So, I happened to be speaking with a person the other day who indicated a desire to be able to sell the experience, sell the store, sell her knowledge and skills and only after that, sell products to the consumer. BUT (paraphrasing her), “What if the consumer says NO? I don't want to be a pushy sales person, I hate those kinda sales people”. Everyone hates ‘em. Because they are bad at their job. Two things occurred to me which I think are VERY IMPORTANT... ONE: A sales person is perceived as pushy when he keeps trying to close a sale WITHOUT PROPERLY OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS. Trying to push something the consumer does not want. TWO: QUALIFYING the consumer properly, prior to presentation and then trying to close the sale dramatically reduces objections. Corollary... Sales people who are good at QUALIFYING consumers are not so often perceived as pushy. Rather, the consumers see them as an EXPERT on the subject matter. This is why understanding how a sales transaction is constructed and then understanding how to MANAGE THE SELLING TRANSACTION is so IMPORTANT. Dig this... The reasons to QUALIFY a consumer (second of six specific steps in a selling transaction: Greet,…

Brand new car audio company, Audiofrog, is emerging at a time when big box stores and online sellers are slashing prices, in-turn making it more difficult for brick-and-mortar shops to compete. To explain the rationale for starting a new brand at this time, Andy Wehmeyer, president and CEO of this new high-end audio brand, sat down with Mobile Electronics for the June issue. Below is an excerpt from that interview: ME: Tell us about the new brand. What inspired you to create it? Wehmeyer: I spent the last 20 years working for a huge audio company. At the beginning, it was an absolute dream job. But after 20 years of getting a pretty good handle on the car audio business I saw an opportunity to do something that I don’t think anyone else is doing in a global kind of way. There are global brands that are managing themselves in all of the markets like Harman, Pioneer, and JVC. While there are others, like Focal and Audison, they are primarily European-focused brands and they go to market in countries outside their home market exclusively through distributors. That can be a pretty good model if just moving product is your objective,…

  The automotive aftermarket has a new way to connect to the vehicle. It’s called the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) port which is in its second generation (OBD-II) and is now standard in every vehicle sold in the US. Just like the cigarette lighter jack before it, its current use is not what it was designed for.  As cigarette smoking became less popular and the need for vehicle electronics increased the cigarette lighter jack is now best known for its 12-volt power connection.  Automobile manufacturers have gave-way to consumer demand and now build cars with 12-volt (cigarette lighter) accessory plugs all over the vehicle including in the console, rear seat, and even inside the trunk. The OBD port, which was designed for mechanics to connect to their diagnostic computers in order to read Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC), has now become the next best way to connect aftermarket electronic devices. Although not as easy to get to with its location usually under the dash or in a kick panel, the OBD port not only provides constant 12-volt power but it also provides connection to the vehicles on-board computer system known as the CAN (Controller Area Network). Many innovative aftermarket companies have already…

Today from 4pm to 5pm Eastern Standard Time, Solomon Daniels, Editor-in-Chief of Mobile Electronics magazine, will field your questions on participating in the 2014 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards on the Facebook Advisory Group. The page is located at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1457574061132022. If you’re not a member, submit a request on the page and you will be accepted to participate in the discussion. “This year we’ve had the help of dedicated industry professionals to make the process for our Industry Awards better, yet we know that participants will still have questions,” said Daniels. “The group meeting today is the best time to answer those questions, and the answers will be archived for others who visit later.” The Top 50/100 nominations opens today. Visit http://bit.ly/MEAwardsOpen for rules, guidelines and submission requirements. Submit your nomination video at https://www.hightail.com/u/2014IndustryAwards by May 19.