A significant question facing systems contractors and consultants in the current business environment: will "good enough" win out?

In some quarters, it's becoming pretty apparent that the primary systems goal is skewing toward mere adequacy, a direction running directly counter to the bedrock foundation of the majority of systems professionals, which has traditionally been characterized by passion for success, a quest for excellence in every phase of a system.

Simply put, "good enough" hasn't been good enough to the vast majority of systems professionals.

However, the signs are clear enough. In the systems customer's mind, price has increasingly become the most important specification; at the same time, sound quality, reliability and service are slipping down the priority list.

As a result, mediocre equipment is more often deemed to be "good enough" despite marginal sound quality if it has the "features" of last year's leading products and costs less. Much the same is true of the installation process, where shrinking budgets are inevitably taking their toll; careful design and craftsmanship - no matter how well presented by the systems firm - are viewed as unnecessary luxuries.

These trends have become something of a hot topic among industry veterans in recent years; I've had many conversations with systems contractors about it, and have also seen it happening first-hand.

However, let's step back for a moment and do some analysis. In economic terms, these trends are signs of a maturing industry. Other industries faced similar trends long ago, with the result being that some companies prospered and others disappeared.

And, of course, it can easily be argued that this is simply a reflection of popular culture. Examples are plentiful: MP3 versus "CD quality", Wal-Mart's flattening of traditional retailers with low-priced imported merchandize, cheap knockoffs of virtually any imaginable product, and too many more to count.

Price and fashion are king; quality and performance are somehow old fashioned. Products are disposable, to be thrown away when they break or are no longer interesting.

Therefore, the question becomes: if this is an all-pervasive cultural trend, how are we in the pro audio business, going to buck it? The hard answer is that it is very unlikely that we can.

The professional systems marketplace is no more immune to market forces than other industries. No matter how hard many of us may wish otherwise, those who stay in the industry will have to learn to deal with the situation in one way or another, not a welcome prospect for many of us.

So let's have a look at some survival strategies and options for systems contractors in light of the current (and likely future) environment of "good enough".

Treat your business like any other business.
The best strategy is the same as always; run your business or career like a business. This might seem obvious, but very often those who love what they do are reluctant to compromise.

Anyone who has serious doubt that the customer is always right and that they are king might be advised to look for another strategy. The goal is satisfied customers, and if this means selling second-tier equipment and cutting a few corners to meet their cost goals, then that is business in today's world.

But it also means being willing to walk away if the end product won't be reliable and reasonably functional, or if the project won't be profitable.

Sometimes it might be personally painful that a customer wants a system that"just works" or is "loud enough so they can understand". If a customer can be educated, by all means do so.

But if they can't, turn the situation into a business decision rather than a cause. If personal satisfaction is sometimes lacking, take pride in a well-run business, focus on those rare projects where there is freedom to excel, or take up a hobby.