Reclaiming Systems Integration Clients With Sound Engineering

Make it extremely clear that even after the last speaker is installed, you will be there for the customer. By offering excellent after-sales support, you can maintain a great future relationship with your customers.

This kind of relationship is what is often lacking, and is what will set you apart as an integrator, not just as a salesman.

Dealing With Scorned Clients
There is nothing worse than coming into contact with a customer that has been down this road before with several companies. They spent a fortune on a sound system, and it never did exactly what they wanted.

How do you cope with such a customer? How do you get them to trust you?

Start by building that trust. Listen to their concerns. Discuss with them their goals of the system. Tell them that things can be resolved and offer them a good solution.

Try to find out what their budget is for performing any work, and make sure it is clearly documented as to what their expectations are. While you cannot help everyone, you can give it your honest effort.

To me, education is a winning key to helping these customers, and winning their trust. Make certain they understand all functions of the system. Prove to them that you understand their concerns. Often, if you show a deep level of concern and a willingness to help them, you will win their trust.

Moving forward, we can offer customers those excellent solutions. If a customer is looking for a sound system with full automation that can be turned on from one button, we should offer them that.

Offering them less than what they have asked for is not acceptable. Integration is about taking many elements and making them work harmoniously together.

It’s about using our experience, technical know-how and creative thinking to offer a truly unique and ultimate solution to each of our customers.

Jeffrey L. Miranda is president of NeoLogic Sound, a commercial integrator specializing in high-performance audio systems. He has been a live sound engineer for theatrical performances, church worship services, in addition to indoor and outdoor concerts.

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