San Francisco Stereo

High-End Stereo Is Not One Size Fits All

By Greg Howard

Not everyone knows what goes through the mind of a high-end stereo buyer when he or she is about to plunk down $20,000 for a CD player. But Kerry Blessing, CEO of San Francisco Stereo, understands that the hesitant buyer worries about obsolescence. After all, doesn't digital technology come and go so quickly that it barely leaves an after-image?

But Blessing also knows that even if technology does change quickly, one important aspect of that $20,000 CD player won't become obsolete: the crystalline clarity of its music.

"I ask those buyers: 'Do you like the way it sounds? Does it sound like the best music you've ever heard?' Yes, it does. Technology will march on, but it won't detract from what you have. It never makes sense to buy technology for technology's sake. You want it for the experience it gives you."

This perspective on technology serves Blessing well; San Francisco Stereo is one of the area's most respected purveyors of home theater, whole house systems and two-channel music systems. They are particularly known for their ability to execute on complex projects, such as retrofitting older homes to achieve precise audio/video requirements. But the goal of the business isn't to schlep huge hunks of hardware. The image of a customer walking into a store and walking out weighted down with enough equipment to power a small city is, in Blessing's view, a stereotype about stereo sellers.

"Unfortunately, there are people in my industry who have perpetuated that view," she says. "And it's not because they're bad people. They simply become overly enthusiastic about their own products and then they stop listening to the customer's needs. As a result, they sell equipment that the customer doesn't understand."

The results can be tragic, because customers will make purchases that aren't right for them and end up feeling victimized.

"Buyers want to be very tactile with technology," Blessing explains. "They want to touch it and use it. If my staff makes the mistake of inserting too much technology into someone's home, its benefits will be lost."

To prevent that from ever happening at SF Stereo, Blessing's team is trained to ask a series of personal questions of customers. The idea is to find out how customers expect to use the technology. With that information it's possible to make the right purchasing recommendations.

For example, Blessing herself watches "Good Morning America" as she gets ready for work, and therefore it's important that she has a distributed audio and video system that matches up to her morning ritual. Or a family that likes to cook and entertain at home will want music piped into the kitchen while they prepare meals.

In any event, the goal of the company isn't to sell the most products or to tap dance through an array of industry knowledge or breakthroughs. Kerry's team is there to listen and understand the customer's true goals.

To that end, Blessing's people aren't even paid on commission. "One of our consultants might talk to a person who wants to buy a $300 CD player. That consultant's next customer might be buying a $10,000 system. But the fact that there's no commission changes the dynamics of each of those sales. We find that making ourselves available to understand customer needs and solve problems doesn't really lend itself to commissions."

The result is a stable client base that generates referrals, the lifeblood of a high-end business. "If you're just making sales, your business is destined to die young. You want to make clients. That's where your business development happens."

Considering her advanced view of customer relations, Blessing's start in the industry was modest. She went to work for a stereo company that wanted to hire a woman because they needed a female's voice in their radio advertisements.

But she quickly found a trio of passionate love objects: technology, music and movies. These passions served her well as she joined SF Stereo as an employee, worked her way through the ranks, and eventually became its president and CEO.

In fact, if she has one regret, it's that she's not in the diamond business. "Then I could carry around my inventory in a medium-sized lunch pail. It would be much easier to carry than stereo equipment."

Even if the portability factor isn't there, Blessing still finds her line of work rewarding. "I get to go to work each day and share the things I'm passionate about."

January 2005 Builder Architect Edition Issue

| Permalink

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)