Knowledge Base

Assuming the world doesn’t end in 2012, the New Year is always a good time for a fresh start and some fresh thinking about your business.

A great place to begin is the Car Audio Retail Solutions Show (CARSS) at the Palms Las Vegas from January 10 to 12 — the same weekend as the must-see Consumer Electronics Show (CES).                                   

AVIDWORX is co-hosting CARSS along with partners Hushmat, Atrend and Audiomobile.

CARSS is the only event in CES weekend that’s dedicated to shops and distributors in car audio. AVIDWORX will be there to show off our new  IMAGEWORX sound stages and answer all your questions about our custom and modular kiosks and sound stages, our new portable audio displays, our whole store solutions and our support for everything from sales training to the presentation of your products.                                   

This is a new event for us, and we couldn’t be more excited. Hey, it’s Vegas, it’s CES and it’s the Palms, home of the Playboy Club and the $40,000 Hugh Hefner suite… what’s not to like?

CARSS runs 11am to 8pm daily, and there are free shuttles 11am to 6pm between the Palms and the Renaissance Hotel, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center. The atmosphere will be festive with complimentary cocktails and prize giveaways from AVIDWORX and others.

What happens in Vegas doesn’t have to stay there. We know you’re going to want to bring everything you learn at CARSS home with you.                                   

Retail Resolutions                                   

New Year’s Resolutions are not just for people with a few extra pounds to shed. You can make resolutions for your business by setting milestones for the upcoming year:   

• Do some easy market research. Make a resolution to call back one of your customers every month for a quick survey — what did they think of your selection of products, the customer service, the installation, the price? Are they happy? Do they feel they knew enough about the product before buying? Do they have any questions about how it works? Would they recommend your store to others?
• Do one thing for your store every month. Is there a light out that you never get around to replacing? Does your sign need new paint? Your floor a new carpet? Make a hit list and start knocking things off.
• Book some professional development time for yourself and your staff. AVIDWORX can help out through our SALESWORX program, but you can also read books, attend workshops and seminars, or just hold a few meetings where your staff can talk about the newest products and what techniques are successful in closing sales.
  Set a target for end of year 2012, whether it’s to increase sales by 10 per cent, to expand your business or to upgrade your space.
• Do some marketing in your community, such as an ad, an event or an in-store promotion. Figure out who your customers are and make 2012 the year where you embrace technology and social networking.   
• Stay current. Familiarize yourself with your products and the latest technology, subscribe to magazines and newsletters, make the rounds of technology websites, book some time with your distributors to demo their products, make a list of online review sites to see what people are saying… know all about the next big thing before it becomes the next big thing.