I might be getting my own shop!!!

Bwcad1 · Post by **Bwcad1** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:17 am

yea alot of companys are like that be prepared for buyins i think pioneer premier was like 5000 plus and then they want a 500 dollar a month upkeep order.

Robert Wollenberg · Post by **Robert Wollenberg** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:21 am

Hell, PG wanted $25k buy in with $3K a month or quarter or what ever it was. it was crazy for our area anyway. even if all we sold was PG, I still don't think we could have met that.

Ryan from Ohio · Post by **Ryan from Ohio** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:47 am

The problem I see with the speakers/subs is you have to many to offer.

I would cut the list back.

DD does OEM subs, so if you want to you can have your own brand.

I would cut it doen to RE, Elevation and/or Bravox. Actually any combo of the three.

Rest looks good.

I just wouldnt advise taking on so many brands. Just start off with a few. Remember you will need a ton of "middle grade" products and a fair amount of "shit grade" as most people want that stuff.

Robert Wollenberg · Post by **Robert Wollenberg** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:53 am

That's very true. As much as we tried to educate people and get them to spend their money on real equipment, the most sold namebrand in town was Boss. And that stuff is crap. But it's cheap, profitable and had no problems taking back blown equipment. It was painful to install that crap, but I did it. I think it's a matter of biting your pride and taking care of business. Cheap and mid level is where the money is at.

Robert Wollenberg · Post by **Robert Wollenberg** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:59 am

Where else can you get all this for under $500

BLX5000
2 Channel HIGH CURRENT MOSFET Bridgeable Power Amplifier
with Remote Subwoofer Level Control

Max power
5000w

RMS power, [email protected]% THD
700w x 2

RMS power, 2ohm
1200w x 2

RMS power, 1 ohm
1800w x 2

1/2 ohm Stable stereo Power
2500w x 2

Frequency response (+/- 3dB)
9Hz-50kHz

Signal-to-noise ratio
>105dB

Channel separation
>90dB

Low pass Crossover
45Hz-100Hz

High pass Crossover
120Hz-720Hz

Bass boost
0-+18dB

Bass boost Frequency
40Hz-100Hz

Dimensions, LxWxH
27" x 11 5/16" x 2 3/8"

sinister audio · Post by **sinister audio** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:07 am

mike i got some numbers on some companys i have to look up some of them. and for decks go through a wholesaler you wont have to make huge orders.

Post by **GlassWolf** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:34 am

kicker, lots of returns.
batcap.. gimmick product. waste of money.
panasonic.. reliability issues.. but nice looks.

I'd suggest sticking with companies that offer internet sales, and running concurrent website or ebay authorized dealer sales to help support the quarterly keepup quotas.
That'll help you a lot with a single store front.

smoker · Post by **smoker** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:59 am

we have no...nada....none whatsoever....reliability problems with panasonic......imo they are at least as good as the pioneer products we sell but i think they look nicer....they dont stick out as far from the dash.......

sinister audio · Post by **sinister audio** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:02 am

i have only had 2 decks that have had problems out of a ton that i have sold. and one was in a golf cart. panasonic as been a great company for decks. their new ones look really nice.

geolemon · Post by **geolemon** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 8:47 pm

I'd love to help you out, offer some suggestions, and have some leads to some lines as well (business partners of mine actually).

And I have some connections to different distributors (including one dealing Bravox in fact).
More on those specifically privately, but I have some more "general suggestions" from my years in retail, in management:

nikosbuddy wrote: Wiring:
knu konceptz
audio pipe

Think strategically:
I see a problem right off the bat.
These two brands aim solidly at the same customer.
...and there's no alternative for the "non-value" customer (oh, they exist).

It may seem silly, but the brands you pick is just one of many "messages" that you subconsciously send to any prospective customers that walk into your shop.
You HAVE to be aware of the "body language" you send...

Do a little reading on the marketing concept of "branding".
IMO, nothing - particularly in car audio - will make you or break you faster.
My personal favorite - scan Amazon for "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" if you are serious about starting this shop. You may also check out "Your Marketing Sucks" by Mark Stevens.

Anyway- enough generals.

What I'm seeing are TWO brands oriented to the "Value shopper".
...the "value shopper" isn't the one you want to offer a selection to - it's the guy that's dropping the big coin that you want to offer the selection to. ]All around companys:
ELevation audio - 315-853-5831
Bravox
Atomic
RE
DD
power accoustic
[/quote]
Same here - I see too much already... and too much of the "same customer" again.

What are you going to sell the kid who comes in, asking "Uh.. do you guys sell JL? Uh... do you guys sell Rockford? Uh...do you guys sell Kicker?"
What's he REALLY asking?
Uh... do you sell anything I recognize because I don't know anything really and I don't want to buy something my friends are going to pick on me for.."

Brand recognition is an important thing, and it's probably good to pick up one staple "token" - if you can, given your area, given your finances for investment, etc.

As far as the others - you've got a selection of products that realistically customers aren't going to recognize.
Do they offer anything TANGIBLE that APPARANTLY (key words highlighted) differentiates them from other products you wish to carry?
If not - don't.
Or, if you can't demo it to make it CLEARLY APPARANT, don't bother.

I could trim this list down and save you expense and heartache.

Decks:
ALpine
Jvc
Kenwood

Personally I like this mix...
...but for a new shop, I think you are also one brand too many.

I like JVC for an entry level brand - but I probably would stock up in that area, and not stock up much (if at all, truthfully) on the "higher end" JVC. I'd "position" them (read up on that marketing concept also

your sales floor communicates, remember that always!) as the entry level brand, as it's likely to reenforce what the customer already thinks about JVC compared to the other brand of the two (or both) that you carry.

Personally, of the two "high end" brands you have for decks listed, I like Alpine - but Alpine is tough to get as an authorized dealer - good luck. Plus, they have more difficult minimums, and becoming an F#1 status dealer (something people may ask you about, if you carry Alpine!) is absolutely terribly difficult to accomplish - requires tenure and huge investment, plus the huge cost of product. :help:
Your distributors are going to be pushing you harder to buy larger quantities of Alpine, that's typical.

Personally, I'm not a big Kenwood fan, but I did sell Kenwood - solid product, and it's sold through many distributors that can cut you a break on minimum volumes for annual accounts.

Feel free to Email me at [email protected], I absolutely love business strategy (I'm a sick human being

), and I'm a car audio nut of course.
And I have some good industry ties...
Where are you located at?