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Category: Strategic Planning

Counterintuitive Selling Strategies for Musical Instrument Retail

a sad damaged piggybank covered with bandaids in a dark room

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...]

Summertime in the Musical Instrument and Pro Audio Trade

colorful illustration of a band on a festival stage playing to a diverse crowd of dancing people on a beautiful summer day

When famed pianist and composer George Gershwin wrote “Summertime”, I’m certain he was not referring to life in the music products industry. After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, a more typical mid-year period is upon us, amplified in a negative way by the current economic environment. The living was relatively easy for the past couple of summer seasons, outside of the … [Read more...]

Is This a Company or a Rock Band?

man in a suit makes a pointing gesture to choose a icon representing music

In the past few weeks, I have interviewed candidates for an open position at my rep firm. Even after many years of hiring while working for others, I believe I am not a particularly good interviewer, at least in the traditional sense. This time, I Googled some standard questions, but inevitably got caught up in the moment and started telling stories about where we’ve been, and … [Read more...]

The “Human Supply Chain” in the Musical Instrument and Pro Audio Business

abstract representation of flow of digits, documents and downloads

Much conversation of late centers around the physical supply chain, exemplified by container ships, trucking companies, raw materials, and delivery of products in general. The headaches in each of these areas appear to be compounding weekly in the trade, with unfortunate results for all concerned. Since many of these issues are out of our direct control, how about we as an … [Read more...]

Making Sense of Supply & Demand Imbalances in the Musical Instrument Trade

cargo ships docking at a busy port with a large city in the background

For the past several months, you haven’t been able to avoid the headlines. “Container ship stuck in the Suez Canal”, “Chip shortage worsens due to factory fire” or “China’s third largest port closed due to COVID lock-down.” Chances are, if you’re reading this blog the issues surrounding the supply chain have directly or indirectly affected your livelihood, complicated your … [Read more...]

The Evolution of a Musical Instrument and Pro Audio Rep Firm

chart showing business strategy alignments including Leadership, Supporting Cast, Culture, People, Infrastructure, and Motivational Factors connecting with Strategic Goals

As we approach the mid-year mark, quarterly results and company progress are naturally on my mind. I am writing this post on Father’s Day, a quiet Sunday morning that like most inevitably starts with a hot cup of coffee and some time poring over sales forecasts and goals for the coming months. For a moment, my mind drifted back to this time in 2018, as my conversation with … [Read more...]

Improving Productivity Through Efficient Information Flow

meter labeled information flow maxing out at 100

With supply chain issues consuming much conversation of late, along with it comes a flurry of questions from consumers to dealers, dealers to sales reps, sales reps to manufacturers, and so on. In normal times having an efficient system in place to answer these inquiries is important, as the alternative squanders resources that could be better spent elsewhere, such as sales and … [Read more...]

Circle Gets the Square in Musical Instrument and Pro Audio Sales

Woman in business jacket holding a ball of light

Over the years, I have observed that sales occur in cycles, as do many things in our world. While I am not going full-out Lion King on you, there is some semblance of beauty in the “Circle of Sales”. To be most effective, a captive salesperson or rep firm must be planning for success with their vendor management team. You may call this method “Concentric Planning”, which starts … [Read more...]

A NAMM Show Like no Other…

The annual pilgrimage to Anaheim fell prey to COVID this year. For us on the east coast, the promise of balmy weather, a respite from winter and a generally invigorating event is just not in the cards. Instead, the industry is engaging in a variety of ways to communicate the important January messages concerning new products, programs, distribution changes and more. What’s … [Read more...]

Extracting Order from Chaos in Today’s World

laptop computer surrounded by chaotic assortment of pens, paper and other office supplies

I will be the first to admit it, my home office is in shambles, and requires a thorough cleaning. I cannot seem to keep up with the day-to-day activities that consume my time, and clearly have not given this task the attention it deserves. Dwelling on the topic, I have come to realize that the condition of my music studio and workspace is a metaphor for how the rest of my … [Read more...]

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Welcome to the show.

Sound Marketing sits at the intersection of music, sales & marketing. We explore how insightful strategy, focused tactics, and organizational change will help manufacturers be heard over all the noise in the musical instrument marketplace.

My name is Doug Nestler, and I’ve spent 40 years—still going strong—in sales & marketing. My resume includes roles in all areas of channel management and distribution, and Sound Marketing is a way to share my expertise with you.

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