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ARCHIVED FORUM -- April 2007 to March 2012
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This is the first Archived Forum which was active between 17th April 2007 and 1st March February 2012

 

Latest post 01-20-2010 8:55 AM by Flappo The Grate. 181 replies.
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  • 01-18-2010 3:19 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Trip

    A couple of points to clarify my thoughts:

    1. I think what you call Lifestyle, I call understanding your customers and their needs - and then building products to fit - so no real argument there.  I'd still ban the word though as it suggests 'gloss' over substance.

    2. Of course I agree that B&O's customer base is affluent.  I just wonder if there hasn't been a drift to the super wealthy resulting in B&O becoming yet more of a niche player.  I'd have thought the target market (in terms of wealth/socio economic status/jobs) ought to be professionals/managers whatever - anybody who understands the difference between price and value.  

    3 Speaker range more accessible? there's more to accessibility than price and connection adapters.  What are all those 'P's' again? Product, price, promotion, place, ...I'm sure there are more.... For a start I would ensure they're tested, reviewed (stressing ease of connectivity) and advertised in the major hifi mags.  I would also look at distribution channels - certainly look at selling outside the franchised stores - via selected hifi specialist outlets and maybe direct internet sales.  As it happens price is the last thing I'd worry about as these products are already great value.

    4. My experience with Beosound 5 summed up my frustration with B&Os products and retail outlets.  The guy trying to demonstrate it couldn't explain why it was better than ATV (a product which I use as an example rather being being an advocate for) and instead resorted to using terms like lifestyle and ownership experience.  It's not that I'm thick and certainly not stupid enough to buy a product just to show off to my neighbours.  I wasn't given any reason why spending £5000 was good VALUE.

    I'm of the opinion that if you need to explain why you need a product then you probably don't need it in the first place... in my opinion BeoSound5 is either a concept trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist or is a concept that hasn't been executed well enough.

     

     

     

  • 01-18-2010 4:01 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Some interesting points there Trip.

    I can see from your point of view you'd prefer a sale of $35k vs 5 sales of $7k, but to B&O they're the same.  

    I bought a Beovision8 from a UK dealer recently and it took nearly an hour to have a bit of a chat about options and to sort out the sales and delivery. Way too long - I was bored, it was costing the salesman time as well as opportunities to serve other customers.

    In this respect B&O should look at making the lower value sales easier by looking at other distribution channels (set up new dealers able deal with small value sales more efficiently?)

  • 01-18-2010 5:41 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Pestria:

    I bought a Beovision8 from a UK dealer recently and it took nearly an hour to have a bit of a chat about options and to sort out the sales and delivery. Way too long - I was bored, it was costing the salesman time as well as opportunities to serve other customers.

    In this respect B&O should look at making the lower value sales easier by looking at other distribution channels (set up new dealers able deal with small value sales more efficiently?)

    Question... if you could've bought it online would you have?

    What did you actually do with the sales guy?  Like the options and whatnot, what did you need the sales team for or what did you have to ask them about.  Other than the point of purchase, of course.  And if you remember, what were other people in the shop asking about?

    Trip, what do people in your store ask about?  Like the average person that comes in and, you know, isn't a crank.  Like someone who may or does actually buy stuff? Do people ever come in and buy something brand new for decent money, let's say $5k or whatever a pair of BL6000s (seems like a reasonable starter speaker) and just buy without asking you anything?

  • 01-18-2010 8:11 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Pestria:

    Trip

    A couple of points to clarify my thoughts:

    1. I think what you call Lifestyle, I call understanding your customers and their needs - and then building products to fit - so no real argument there.  I'd still ban the word though as it suggests 'gloss' over substance.

    To the end user it may, so if you want to ban hearing it, that's fine. 

    2. Of course I agree that B&O's customer base is affluent.  I just wonder if there hasn't been a drift to the super wealthy resulting in B&O becoming yet more of a niche player.  I'd have thought the target market (in terms of wealth/socio economic status/jobs) ought to be professionals/managers whatever - anybody who understands the difference between price and value.  

    We'll see what things look like in a few years when we're truly starting to put the recession behind us. I've been selling B&O for about a decade and earlier on people were likely to come in and buy a two channel system. This is when flat panel TVs were just hitting the US market. Shortly after I started the HD craze took off and the economy was humming along. As B&O found their footing transitioning from the Avant to flat panels, we did quite well. Then the economy hit and a the bottom & part of the middle of our customer base got cold feet. Those feet are still a little chilly and it makes more sense to go after a market that, at least at our level (maybe if I were making $30m super yachts it would be different!) hasn't stopped spending to the same extent. If that upper-middle-class buyer really does return then I think it makes sense to service that customer, but at this point it's all subterfuge with those clients. 

    3 Speaker range more accessible? there's more to accessibility than price and connection adapters.  What are all those 'P's' again? Product, price, promotion, place, ...I'm sure there are more.... For a start I would ensure they're tested, reviewed (stressing ease of connectivity) and advertised in the major hifi mags.  I would also look at distribution channels - certainly look at selling outside the franchised stores - via selected hifi specialist outlets and maybe direct internet sales.  As it happens price is the last thing I'd worry about as these products are already great value.

    You could have a point. Our products have been getting somewhat less proprietary over the years which would make placement in high-end hi-fi shops a possibility. I doubt, however, that it would increase turnover significantly. In order to sell us, the shops would have to be truly high-end. But there's no one in electronics more ideological than hi-fi guys. The thought of selling a style-over-substance (at least that's their general opinion about us) over their beloved B&W, Martin Logan, or whatever is pretty far fetched.

    Conversely, we could take whatever effort we'd expend getting into the hi-fi loudspeaker world (press events, speaker loaners to every guy with sandals and a beard, etc. etc.) and make a similar foray into the architecture and design community where there is a built-in understanding of how people have to live in their environment (there's that crucial "lifestyle" statement again) and increase high-ticket sales with less frustration. After all, hi-fi guys have giant boxes on the floor with wires as thick as plumbing running all over the place. You can't really expect them to understand the value of products that integrate and work simply. It's the antithesis of their Lifestyle.  

    4. My experience with Beosound 5 summed up my frustration with B&Os products and retail outlets.  The guy trying to demonstrate it couldn't explain why it was better than ATV (a product which I use as an example rather being being an advocate for) and instead resorted to using terms like lifestyle and ownership experience.  It's not that I'm thick and certainly not stupid enough to buy a product just to show off to my neighbours.  I wasn't given any reason why spending £5000 was good VALUE.

    This goes to my comment in my last Big-Chunk-Post. The caliber of dealer is a bigger issue than the product portfolio. I sell more BeoSound 5s than I do BeoCom 1s. Many of my criticisms (some that even began this post over 84 years ago) have been diminished by its performance against all the other real-world options. The only products that roundly best it exist in people's imaginations as vapor-ware. You can say "wouldn't it be great if it did this..." all you want, but until something does actually "do this" than it isn't worth factoring into your buying decision. 

    I'm of the opinion that if you need to explain why you need a product then you probably don't need it in the first place... in my opinion BeoSound5 is either a concept trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist or is a concept that hasn't been executed well enough.

    I was a lot closer to that perspective way back in the Victorian Era when I started this thread. Over the past decades, though, I've found it to be the most stable, intuitive, enjoyable, and best performing (in sound quality) of any of the media platforms out there. 

    So I wouldn't say that I'm prepared to take back any of the criticisms, but my perspective has definately overshadowed the importance of many of them. 

     

     

     

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-18-2010 8:24 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    dilznik:

    Trip, what do people in your store ask about?  Like the average person that comes in and, you know, isn't a crank.  Like someone who may or does actually buy stuff? Do people ever come in and buy something brand new for decent money, let's say $5k or whatever a pair of BL6000s (seems like a reasonable starter speaker) and just buy without asking you anything?

    If an actual end-user walks in, they're usually looking to solve a specific problem. It can be anything from, "I've got a cabinet with these dimensions and have to swing a TV out of it" to "I want to listen to one thing here, but my wife wants to listen to another thing here." Once we work through the specific problem, we generally find that there's a larger opportunity there.

    I've also had particular success selling "the system after Crestron." I'm sure there are a few people on earth who have loved having a Crestron system, but generally something in the ownership experience leaves the user with a bad taste in their mouth. So we do home automation based off the MLGW & Beo5s and people love them. Especially people who have had the more complex Crestron systems. 

    Of course we do get the occasional walk-in looking for an iPod dock or surround sound to connect to a mass-market LCD, but years ago I started asking people what their budget was as a means of better fitting them with a solution. Questions like these usually come from customers looking to spend about $500 on an iPod dock and about $1,500 on surround sound. It's clear that the people asking consider this to be a very large investment which goes to show the real disparity between what most consider high-end and what high-end truly is. There's no way to make a product in that price-range or anything close that warrants our name. It's like Steve Jobs saying that Apple can't build a cheap netbook that isn't a piece of crap. There's a minimum standard that has to be met and it's just not realistic at price-points that would attract the high-end of mass market buyers. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-18-2010 8:44 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    My point is that B&O should support its dealer network by making straightforward sales easier to process - it would help dealers and customers alike.  An initial thought is to segment dealers into product sales and system sales.  To an extent they've done this with the Beoliving stores, but maybe it needs to go further if people like Trip are finding $2-7k sales unattractive.  But it could be extended to online ordering backed up by dealer support.

    Would I buy off the internet... well yes I would buy things like headphones, the flute alarm thing, maybe a set of speakers (especially if they were a second pair and i therefore knew the performance etc).

    Would I still prefer to deal with a dealer - yes for bigger purchases, to check out options and for delivery/installation.

    The interesting thing is that once you've spoken to the dealer and decided on the configuration you want, then the purchase is essentially an internet sale, witht the dealer hitting the keypad on your behalf. 

    I'm sure there must be elegant ways of streamlining the purchasing process and making it more convenient for all without destroying the value added from the dealer network.

  • 01-18-2010 9:44 AM In reply to

    • Philippe
    • Top 200 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-16-2007
    • Toulouse, France
    • Posts 321
    • Bronze Member

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    If there was to remain one thread on this forum, that definitely should be this one: "How to save Bang & Olufsen?"..

    Because, there we are again, like an imaginary flashback in 1992/1993: Bang & Olufsen facing its future, not sure of what to do, in need of strong leadership and strong decisions to keep the boat afloat.

    The situation in France is (more than) critical:

    Bang & Olufsen France does not exist anymore

    in Paris remain... 5 or 6 stores (where they were more of a dozen just a couple of years back)

    B1 shops closing here and there in Province, converting to Loewe for the majority of them.

    But this situation is merely a close up of the international situation where B&O stands : Loewe made more profits than B&O for the first year in its history, the B&O reports advise on turndowns in all segments of the brand...

    If I can feel the ship sinking, I can't stop thinking that the end is going to be tragic.

    Probably because in 1993 the technology was slow to evolve (CD, CRT) and B&O could get a fresh start at almost no cost by radical but still iconic designs (Avant, BS9000) from a new designer; because they could organize a network of exclusive B&O (B1) shops that would vehicle the brand vision as all other luxury brands would a few years later; because they could produce on a made-to-order basis.

    These were the key points, but here we are in 2010, almost 20 years after this 1993 breakpoint :

    - the technology evolves so quickly (the end of plasma screens end is already programmed; The future of LCD Tvs is now LED TVs and 3D screens are already in the pipeline; CD? What CD?...). B&O can't settle and adjust to this speed.

    And these questions keep spinning in my head:

    - How B&O can possibly get back on its feet with interesting new technical propositions, when everything these days is so software and user-interface oriented? This has never been a B&O asset as we all know, and BS5 sales only may just prove this point.

    - How B&O can reverse the downturn when its commercial network is shrinking at this pace?

    - How B&O can honestly compete with 1000€ honest TVs when we see a 26" BV6 at 4500€ or a  BV10 at 7000€? By charity, I won't say anything about the bigger (>40") models..

    How B&O could believe that the price in the end would never be an issue, even for wealthy people? Wealthy people, as wealthy as they can be, can judge a good or poor ratio quality/price. Has B&O truly thought that the russian "nouveaux riches" or the football players would become their new hardcore and loyal clientele?

    That makes me sad really... And I see no good at all at the end of this tunnel.

    Philippe

     

  • 01-18-2010 9:50 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    I have not the first hand expertise from sales that Trip has, but I'm sure that USA and EU is very different markets for B&O. 

    -Andreas

     

    BLab5, BLab5000, BLab8000, BV10, BS9000, BS3, Beo5, Beo4, BLink1000, BLink5000, BLink7000, A2, A8, Form2

     

     

     

  • 01-18-2010 10:02 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Petra, 

    That idea comes and goes internally. The 60 sq. meter concept was an example of this and there are a few of them in place. The issue is generally that the stores are independently owned and so the owners are reticent to take on the prospect of opening a retail shop without a product line to support it. 

    I would say with what's coming out that a dedicated retail shop may be more appealing in a year and a half. We'll have a robust BeoVision 8 lineup, a BeoVision 10 in two sizes, and another audio concept. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-18-2010 10:02 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    It is, that is for example why we do not get small TVs here. I personally have the strong feeling that the Beo-living was and will remain crucial to the brand.

    I also think, that given the speed of innovation "rebadging" done right is their way out and I would expect Samsung or someone like that to pick up the brand. That would just make perfect sense to me to round up their portfolio to the top end.

    As for disappearing shops and local sales organizations? We have a tough recession and B&O was weak to begin going into it. Many established stores and brands went under these days ..... I am surprised that B&O seems to be making it.

     

    JK

    BS9000, BS2300, BC2, BL2500, BL3, Bl2, BS1, BV8, BC4, A8

  • 01-18-2010 10:15 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    bayerische:

    I have not the first hand expertise from sales that Trip has, but I'm sure that USA and EU is very different markets for B&O. 

    I think you're right. The US client does not value build-quality or design as highly as the EU market. I think this results in our clients having a higher income threshold than EU buyers. Consequently we are definately more top 1-2% oriented here versus maybe top 5-10% in EU.

    It's always seemed very binary to me with US customers. They're either buying very emotionally and very open to luxury/novel solutions, or they're simply interested in the least possible expense to accomplish a task. From my brief time living in and traveling in EU I've found that people are generally open to small luxuries across the income spectrum and so might be willing to indulge in ways that don't rigidly fit their demographic identity.

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-18-2010 11:15 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    I have been in B&O stores in EU countries and the US.  It seems mostly the same to me.  I have also purchased B&O products in the EU and the service was very good.  I purchased a Serene phone in France.  The experience in the store was most pleasant.  During the sales conversation, there were some things I didn't understand because I don't speak French real well.  They found someone to translate for me.  I'd like to see a US store try that one.  Maybe there is a difference between the EU and US market but it is not that apparent to me.

    One huge cultural difference is that most Americans consider themselves part of the middle class.  It is odd but people of wealth will usually say they are in the middle class.  People who do demographic studies have devised other ways of figuring out a person's income status.

    Trip, You probably have done many installations for the MC Mansion crowd who maybe don't care as much about quality but just want everything to be bigger.  I guess I would classify myself as part of the architecture and design category.  I usually know what I want long before I enter the store or call to place an order.  Quality means a lot to me.  In 2009, I acquired Beolab 9 and a Beosound 5.  I am pleased with both purchases.  Not your typical $100k purchase but It was something. 

    Like JK in the earlier post, I was hoping for a smaller TV but I now think the 40 inch Beovision 10 mounted on the wall is the new small TV.

    I think B&O is doing fine considering the recession.  There have been many good companies that have disappeared. 

    Beosound 5 BL9 BC2 BL8000 Beovision 7 BL6002  BL11 

     

  • 01-18-2010 11:41 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    TripEnglish:

    Petra, 

    That idea comes and goes internally. The 60 sq. meter concept was an example of this and there are a few of them in place. The issue is generally that the stores are independently owned and so the owners are reticent to take on the prospect of opening a retail shop without a product line to support it. 

    I would say with what's coming out that a dedicated retail shop may be more appealing in a year and a half. We'll have a robust BeoVision 8 lineup, a BeoVision 10 in two sizes, and another audio concept. 

    Trip,

    First of all that it makes good business sense to serve the clientele you feel you can serve best. I have no problem with that.
    Another remark was made that EU and US client base is very different.  Having lived in europe for 28 years and now 14 years in Montreal (all of them working in high-end interior design, both residential and commercial), I can assure you of the difference. Montreal also being one of the most 'European influenced' cities in North America.

    It's obvious that reaching for the higher end and contract market has been more successful in North America than in Europe. The launch of the BV10 and it's pricing is the right step for B&O to slowly get back some of the clientele that it has lost. Kudos for B&O to recognize the problem and doing something about it. Having seen the BV10 in europe, I am sure it will do very well here in North America as well.

    I agree a dedicated retail store is still the way to go here in North-America. However, allowing lower-end products to be sold through other channels would help to make more people aware of the brand. Selling the A8's through the apple store is fair attempt at this, so please more of that (in the right channels)!

    I am looking forward to (finally) buying a BV8-40 or BV10-40 or bigger when they finally become available in North America and I am super excited if there would be another audio concept coming soon. Looking forward to upgrade my beosound 4000.

  • 01-18-2010 8:48 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    linder:

    Trip, You probably have done many installations for the MC Mansion crowd who maybe don't care as much about quality but just want everything to be bigger. 

    Not a single one I can recall. Maybe a few A8 sales, though!

    McMansion owners seem generally interested in broadcasting their wealth. B&O doesn't whack you over the head the way cars and watches do. Maybe we should find a way to make the logos bigger. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-18-2010 10:19 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Can you spill the beans trip? Who buys the beoliving installations? I know I will at some point invest in that in a couple of years - I do want a small TV with that though.

    BS9000, BS2300, BC2, BL2500, BL3, Bl2, BS1, BV8, BC4, A8

  • 01-19-2010 6:35 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    I think B&O are doing really well. if there's one thing they should work on its their products' prices, I know they're of exceptional quality and all that but by now B&O are much more well known around the world than 10 years before, I think they actually might be the most well known luxury manufacturer in the world, so they could produce more and lower their products' prices, im sorry I dont know how to say this as english isnt my first language but I mean to be between exclusive and mass produce, just so their products are a little cheaper but not lower in quality. but looking at their range I can go so far as to say they have one of the most complete product range even compared to sony or samsung (TV and audio products I mean).

  • 01-19-2010 9:14 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    rghaleb:

    I think B&O are doing really well. if there's one thing they should work on its their products' prices, I know they're of exceptional quality and all that but by now B&O are much more well known around the world than 10 years before, I think they actually might be the most well known luxury manufacturer in the world, so they could produce more and lower their products' prices, im sorry I dont know how to say this as english isnt my first language but I mean to be between exclusive and mass produce, just so their products are a little cheaper but not lower in quality. but looking at their range I can go so far as to say they have one of the most complete product range even compared to sony or samsung (TV and audio products I mean).

    I think the BeoVision 10 is the first of several products that are introduced at a lower price-point by removing some of the equipment that the average user would not need. There should be several options in the coming years, but B&O will always be an investment. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-19-2010 9:22 AM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    jk1002:

    Can you spill the beans trip? Who buys the beoliving installations? I know I will at some point invest in that in a couple of years - I do want a small TV with that though.

    I'm assuming you're not asking for actual names! 

    But if you mean a "profile," I can try, but the clientele are very diverse.

    It seems that the one major characteristic (aside from pockets deep enough!) is that they're all extremely busy. They have very demanding careers, and generally have several homes, most of which are managed. In this sort of lifestyle, their free time is very valuable and they have extremely high demands for their down time. They're almost never interested in the inner workings and they trust, and judge, exclusively with their own senses. They demand things be pared down to the essential and get frustrated easily with novelty. They value aesthetics very highly as well as a good relationship with the dealer. In these situation we often work only partially with the end user and handle the logistics through a house manager or other intermediary. 

    So I could go on and on about unique cases, but that's the typical BeoLiving client in my market. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-19-2010 2:03 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    That is to some extent what I figured. At least for the US, I think their marketing is off base. They should put more emphasize on the installations they have done. If you walk by a store all you see is expensive products in the window, unless you walk in and unless there is a proper Beoliving installation.

    For example, when they have a BV7 running it should show a video showcasing these high end installations. I can see that in Europe the market is different, maybe that is why they are not really pushing into this direction.

    I remember at some point they made an effort with Beoliving but that seems be tapering off again, now it's hidden somewhere under home integration on their website - just like a product.

    Maybe it is too difficult for some dealers to run these projects.

    BS9000, BS2300, BC2, BL2500, BL3, Bl2, BS1, BV8, BC4, A8

  • 01-19-2010 2:34 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    There are Beoliving type B&O stores in the US.  Here's information about the store in Salt Lake City which is about 1000 miles away from me.

    Bang & Olufsen, the international maker of exclusive, high quality audio and video products, and Lifestyle Electronics, a Utah-based electronics provider, jointly unveiled a new Bang & Olufsen showroom in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 13, 2006. The latest showroom is significant because it is both the largest Bang & Olufsen showroom located in the United States, spanning over 5500 square feet, in addition to one of the first showrooms to showcase the new BeoLiving concept - a completely integrated way of living with customized audio and video products that can converge with lighting, draperies and various atmosphere control modules to better suit each and every customer's lifestyle.

    The new BeoLiving rooms will showcase a full surround sound set up with powerful, technologically advanced loudspeakers, impeccable viewing displays - on 65 inch plasma as well as a larger projector screen for both intimate and home cinema viewing modes. Additionally, the rooms will feature sophisticated, rich, mahogany wood concepts, sleek Danish lighting, and contemporary home furnishings. The new showroom will be more like a benchmark for other B&O showrooms in the US which will be refurbished to embody the new, all inclusive home theater rooms.

    http://beostores.bang-olufsen.com/saltlakecity-gateway/welcome

    Beosound 5 BL9 BC2 BL8000 Beovision 7 BL6002  BL11 

     

  • 01-19-2010 3:38 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    jk1002,

    You're absolutely right. Some stores, mine included, have manipulated their showrooms to showcase custom concepts even on the showroom & window displays, but I agree that a genuine store concept change is called for. 

    The BeoLiving room is great, but it doesn't really communicate all the concepts that go into making a room like that. There are several ways to encapsulate lighting control, HVAC control, entry-way management, etc. into their own display and thereby strengthen the value of the concept as a whole. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-19-2010 3:40 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Let me also add quickly that B&O has a distinct advantage in the custom arena as most of their competitors don't have showrooms and clients & designers/architects alike prefer to see something work and get a feel for it before buying. Having working lighting control, entryway management, closed circuit cameras, etc. in the showroom means that 3rd party reps send leads to you before your competitors because you have stronger tools to close the sale. Seems many dealers are still allergic to these concepts, however.

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-19-2010 3:57 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    >>Seems many dealers are still allergic to these concepts, however.<<

    I am thinking because it pushes them out of their comfort zone. If I look at myself, suddenly the question is not how many HDMIs does that thing have but how big of a construction job will it be and how can it look once it's done. 

    BS9000, BS2300, BC2, BL2500, BL3, Bl2, BS1, BV8, BC4, A8

  • 01-19-2010 4:09 PM In reply to

    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

    Again, spot on. 

    In "my world" HDMI count is the least of the issues. Throw in an expander or matrix switcher and you're done. It's the scope of the project and operational narratives that we focus on. 

    And I'd say that the terms "comfort zone" and "rut" are interchangeable. 

    There is scarcely anything in this world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. - John Ruskin

  • 01-19-2010 11:15 PM In reply to

    • Affineur
    • Top 500 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-27-2008
    • United States
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    Re: How to save Bang & Olufsen

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    Seek simplicity and distrust it. Alfred North Whitehead
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