At its most basic level, you could say that the Audio / Video industry was founded by a group of people who truly loved music.

Good music was the first killer application that consumers were willing to spend big money on. Brand loyalties were deep rooted and names like McIntosh, Marantz, B&W (Bowers and Wilkins) and Klipsch were created by music fanatics because what was available to buy was just not good enough for them; and they proudly put their names on the products they developed. Audiophiles were an established market niche long before custom installation experts ever existed. It was all about sound quality; being convenient or easy to use was not even a consideration.

Times have changed and today it’s custom installation that dominates the hi-end marketplace. Audiophiles have become feared by many dealers as those people who drain your resources, take up all of your time and then buy the gear at cost through the Internet from some cash strapped dealer five states away. We won’t deal with that we don’t have to; we are Custom Installers became the mantra of many businesses. This approach is not for us at Ask the Advisors.

Somewhere between those days where we memorized every product specification, where memorable demonstrations were demanded; and today’s all product-is-interchangeable custom industry the focus seems to have shifted away from performance and moved almost totally toward price point and ease of use. Now I’m not saying that this is a totally bad thing. Systems were becoming increasingly complex. It got to the point where we could barely operate them ourselves, much less expect our clients to do so. I remember being invited to a lot of nice parties back then, just to make sure that their incredible electronics system worked for them that evening. The need for someone to “demystify technology” for our clients along with our fear of constantly changing distribution patterns in our markets has created the custom companies of today.

We have become the Brand.

Products seem to have become interchangeable. We no longer need to advertise the products we represent. Clients knock on our doors because of who we are, not the brands we represent. Being the Brand has great advantages. As I have said in my CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) classes for years now, the only place that you can buy an Ask the Advisors system is at Ask the Advisors. How could there possibly be a better brand to market than you own. You simply can’t get that product anywhere else. This concept has served us well and I know it is the foundation of the marketing plans of many successful custom companies. But in my travels I have recently noticed that there seems to have been a casualty in our quest for independence… the quality of the performance. There is a distasteful trend these days to “dumb-down“ the client; that is, to focus their expectations on how smoothly their system operates and to play into their belief that they think they can’t really see or hear a difference. You know exactly what I’m talking about. The client’s expectation of quality sound and video is so low that you can do almost anything and as long as it works consistently and easily – they will be happy. Pretty good performance has become good enough even if we are charging a high performance price. As I said I have long promoted the concept of “branding” your business, or marketing your company as the brand that people ask for. But there is a certain amount of arrogance in suggesting that you are better than the equipment that you install. And many companies have gotten to that point.

Whatever happened to high performance as a product with real value? The Germans have certainly done well with this concept in the automotive field. People don’t buy a Mercedes they buy the “distinction” of owning a Mercedes. If Mercedes is to keep that distinction alive year after year they know they must use the very best parts available to build their cars. The Mercedes brand is totally dependent on the quality of their finished product. If quality slips the brand will quickly lose its value.

Your brand is only worth the quality of the products that you install, and high performance is the only thing that justifies a high price.

This is not to say that your system cannot be easy to use, it will be; that should go without saying. But ease of use is not really an experience, is it? Being easy to use just helps you get to the experience. At many Custom A/V dealers, just because you pay more it doesn’t mean you get better performance, and it always should.

Our business is not about a one-time sale. Our business is about building relationships, hopefully long ones. Our mantra at Ask the Advisors is that we will create lifelong win-win relationships with our clients.

Notice, we both have to win for everyone to succeed.

As CEDIA has expanded, people who didn’t start out in the audio business have opened a lot of custom installation businesses that now deal with A/V. This is a new thing. They may have been security or communications specialists, computer experts, and electricians or maybe they are just so young that they are just being introduced to our industry. Wherever they come from many currently seem to have no more enthusiasm for quality reproduction than they have for the flow rate in a central vacuum system. In the real world, there is one thing that always makes an impression. Wow that really sounds great! No matter how impressive, I’ve never heard anybody get really excited like that about a security system, lighting control system or an automated HVAC system.

The A/V part of our industry is still about an emotional connection, one where it sounds so good that you get goose bumps listening to it. We still love music and great movies, and creating that hair on the back of your neck standing on end feeling is the business we are really in. Anyone can sell someone a bunch of boxes…and probably even make it work. We are in the memorable experience business. Depending on how old you are you may remember seeing Jaws in the Theater the first time. My God it was scary, wasn’t it? Now do you remember a few years later when you saw it in TV, not a bit scary was it? Hmmmm, a completely different experience from the exact same film; how can that be you ask. The difference was being immersed in the picture and the sound at the Theater; it is very different from just watching it on TV. That difference, that experience is the business we are in.

Music is the reason that most of the early folks got into this business. I’ve heard the saying many times It’s a lot better than a real job. But, I’m saddened when I visit a home with a six-figure low voltage package that sounds like a clock radio with bad bass. If you know a friend in the business that doesn’t know a soundstage from a sound byte, sit him or her down in front of a quality music system and make them listen to something that stirs their soul.

Believe it or not we still spend a lot of our time at home and at work listening to music, and enjoying the phenomenal theatrical experience of current movies. It is very important to know who you are getting advice from on an Audio / Video system. Remember when you ask someone what a truly great pair of speakers is and the best he has ever heard is from a giant marketing company and sells for $1199.95 per pair, he is not qualified to answer. The same is true for Video.

Here at Ask the Advisors we have systems and equipment that not everyone can afford, and guess what that means to you. We know what sounds great, and what looks great; because we play with it every day. It also means that we can tell you from experience how close to the very best you can get and stay in your budget.

Branding your business is only meaningful if the products that you deliver are worthy of standing on their own merits. Working to give your client the best available product for the dollar every single day is part of the price of admission to deserve their trust. Once you have become “the brand” the most important question you answer next is; Am I proud of the Brand I have become?” At Ask the Advisors the answer is YES!!

By the way, we still sell McIntosh and Marantz and B&W and Klipsch, because these are companies that have never lost their interest in the pursuit of the perfect experience. So when you are ready to take the next step in Audio or Video for your home do this for yourself. Go to whichever Big Box discounter you want to and ask to listen to the “Best” system they have; or to see the “Finest” display device they sell. Then come to Ask the Advisors and make the same request. I will promise you two things. First, their best is a joke and you will know it immediately when you hear better gear. Second, we can provide you much better performance than their best, without costing you more money.

We at Ask the Advisors are the brand because it is our job to help you choose the right gear and many times to install it and show you how to work it in your home. At the same time part of why our brand is so strong is that we so carefully choose the brands we sell. Never be afraid to invest in the best gear you can, it will very rarely disappoint you.