Although the professional audio/visual communications market is quickly growing, selling customers on the technology can still be challenging. As a value-added reseller, it’s important to thoroughly understand your prospects’ needs and challenges so that you can tailor a solution to each unique business.
ProAV technology is useful in nearly every industry, from healthcare and education to events, business and more. That’s why you’ll need to be sure to approach each ProAV project with fresh eyes – and the right information.
The next time you’re meeting with a potential ProAV customer, be sure to ask the following key questions:
1. Who are your customers?
Does your prospect sell hip clothing to young adults? Or, are they a small healthcare company that caters to aging patients? The type of customer they are trying to reach will make all the difference in the various components of their ProAV system. Start by truly understanding who they are trying to reach, and you can plan accordingly.
2. How would you describe the “personality,” look and feel of your company?
Of course, the type of company you’re working with will impact their technology needs. Is it a small, modest house of worship that’s simply looking to implement a whole-house sound system? Or, is it a large, vibrant church that needs to connect with its tens of thousands of attendees? Similarly, retail and restaurant locations that market to different demographics and in various parts of the country will require ProAV technology and content that accurately represents who they are. Knowing the personality of a given company will help you to plan the type of audio and visual devices that will serve them best.
3. What information do you need to communicate?
Will your customer be using their new AV system for advertising? Or, perhaps event and wayfinding information? Maybe they’ll simply be using video and music to convey the desired look and feel of their brand or add to the shopping experience. Whatever their motivation, you need to completely understand the range of information they’re wanting to convey so that you can design a system to maximize that message.
4. What are your goals in the coming years?
Is your customer looking to grow their company in the coming years? They might want to make use of video conferencing technology to expand their reach to new clients, students, customers or patients. Does the prospect hope to hire heavily in the next few months? ProAV video, signage and audio can be used to promote their brand and open positions, while video conferencing can help with the interview process.
5. Do you have a need to communicate with people remotely?
Video conferencing is becoming more and more widely accepted for business meetings, healthcare needs, and training and education. The information-sharing capabilities aren’t the only benefit of the technology; today, a growing number of people feel that video conferencing provides the same personal touch that face-to-face meetings have. And, the technology can save your customers an impressive amount of money in travel expenses. They might even have an untapped opportunity to expand their business through remote video conferencing. Ask them about their remote needs, and get creative about how video conferencing could best serve them.
What other questions do you find useful to ask of prospective ProAV customers?