The Benefits Of Promoting Complete A/V Systems

How to attract more customers and increase sales by promoting complete A/V systems

Covid captivity has inspired people to make their home sanctuary as comfortable and entertaining as possible. For many, this has meant the addition of a new big screen TV. While this is a wonderful big ticket sale, a TV sale alone is incomplete and a missed opportunity. Clients come to stores not just for the intended purchase, but to potentially discover unconsidered options, learn about new technologies, and for the overall interactional experience. Audio should be presented as well, and it will be appreciated by both the salesperson and customer. In this article, we’ll show you how selling complete audio / video packages will increase your revenue, how to promote these systems in a way that will enable you to reach more customers, suggest what types of packages to assemble and how to introduce customers to unfamiliar product categories to grow your business. Let’s dig in!

Selling complete systems to increase your revenue

Adding an audio system to a video product sale not only dramatically increases the system’s impact and subsequently the customer’s overall enjoyment, but it dramatically increases the profitability as well. Selling $2000 worth of video products at 20% profit brings a $400 profit but attaching $2000 worth of audio products at 50% margin brings $1000. That’s an increase of 250% to the bottom line. With that kind of margin, offering incentives like free wire or interconnects can help close the deal and barely affect the bottom line. Promoting complete audio and video systems is the obvious way to go.

How to engage more customers than just audiophiles

A key reason for the sales imbalance is video is easier to sell than audio. People generally trust their eyes, and if a TV appears clearer, more colorful, and is obviously bigger, then little salesmanship and time is required to close the deal. By comparison, an audio purchase is a time consuming and baffling experience for many, where subtle differences, the fear of improper component matching, and confusing specs complicate what should be an enjoyable, exciting experience. The industry itself is somewhat to blame as it focused on the importance of these traits, rather than embracing the emotional experience audio provides.

Audiophiles might understand the tech jargon, various specifications, and enjoy the process of careful component matching but most consumers don’t feel this way. The most effective marketing and promoting for the masses is more personal and addresses the unquantifiable more than the quantifiable. Consumers binge watch, download tons of music, and are looking to recreate the passion and sensations associated with a concert or theater experience. No one leaves such an event commenting on how flat the response was, how many decibels were reached, or how many billion colors they saw. Words addressing the emotional connection, physical response, and general excitement will dominate the experience description, and should in discussing the products as well.

Create audio / video packages that cater to a broad range of customers

If a client has responded to your marketing by visiting your online or physical store front, you have to be prepared to engage them by highlighting the benefits of purchasing a complete audio / video system. It’s impossible to have complete systems ready to address everyone’s needs but having a few systems provides a valuable and effective starting point. Specifically, we recommend assembling at least three systems: an entry-level system for smaller rooms, a mid-range system for mid-sized rooms, and a higher end system for larger spaces. These systems should convey to the customer that they have been expertly assembled to perform greater than the sum of their parts. Using this method, guesswork and unsureness are eliminated from the toughest part of the sales process.

If the customer visits your physical store, a brief but thorough conversation determining the client’s general needs will then lead to an overview and presentation of one of the carefully constructed, thoughtfully chosen systems. The client’s room dimensions are a good indicator of how big a screen and what level of amplification might be required. Their personal tastes could then lead to eventual modifications of the final system. If they like it loud then a stronger amplifier can be substituted, or if they feel bigger is better a few inches can be added to the screen. As carefully considered as these systems may be, it should be conveyed that they serve as wonderful starting points and can be customized further as required. Informative marketing tools like stand up banners or mini posters that show other packages or potential substitutions always help the process.

Introduce customers to unfamiliar product categories to increase your revenue

Even if the presentation culminates with a credit card being pulled from a wallet, presenting a superior system is essential. Every customer has an idea of what they want to spend and think they need but are likely very unaware of what a slight increase of the budget might offer. If it’s not presented, you might be leaving money on the table and we know even a slight increase on the audio side means a dramatic increase to the bottom line.

Many categories and devices that are common to industry veterans can be fresh and exciting to customers that have been out of the market, and that provides opportunity. Whole home or multi-room audio is commonplace today, thanks largely to the innovations of wireless wifi systems, but not long ago it was a very costly, labor intensive proposition with limited functionality. Today it can cost just a few hundred dollars per room and be completely controlled with a phone, yet many consumers are completely unaware. Wired home automation systems incorporating audio, video, security, HVAC and a host of other features offer an even greater wow factor with superior functionality, performance, and reliability. They come with a proportionately higher price tag but if even a small sample of its capabilities can be properly demonstrated within the store, the impression can be extremely powerful and convincing. Doesn’t hurt that it also requires substantial amounts of labor, which is generally one of the highest profitable elements of a custom installation project.

In Conclusion

The benefits of offering systems combining audio and video, and bolstering the marketing support for them, far outweighs the comparatively small investment in time and money. Promoting complete audio & video systems in a manner that focuses on emotion rather than tech specs can increase the bottom line and customer satisfaction. It’s the classic if not cliché win-win. And in our pandemic challenged world, everyone deserves a win.

If you’d like to learn more about how to increase your sales as an audio retailer, check out our growing list of marketing articles in our Tips & Guides section of our Blog page.