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Product Article: Selling Distributed Audio (1/4/2008)

By Gary Tanner, Destination Audio

Last month I was at a convention and overheard a custom installer trying to sell a distributed audio/multiroom system to a home owner. The installer was very passionate and was presenting the home owner with plenty of facts and information, but these were obviously going over the home owner's head. I really felt bad for the custom installer. I’m sure he thought that he was doing great, and was on his way to closing the deal. But the reality was, the more he talked, the less the home owner listened.

I have been in this industry for over 20 years, and am now Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Destination Audio, a US-based manufacturer of home theatre and distributed audio systems. In all those years, I have also been involved in a fair share of 'doomed' sales presentations, but I have learnt from experience and from others about the right way to sell distributed audio systems.

What the customer wants

The first law of selling is, qualify your customers and determine their needs. One of the common laws of human behaviour is that we assume others want the same thing we do, but if you spend the first thirty minutes asking your customers questions and doing some fact finding, firstly, your customer will be amazed because you will probably be the first custom installer to have actually asked them what they want, and secondly, you will have a better understanding of the system that will best fit their needs.

Family enjoying distributed audio.

Another common mistake is not taking the time to fully explain the benefits of the system. Use examples and analogies that your home owner can relate to and understand. A good comparison for distributed audio would be plumbing or electricity. These went through the same adoption pattern that distributed audio is currently going through, but no home owner would now argue about the benefits of plumbing or electricity in their home.

A word of caution

Repetition can lead to sloppy sales presentations. Try this experiment: at the next tradeshow you visit, go to a product stand on the first day and ask the salesperson to tell you about their product. Now return to the same salesperson during the last hour of the last day of the tradeshow and ask the same question. Odds are you will not get the same pitch you got on the first day. It won’t be as energetic and there will not be as much emphasis on features and benefits.

As a salesperson, you may have talked about your products and services a hundred times, but for your customer, it is their first time, so remember to treat each sales presentation as your first.

Getting your facts right

What type of distributed audio system is best for your customer? First-generation speaker level, second-generation speaker level, line-level or IP-based? Before you start 'selling' one over the other, you had better have a good understanding of them yourself. So, here is a brief overview:

* First-generation speaker level distributed audio systems are the least expensive. They consist of an existing amplifier (receiver) and source component, connected to speaker selectors and/or volume controls. This system offers no bells and whistles - which may be just the ticket for some of your older customers, but installing them can be tricky.

* Second-generation speaker level distributed audio systems are more expensive, but offer more features, discrete amplifiers for each channel and the ability to provide more information and control at remote locations.

* Line-level distributed audio systems are one of the most cost- effective and easy-to-install distributed audio systems available. They are relatively inexpensive, simple to use and offer decent control from remote locations. Sounds great? Just pay close attention to the type of line level system you are offering, some of these system have less than 1 watt of power per channel!

* IP-based distributed audio systems are the newest trend in distributed audio. These are the systems that use hard drives for content storage and sharing. The music is then distributed through the home via a LAN connection, or in some cases, wirelessly, to clients or remote keypads. The IP-based distributed audio system provides a higher level of flexibility and expansion. Gone are the restrictions posed by analogue distributed audio system of a fixed number of sources to a fixed number of zones. This is the sexiest and most promising of all distributed audio systems, but it requires better than average installation skill and the end user needs to be computer savvy.

Choosing the right speakers

Speakers used in a distributed audio system need to accomplish two goals, namely provide good sound and be invisible.

Destination Audio offers a variety of speakers that can be used with any of the distributed audio systems mentioned above. Our in-ceiling speakers are available in 5.25", 6.5" and 8" sizes, with single-point stereo versions also available in the 6.5" and 8" sizes. Our Builder Series is the perfect solution for price sensitive installations, while our Ascensia series has a half bridge wave design, and has a +/- 3dB switch that allows installers to increase or decrease the output of the tweeter - which comes in handy when you are setting up the room.

(From left to right) the Destination Audio Builder Series BC500 5.25" in-ceiling speaker, and Ascensia Series AC640 6.5" and AC820 8" in-ceiling speakers.

Our Ascensia single-point stereo speaker has a crossover on the rear that accepts both left and right speaker wire, while the two tweeters on the bridge provide left and right output. Again, dual +/-3dB switches allow installers to increase or decrease the output of the tweeters.

(From left to right) The Destination Audio Ascensia Series AC642 6.5" and AC822 8" single-point stereo in-ceiling speakers.

(From left to right) The Destination Audio Builder Series BW600 in-wall speaker, and Ascensia Series AW640 and AW680 in-wall speakers.

The Destination Audio IBW6Q 6.5” in-wall quick install bracket for use with AW640 or AW680 speakers.

Front and rear view of the Destination Audio BBC range of speaker backboxes.

The entire line of Destination Audio speakers come with paintable grilles and frames, which allows them to blend in with the room’s decor. Also available are 'no brainer' in-ceiling and in-wall quick install brackets; back boxes to protect the speaker from insulation and high-voltage wiring, as well as to keep the sound from travelling into adjoining rooms; and outdoor speakers.

So if you're selling a distributed audio system, don't forget to ask the customer about their speaker requirements, and remember that whatever their location, size, and power needs, Destination Audio has a solution to match the budget.

Gary Tanner is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Destination Audio, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for RBH Sound. Destination Audio designs and manufactures audio products for residential and commercial applications.

www.destinationaudio.com