Clarity, the trade association for the UK hi-fi industry, is strengthening its training proposition for retailers and suppliers who are members.
The organisation unveiled its plans at this year’s Clarity Hi-Fi Industry Conference, which took place at Dolby UK HQ in London on 1 May.
Speaking at the event, Paul Laville, Clarity Board Member and MD of T21 Group, which specialises in training, said there was a need for retailers to update themselves on new technology, but also the changing shopping habits and expectations of consumers, who have been affected by factors such as economic pressure.
“If we’re still selling the way we used to, when I was on the shopfloor in the ‘90s, then the chances are there’ll be a lot of missed opportunities, and that’s where training can help,” said Mr Laville.
He added: “We’re going to try to do the shopfloor training as a skills workshop – it won’t be me standing in front of a PowerPoint presentation; we’ll have people contributing like we did a few years ago before COVID.”
Paul Laville
Sales training
The first shopfloor sales training session will take place on 12 June – it will cost £80 per head for Clarity members.
“We’ll be tailoring it towards the needs of those attending,” said Mr Laville. “It will be about the skills they want to bring back to the shopfloor.”
The sessions will also look at demonstration skills and theory – what is it that makes people buy, and how you sell value versus cost to consumers.
“At the end of each session we’ll give people an action plan, so they can take what they’ve learnt onto the shopfloor, and we’ll follow up after to see how they’re getting on and if there’s anything we need to address,” said Mr Laville.
As well as tackling shopfloor sales skills, Clarity will also introduce business training, including mentoring for retailers. This area was highlighted by Clarity Board Member, Vice Chair and Founder of LoneStar Consulting, Darren Sherriff (pictured top), who explained the proposition: “It’s extracting the knowledge out of the retailers themselves – a lot of them already have their ideas but they may not know how to implement them.
“We’ll be working with retailers to find that sweet spot in their business and to take it to the next stage – what are they missing and what haven’t they quite got right?
“What’s been going well for them over the past 10 years may not necessarily be right for them anymore, so they need to look at doing things slightly differently.”
Dolby UK HQ, London
Business mentoring
The business mentoring programme, set to launch by the Autumn, will take place over a four- to six-week period, with one-hour sessions per week, after which retailers will be given an action plan to put what they’ve learnt into practice. The cost for Clarity members to attend the business mentoring programme is to be confirmed.
In addition, Clarity will also offer in-person technical and demonstration training to hi-fi retailers and installers courtesy of Board Member, Wayne Hyde, who is Technical Manager at Custom AV Distribution (CAVD).
Commenting on the current market conditions, Mr Sherriff told delegates at the conference: “It’s a pretty challenging time for trade organisations – we’ve seen the demise of Retra quite recently, and that facility has been absorbed into a general retail organisation [Bira].
“I would ask all of you to please spread the word. We are the only hi-fi industry body for our trade, so we don’t want to see Clarity disappear anytime soon. If there’s anything that you think we should be delivering, please let us know.”
