No computer??

Rives,

Very interesting post. I recently took a vacation back to where I was raised and educated. My time was divided between visiting with high school chums and the audiophile friends of long ago. I got the pleasure of auditioning lots of tube based systems and buying used vinyl as well. I can only speak of what I experienced in the midwest in my age group. I am 52.

Much to my surprise I discovered that virtually none of my peer group was even interested in having a computer. Those that had internet access used it almost exclusively for email and nothing else. Nobody had a high speed connection. The ones that did have a machine and a dial-up connection offered brief explainations about how difficult it is to master any pc based programs. Most have access to mentors (children/grandchildren) and groused about it not being worth the pain and that none of the mentors knew how to communicate with an adult with zero knowledge.

Those of us that use our computers extensively take for granted that others understand the power of this medium and the instant gratification it provides. I must admit that aside from my interest in this hobby and the modest income I earn from my web based service company for Realtors (virtual tour photo service) the web doesn't offer me much to enhance my life. I still purchase over 99% of my needs through brick and mortar outlets that are local. As a businessman I have discovered that my competitors who are brick and mortar based are simply healthy competition. My cyber competitors as a rule have no morals, choosing instead to steal, lie, and cheat. Their sleazy reputations are an obstacle I must constantly overcome.

Hacking, viruses, IPO's that were a joke, lawsuits galore, the lack of privacy, musical theft, video theft, pornography and all the other negatives about this electronic world are not lost on the uninitiated. The question comes down to the consumer asking themselves if they are more comfortable with brick and mortar or a wall outlet. To them (and rightly so) the net is on a par with the annoying phone solicitors. I agree.

Rives, you are living in a primative world that is much like the wild west was. Until the internet, phones and television are merged into one necessary package with all the inherent governmental rules and regulations, this medium will lack the credibility to seriously compete with brick and mortar on a large scale.

At least you have found part of a niche market here. Besides making the most out of what you have found, the next step, aside from constructing a storefront, is to cultivate relationships with retailers to assist in peddling your wares. Think about this: who did you expect to reach by placing an ad in a physical product?

If one were to remove schools, government, and abused businesses (through employee surfing) from the net connectivity figures, you would get a better picture of where this industry is at in the real world of e-commerce. You are blazing a trail here my friend, a true pioneer. In spite of what we all feel about how advanced everything is, we are still in the internet stone age. Beware of meat eating pedators.

Sincere good luck to you,
Patrick

Thank you for the comments thus far--particularly Lugnut. Just so you know--we do sell through dealers. Although most of our dealers are CEDIA (Custom Entertainment Design Installers Association) type dealers--not the typical brick and morter shops but certainly not the "internet / mailorder" houses either. We have to have dealers to take the acoustical measurements for us--otherwise we could not offer our services at the prices we do as we would have to travel to do much of the measuring (which we do anyway or our highest level service). Our website, while we can take orders through it, is primarily designed to provide customers or potential customers with information regarding our company, services, and products. The ad did increase the traffic on our website (as expected), but I think you bring out a very true and valid point. It is reaching a segment of the market that does not have or use computers--and there was just more of these people in the audio world than I expected. I also think you are absolutely right in terms of being in the internet stone age--it will be interesting to see where it leads us over the next few years. I like Dave Barry's comment on the subject: "The internet turned out to be a bust--information super highway is more like a high tech CB radio with the primary source of the information, namely humans, usually being wrong." I don't have the exact quote--but that pretty close to what he said.

Let me try a little less tongue in cheek response. Virtually everyone I know in my age range (45-50) uses a PC at home. Either their kids acclimated them to it or they use it at work. My mother-in-law uses it; my own parents do not. There is an age and income distribution around PC ownership. Younger and/or higher income individuals tend to use the PC much more. But, there remain many older (of all income ranges) individuals who don't see the benefits or need to use one and this is true, to a lesser degree, of younger individuals as well.

To answer your question, it does not surprise me that a good number of audiophiles do not use PC's. I believe that virtually all audiophiles who are also technophiles (e.g., have an engineering background or really get into the technical aspects of the hobby) would use a PC. But, many audiophiles are really musicphiles vs. technophiles. That has little to do with age or income (IMO).

I agree with Lugnut that a multi-faceted marketing strategy is the correct approach and you do have one in place. Advertising in Stereophile and hitting the internet are both good tactics. Expanding the referral base is also an excellent idea and that is usually accomplished with happy customers or motivated dealers. One way to motivate dealers is to incent them to cross-sell your services after they sell their wares (not before and not during). A joint mail campaign (signed by both parties with the mail list firmly in control of the dealer and not shared with you) would be a potential way to accomplish this.

I'd be happy to discuss this with you and kick around some ideas. Drop me a note. I spent a couple of decades in marketing and you might get lucky enough to actually get a useful idea or two out of my ramblings ;-)

Don't forget that even though your web site is rich with information, some people, including myself, still like the tangible feel of paper-based literature. I can read it in bed, get a better feel for the look of a product or just touch and dream. I use the Internet extensively, but I miss the tangible aspects of books, magazines, catalogs, etc.

One third of America will Never be online. I need that 33% for my business; the telephone has far more power than any PC. Just my two cents...