Radical Idea for Specialty AV Retailer to Win Loyal Customers

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In this editorial, Jerry Del Coliano discusses a radical idea that Specialty AV Retailers should employ to win loyal customers.

The standard for which the Mobil Guide judges the finest hotels in the world isn’t based around how many flowers The Four Seasons in Paris (George V) installs or how fancy the glass sculptures are in the ceiling of Las Vegas’ Bellagio. Those are, without question, marvelous elements that add drama to your vacation experience, but they aren’t at the core of what makes your stay so special. Superior customer service simply never goes out of style. Specialty AV retailers need to rethink how they service their customers to create repeat business and loyalty that they may be lacking at this time.

Read: Radical Idea for Specialty AV Retailer to Win Loyal Customers

 

[ryanosaur]

I just can’t.
I’m near enough to a lifer in F&B to know well what chasing stars is like. It goes beyond customer service. Far beyond.
It is a codification of Aristocracy and all that entails. Certainly, you don’t have to be in the 1% to go to a 3*** restaurant or stay at the most posh and well appointed Relais & Chateaux resort, but it helps.
The problem is that delivering on the promise of such a lifestyle is expensive. So much so that your already pensive AV Boutique likely wouldn’t be able to serve anybody with KEF Q-series money. No, we’re talking R-series at the minimum. And asking for that would be like asking how much the Salad costs on one of those menus that doesn’t have prices on it.

There are a lot of us that may have champagne and caviar fantasies but live in a ritz cracker and cheese whizz world. Being on first name basis with the AV Concierge of your local Michelin Star Speaker Boutique doesn’t come for free.

Certainly, excellent customer service doesn’t have a price tag associated with it. Being nice and respectful to our fellow humans shouldn’t be reserved to only people that tip by the Grant or Franklin.
Excellent customer service should be the cornerstone of simply doing business. Just as saying no shouldn’t be in the vocabulary.
I know I didn’t start my business to say no or be rude. I look for ways to say yes. My clients are the most important people to me from the time they say hello on the phone or email. They stay that way until I walk out the door after serving them.
It costs me nothing to be nice, to be attentive to their needs and expectations.

 

[slipperybidness]

I just can’t.
I’m near enough to a lifer in F&B to know well what chasing stars is like. It goes beyond customer service. Far beyond.
It is a codification of Aristocracy and all that entails. Certainly, you don’t have to be in the 1% to go to a 3*** restaurant or stay at the most posh and well appointed Relais & Chateaux resort, but it helps.
The problem is that delivering on the promise of such a lifestyle is expensive. So much so that your already pensive AV Boutique likely wouldn’t be able to serve anybody with KEF Q-series money. No, we’re talking R-series at the minimum. And asking for that would be like asking how much the Salad costs on one of those menus that doesn’t have prices on it.

There are a lot of us that may have champagne and caviar fantasies but live in a ritz cracker and cheese whizz world. Being on first name basis with the AV Concierge of your local Michelin Star Speaker Boutique doesn’t come for free.

Certainly, excellent customer service doesn’t have a price tag associated with it. Being nice and respectful to our fellow humans shouldn’t be reserved to only people that tip by the Grant or Franklin.
Excellent customer service should be the cornerstone of simply doing business. Just as saying no shouldn’t be in the vocabulary.
I know I didn’t start my business to say no or be rude. I look for ways to say yes. My clients are the most important people to me from the time they say hello on the phone or email. They stay that way until I walk out the door after serving them.
It costs me nothing to be nice, to be attentive to their needs and expectations.

I can personally give 2 anecdotes at complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

When I went auditioning and ultimately purchased my GE T2 towers-- I went into the dedicated high end audio shop just dressed in shorts and T-Shirt. Told the guy I was there to listen to some speakers, and wanted to start with that pair of GEs set up right there, and I have my own music to audition with. The guy looked at me, handed me a remote and said, "knock yourself out, let me know if you need anything. By the way, those speakers are in stock and ready to go home today". That was the first stop for auditioning, told him I really needed to go listen at a competitor for a brand they don't carry, then I came back later that day and bought my towers.

On the other end of the spectrum, when I went into the RMAF Vandersteen room and started asking some questions to the man himself, he clearly made a preconceived bias that I would never be able to buy his speakers. Based on his body language and clearly annoyed responses and clearly thinking that I was simply wasting his time, he lost any possibility of ever selling me a speaker. Self-fulfilling prophesy on his end, not because I could not afford his product, but because he treated me like I could not afford his product.

On a similar note on a bicycle purchase--I had gone into the shop early one morning for info-gathering. The guy spent a lot of time chatting with me while other customers came and went (served by his coworker). Towards the end of the conversation, I realized that this guy was actually the owner of the shop. Before I left, I told him, "order me that bike!". I liked the vibe of that shop and the fact that the owner did not once try to sell me anything, so I bought into that shop just as much as I bought into that bike.

Moral of the story--for a B&M store, customer service, after-sale service and the general vibe is absolutely what makes or breaks a sell! Furthermore, these are the items that add value and make it reasonable to pay a few $ more vs. online retail.

 

[ryanosaur]

I can personally give 2 anecdotes at complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

When I went auditioning and ultimately purchased my GE T2 towers-- I went into the dedicated high end audio shop just dressed in shorts and T-Shirt. Told the guy I was there to listen to some speakers, and wanted to start with that pair of GEs set up right there, and I have my own music to audition with. The guy looked at me, handed me a remote and said, "knock yourself out, let me know if you need anything. By the way, those speakers are in stock and ready to go home today". That was the first stop for auditioning, told him I really needed to go listen at a competitor for a brand they don't carry, then I came back later that day and bought my towers.

On the other end of the spectrum, when I went into the RMAF Vandersteen room and started asking some questions to the man himself, he clearly made a preconceived bias that I would never be able to buy his speakers. Based on his body language and clearly annoyed responses and clearly thinking that I was simply wasting his time, he lost any possibility of ever selling me a speaker. Self-fulfilling prophesy on his end, not because I could not afford his product, but because he treated me like I could not afford his product.

On a similar note on a bicycle purchase--I had gone into the shop early one morning for info-gathering. The guy spent a lot of time chatting with me while other customers came and went (served by his coworker). Towards the end of the conversation, I realized that this guy was actually the owner of the shop. Before I left, I told him, "order me that bike!". I liked the vibe of that shop and the fact that the owner did not once try to sell me anything, so I bought into that shop just as much as I bought into that bike.

Moral of the story--for a B&M store, customer service, after-sale service and the general vibe is absolutely what makes or breaks a sell! Furthermore, these are the items that add value and make it reasonable to pay a few $ more vs. online retail.

I got to meet Rick Craig at the CAS in 2019. Jim Salk as well. Both gentlemen were absolutely great to talk to and had a real interest in "us," their prospective clients. I would not hesitate buying from Jim again. If Rick were still with us, I would seriously consider one of his designs, too!
On the other hand, price aside, there were at least 10 rooms there whose stewards were complete turnoffs.
Strangely, even though I have a very difficult time seeing the value in their product, I had a great experience talking to one of the guys from Aurender and if ever I were to consider dropping $20K (not likely at all) on a Network Streamer it would be with them just because of the shared human experience their rep and I had.

It doesn't take much. Just a little humility and respect.

 

[Verdinut]

It is a radical idea, but IMO what existed 60 years ago is almost impossible today.

You have big online sellers competing with lower prices on most of the AV equipment. OK, there are some small specialized AV shops that sell popular brand stuff as well as a concentration sometimes occurring on a less known brand of products.

I'm not sure but I suspect that in most if not all major US cities, the situation is similar to that we are experiencing in the greater Montreal area. Most sales persons don't know much about what they are selling. Moreover, most stores for financial profit sell that bullshit audiophoolery stuff which did not exist 60 years ago. As a AV equipment consumer, is that situation favorable to you getting interested to become a loyal customer? I don't think so. Times have really changed.

 

[lovinthehd]

Haven't looked at the article but me travelling the distance to any chance at some sort of specialty B&M audio store isn't good. Internet development I'd prefer by far over B&M stuff. Easily seen if they support the idiotic audiophiliac stuff with cables and idiotic stuff so as to cut them out of consideration.....

 

[lejack]

I agree with all the sentiments here, but very few of us can afford to do this, even assuming we could find such a retailer within reasonable distance. Some of us are more than capable, of selecting, installing, and setting up a complex system. As far as the stories, about being blown off by some shops, I am reminded of Lyric HiFi, in New York City, who at one time, demanded an upfront payment of $200, just to be allowed to enter the store. They went out of business about a year ago.

 

[mns3dhm]

These guys go in and out of business frequently here in the Dallas Fort Worth area as in, 'the quickest route to a small fortune in the audio video business is to start with a large fortune'.

My beef with these businesses and the manufacturers that distribute exclusively via brick and mortar is they often are able to exclusively lock up distribution for hundreds of square miles. As an example, I'm interested in a Rotel Michi X3 integrated amp, a product that I do not need assistance installing or setting up. The nearest Rotel Michi dealers are in Austin (4 hours) and Houston (5 hours). I have no interest in driving that far for a demo so purchasing from them would mean buying a product I haven't seen or heard from someone I do not know or have any reason to trust.

At this juncture I'm thinking of acquiring a Parasound A21+/P6 amp and preamp combo for about the same money. Those products can be either purchased locally or via a trusted online source like Crutchfield or Audio Advisor, both of which have been in business forever and have reliable return\exchange policies.