Technology is an ever-changing environment, and the world of AV technology is no different. Change allows technology industries to thrive, given that the people working in the industry see it for the opportunity it represents and embrace their new futures to pursue it. Many times embracing change means that it’s time to retool our businesses and part […]
It’s the end of the year and you’re trying to hit that next level in your sales number. There’s only one sure way to fail. Find out what that is in this episode of selling AV. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Back in the spring, I launched a series of blogs on The Hard Truth about Selling Soft Service(ices) focusing on why AV has had a hard time turning the corner to managed services, software, video over IP and AV as a Service (AVaaS). I wrote about the first two hurdles in separate posts dealing with […]
This week’s Selling AV was inspired by a question I saw on Twitter. How do you overcome the objection that a client doesn’t want to invest in technology that will become obsolete in a few years? Take 4 minutes to hear my thoughts. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
About a week ago, I wrote about the death of what I referred to as the “Generalist” AV firm. In case you missed it, you can read it here. As you may imagine, I received a lot of commentary on this blog through the comments, through Linked In, and through Twitter. Based on those comments, I […]
If you’ve read my posts before, you’ll notice that I have rarely predicted the death of any particular technology or business model. Sure, I have my ideas on where the industry is heading or which technologies may ultimately win out in the end, but I never go so far as to say this is the […]
Most of my sales advice is aimed at helping you develop skills for your own job. This week, I am encouraging you to learn someone else’s job instead. Find out why by listening to this week’s Selling AV. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Large organizations are often difficult to navigate, and if you’re selling AV, you want all the advantages that you can get. This week, I talk a little about developing coaches to help you close more deals. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
There are quite a few conferences that focus on AV equipment. On the consumer side, there is CES, on the broadcast side there is NAB, then for residential AV there is CEDIA Expo and for commercial AV, we have InfoComm. The latest conference to focus on AV equipment, however, happened Friday, August 10th. The conference? DEFCON. […]
Keeping with the precedents set by other innovative AV companies, AV Phenom typically releases new products around InfoComm and ISE each year. Phenom has successfully developed and released several products over the last few years including the Smart HUBby, the VoiceSaver Remote, the world’s first 4K Speakers, and most recently the ShareChair TM. It’s hard […]
As salespeople, we want to be sensitive to not stepping on any toes, and as such, sometimes our diplomacy can go awry. This week, I share a meeting that I had last week where this exact thing happened to me. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
InfoComm 2018 is a month behind us, and over the last few weeks, people have been writing about the trends they saw at the show. We’ve seen blogs discussing increasing end-user attendance as well as several people’s lists of their favorite products or the ones they saw to be the most innovative or disruptive. There […]
It’s great to have knowledge of your potential client’s business, that is unless that knowledge becomes baggage. This week, learn how to listen with a blank mind to better serve your customers. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Imagine you were walking the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center at InfoComm 2018. You walk up to a random person without looking at their badge and shake their hand. What are the odds you just shook hands with an integrator? A. 50 percent B. 40 percent C. 30 percent D. 20 percent If […]
If you’re in residential integration, it’s hard to get a quick read on how technical your homeowner is. In this week’s Selling AV, I share a little trick I used to use to steer my technology conversations. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
InfoComm 2018 is behind us and we’re back to work, trying to close out the last half of the year. This week, find out how integrators can use InfoComm to boost sales over the next few months. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
I have been reading some people’s reviews of InfoComm and I have to admit, I’m a little jealous that I no longer get much time to walk the floor while I’m at the show. Being a bit of an AV Geek, I miss seeing new products, looking for new trends, and connecting dots in a […]
I was participating in a social media chat the other day when the subject of AV as a Service (AVaaS) came up. For those not familiar with the subject, I’ve written a little about it in the past, and if you’d like a little background feel free to click here or here. During the chat, someone […]
If you haven’t already been following the conversation about selling AV software and services, I encourage you to catch up on my last couple blogs where I lay out the three main issues that I believe are stalling the transition from hardware-based businesses, as well as some specifics on business models that may play a […]
The inspiration for this week’s Selling AV came from a friend who asked me what I thought of emailing proposals. Listen to hear a couple of my thoughts on the matter. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Earlier this week I posted The Hard Truth about Soft Serve(ices). (Feel free to read that first if you missed it.) However, in summary, I asserted that the hurdles we face as an industry today regarding selling software, services, and IT-centric AV may be less technical and more business related. My thought is that revenue models, […]
Many times we bend over backward trying to win that big client, doing everything they ask without ever getting anything in return. This week we talk about how to reverse that tide and get something we need as well. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
Unless you’ve been in a hole the last few years, you most likely have noticed the increasing conversation in AV about software, managed services, and IP based signal distribution. Given all of the buzz and apparent end-user demand for all of the above, surprisingly, only a select few AV companies have turned the corner on […]
This weekend in a Twitter chat, someone asked what career advice you’d give your younger self. Two main themes emerged. Listen in to hear what they were. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
LAS VEGAS and RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CALIF., APRIL 23, 2018— Huddle Rooms and Collaboration are some of the hottest buzzwords in AV, and AVPhenom will be introducing a new Collaboration Product at Infocomm 2018. Over the last few years, huddle room and collaboration products like wireless screen sharing technologies have been some of the hottest new […]
If you’re selling AV, you’re most likely making phone calls. This week I talk about the worst possible reason to make a call and how to avoid it. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
One of the most shared business leadership talks is Start With Why by Simon Sinek. It emphasizes the importance of purpose in a business and leadership’s ability to communicate that purpose to their employees to accomplish amazing things together. I believe it has been so popular because most business books emphasize what to do and/or […]
In AV, we are sometimes very product-focused. Manufacturers build best in class products and then engage a dealer channel to make sure those products have a solid strategy to get into the marketplace. Integrators get trained on how the product works, many times engaging with the manufacturers to become certified in the installation and/or programming […]
Just in case you were hiding under a rock this month, the big news in the business world was that Toys “R” Us will close or sell all of its 735 stores in the U.S., ending a 70 year legacy for the retailer and also putting 31,000 workers back in the market for a job. […]
Many times in AV we focus on our closest manufacturing or integration competitors when selling our products and services. However, in today’s environment, there is always a hidden competitor you should be watching out for. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
I was recently in Jacksonville for our annual sales meeting. One of the highlights of that meeting was when our guest presenter, Amahl Hazelton, director of communications for Destinations at Moment Factory, shared a plethora of interactive AV experiences they developed around specific public spaces. Now, I have heard the term “place-based entertainment” many times in my […]
Today we talk about three things successful comics do well that we should learn from in sales. Think of it as your 5 minute sales manager. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
