Custom Audio’s Secret Sauce

Custom Audio Concepts, Lima, Ohio continues to achieve double digit growth in car audio at a time when many shops are seeing declines.

The store is the largest Memphis Audio dealer in Ohio, even though it is based in a small town.  And because of its small town roots, it takes on simple jobs as well as the $20K to $30K custom installs it might land from social media. It works on hot rods and classic cars and even bicycles (with a motorcycle-like “gas tank” that’s really a speaker pod).

The shop has built up its car audio department over the past eight years after hiring Mark Wallace (it also has a home audio division).  Wallace began applying some of the lessons he learned working at big box and smaller shops–holding well publicized sales that are now staged four times a year.  The company can gross in a 3-day sale what typical stores see in a month, it said.

There’s a February “Garage Sale,” and a “Summer Boat, Bikes & Bass Sale,” then a “Tent Sale” in August/September and a one-day “Black Friday Sale.” Wallace advertises two weeks ahead of time on social media and via some Google AdWords.

“Those events really help you change your buying circle.  When you advertise, you’re buying circle will bring in new people,” said Wallace.  The store spends about $25 to $30K a year on social media and Google AdWords.

Custom Audio Concepts operates two stores, but the second location is mainly involved in outfitting golf carts.

Wallace has two key strategies for social media. First, post pictures of a key person at the shop, not just the builds and the store. “We like to show at least one person in our store,” as customers start to identify with you and trust you, he said.

Secondly, answer the inquiries that come in even at night. “It’s not about being viral,” but consistently responding to customer inquiries. “When I’m at home, I answer questions. A lot of people let that go and so their ads are non-productive.  It’s about responding to people and getting them quotes and getting them in the door,” said Wallace.

But Wallace does have a personal TikTok account, Mark.caraudiotech, where one of his posts hit 2.3 million views.  The viral posts are often on new types of installs. “It’s custom work that people have never seen. Like old Honda Goldwings.  You can’t put certain sized speakers in them. We made custom pods for a 6.5 inch speaker in a 4-inch pod.”

The shops’ Garage Sale includes display products and some packaged deals.  “We’re tightly engaged in networking with all our vendors and sales reps.  A lot of people don’t do that. That’s one of the most important things you can do.”

“Black Friday we mainly do remote starts and some audio,” continued Wallace. The shop usually has lines out the door in the morning. It dies down in the afternoon and then builds up again later.

Products carried include Memphis,  Hertz, Sony, KENWOOD, JL Audio, Rockford, and Cicada.

On the home audio side, the business handles mainly commercial audio for venues such as high school stadiums and even Fortune 500 companies. The store will install noise cancelling audio in corporations to prevent eavesdropping between the cubicles.

Custom Audio Concepts has been co-owned since 2000 by Nate Gast who joined owner Lynn Whitacre- the latter who’s claim to fame is being the first to score a perfect 40 in the sound quality sound offs with a GTO called the SKEET.  As Gast said, “You drove the car from the back seat. Everything telescoped and it gave your more space for better imaging.”

Gast notes that while the sales bring in customers from about 10 surrounding counties, mainly the shop is doing business in a small Ohio town and the shop keeps that in mind because “if you do one person wrong, it gets around town.”

“I’m very blessed in the crew I have.  We’re just in this small town in Ohio with Mark and his counterpart in commercial/residential audio.  It’s like having Lebron James AND Michael Jordan,” said Gast.

“Mark came in 8 years ago. I was starting to think about just doing home audio.  Then it just exploded.  It’s amazing the volume of car we’re doing.”

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