There’s a once-in-a-generation chance for car audio dealers, and this column is to advocate for it.
The last once-in-a-generation opportunity, of course, was the CD player. Everyone wanted one and the car companies were too dumb to put them in cars for about 10 years.
Driver safety is the next opportunity of a generation, because A. consumers want it, and B. it gives you a chance to present your store to the community as an expert in safety technology and not just a boom boom shop.
But first, may I tell you the story of a woman that can be an inspiration to anyone saying, “but no one knows I sell driver safety?”
She became interested in it after literally being kidnapped in the trunk of car with her husband, and separated from her kids, including a 9 month old baby. All were safe in the end but the woman didn’t stop there. She advocated for internal trunk releases in cars and got them. Later she turned her attention to backup cameras and got those too (they will be standard equipment by 2018).
The woman, Janette Fennell is the head of Kidsandcars.org and she is actually now paying attention to the 12 volt industry. She led a panel on driver safety at the recent KnowledgeFest (Mobile Electronics Show).
The message is, if Fennell can move legislators and car makers to take action on driver safety, then maybe we can manage to build some awareness for it.
Fennell and some of her panel members told retailers how to demo a backup camera and it made suggestions for building awareness in local communities. The suggestions are here.
The beauty of her demo is that it includes outreach to fire and police departments where car audio shops present backup camera demos during community safety days, showing A. expertise in safety and B. that you are an upstanding member of the community. It gives you a chance to bring in an older demographic and change the image of your shop from a hobby hang out for kids to the place to go for safety and electronics.
Let’s learn a thing or two from Fennell, and make use of her interest in our industry.
Photo: Janette Fennell (center), Steve Witt (left), Bill Porter (right). Porter of American Road Products won ME magazine’s first Automotive Aftermarket Safety Award.
I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Porter & his story was Amazing!
When he describe buying his 3 year old granddaughter a tricycle & seeing her ride it down the sidewalk. Then a Garage door opening with a Van pulling out with her behind it & then he screaming STOP! STOP! STOP! And it did. I flashed on my 3 year old granddaughter & what if I had been in his position to watch her & the van didn’t stop! He would of carried that with him the rest of his life!
“IF ONLY I DIDN’T BUY HER THE TRICYCLE”
This is serious, babies are dying by the hundreds! I would more than willing to help anyway that I could.