Marketing

I know that many residential systems integration professionals feel like artists from time to time, but if you want to grow your business effectively,...

Here are tips to keep in mind when considering whether to rent or own your place of business. The bottom line? Take a look...

Your branding says everything about you. It gets attention, builds interest and creates desire among the customers you hope to serve. I challenge you...

During 1980s, the great Wayne Gretzky was dominating the sport of hockey and in an interview explained the secret to his remarkable success.

With the holidays just around the corner and my family spread from Florida to California I decided to send everyone personalized gift boxes.

My seatmate on the flight to CEDIA EXPO was quite an interesting fellow.

I still remember my first day on the job running the sales operations at Niles.

After stepping down as president of Niles and launching my own brand, Mike Detmer Business Solutions, I decided to leave San Diego and return...

My friend Shelton has decided it’s time to start his own business.

Whether you’re a small business owner or the hiring manager for a residential systems integrator, I’m certain you would agree that having the right...

It’s been a while since I received an invitation for a grand opening of a residential systems integrator’s new show room. I’d like to...

What if I told you that there’s a market segment you could be addressing today that is growing faster than the housing market did...

Having directed a world-class technical support department in the past, I know that top-notch technical support organizations are geared toward solving their customers’ problems...

In my early days as a product manager at Infinity, John Stiernberg* was the ultimate boss.

My wife and I were both excited when our neighbor invited us to attend a live concert in their home.

Ask any custom installation professional what he or she cares about most and you’ll likely get the response, “my tools.”

Like so many custom integrators, Ralph’s business slowed dramatically during the economic downturn.

Last week was the most exhausting one of the year.

Who would have thought that an internet radio service could change the CI business in America?

Recently, I had the distinct pleasure of sharing a meal with Erik Qualman, an MBA professor and author of the bestselling book Socialnomics.

My friend Tim is a pioneer in our business and one of the very first custom integrators I ever met. In the early 1980s,...

You can probably tell from my picture accompanying this column that my impressionable years growing up were the early 1960s.

It was about 4:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon when I got a call from my human resources director requesting my presence in her...

My friend Elena is starting a small consulting business based on her skills operating the spreadsheet program Excel.

Three Proactive Ways to Help Cultivate New Customers

Leveraging Your Competitive Advantages for Greater Success Shortly after the publication of my last article in Residential...

Four Ways to Be Awesome in the Eyes of Your Customers ...

“Jakada, what did you do? Bad dog!” I heard my wife, Leann, shout from the walk-in closet adjacent to our bedroom as our oldest...

Tips On How To Train Your Sales Team To Deliver Better Results As soon as my boss said,...

Tips For Finding New Business Among Existing Clientele Imagine someone standing in front of an empty wood stove, screaming and yelling because there’s no...

Proactive Techniques Will Keep You In Control Of Your Business No matter where I’ve traveled this year, I hear a similar tune: “It’s not...

How to inexpensively add new flavor to your marketing plan One of my favorite things to do on Sunday afternoons is shopping at the...

Have you ever had a boss that you would be willing do anything for? I mean the type of leader that motivated you to...

Imagine how excited I was to hear that, as the new sales manager for a high-end audio manufacturer, I was invited to Japan to...