I’m starting this post at 34,000 feet, winging my way to the 2023 NAMM Show. It’s been a comfortable flight thus far, but internally my adrenaline is bubbling up in anticipation. This is a special convention for me, my family and several others who have supported our efforts to create a new brand of guitars and cajóns. It is with great anticipation and a bit of high anxiety … [Read more...]
Category: Brand Awareness
Counterintuitive Selling Strategies for Musical Instrument Retail
When markets become turbulent and unit sales dry up for any number of reasons, a somewhat natural reaction is to hunker down and be extra cautious about expenditures. While this sounds logical at first glance, it may not be the best course of action. Often when writing these blog posts, I am transported back in time to moments in my career where similar dynamics have occurred, … [Read more...]
Corroborative Selling Techniques for Brands and Retailers to Leverage
Years ago, in a much earlier stage of the Internet, a company I worked for commissioned a survey. Even in those nascent days of the web, most recipients indicated that they visited a manufacturer’s website before going to a music store, ordering from a catalog on a toll-free number, or placing their trust with what were early incarnations of e-commerce websites. It immediately … [Read more...]
Push Me Pull You in Musical Instrument Sales
At a company corporate meeting what seems like a lifetime ago, then VP of Sales Dan Garrett questioned the assembled Ensoniq District Sales Managers. At the time it felt like something of an inquisition, as each of us was asked quite directly “how do you increase sales?” The answers ranged from more training, in-store clinics (big at the time), more sales calls, to other … [Read more...]
Creating Consumer Awareness as a Musical Instrument Supplier
“Build a Better Mousetrap” has been a staple idea among manufacturers, implying that quality alone will have customers banging on your door. And while cream eventually rises to the top, it is a misguided economic principal to think this alone will create a successful business. Over the years, I have worked with companies that concentrate almost solely on product development, … [Read more...]