What's Happening

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

Mobile Electronics magazine recently asked retailers to share ways they have altered course to continue serving clients during the pandemic, and how these changes might continue as new strategies within businesses. Some retailers have completely removed the waiting room, opting for vehicle drop-offs only.

Roxanne Martin of Exotic Audio in Esther, Fla. said all vehicles are dropped off at the shop in the morning. “Almost everything is by appointment only now,” she noted, adding, “unless it’s something simple.”

Although difficulties of the past year made changes necessary, retailers are now seeing positive results.

Car-Tunes, Inc. in Greenville, Miss. has been providing a multitude of automotive services since 1984, along with products in the home theater category and even musical instruments and DJ equipment.

Located right on the Mississippi River where Arkansas meets Mississippi, Car-Tunes is about 15 minutes away from Louisiana, which means the business draws clients from numerous demographics.

“Even though we’re in a rural area, we pull from many different cities around us that have different needs,” said owner Kimberly Trainer, adding that all the

lakes, rivers and agriculture lends to everything the shop is able to provide to its customers.

Trainer has owned the shop for the past 20 years. Recently, she said product shortages during the pandemic inspired the business to change its approach when it came to subwoofer enclosures. The shop used to sell empty enclosures, but now it only sells enclosures with accompanying subwoofers.

“After many months, this has definitely become a permanent sales plan,” she said. “Housing subwoofers and enclosures together saves space, promotes the proper enclosure for the designated subwoofers and allows us to wire the subwoofers

correctly with heavy gauge wire soldered to the terminal so chances of a subwoofer failure goes way down.”

Many shops, including Car-Tunes, have had to create a new sales plan to meet the challenge of inventory shortages.

“It’s one of those things—you wonder why you didn’t think of it sooner,” Trainer said. “I had certain SKUs that I stocked, and certain things we did, and we had to alter some of those SKUs during that time. Enclosures were one of those products. Right now, I think a lot of it has to do with raw materials, but then, some of it was other factors like places that weren’t producing.”

Enclosures are an important part of Car-Tunes’ offerings, she said, adding that the focus is to create the entire sound system, install it professionally and give the client the ultimate experience. “If we don’t have those enclosures, there’s no way we can do that. And if we can’t fabricate them on our own because we’re so busy with a lot of customers, then that’s not a very good business decision, so we started only selling them with our subwoofers.”

Trainer said this move brought their entire sales strategy full-circle. Now, the team is able to ensure the right enclosure is sold with the right subwoofer, so the customer gets the best sound “for that particular setting or vehicle.”

The solution turned out to be positive in every aspect. Trainer said she feels that selling empty boxes facilitates online sales, when in fact, “we want them purchasing from an independent retailer and getting a better product in return. This has worked out very well, and we’ve been doing it for about a year now. The customer receives something that’s better overall—no matter what. Even if enclosures start becoming more available in the future, I think it will be a permanent sales plan for us because we’ve had such positive results.”

Most Car-Tunes customers purchase an entire package from the shop, including the enclosure, electronics and installation. Trainer said this is always the best scenario.

“The customer will be satisfied because you’re selling them the right things,” she explained, adding that, often, when items are purchased on the Internet the customer may not have the expertise to choose what goes together properly. “They might not have the appropriate amplifier to go with the subwoofers, the right interface for the head unit they want, so the end result is a system that doesn’t perform properly anyway. If they’ve gotten all this online, but they just want an enclosure to make their subs work, they won’t be a loyal customer.”

When a customer comes into the store, though, Trainer underscored the fact that their presence is opportunity enough to show them other options they may not have known were available to them. “They might think something is cheaper online, but not only is it not cheaper, they had no warranty,” for example. Once the salesperson has made their presentation and shown the benefits of purchasing in-store, she added, “We can usually turn them around.”

Recently, Mobile Electronics magazine kicked off its first episode of the Mobile Electronics Show, interviewing Kimberly Trainer, and Adam Devine of Devine Concepts, along with other Mobile Electronics Industry Award winners, Mike Rundel of Sony Car Audio, Jason Kranitz of Kingpin University in Las Vegas and Justin Kush of MTI Acoustics in College Station, Texas. The new show will complement the magazine and will be

broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo, continuing to feature interviews with key players in the industry, according to Chris Cook, president of MEA.

Cook asked panelists about this year’s challenges, and Trainer brought up the inventory shortages that led to strategic changes in her store, adding that an ongoing challenge for Car-Tunes—and for the industry as a whole—continues to be finding qualified and honest employees.

“The whole work force in general has faced a shortage,” she said. “A little over a year ago, I was really fortunate to find a young guy who has fit in with us really well. We don’t mind training because we want people to follow our standards and methods.”

During the interview, Devine said he’s looking forward to hiring another technician, and he’s planning to double the size of his shop very soon. “I try to keep our philosophy simple,” he said. “Most people don’t plan to fail, but they fail to plan. If you don’t have a plan or a strategy for moving forward, you’ll stay stagnant.” Devine added that he focuses on providing a “concierge boutique experience” for all of the business’s clients. “Openness and honesty brings them back.”

Clients at Devine Concepts often go with whatever is recommended by the shop, Devine said. “They take us at our word because all of our awards and accolades are hanging on the wall behind us. For people who say that doesn’t help close sales—you may not be using it in closing the actual sale, but you’re using it to build [the customer’s] confidence in you and your brand,” he said, noting that the awards are physical evidence that “the customer has made the right decision.”

Time management in the wake of the sales boom has been difficult for Devine, who added that his business is booked out for at least two months. “We’re putting in 10- to 12-hour days, and spending time prior to work hours to get on the computer and send out estimates, look through schematics and make sure we have product,” he said.

On a daily basis, Trainer noted, “We have four of us who run everything,” and efficiency is always the main focus. “Our philosophy is always to be honest with our customer and vendors,” she said, echoing Devine’s comments. “It makes everything go more smoothly. We want to deliver a unique experience. We show respect and attention to each individual.”

While the product shortage has been hard on many businesses, Trainer said she prefers to see the glass as “half-full,” adding, “Sometimes a situation you think is a bad thing can turn into good thing.” Instead of looking at the negatives, she’s chosen to utilize it as an opportunity to create even more loyal customers. Car- Tunes has also taken the time to explore adding products it’s never carried before, which has proved to be good for business.

“I think it’s just taken a lot more time and effort to acquire the proper things our customers are used to,” she said, explaining that she keeps a short list of quality manufacturers whose products she’d like to sell, but for whatever reason, wasn’t able to until now.

“I’m loyal to the brands we sell, but this has given me a chance to try other products on my short list that maybe we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to sell before. A lot of those are becoming permanent SKUs with us because they’ve

been very successful,” she noted. Car- Tunes’ MESA membership has also been instrumental in connecting the business with other members who help each other during difficult times.

Finding the products has taken more time and energy, but Trainer added she has great appreciation for all the relationships she’s built over the years: “They’ve become helpful contacts that assisted us in finding inventory. I think everyone has really risen to the occasion.” She feels the majority of retailers have done their best to help one another.

Adam Devine of Devine Concepts in Naples, Fla. agreed that a lot more time goes into proposals or estimates than before, simply because retailers have to spend more time ensuring certain solutions are available.

“You don’t want to put together a proposal for a client, leave them with this expectation they’re going to receive something great, and then reach out to your distributor and find out the product isn’t available for six months,” he said. “How

you overcome that is how you move your brand and your business forward.”

Devine noted his shop has had to purchase wiring harnesses and other items on Amazon and eBay. “You may not be making the margin on a small product, but being able to complete the job for the customer has its rewards,” he explained, adding, “You have to have a plan in place.”

Both Trainer and Devine underscored the importance of focusing on a business’s niche.

Trainer said that while she trusts everyone who works with her, she loves being a part of every aspect of the business. “Plan everything. Your plans will change. I come through the front door like a customer, so I can see exactly what other people see. How does it look? What’s the environment? People purchase a lot more on emotion—the music you’re playing, the environment you’re providing.”

She said it doesn’t always come down to the sale: “You have to provide the experience so they want to come back.”

Car-Tunes, Inc. recently added Sony Car Audio to its mix of brands.

In the past, owner Kimberly Trainer said, “I used to sell them. I had talked to them on occasion about bringing the products back in. I’ve added their high-end quality head units, and I’m very pleased and will be continuing with them.”

Sony’s products have won a lot of awards, and Trainer said the company’s reps have done a great job presenting them.