By James Chevrette
Experts are advising car audio retailers to expand into other categories such as window tint, vehicle wraps or radar detectors, but another approach is to simply be the expert in one thing.
If you own a BMW, you want to go to the “BMW” guy with years of experience working on your car.
An industry veteran with experience in installation, multi-store management and a former buyer for a large retailer in Canada decided to be the best in one category: dash cameras.
Ben Degrasso the owner of Safe Drive Solutions, opened an online store and a mobile installation business. You might be saying to yourself, “so I know dozens of guys who have done that over the years.”
How many people in the 12 volt arena get 39,000 views per video on YouTube? Most people in the 12 volt realm struggle to get over 1k views. This guru has over 756 videos on dash cameras, boring old dash cameras. Heck, even I caught myself watching the “Best Dash Camera for Nighttime Driving.” Degrasso embodies the online expert; people use his videos for reference. He uses this knowledge and online presence to outsell his competition.
Manufacturers ask him to test and review their cameras. Customers seem to really love the idea of ‘the guy from the video’ installing their dash camera. He has instant credibility and can answer any question on T-harnessing, connections or battery back-up systems. Degrasso specializes in high margin and good labor jobs. His advertising is his YouTube channel and website. He built a business with two locations in Canada (a van operating out of Vancouver and one in Toronto) in just one category.
I am not saying we are doing it wrong, but this is another approach. Be it motorcycle audio, audio installation, hot rod interiors or whatever, an option is to be the best in that category. Degrasso’s passion for dash cameras is noticeable in everything from his videos to his website; even in the way he answers the phone.
I admit, when Degrasso told me he was starting this business, I laughed about it. But while most 12 volt shops have been struggling through the early part of this year, his shop is growing every month with just one product. This retailer has taken the most mundane item in 12 volt and created a flourishing business.
Another great example of this is NVS Audio, NJ owned by Carlos Ramirez. He does motorcycle audio, just motorcycle audio! He posts videos and is very active on social media. He proves every day he is an expert in this category. People drive over eight hours just to have his team work on their bike, because of his genuine love and enthusiasm for audio that comes through in his videos. That’s his business card!
I look at our industry as the same as other specialized industries. I met a guy from Montana who does only custom motorcycle seats, not for beautiful leather embroidery but for comfort. He measures your weight, posture, and he even factors in a passenger. There are plenty of specialist niches–pin striping, engine builders, engine tuning, and people in these fields have one thing in common, they are the best at one thing.
James Chevrette
James Chevrette has been a territory manager for over 8 years with Trends Electronics, a Canadian electronics distributor, but he never forgets his roots. He has worked in an installation bay, in R&D in manufacturing, and personally trained thousands of people across Canada. Through his dealing with national accounts, regional chain stores, and relationships with brick and mortar independent retailers, he offers a unique perspective about business growth opportunities. He started a non-profit blog in 2015 to educate people within and outside his industry. It has since reached across North America and into Europe with over a million posts read.
