Bill Mullin, VP of distribution at Starin, wants our industry to market more aggressively. "You can't have an added value proposition and hide your candle under a bushel," he says. A successful AV marketer –whether at the distributor, manufacturer or dealer level– has to educate his customers on what his products and his company can do to help make them more productive. "People do want the facts, they want the specs, but what they really want to know is how does this technology relate to me and to what I'm trying to do?" Marketing, according to Mullin, is more than an occasional mailing or newsletter broadcast. For that reason, virtually every employee at Starin is involved in the process. Read an interview with Starin's Bill Mullin on marketing strategy

If you've never written a marketing plan, you're in good company: about 60% of small businesses never do. The problem is, it's very hard to rise to the top without one. Here's a simple guide to marketing planning, using guidelines created by a top business educator and examples drawn from the AV industry Read "Seven steps to implementing a marketing plan" from Sound & Video Contractor

				It's a tough world. Sources estimate that the closing rate for the average AV systems bid runs anywhere from 10% to 33%. That means, at best, in two out of three attempts to close a big project, you can expect to come up short. Yet some achieve twice this level of success. Four very successful AV sales people describe what it takes to succeed in selling large AV systems. Their ideas may surprise you. Read "How I got the job" from ProAV Magazine
Three successful AV integrators share practical ideas on marketing strategy: Budgeting practices Formal vs. informal planning Consistent branding Choosing your niche Marketing activities that work Measurement and evaluation Read how each of these integrators found a marketing plan that works best for their business		Mike Palecek believes in aggressive marketing. "It's like sowing seeds," he says. "It's the only way I'll get bigger." Palecek shares some secrets about how he's created: A very large but low-cost website An aggressive seminar and webinar programs Low-volume targeted mailings Read this integrator's best marketing tips, from Sound & Video Contractor

Contact us for help or advice on your marketing program Kreski Marketing Consultants is a marketing agency specializing in work for the audio-visual industry. Don Kreski, principal, has over 25 years of marketing management experience in the industry. Contact Don at...

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