laTeST - Music & Sound Retailer

Dan THe MAn
By Dan Ferrisi
Although, in April, it might be a
bit late to continue talking about
the NAMM show, it was such a
successful event, and there was
so much going on—and, with it
being my first NAMM experience,
it was so memorable—that
I will make an exception and
devote one more column to the
expo. One of my responsibilities
at the show was to attend a
couple of NAMM Breakfast
Sessions and, despite my relative
inexperience in this industry, I
found the information intriguing
and well-presented; if I were
a musical instrument retailer, I
would have stepped out of both
sessions feeling reinvigorated
and excited to get home to try
these new strategies.
On Friday, Jan. 15, John Gerzema,
of Young & Rubicam, presented
“The Post-Crisis Consumer,”
which discussed consumption
patterns that have emerged
in the wake of the devastating
economic downturn that began in
December 2007 and, even now, is
still taking its toll. Equally intriguing—and,
perhaps, for this column,
even more germane—was
the Breakfast Session convened
on Saturday, Jan. 16, presented by
George Whalin, of Retail Management
Consultants, and entitled
“Strategies for a Changing Retail
World.” Although Whalin’s advice
to retailers was by no means
limited to strategies for getting
non-musicians “off the freeway”
and into making music, his analysis
of the industry—including
challenges currently being dealt
with, potential keys to success
and ways in which to distinguish
one’s store—seemed to dovetail
quite well with some of the issues
this column attempts to address.
Whalin outlined several
challenges with which musical
instrument retailers are wrestling,
among them an extremely
difficult and often unpredictable
It’s Never Too Late
to Talk About NAMM
economy, conservative consumer
spending, fierce competition
and difficulty earning a profit
even when customers do walk
through the doors; in the face
of these hurdles, if store managers
want to expand the universe
of music makers, special effort
must be expended. After all,
if one is a dedicated guitarist,
drummer, bassist or keyboardist—whether
professionally, in
school or simply for recreation—
one is likely to continue buying
instruments irrespective of
economic conditions, whereas,
if one simply has vague musical
ambitions, tightened purse
strings might have much more
of an effect.
Although Whalin’s keys to success
are numerous and varied,
encompassing everything from
always operating strategically to
utilizing performance-improvement
tools, from striving for
constant improvement in all areas
to taking steps to distinguish
oneself and one’s business, a
couple stand out as particularly
relevant here. Under the “distinguish”
heading, retailers are
encouraged to make their staff
stand out, particularly vis-à-vis
their motivation, helpfulness and
product knowledge. Certainly,
my preferences with respect
to customer service cannot be
extrapolated to all non-musicians—whether
they, like me,
formerly (albeit briefly) played
an instrument or whether they
have never picked one up—but
I will explain the approach that,
hypothetically, would be most
appealing to me and, thus, would
present the greatest opportunity
for success.
First, upon entering the store,
I would be receptive to immediate
salesperson attention; if I had
to wait five, 10 or 15 minutes before
a sales associate noticed my
presence, I might be disinclined
to do business. Second, although
immediate service would be a
strong positive, high pressure
would be an equally strong negative
mark. It has been said that a
man does not step onto the lot unless
he wants to buy, and that, in
general, might be true, especially
for those who boast familiarity
with the products and the industry;
however, if someone is new to
the market, and considering dipping
his toes into the water, pressure
is the wrong choice. Third,
if you are a retailer that offers
lessons, make that opportunity apparent
in big, bright, bold fashion,
because the proverbial one-stop
shop would be more likely to earn
my business than one that only
provides gear. If you do not offer
lessons, I would feel more positive
about the experience if, when
I asked about getting them, you
had suggestions about teachers to
whom I could go.
Whalin’s presentation was much
more detailed and, again, did not
focus particularly on expanding
the MI universe, but, in these
harsh economic times, it makes
good business sense to try to
find sales wherever they might
be—from within the industry, and
from without.
Dan Ferrisi is the assistant editor
of the Music & Sound Retailer.
Tell him what you think at dferrisi@testa.com.
Music & Sound Retailer 41