By Ken Ward
I would like to present a few points on why vehicle specific systems are good for the industry, which I offer as a different angle to Mr. Retail’s editorial here.
Sure, there are some challenges to developing and marketing vehicle-specific audio. Since the sales volume for a vehicle specific speaker will always be a fraction of a universal-fit speaker, it can be difficult to recoup R&D or tooling (and some speakers I see on the market obviously didn’t get much of either). Vehicle wiring can differ from market to market. The biggest challenge is overcoming OEM processing, which much of our industry still struggles to understand (retailers and manufacturers alike). It’s a lot of work – work that, back in the 80’s and 90’s, manufacturers depended on dealers to handle.
A vehicle specific audio package exists for one reason – to enable a successful installation with minimal risk of failure.
How do we minimize risk?
- We eliminate custom fabrication time. Either the speakers fit directly, or the necessary parts are included.
- We eliminate “judgement calls” on the part of the install shop – all questions are answered up front.
- We eliminate time spent tuning the system – it sounds great with minimal time or effort.
Why is risk management so important? Because we don’t know which shop – or which technician – is going to get the job. Many shops – especially around the world – are not fabrication specialists. Many shops may not have worked on a Tesla, or a BMW, before. And few shops are specialists at tuning audio systems.
I’ve had the privilege and good fortune to be part of some of the finest car audio shops in the world. I co-founded Musicar Northwest, still the finest in the country in my book. However, that end of the pool doesn’t have many shops in it. I’ve also done technical support and training for manufacturers in a few different decades, and I have a pretty good handle on the state of the industry. Our “industry” – really it’s the installation category – has a widely varying skill level. Take that and lay over it the increasing complexity of modern sound systems and modern vehicles, and that’s a narrow channel to the consumer market. Not enough dollars fit through that narrow channel to make up a viable business.
I’ll say it bluntly – despite all the education and training available, the installation channel hasn’t kept up. I have plenty of friends at the cutting edge – but I know many more who aren’t.
Now, of course we all want to avoid “hack shops”. We want solid partners to represent our brands. Think of it like this – let’s say there’s three kinds of shops. The first kind can tackle any audio job – tuning, OEM integration, etc – and succeed. We will call this the green light group. The second kind can do some OEM integration, but would rather not tune the system. That’s the yellow light group. The third kind can replace the head unit if the wire colors on the head unit match up to the wire colors on the harness (OK, I kid, but we all know these shops exist). We will call that the red light group.
What percentage of shops fit into the green light group? The yellow light group? The red light group?
Every industry member I’ve asked has put at least 50% into red – and some put a lot more than that! On top of that, a shop may have 5 or 6 technicians, and only one who elevates that shop to yellow or green status. If that technician leaves the shop or the industry, our capabilities as an installation channel are affected..
I can tell you that the sales reps I know treasure their dealers in the green and yellow groups – because they know how rare they are and how hard they are to find. A shop may fall into the red group because they lost one tech – and they don’t rise above that until they replace that tech.
As far as vehicle specific systems go, that means we need to design systems which don’t require years of experience or advanced technical skill. The difference between the entry level technician and a consumer is not very large. The consumer is – sadly – slightly more likely to read the manual, and is much more likely to be able to use a personal computer. That means there isn’t any substantive difference between a sound upgrade designed for the entry level install technician and one designed for consumer DIY. The product is the same. The difference is the strategy behind going to market.
Sure, some of these brands are going direct to the consumers. That isn’t because of what they think of you individually, but it is probably what they think of the state of our installation channel as a whole. Instead of taking it personally, perhaps we should ask if they’re right and what we can do about it.
Partnering with the right suppliers is key, but not because you want to find a supplier who only sells to you and your three friends. You want to partner with a supplier who’s committed to elevating you and your shop’s ability to do your jobs.
I have spent years delivering trainings — to dealers, and to the industry as a whole. I have made many friends at these events, and I enjoy them; and we all know that a fraction of our industry attends these events. This means of sharing information is vital, but it’s not enough, based on results.
Later this year, Elettromedia will launch a global initiative to train Elettromedia dealers virtually. Of course we will cover our products, but we will also be delivering to our dealers content on the basics in acoustics and sound, as well as how to perform complex processes which are part of our work today. This investment in our category by Elettromedia will help our dealers elevate themselves and their businesses to the next level in their professional capabilities. We know that education and learning are the keys to strengthening the installation sector, and we are committed to lifting the boats so that we all stay afloat in the future.
We will of course continue to train our dealers in various in-person venues. We want to use every means at our disposal to support our dealers, now and in the future.
At the same time, we are bringing more vehicle specific products and systems to market. We want these to be installed by professionals, profitably, and with extremely satisfied customers. We want to solve real-world installation challenges for our dealers, so that everyone is healthier and everyone continues to grow their professionalism in a business we all love.
Photo: Audison Tesla-specific system
Great response Ken. A huge fan of the category (seeing what Musicar has done with OEM quality and materials is awesome for vehicle specific kits (as well as the custom work). At some point, it seems like if you can give customers what they would want (the platinum rule) instead of what you would want if you were them (the golden rule) at a profit, you should pick the former versus the latter. Customers want this (and have wanted this for a long time). Shops have been doing this for quite some time (the shop I worked at previously 20 years ago sold solutions to people who wanted solutions for their high end cars… they sold as packages and priced out as such… you wanted a system for a Boxster they had one they knew worked with templates for the dash and doors speakers and amp rack sitting in the back). No need to reinvent the wheel every time the same car came in.
Interesting about the OEM integration problems since most of the major OEM players also sell to the aftermarket too.
They do, but what I have found with many of those players is that the aftermarket divisions have very little to no relationship with the OEM divisions, therefore they are separate business units with very little interaction.
Ken ,your assesment of dealers in those 3 catagories is spot on, the reference to the three catagories of installers within the dealers is very accurate.
If manufacturers do not invest in R and D to create vehicle specific soloutions that make an obvious difference over the oem sound the CAR audio buisness will deminish greatly over the next 5 years.
Here’s Soundcrafters’ perspective on vehicle specific systems: We don’t see many “kids” at our shop much anymore; they’re surfing inet for cheap brands, (no names mentioned, even the “no name” brands). Homey don’t play that! The demographics we serve are matured, from blue to white collar, people of means, those that understand value, performance of services and professionalism. Even though they may be able to install their own stuff, the majority have come to a point where they would rather a pro do it. Suppliers must to their diligence to ensure no issues in the field, because when they mess up, it looks like we mess up.
Well said, Mr Ward. And exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping to get.