about Return on Investment (ROI), but is that always the best approach? Listen in to hear my thoughts. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: […]

I’ve worked at lots of companies where I was considered a leader even though I was not technically a manager.  Leadership is definitely a skill and role that transcends titles, age groups, gender identities and cultural backgrounds. Something strange, though, happens when you are elevated into the management hierarchy, and people may follow you because […]

I logged into rAVe today to write a completely different blog post about management and an analogy to cheer squads, but as I landed on the rAVe site here, I ran across an article by Daniel Shatzkes titled “Why You Should Hire an Acoustics Specialist at the Outset”. I wasn’t familiar with Daniel as a […]

It’s report card time and my youngest just brought home her marks from the first trimester of sixth grade. I’ve been blessed with three children that are self-motivated and have an appetite for learning and a drive to excel, so report card time has never been stressful for anyone in my house. They usually bring […]

We’ve all heard the phrase “a meeting that could have been an email.” Add in today’s additional methods of communication and you’ll get “a meeting that could have been a Zoom call, that could have been an email, that could have been a phone call, that could have been a text.” I put this idea […]

If you’re cold calling, odds are you won’t be getting through on the first call often, which means you’ll be leaving voicemail. Ditch the gimmicks and follow these simple tips. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

Given today’s environment and my role with a workplace technology company, I have been exploring a LOT of different collaboration tools as of late. Collaboration devices have officially gone well beyond wireless screen-sharing at this point. In fact, with Zoom, Teams, etc. offering screen-share as part of their software platforms over the Wi-Fi connection, I’d […]

Many times when talking to someone on a cold call, they will share a reason for not engaging with you at that time. Tune in to find out how to assure the reason is the right one, and to learn about the 4 types of objections that are offered. Podcast: Play in new window | […]

Assumptions crush cold calls. If you’ve ever been taught to assume the relationship and assume the sale, you need to stop right now and listen to this episode for 3 tips on first contact. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

If you want to be successful in navigating a new organization, you need an ally. In this episode, I tell you what phrase you need to eliminate from your vocabulary and who that first ally may be. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

As human beings we have a positive association with memory. We view those with good memories as intelligent and reinforce the idea that remembering mistakes of the past assures we won’t repeat them in the future. I don’t discount the value of memory on the whole. However — is there an advantage to being forgetful? […]

In today’s world, we have access to all sorts of information about our prospective clients. As professionals, we need to be diligent about doing our homework before we make that first call. This episode talks about what that homework should include. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

Suppose you’re active in social media at all. In that case, you may have noticed that quite a few strong opinions are resurfacing about AV’s “Experience” movement that has been happening since InfoComm became AVIXA. I believe the sudden rise of cloud-based conferencing, AV-over-IP and the retraction of hospitality, live and experiential events due to […]

The look, feel, and workflow a space needs to provide are not always easily found on the floor plan. This week, I answer a question from Graham Kirkpatrick on how to better align our systems with furniture, fixtures, and equipment  to create efficient and cohesive designs. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

Everyone is using video right now to communicate and webinars and Zoom calls abound. However, is there a better way to build video into your long term meeting strategy, even for in person meetings? Thanks to Chris Neto for this week’s question. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

I think I can confidently say that we’re tired of hearing about “Unprecedented Times” and “The New Normal.” The truth is that things are always in flux, and there are always businesses that are making money hand over fist while others are struggling to get by. Sure, a global pandemic and economic meltdown has caused […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Phenomenal Industries has released the new TalkBox VTC UCC collaboration device for Teams and Zoom Meetings. We are living in a new normal where virtual meetings have exploded due to the inability of people to gather safely in a single, physical space. The prevalence of these virtual meetings has created a plethora […]

This week’s question came from Lance Feldenkreiss via Twitter: How do you sell a suite of services like integration, managed services, staffing, etc., under one account manager? Listen in to hear a few tips on how to make this happen. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

Team-building. It’s one of the main purposes of bringing people together in one space, and even though there may be a shift in where work gets done, one thing is pretty clear, people still want to gather together physically in a common space to work together. If you haven’t seen Gensler’s new U.S. Work From […]

I spend some time on Twitter, and yesterday I noticed a lot of online chatter happening around a panel rAVe put together for LAVNCH WEEK 2.0. Kudos to the staff at rAVe for curating the speakers, because to my knowledge, the people on the panel and the groups they represent had never been assembled together […]

This week’s selling AV topic came from Chris Neto on Twitter who asked “How do you host a dynamic sales presentation online?” Tune in to hear 3 quick and easy ways to make sure you engage your audience in a way that makes sure the most relevant content is what they remember. Podcast: Play in […]

Last week was InfoComm week, one of the most anticipated events each year for the ProAV market. After purchasing floor space, building exhibits, flying in staff, and entertaining customers, many companies spend 6 or even 7 figures showcasing their products and services at InfoComm. Based on the enormous outlay, these companies naturally look to maximize […]

2020 is the year of remote everything. It has been a work from home, webinar heavy, travel light year for the whole country and, of course, for us in the AV industry as well. As such, our biggest events of the year have all been canceled or shifted into the ether. Many have been clamoring […]

This Selling AV question came from Brad Orme at Cinemassive: “How do you set yourself apart from the competition during the sales process?” Absorb these 4 tips in 5 minutes to learn how. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

This Selling AV topic came from Patty Wanzer through Twitter. “How do you determine the client’s budget?” I invited Jarrod Hillman of Hillman AV to help me tag team this in a special Selling AV. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS