It wasn’t so long ago that Friday nights were “Blockbuster Nights,” and we took pictures of family gatherings with a Kodak.
Ironically, just a few years later, it has all changed. Most people remember Blockbuster as the company that missed the streaming revolution. They remember Kodak as the company that failed to evolve when digital photography became all the rage.
These two companies became digital prey. Technology that better solved their customers’ issues came along and reached the market faster than they could respond.
Before their worlds came to a screaming halt, these two companies were respectively the biggest and best companies in their industries – and even a few years before everything fell apart, they didn’t have any idea that they were going to fall loudly (as giants always do).
What About the Commercial Integration Market?
Fatalists have already come out screaming that integrators are in trouble. With changing business models and rapidly evolving technology, there is just no way we can keep up, they say.
This simply isn’t the case. As technology has evolved for the past 75+ years, there are integrators that have evolved with it – and they are still here today, still going strong. But change has been happening faster, and this change is putting new pressure on integrators – no different as with every other industry. We are moving fast (as is the world), so rather than complain or become complacent, we need to evolve. Evolution is entirely possible.
What does evolution mean for integrators? Here is what integrators need to focus on if they want to avoid becoming digital prey …
Education
The first thing a business must do to avoid falling prey to change is promote continuous education. Some may refer to this as “trendspotting,” but education goes beyond just seeing the trends. It means investing in things that are changing your business. For instance, when IT started creeping in, how much time did you spend getting to know about networking, IT’s effect on AV, and the roadmap for proficiency? Once we identify a trend that may impact our business, it’s critical that we educate ourselves.
Training
At the top, comprehensive understanding needs to be complemented by a team that is proficient in executing on the trends. Part of that challenge is related to lack of strong investment in technical and sales resources who understand how technology is evolving. From BYOD to cloud, the majority of the best salespeople of 10 years ago lack the knowledge to sell these technologies.
Convergence
What are the forces converging with our industry (besides IT)? From content to security to electrical and event planning, there are so many peripheral offerings threatening to swallow up our core competencies. Years ago, furniture companies started offering AV, electrical companies started packaging all sorts of low-voltage options, and media companies started selling digital signage. Understanding converging forces goes beyond just the buzz and the noise, and comes down to external forces that are shifting your business (and there are many right under your nose).
New Marketing and Communication
The last (and perhaps most interesting) consideration for businesses is new customer acquisition strategies. Our industry stinks at marketing as our customers seek to buy differently. Most integrators fail to take advantage of the 70% of the buyers’ journeys that take place on Google, on brand websites, and on social media. The first place integrators can make meaningful change and avoid becoming digital prey is with their own brand identity, wouldn’t you say?
The best and brightest of this industry – the companies keeping their eyes on the trends – will not be denied their fair share of success. It is companies that deny evolution, or that simply refuse to improve, that will fall by the wayside.
Kodak knew for years that digital was coming, but it chose not to react. Blockbuster just waited too long. For our businesses, the key is not to ignore, deny, or wait, but to evolve early and often while never turning our backs on great customers and even greater customer experiences. -Daniel Newman, BroadSuite Consulting