A new company made its debut this week: Nialli. Nialli is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nureva (check out the story Gary wrote about it Tuesday). Also, here’s a fun fact: The CEO is Nancy Knowlton of Nureva fame! Gary recorded this videocast with Nancy Wednesday to get the scoop — so watch and learn all about this new venture! Podcast: Play […]
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: Android | RSS
I was honored to have both the managing director of ISE, Mike Blackman, and the CEO of AVIXA, Dave Labuskes, on my videocast Thursday. The subject? The earlier-this-week show shuffle that ended with ISE’s European-centered AV mega show and the famed InfoComm show both scheduled for June 2021. After watching this, you’ll be convinced this […]
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: Android | RSS
After getting a connection request, via LinkedIn, from Calaigh Copland of Diversified in Canada, I noticed her title started with Footballer and ended with AV Professional, not the other way around. So, here’s your chance to hear from Calaigh: the AV industry’s only national soccer player (Guyana)! Her path to AV is probably much like yours was, and she’s […]
Gary was joined by NSCA Executive Director Chuck Wilson to talk about the upcoming P2P (Pivot to Profit) — or, this year, called P2Pv, as the event is virtual — September 22-23. This is THE leading business transformation event aimed at AV and IT, and the 2020 focus is helping low-voltage integrators recover from and reboot beyond the COVID-19 crisis. Using […]
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: Android | RSS
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: Android | […]
People are the lifeblood of AV, and any time we have a chance to meet someone new, we do. Here’s an introduction to Jacob Sanders, Almo Pro A/V‘s newest business development manager focusing on LED and projection, among other specialties, for the distributor. Jake spent the last two years selling and specifying LED for CreateLED and Lighthouse Technologies. However, his […]
Alexi’s La Broi‘s second guest on Alexis AV Talk, her all-new series using the rAVe RADIO network, is all about the work that Columbus Jones (DMC-D 4K, DM-NVX-N) of Lincoln Tech is doing. His work? To help get more underserved youth on a path to becoming AV professionals. Lincoln Tech’s alumni include more than 32,000 graduates with all […]
As the entire industry likely enters a transition to XaaS (Everything-as-a-Service), the easiest place to start is with digital signage installs — they are already 100% networked. To start, Mvix Digital Signage probably has the easiest higher-ed DSaaS (Digital-Signage-as-a-Service) line out there right now. Gary Kayye spoke to Mvix senior solutions consultant Daniel Mersberger Wednesday about how […]
On this episode of Rants and rAVes, Gary was joined by NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson to talk about the P2Pv (“v” for virtual) event on September 22-23, open ONLY to AV integrators and designers. Unlike most virtual events (so far) in 2020, NSCA’s Pivot to Profit (P2Pv) event was specifically designed by integrators FOR integrators. The […]
AVIXA‘s senior director of market intelligence, Sean Wargo, is extrapolating a tremendous amount of data that, at first glance, may seem obvious. But rAVe’s Gary Kayye thinks it’s critical to understanding the future of the AV integration business. Want to learn where the market is heading, how to pivot into the right segments, and when to […]
When you hit a milestone like 1,000 — yes, Gary’s recorded 1,000 podcasts — you have to pick a special guest to celebrate it with you. So Gary picked his 16-year friend, colleague and partner, Sara Abrons. This is your chance to get to know Sara. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS
ProAV industry icon Ron DeVoe, founder of Texas-based TOTAL Marketing, joined Gary on his videocast Thursday. TOTAL Marketing is universally respected as one of the industry’s top three manufacturer’s rep firms. Ron entered the AV market in the mid-1970s and has weathered all sorts of AV storms. His insights, attitude and historical perspective are invaluable in a […]
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: Android | RSS
Gary was joined on his podcast Tuesday by Almo Pro A/V’s vice president of business development & strategy, Rob Ziv, who took the opportunity to introduce a new partner to the ProAV market — Cattura Video. Cattura has three different H.264 streaming appliances for personal, corporate, education and even live events streaming applications. Watch this […]
Almo Pro A/V’s Stephen McKay joined Gary on his videocast to do a LIVE demo of the VDO360 2SEE USB Camera — designed to be a work-from-anywhere personal conferencing device. Using a native 1080p (30fps) camera and four integrated mics, the 2SEE includes echo cancellation and automatic gain control; you’ll see (and hear) it demonstrated […]
Although this is, officially, the first episode of Alexis La Broi’s all-new workforce-development-focused series for rAVe RADIO, it’s really her second. Last month, Alexis was asked to join Gary Kayye on the 988th episode of Rants & rAVes to talk about her mission to bring young people into the AV industry — that episode also […]
SYNNEX Vice President of Design and Support Services Kirk Nesbit & Vice President of Services Joe Pittillo discuss how integrators can lean on SYNNEX to fill gaps in today’s complex business climate while extending their reach with customers. From pre-sales support to installation and maintenance, SYNNEX can help integrators enhance or extend their current offering. SYNNEX can also help integrators take advantage of […]
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: Android | RSS
Gary was joined on his podcast by Innovox Audio founder and CEO Chris Oswood, sales director Ladd Temple, and marketing director Kelly Perkins to talk all about audio — intelligible audio, that is. What is it? What does it mean? How is Innovox Audio different from all the other speaker companies out there? Well, watch […]
COVID-19 has challenged everyone. So when AVI Systems’ CEO and president, Jeff Stoebner, issued a challenge to his team that if they produced a record-sales month, he’d dye his hair green, they responded. How’d he do it? Simple — watch! Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS
The 2020 AVIXA Foundation scholarship recipients joined Gary on his videocast today. Here’s your chance to not only meet them but also hire them! In fact, Esmeralda already has her Crestron Level 1 Programming Certification — hint, hint (ahem, Crestron). And both Iris and Adam potentially have only one more year before they become #AVtweeps! Watch and meet the future of AV. Finally, here’s a […]
SYNNEX VP of Public Sector & Vertical Markets Ed Somers joined Gary on today’s podcast to talk about the AV channel’s opportunities during the pandemic. The two discussed how the distributor is working with manufacturers and engaging with resellers to find the right tools and solutions that drive business. From legislation and policies spinning out of […]
On July 8, SYNNEX is using the rAVe LAVNCH Platform to deliver a healthcare-based virtual event focusing on AV and UCC solutions that are not only helping the healthcare industry but also addressing healthcare issues in AV environments. The free event kicks off with a keynote from Sextant Group’s David Glenn. In this interview with SYNNEX’s own VP of […]
AVIXA CEO Dave Labuskes joined Gary on his podcast today for a special video interview, not just about InfoComm 2020 Connected but also about the future of our industry. It’s a candid look at how far we’ve come over the last 90 days and where we’re headed — what are the opportunities for us, as […]
After nearly 20 years at NEC Display, Rich Ventura became the VP of B2B at Sony Professional last week. Why’d he leave NEC, and why the heck did he go to Sony? Watch, and you’ll hear why!
Alexis La Broi, of VER, introduced us to nPower last week and we decided to highlight the nPower program as part of today’s videocast. nPower creates pathways for launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities. And, they focus on developing and teaching IT expertise. This provides AV integrators with an […]
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 […]
Here’s a personal message from rAVe Founder Gary Kayye on why you should join him next week during THE rAVe Agency‘s LAVNCH WEEK 2! Check it out below and register here TODAY!
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: Android | RSS
