After another innovation-fueled year, the 2015 International CES again proved why it's the place to be for tech geeks everywhere. What's more surprising these days is the firm foothold the show has in the automotive landscape. With the race for the connected car (and connected life for that matter) in full swing, both the OEMs and aftermarket are hustling to market any products they can to jump start their revenues in the medium. Aside from this, the show also featured a variety of impressive offerings from familiar companies looking to jumpstart their own interests for both consumers and retailers in 12-volt. Here are some highlights from this year's show: - Kicker is releasing a line that is exclusive to 12-volt retailers, boxing out the big boxes and online sellers like Crutchfield, to show its support of independent retailers. The high-end Q-Class line will include the IQ-Series of intelligent power amplifiers and the top-end QS-Series component speakers, designed to fit into more factory hole locations than before. - VOXX Electronics has added a new line of in-car electronics to its already packed lineup of products with the Baby On Board child car seat sensor. The device requires a 5-minute install by…

A few months ago I received a “Tip ‘O The Day” from Eddy K.  I sought and received his permission to relate the main sentiment of his admonition including extensive quoting. This is not my normal style BUT the subject is way too important to gloss over. “The only thing harder than training, is being trained” was the title and it resonated with me. Some key contents…  (begin quotes) “I was thinking the other day that most people would not put their life in the hands of a doctor who wasn’t trained.  We wouldn’t put our lives in the hands of an attorney who wasn’t trained.  Yet, everyday, we put our business in the hands of a sales staff that isn’t trained.  And for most of us, our business is our lives.” “Here is a great example of not being able to break habit: A customer walks in the door and you say: “How can I help you?”  The customer says, “Just looking.” It has happened to you 1000 times.  I wonder how long it takes to realize that if you don’t want to hear “just looking” you shouldn’t be asking “how can I help you?” There are better ways…

Entrepreneur -- Many people suffer from being rational dreamers. They want to achieve a big dream but hold themselves back by being risk averse. They don't want to disrupt the status quo and play things safe.  To coax themselves out of their comfort zones, people learn to setgoals. I consider the process of goal setting to be like arranging checkpoints along the way to a desired end. Setting and meeting small goals can serve as a thermometer check on progress, measuring advancement and indicating an overall plan's viability. Approach goal setting like creating a customized road map to chart your success. Think about when you take a really long road trip with your friends. Most often, you start off knowing the destination, but since road trips can be fairly long, making pit stops along the way is necessary. Before venturing out, you might decide to stop a quarter of the way along for food, then at the halfway point for gas, at the two-thirds mark to stretch and perhaps 100 miles beyond that for more gas.   You’re meeting smaller, more immediate goals that build on your efforts to reach the final destination. Create a personalized road map for arriving at your desired destination by setting the following types of goals: immediate, intermediate and stretch goals. …

Last issue we discussed the definition of a specialty retailer. In a continuation of the discussion I feel it is important to identify how a specialty retailer can differentiate from the competition. As it happens I ran into just such an opportunity about two years ago. You’ll need to follow this one…  BUT it is very well worth the read. BETTER; every reader should consider a similar kind of practice. Most consumers are price conscious and according to Eddy K, “all else being equal consumers will buy at the lowest price”. Therefore the specialty retailer’s corollary as it relates to his consumers is to “create an UN-equal tilt in their own favor”. Sounds easy but how? In olden times just opening the door for business was enough to draw paying consumers.  There was a lot more demand than supply back then. As supply began its charge to equalize with demand, retailers had to become a little more creative. Build and sell, custom subwoofer enclosures, keyless entry systems, window tinting, custom dashboards, etc… The goal was to provide the consumer with an experience simply not available at the competition. Now as supply has begun to catch up to demand and according…