If you owned a car audio store, what would you have in it?

I've basically chosen my career path to include going to college for a major in Business and a minor in Advertising, and then going on to start and manage my own car audio store.

I'm curious as to what everyone would look for in a place like that. Basically just doing some preliminary planning.

What would you include in your store? Or, what would you like to see? This can really be anything. Installation? What brand names? Decorations? Anything! Feedback from the general public would help me be more successful in my indeavors.

If you want to suggest an online store, that would not happen right away. Starting a retail store is hard enough, let alone having to supply internet orders. I would have a site, but that would announce sales, shows, etc. Staff pages, yadda yadda.

I'm interested in everyone's opinions!

Have good prices, be honest, do sick installs and that will probably get you pretty far.

I really don't know how much money is in that business but I think it is pretty limited. The internet is good because you have millions of potential customers whereas with a local shop you only have a couple thousand.

The problem with the internet though is those million customers want things as cheap as possible.

Search around on www.the12volt.com in the forums... You will find some interesting stuff about becoming an installer and running a shop.

Good luck with it

Not to be a ****...but why did this thread get stickied?

I guess basically you should have brand names that the general public is going to want, unique installs that let people know that you did the job, and the best thing is to get to know the customers, remember their names and stuff if you can because I know that makes me trust the person I'm working with.

CRAZZY_AL wrote:

Not to be a ****...but why did this thread get stickied?

I stickied it myself, Al. It's an important topic to me that I wanted to get answered as soon as possible, so I figured why not abuse my power once in a while.

Why did you need a response ASAP...these are plans of yours which are well into the future right?

Exactly, a key to good business is keeping the customers happy. You've got to establish a good reputation right away.

Speaking from personal experience, I've had my encounter with a car audio place already. It was a brand new store, and had just opened, and I was recommended to go there by a friend to get some subwoofers. I walk in the store, stand there for 10 minutes, and no one helps me. This store is SMALL, too. I mean the front door is like almost hitting the counter...haha. Anyways, so I'm guessing the reason 3 guys were talking on the phone while I was standing there, and not being helped, was because I'm a girl. So, finally, after about 15 minutes, I finally got asked if I needed anything. I told him I was looking for some good subwoofers, and was told to come here and get some. I had Kickers on the mind, and so I asked him about those, because my friend told me they carried them there. So, he was like, umm..."what do you need?" So, I told him, I said I've already got a box, subs, and amp hooked up, but my amp is putting out too much power for my subs, and I'm wanting to get some better ones. I told him I was looking at the Comp VR's, and was asking if he had any, or could order some. He goes, "do you see any on the wall?" Of course, I said no, you only have 4 subs on the wall. He said, "well that means we don't have any then". I walked my butt right out of that store, and haven't been back since. I've told every one I've ever met, and all my friends, who are interested in stereo stuff to never go there, and no one of them have ever set foot in there.

You can't prejudge people based on looks, their gender, or whatever. I walked in their with lots of cash, and was ready to pay to get some nice subs, and that guy had to be a jackass, and therefore lost my business. So, my advice, is to be friendly. Not to the point where you're taken advantage of, but just to establish a good friendly nature with anyone that happens to walk in.

Wow, that sucks. Glad to see you've told your friends NOT to go there. At my local Sound / Speed Shop they have guys AND girls working (and the girls work just as hard as the guys, and no they do no do THAT kinda of work), so there is no gender based treatment. It's always good to open your shop in a area you're already familiar with people in.

Aken wrote:

CRAZZY_AL wrote: Not to be a ****...but why did this thread get stickied? I stickied it myself, Al. It's an important topic to me that I wanted to get answered as soon as possible, so I figured why not abuse my power once in a while.

i have the same forum on my site.. i disabled the future (exept for mods and admins)


Rockford Fosgate and DLS is the biggest brand for DB woofers in Europe

YLA, have you seen the Rockford Golf R32? That is an amazing car.

ow.. no not yet.. pictures?

Heres one site: http://www.rockford.co.za/rockford2002/News/germany_golf/germany_golf.htm

And here's one pic of the install


Here's the US "News" Site.
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/press/assets/2003_05_rocknews.pdf

That's the type of install that gets your name heard. Man, that's amazing, I'd like something like that.

I love how things stay on topic.

Al - I'm trying to plan for all of this now. I'm not going to have a lot of time to do stuff like that in college, and knowing what I want now will help me figure out how to get that stuff in the time before I do end up starting my own place. Make sense? Anyway, if conversation goes the way it is, I'll unsticky it anyway because I'm not getting many decent replies.

Lex - I'm sorry you had some a crappy first experience. I've always been good with people, and as long as I can get some decent people to help out, I'm sure I'll have no problem in the customer service area.

I, myself, can see why those guys may have been prejudice against a girl walking in, because I don't know any girls who know anything about car audio, except that it's loud and sounds nice. But that wouldn't keep me from helping them. They don't know exactly what they're looking for, and that's where I come in.

YLA G - In case you hadn't noticed, I am a moderator on these forums, hence my ability to sticky the topic.

Everyone Else - It's already an unwritten rule to provide good service to the customer. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm more interested in seeing what kind of products or services I should provide. There's obviously the usual stuff - amps, subs, speakers, wire, neon, yadda yadda. But specifics -- brands, do I want cheap stuff or high end, SPL equipment, etc...

Ok, you need to look into the demographics of the area in which you want to open this store, that will help you decided high end or cheap, what brands, so on and so fourth.

9sdime9 wrote:

Heres one site: http://www.rockford.co.za/rockford2002/News/germany_golf/germany_golf.htm And here's one pic of the install Here's the US "News" Site. http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/press/assets/2003_05_rocknews.pdf

wow real nice

and now again on topic.. :=)

have some cheaper things but not really cheap and have high end things. i would say sell like RF, eclipse, alpine, sony, JL and all that good stuff

oK, first off, carry plasmaglow, cuz EVERYONE and their brother carries SG. Also, look for new emerging brands, like some guy on Sounddomain got sponsored by Interfire, they seem ok. SO try to be DIFFERENT and stay ahead of the competition.

certain brands like Alpine require you to buy X thousands of dollars worth of stock in order to be a retailer. well that's how it works up here in Canada, it may be different in the U.S.

just be aware that you may not be able to afford some big names right away unless you commit to purchasing a lot of stock from them.

i would suggest start with some cheaper brands, and have one or two major brands.... and as business grows, increase your brands.

Eclipse, Soundstream, Rockford Fosgate, Pioneer, MTX have always been consistently good brands. i am sure there are others that i missed.

one other thing you may be interested in doing is having 'show and shines'/car shows of some sort, that will definitely bring in crowds, and they will see what you have to offer, but before you do the car shows, make sure you have a demo car on hand so the customers can see the work you have done.

it also never hurts to have a lounge of some sort so the customer can sit and relax while he/she is getting an install.

9sdime9 said to sell some stuff from up and coming companys i agree, but make sure they are reputable and quality products. Products Alpine, RF, Coustic, Diamond, Kicker, JL, JBL, DD , Infinity, Polk.

I agree that name brands are a must, but i think that you have to be looking for that new company with that new way of building subs that pushes more dBs than the current "best." In other words, stay up on whats goin on in the Car Audio world and get the new products as soon as you can.

Goph wrote:

have some cheaper things but not really cheap and have high end things. i would say sell like RF, eclipse, alpine, sony, JL and all that good stuff

Nice contradiction.

9sdime9 -- I intend on carrying plenty of brands of neon, as they all have their bonuses. I probably won't carry a whole lot of SG. Mainly their underbody kits. I will also keep my eye out for new brands that look promising.

1uvakind -- That would suck if Alpine required that. That's one brand I would like to stock. I'll keep the order limit in mind when figuring out what it takes to be a distributor for these companies. As for the car show, that's one thing that I will do as often as I can. I intend on (should the time arrive) throwing a show / glow off to promote the opening. Mainly to get the name out, attract some business, yadda yadda. I would also very much like a demo car. It will probably be whatever car I have at the time, just upgrade the sound, neon, and slap the logo on somewhere. And I love the lounge idea. Never would've thought of that. Thanks for your input.

Good ideas so far, Aken. Wow though If that's true about Alpine and such..that sucks, one thing that is a must for a car audio shop is having all the popular speakers / subs / amps available to listen to. Also, if you carry LCDs and stuff those need to be on display along with your neon products. Also, a good graphic designer and logo can go a long way!!

One thing i always liked about things like Installer Challenge and what not were that you could see the install happen, so lots of windows into the install area are good. Advertise that you'll meter cars for a small fee. Get your name out there. Having a demo car is a great idea, if you've got the time, go all out and use it to showcase just what a great job you can do. OK, i think thats all i have to say. Good luck

PS. One more, once you open your doors you can get into things like SEMA and such, shows like that are a great way to get the scoop on new companies and new products, (and they're usually in Vegas or at least the West coast, so get a vaca while you're at it.) (Can you say business expense!)

Quote:

Goph wrote: have some cheaper things but not really cheap and have high end things. i would say sell like RF, eclipse, alpine, sony, JL and all that good stuff Nice contradiction.

Hey i have a Sony CD Player CDX-M730. Its not bad the features are good like the dual sided display. I will admitt the sound isnt the greatest but better than stock. But if you talk about subs and amps i would not get sony.

The place I got my alarm installed at had a nice lounge.

2 black leather couches, a glass table with a flat panel monitor and a computer with wireless mouse/keyboard and internet access.

Also, I was able to get onto wireless internet with my laptop because they had an Airport base station in the other room

It made the 6 hour wait more enjoyable. (Got there are 6 pm to pick it up... didn't end up leaving until 11:30 pm.) I guess there was some problem and was harder to install then they thought.

there were 3 shops in the town i was living, one shop the guys were nice and took cash instead of paying tax and all that, a nother was new and u never got much service, and the third the guys in there were **** assholes. so i picked the first shop b/c they were nice after only a few visits they got to know me an my car and gave me sum great deals. and they carried a wide selection of products. but almost everyone in my town went to the shop where the guys r assholes and they only carry kenwood,clairion and audiobahn. so the shop i went to went out of buisness.

so i think inorder to have a succsessfull shop, it takes knowing the people,
wining contests nothing looks better then going into a shop and seeing a bunch of trophys from different years and different cars. after a while once ur shops is known and ur makeing money dun get ****, its one of the things that will turn people away from ur biusness. a nother idea i liked is haveing the install bay in the main part of the shop so everyone that comes in can see.

as for products, all the audio stuff, subs amps wireing kits accessories, dynamat, boxes, cd players disk changers all that stuff plus neon, a nother thing that might b good is to carry stuff like mdf board and fiber glassing stuff so people that r planing on doing it them selfs dun have to go elsewhere. companies like fusion car audio make huge dispaly cases, this is also a good idea so people can listen to what they r looking at b4 they buy it. as for companies carry a cheaper company for people that r just looking for a lil sound, carry a few middle companies for kids just starting out with a semi limited budget and carry a highend or 3 company for the seriose competitors. a nother thing it might b good to carry a few other cheaper accessories like cold air intakes and maybe mufflers. nothing like turbos just just things like kids might wnat to put on there cars.

as for the shop make sure its clean, well organized(either by company, or by product) keep it well lit, so people can read things on packages dont make it to facy or people will b looking at the room instead of the products.

anyway i hope this helps in sum way.

Just went to my neighborhood audio shop. I was looking for Stinger speaker wire, the clear and blue twisted 16 gauge. I had found it online for $0.65 a foot, at my shop it was TWO FREEKIN DOLLARS A FOOT! So, they made up for it by giving an extra half foot and just being nice. But if you can help it...DON'T get underpriced too badly by online companies.

The plus advantage of going with a brick and mortar store is,

1) you can become an authorized dealer and get better wholesale prices, plus everythings backed by their warranty and you'll have higher margin on them.
2) if you perform your own labor, theres not cost to you, it's pure profit, but you need some sortof insurance and a waiver form because a lot of people have crappy cars and eventually something will break. Newer cars are the *****.

Good luck on that degree, it's good to get the basics if you don't have anyone else to teach you.

Question: If you owned a car audio store, what would you have in it?


Alberto's answer: Naked, bi-sexual, dancing girls.

Ahh...another genius idea from Al.

Those we keep in the back for lunch time or if customers don't buy anything. The girls would be good to get people to buy stuff.

Good marketing would be "free lapdance with purchase"

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Good marketing would be "free lapdance with purchase"

Only certain amounts though...hehe. Too many lapdances, not enough women.

So Kelli what are you doing in four years?

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So Kelli what are you doing in four years?

Too funny...hehe.

***WARNING, Long post***

Not quite sure how I missed this post for 3 days, but I'm gonna comment on some stuff.

First off, Aken, the stuff you are asking now is all stuff that will change a LOT w/in 4years. Brands come and go. Who's on top will change, how business is done will change. Alpine and Rockford may be 2 of the best known brands ot there. They have lots of street rep, and they sell more products than most other companies... but that can and WILL change. Alpine might try to invest in a new technology that flops. Or they might change owership. RF can do the same. In fact, I've noticed that they're quality of products has decreased in the past 3 years. And even now with their new line, they lost their cosmetic appeal I think it's cool you are trying to get ideas for your shop in 4 years, but I think it's a little pre-mature.
Next, Aken, you want to start a shop, that's awesome. I hope you do well. I think you are a cool person, I had a ton of fun in Dells. But my question is, what expereince do you have? I know you worked on your car, and it looks awesome. I know you have a passion for things like this, but passion only goes so far. I think you need to get a little experience before you jump right in. Try to get a job at a shop. See how thigns go behind the scenes. Get an idea of how companies are acquired, etc. etc.
All the brands ppl have spouted off are great. But you won't get them all. I'm sure you've noticed that the small, "mom and pops" type shops don't have 5 big brands. They usually try for 1 or 2 large ones and some decent up and coming ones. To survive they have to milk what they have. Be it customer service, install ability, or just a particular brand that is great. 9sdmine9 had the right idea w/ getting a company that is quality, but lesser known. But you can't decide that right now. You'll have to stay on top of things and deicde in 4 years. Get a company that is equal to Adire, Elemental Designs, or Resonant Engineering is now. A company that is not well known on the streets but has great products and lots of internet rep. You'll bring in the hardcore kids that way, and they will advertise FOR YOU.
1uvakind is correct. To get large companies you have to buy a lot of stuff from them. You can some times avoid this by having a middle man distributor. My local shop goes through this type of thing and they claim that they COULD get MMATS and Digital Designs, but they decided not to b/c they don't think they'd sell enough. I honestly think that was a big mistake on their part. Maybe not MMATS, but DD would have sold through the roof for them. Being the only dealer w/in the state, kids would flock once word got out. If you can offer the same thing that the internet or direct buying can, ppl will always choose local (no shipping, easier warranty, and ppl to talk to about it).
I also agree w/ 1uvakind that you should try to host shows. It gets your name out very effectively. But also, like he said, get a demo car up first. Whow off what you can do, what your products can do, and make it flashy!

I'm trying to help you so I hope this was helpful. I know I rambled quite a bit in there, but I get off topic.... Let me know if I can be of any help, and let me know if there's anything else I can try and answer. I haven't worked in a shop, but I loiter around more than anyone I know !

...and nake dancers NEVER hurt. ESPECIALLY if they are in to cars too! That'd be awesome.

*idea* Maybe you could make the first hooters/car shop where the ppl helping you are in scantally clad outfits. !

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*idea* Maybe you could make the first hooters/car shop where the ppl helping you are in scantally clad outfits. !

Sign me up! I know cars, audio, etc. and I'm a chick...best of both worlds.

Baby Lex wrote:

Quote: *idea* Maybe you could make the first hooters/car shop where the ppl helping you are in scantally clad outfits. ! Sign me up! I know cars, audio, etc. and I'm a chick...best of both worlds.

Sorry, we need a picture of you first. And remember, clothes are always OPTIONAL! Send them to me first and I will decide if they are OK for the board. Thanks and have a great day.

Quote:

Sorry, we need a picture of you first. And remember, clothes are always OPTIONAL! Send them to me first and I will decide if they are OK for the board. Thanks and have a great day.

Hahaha...right. Let's just say I've been told by a few people I'm a mix of Julia Stiles, and Kelly Clarkson from American Idol.

Baby Lex wrote:

Quote: *idea* Maybe you could make the first hooters/car shop where the ppl helping you are in scantally clad outfits. ! Sign me up! I know cars, audio, etc. and I'm a chick...best of both worlds.

if you do that you will have me coming in all the time to get things