SPECIAL: AMPS
June 15 2007
VOLUME 24 NO.6

THE MAGAZINE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND SOUND PRODUCT MERCHANDISERS

 

   
 

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FEATURES
-Here We Come to Save the Day!!We provide a plethora of accessories that manufacturers assure you will provide excellent margins.
-For Those Who Make Lesser Publicized Instruments, We Salute You!!For the first time, we pay tribute to instruments and products that get little press coverage. We provide a well-deserved spotlight for these products!
-And the Bombs Keep Coming!Another big lawsuit is filed
against the industry.
This time, there are many
more defendants.
-Drumming to Their Own BeatHow well is the drum industry holding up during these difficult times? We call on three industry experts.
-Guitar Center, Fender, and NAMM Sued
-The Health of the Independent Dealer M&SR’s fourth annual independent retailer roundtable features a new twist. For the first time, manufacturers, hand-selected by the retailers, contribute to the story.
-Born In the USA! We feature manufacturers who produce a majority of their products in the United States. Why do they make products in the USA as opposed to Asian countries? Find out.
-…And the Show Did Go On! The economy took a big bite of Summer NAMM in Nashville, but there were still bright moments.
-Jockeying For Position How is the DJ business holding up during these tough times? What’s the next hot technology? We asked the experts.
-What A Gig! Find out about plenty of manufacturer employees who still get out to play gigs. Our second annual edition is another fun read.


-The Latest, Industry, Dealers, People and Product Buzz and Showcases.

COLUMNS
-The Music & Sound Independent Retailer Chris Lovell tells you how you can private label your own products. Plus, some interesting news items.
- MI Spy: Spy takes a trip for the first time to the capital of Ohio. The home of the Buckeyes and Blue Jackets: Columbus.
-Five Minutes: We get every possible tidbit from Tom Bedell, founder of Bedell Guitar Company. The guitar company was just founded by a fishing magnate and perhaps will be the talk of the Winter NAMM show.
-Sales Guru: Santa Claus IS coming to town. Find out why Gene Fresco is optimistic.
-Veddatorial: Dan Vedda gets charitable. Or does he?


FORMIDABLE FEMALES

-Tarina Dunwoodie got to see the moment Graph Tech was born and has served the company since she was 17. She has moved up the ladder quite a bit since then.
-Stacey Montgomery-Clark Find out how SABIAN’s Stacey Montgomery-Clark juggles two young boys at home and a huge job as vice president of marketing. She loves interactive programs at the company, most notably the Vault Tour.
-Cathy Duncan Seymour Duncan’s co-founder and chairman, received a ton of on-the-job training. But she has excelled. Creativity is one of the company’s hallmarks. Find out much more about her.
-Bee Bantug Yes, the Internet CAN be your friend as a retailer. Bee Bantug, who has provided several NAMM University sessions, can help. That’s why she co-founded Retail Up! in 2002.
-Dale Krevens For Tech 21’s Dale Krevens, being vice president is not a job. It’s an adventure. Find out why.
-Melanie Ripley Grundorf Corp. Vice President Susan Grund handles a plethora of duties at her job, but she also has jammed with the Beach Boys and makes sure the bond with the company’s employees remain strong. Learn how she juggles everything at one time and changes she’s witnessed in MI.
-Susan Grund Grundorf Corp. Vice President Susan Grund handles a plethora of duties at her job, but she also has jammed with the Beach Boys and makes sure the bond with the company’s employees remain strong. Learn how she juggles everything at one time and changes she’s witnessed in MI.
-Toby Nady graduated from college with a degree in clinical psychology. What does that have to do with music? Nothing. It’s been a long, strange trip for her. But a very good and successful trip.
-• Shawna von Behren.
-• Berenice Chauvet
-• Sue Kincade
-• Tish Ciravolo
-• Vikki Hayward
-• Roxana Ramirez
-• Susan Lipp

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Fantastic Five
Five guitar amplifier pros offer tips to get these products out of your stores and into your customers’ cars.
[June 2007 - Page 3]

Tips, Tips, and More Tips
Certainly, a 12-percent unit sales decline doesn’t mean all companies are struggling. In fact, our panelists said the contrary. Either way, any bit of advice goes a long way for an industry competing against tons of technological gadgets, with another one, iPhone, now being released.

“One thing I’ve seen is some salespeople don’t properly qualify their customers,” said Baggs. “But that, I mean, ‘What kind of music do you play? What type of guitar do you have? What is your application going to be?’ You must focus on things that don’t necessarily always make the biggest sale, but things that really help the customer. A proper sales relationship has to start with finding out what a consumer really needs and matching those needs with the proper equipment. We try to pick dealers that our ideal customer will naturally gravitate to. So the dealer can have confidence that when they recommend our products that we’ll fulfill the promise.”

Warrick held a similar sentiment. “The biggest thing is knowing the features of what you’re selling,” he said. “The biggest thing with guitar amps is there are just so many flavors out there. You really have to qualify your customer. Is he a rock guy, is he a blues guy, is he a country guy? What sound is he looking for? You have to sidestep your own biases and try to find that best amp for the customer.”

“You sell an amplifier on sound,” added Delaney. “They just don’t sell themselves out of the box. They must be hooked up of course, and the sales staff really needs to know how to sell it. You must be able to give a customer a walkthrough of what the features are and show them where the amp shines as far as emulating certain sounds. Any retailer must be hands-on with showing the amp, and truly walking the customer through a demo is the best sales advice.”

“Treat every customer with respect,” said Bowcott. “Even if it’s an 8-year-old kid, if you spend 20 minutes with that customer and not worry about what offers the most [profit], you can end up with a customer for life. The great thing about our industry is once you have a customer hooked, it’s a lifetime commitment.”
But what if you have salespeople who work on commission only? “That is a real dilemma,” Bowcott said.
It is a dilemma indeed, and Bowcott said making sure your salespeople are serious and care about the products and the industry is most important when facing that problem. That way, they will want to get to know the product well and will have another motive other than making a few bucks.

He concluded by mentioning one more sales tip. “If someone comes into the store trying to buy something and you guide them to something else for the wrong reasons, you’re going to lose the sale. There’s nothing wrong with selling up. Selling up is amazing. But if you try to sell sideways for a few bucks, the customer may not react well. If the customer wants certain features and you steer them to another product, I know I wouldn’t react positively as a customer.”
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