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Passion, Vision and Business

by admin on April 30, 2012

Passion:

I spent many years in the HIiFi importing business. This was a business and an industry I was absolutely passionate about. High quality sound was something I had been seriously interested in since I was a kid.

The life long dream of owning my own business came way back in the 1980's when I secured the distributorship for Yamaha in New Zealand. I created a company by the name of Sound Group Holdings Ltd and it became very successful over the years. I had serious passion about this business and it was a fun industry. There were many people like me in those days who were just as passionate about what they were doing and there was lots of friendly rivalry between competitors.

In those days there were no Online Stores, the thought of such a thing never crossed any person's mind other than maybe Steve Jobs.

In New Zealand prior to 1987 there were some pretty dark days, there was import protection for local manufacturers of stereo equipment and there were a few importers who had inherited good businesses from their families. These companies were very strong and a new kid on the block like me had a tough time trying to carve a niche in the market place.

I believe it was this determination and passion that made Sound Group Holdings successful in those early days. Today when I look back there were no cell phones, no Ipads, no internet and a lot of interest in high quality sound.Most of the people world wide at this time in this line of business genuinely had passion and loved this business. Over the later years what I refer to as "The greed factor" stepped in. A lot of good people left the industry and in the USA some big companies were taken over by these business people who had zero passion about the business, the only important factor to them was money.

In New Zealand the same thing applies to a degree and a lot of the pioneering people from the 1980's have gone. The internet and the gadget industry has eaten into the disposable dollar and the Hifi business world wide has become very tough.

In my view it's survival requires passion and vision. People need to be creative as the internet has arrived and made it very easy for people to buy gear at great prices and do the research on products before they make their purchases.

Vision

Vision in business is something that is very rare, a lot of people have passion but vision is the key to success. In my case I know I was a visionary, I saw what was going on in the Hifi industry and I chose to leave well before Sound Group Holdings Ltd was at it's peak. The greed factor was starting to set in and over the last few years my decision has paid off. Although maybe a little premature I see the industry now in a completely different light. Is is entirely price driven in New Zealand as indeed it probably is else where. Most retailers employ passionate people who love the business but very few know how to sell. Product training is very well taken care of by the importers and manufactures but very little sales training takes place. I know many businesses making foolish decisions by the top people and it is costing them dearly. I believe the reason is lack of vision. Generally speaking they cannot see the future, they are not capable of looking at where their business could be in the next five years or so.

The internet HAS to be the integral ingredient for any business now and if they do not embrace it it will be at their own peril. The internet is a vehicle to be used in many ways, service, retail, advertising, being found and the list rolls on.

Business

There is no doubt business now is totally different that it was, it requires Passion, Vision, creativity and skill to succeed. Nothing is more true in the consumer electronics industry. One only needs to look at where it has come from over the years and where it is heading. If you are interested in buying audio Products online at great prices just take a look at Audio Products International. Created with Vision.

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From Connected NZ Retail news 6 Feb 2012

by admin on February 7, 2012

Another electronics outfit who have not moved with the times. When will the conumer electronics industry wake up?

The industry has been failing for years the same way Hollywood and the music business. It is time the people at the top looked at themselves and worked out a strategy to save this exciting industry from ruin. Maybe it is time for the passionate people to stay and the others leave and go start selling concrete or coffee where all they have to do is worry about margin and nothing else!

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CD importer has finest classical music the world can offer

by admin on February 6, 2012

Here is a clear example of how passion can drive a successful business in the consumer electronics industry. Roger Marbeck is totally passionate about the music business, he deserves every possible success.
Another possibility for people who are after a consumer electronics job is to consider entering the music business. There are tons of opportunities for people who have sales skills and the right attitude.

Check out this story from the NZ Herald iPad App
http://nzh.tw/10783363

Download the New Zealand Herald iPad app here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ipad/appstore

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Neil Young: Jobs shared desire for better sound

by admin on February 5, 2012

Check out this story from the NZ Herald iPad App
http://nzh.tw/10782750

Download the New Zealand Herald iPad app here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ipad/appstore

Sent from my iPad

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@SteveHilliar, 1/22/12 8:41 AM

by admin on January 22, 2012

Steve Hilliar (@SteveHilliar)
1/22/12 8:41 AM
www.wantedtobuynow.co.nz launched yesterday for New Zealand

Sent from my iPad

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Nelson summer

by admin on January 9, 2012

This photo is just to prove the sun shines sometimes in Nelson.

There has been one lot of rain over the last few weeks but at the moment the place is stunning.

Sent from my iPad

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CES – Launchpad for products doomed to fail?

by admin on January 8, 2012

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

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Online business opportunities

by admin on January 4, 2012

Online Businesses Opportunities

As you gain more experience in the realm of internet marketing, you will find out that the methods and techniques used by the experts aren't that complicated at all. With articles like these, containing good information and tips on how to succeed, you can formulate a plan and experience true success via internet marketing.

There are simple ways to encourage your customers to opt in to email correspondence. Your customers will likely love contests and promotions, so why not couple an e-zine subscription with the entry into the promotion or contest? This gives your customer an incentive to be emailed in the future and continuously reminds them of your business.

Stop making your banner advertisements look like you're just directing attention to something. By designing appealing banners, you can increase the click thru rate and get more visitors to your website. Banners that contain a trivia question related to your website's niche can be effective, as viewers will click them to find out the answer on your website.

Offer bonus items and freebies to customers who sign up for your mailing list. Providing access to an exclusive video or a free download of an eBook will get your prospects signing up in greater numbers. Make sure the freebie relates in some way to your niche market to increase your conversion rate.

To track how visitors get to your site, use the free Google Analytics program. This program lets you see what keywords are bringing people to your site, and what search engines they're coming from. This data will allow you to choose your keywords effectively in your future, and to see what search engines you need to better optimize your site for.

Change up your terms to see what works. If you have a product that is guaranteed to give results in two days, measure your traffic for a week. The next week, change the two days to 48 hours, and measure your traffic then. Finding out what terms pull your customers will quickly increase your revenue.

Make sure your buying process is simple. Checking out should be a quick and easy event for the consumer. If there are too many steps, or pages take too long to load due to heavy content, a prospective buyer may rethink their decision and back away. Keep everything flashy to a minimum to increase sales.

Generate site traffic by designing and using an interactive banner ad. The ad can include trivia questions, interesting facts, simple hand-eye coordination games, or intriguing questions. Few online users are entirely immune to the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skill, especially if doing so could possibly win them a prize.

When you are using any popular video-posting site to post your videos, you should try to make sure to add closed captions to them. The fact that you would be catering to users that are hearing impaired shows people that you care about your customers, and that you will go out of your way to make sure they are satisfied.

Marketing isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, obviously, but the good news is that you can market just like the experts once you learn the ropes. Use these tips to guide you along your path and you may just find that a successful business is much more obtainable than you once thought.

Online Businesses Opportunities

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Internet Home Business

by admin on January 3, 2012

Are you doing the most that you can do for your home business? Chances are, you can find ways to improve if you really care about your success. This article will provide expert advice on how to make the most out of your home business and insure its success.

How are your competitors getting the word out about their businesses through social media? Your home business can compete with the big boys when it comes to social media, so figure out what's already working for them. Do they run contests on social networks, and what tools do they use to do it? Don't plagiarize, but do gather strategies.

Learn to accept other peoples' opinions. Everyone has opinions, and some share them very generously. This is a fact of life, so learn to accept them gracefully. Accepting does not mean agreeing, however. Allow others to have their opinions, and you have yours. Stay focused on only the opinions and thoughts that support you and keep you going towards your home business development.

Get used to saving receipts for everything. Every little expense related to your home business is deductible on your federal taxes, but you need to be able to prove it. In the event of an audit, you are going to need every scrap of paper related to any deductions that you claim.

Before making your home business decision, consider all of the different types of businesses that you could have. Do not just pick the first business type that comes to mind. There are many books that will provide you with home business ideas. You can also search online to find many types of home businesses.

Residual income is key no matter what way you look at running a home based business. If you have customers who pay bills on a residual basis then you want to do everything in your power to retain those customers. If you need customers to return to your business, then you need to focus on customer satisfaction. Residual income and repeat customers are a main focus.

Get a second phone line, or write off your first. If you have a business phone line, you can completely write that off of your taxes. If you feel this is unnecessary, you can still partially write off your home phone by keeping the bills, and circling the dates and times of business calls.

My children have always been an integral part of my home business, and I love the fact that I've been able to teach them responsibility through my work. I have them do small jobs or help me by product so they've learned about budgeting, customer service, and being organized. How can you get your kids involved?

To summarize, you might need to take a good look at your home business practices and make sure that you are doing what it takes to succeed. There are always lessons to be learned and new tips to pick up on. Use the advice in this article to make your home business all that it can be.

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