Bridging the Gap
because the most difference I see for my clients is when we add a sub. I can put a $3,000 set of front stage components in there, and they’re like, ‘Oh, okay, yeah,’ and then as soon as we put a sub in there, they say, ‘That’s what I was after.’” Another challenge, he added, involves easy access to information. “When I was young and just getting into this, I had Crutchfield and JC Whitney catalogs. Now you can Google so much stuff. You really have to know what you’re doing, and you have to be able to give that customer the experience.” Creating an experience for the customer is a main focus for the sales team at Columbus Car Audio. While customers are more educated, he added, they may be more overwhelmed because of the amount of information available. This requires the salesperson to be quick on their feet. “You have to learn how to adapt. I was told early on in my career that you kind of have to be a chameleon. Everyone is different. You never know what you’re getting. Just because one guy is in a suit and driving a Porsche and the other guy’s driving an old custom vehicle, it doesn’t make them any different. At the end of the day, they’re still people and they’re still wanting what we have to offer,” Cook said. “You have to figure out how to relate to them.”
Last year, Columbus Car Audio completed an audio build in a red semi. This year, the owner of the truck returned with a brand new Kenworth and asked for a similar custom install. Cook said one of his favorite aspects of being a salesperson is building relationships with clients who then return to the shop again and again.
Helping Clients Find Solutions Cook uses top-down selling to educate the customer and help them decide what they want. “I see myself as just another guy who’s helping somebody out. I start at the top and work my way down. It’s not because the top is the most expensive—it’s because a lot of people who come through this door don’t know what the top is.” The client may not be aware of what’s available to them, he added, and it’s his job to inform them. “If you come in for a CD player, I’m going to show you one that has navigation because maybe you didn’t know you could get that. We’re going to work our way down, and if we get to a $79 CD player, then that’s fine, but at least you know all the other options that are available. Rather than, ‘Hey, here’s the
$79 CD player,’ and you’re done, and they come back a week later saying, ‘You didn’t tell me I could get all this other stuff.’ I like to find solutions.” When talking with a client, Cook said, “I try to go out to the car. If they come in wanting better sound, you don’t know what it sounds like without going out and listening to it with them,” he explained, adding that he prefers the client show him what they listen to at the volume they most enjoy. “A lot of guys in the industry have demo tracks they use, and I understand the reasoning, but in my opinion, with music in general, if you put on something
I can’t relate to, it’s not going to move me to do anything,” he said. “If I’m showing someone a set of speakers, I may be able to point out the instruments and how clear they are, but it doesn’t matter to them because they don’t listen to that kind of music. I like to listen to whatever the client likes to listen to.” At Columbus Car Audio, he added, the customer usually decides to go with an amp and sub. “That’s what separates us from just being salespeople. I’m not just clerking boxes, I’m actually trying to find out what will be the best solution for you. I love big-ticket sales—that’s how we make money—but at the same time, facebook.com/MobileElectronics
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