About DesignTech Marketing

• Today's Challenge
• Our Solution
• Some Reasons Why You Should Be Doing Business With Us
  • We Are "Hands-On" Integrators
  • We Represent The Manufacturers' Interests
  • The Accounts Know Our People
  • We Provide "Plus" Business
  • We Don't Burn Bridges
  • Focused Energies
  • Low Overhead; High Sales Investment
  • Partnership level access to Key Accounts
• Our Market and Structure
  • Geographical
  • Market Categories
  • Our Support Base
  • Total Solution relationships with our dealers
• Our Sales People
  • Andrew Ard, Principal / Sales Manager
• Our Inside Sales and Support People
  • Karla Ard, CPS, Accounting Manager / Marketing Support Backup / Partner
  • Denise Larenas, Office Systems and Training Consultant
  • Wanda Andrews, Accounting Assistant

Today's Challenge

Close relationships are still the key in coming alongside key regional independent retailers and custom installation companies. We are very intentional about being a market channel manager; not, in competition with the territory's dealers and distributors.

Tantamount to our success is being aware of, and managing, the

1. needs
2. market interests, and
3. changing dynamics

of each account relationship. They are expecting us to know and understand them better, if we hope to earn their attention.

Our Solution

DesignTech Marketing is a manufacturer's market resource for a changing and growing account base. We integrate our growing, diverse, and experienced electronics backgrounds into an effective selling plan; one that integrates the manufacturers' market plan, with the dealers' operational capabilities and marketing direction.

Some Reasons Why You Should Be Doing Business With Us

We Are "Hands-On" Integrators
Along wth great product lines, the greatest reason for our growth is that we are working alongside our dealers and distributors. Not only are we making specific recommendations, more importantly, we are doing factory-level training, and assisting in the installation and adjustment of our increasingly diverse, custom-oriented product solutions.

We Represent The Manufacturers' Interests
Our loyalty and market integrity are clearly visible in the market. The dealer and distributors know we are their partners, and not their competitors. Although we do some rep distribution our predominant focus is as "stocking representatives" insuring that territory decisions are made for the long term interests of the product line, and the incremental building of accounts; in line, with the manufacturer's distribution plans and dealer market equity interests.

The Accounts Know Our People
Our sales personnel's experience in the territory is measured in decades. Using the specialized relationships we have with the key accounts, we are more successful in placing and developing multiple lines with each market partner.

We Provide "Plus" Business
Our lines experience consistently increased sales within existing accounts while finding new placement, by us, into new accounts and locations; frequently, placing lines into accounts of which the manufacturer had little or no prior knowledge.

We Don't Burn Bridges
An amazing amount of the information we need for today, comes from a network of former associates and relationships. Our commitment to integrity, and solid business relationships, gives us the multi-faceted perspective needed, to decide the right direction, and placement, for any given product in our market region.

Focused Energies
Prior to CEDIA Expo in Fall of 2003, reduced one-third of the product lines from our line card. Focusing on quality - rather than quantity – manufacturers' and dealers' interests don't get lost in the bottom of a bag. Additionally, we maintain our focus on "entertainment-oriented" home electronics; with, an emphasis on home theater, whole-house / multi-room integration and digital media management. Our results are expanded dramatically by our focus and "project-oriented" view of our dealers' needs.

Low Overhead; High Sales Investment
Changes in our industry, make it more difficult supporting large rep offices with non-sales staff. However, our large geographic territory and important dealers need greater coverage and attention. We have matched this challenge, finding new ways of lowering overhead while involving all personnel in sales functions.

All of our in-field people are laptop equipped and have web-based access to our extensive sales and client information. This not only ensures continuity of information, but dramatically improves company-wide access to timely information before each sales call. Additionally, each outside salesperson is equipped with a 24/7 wireless email device to ensure they have the latest email information while on the road. Scheduling and key in-field information is tied together in a common DesignTech Marketing internal intranet.

In 2004 & 2005, we invested in new web-based office functions; including, web-based sales order system accessible by any in-field salesperson, a new web site with dealer secure login areas that include pre-authorized pricing and product updates, and an electronically driven newsletter that individually assembles information to the dealers according to their pre-authorized product line mix. All systems have been analyzed and refined creating greater order speed and accuracy. Bottom line, our productivity is primarily invested in SALES; enhanced by better systems, speed and extraordinary level of dealer satisfaction!

Partnership level access to Key Accounts
Our ability in working alongside key dealers, was enhanced further with these recent efforts:

1. Adding additional contract relationships (the outer ring of our opening page circle design) with professionals; such as, Roberta Lewis, Jeff Hedback and Web Services US with who you and your company can create business planning and business development strategies and practices, design any room in the virtual domain to be acoustically correct and aesthetically pleasing for any end-user budget and even run your business with new levels of efficiency you never thought was available.
2. Added new field sales personnel with extensive in-territory account and in-field system design experience; enhancing our awareness of the latest market developments and interaction with key and national account coverage in the market.

Our Market and Structure

Geographical
The geographical market area we cover consists of: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas (over 10% of the US land area). Our home office is centrally located in Dallas, TX; where, we provide representative function coordination and order processing, as well as the base for our other service-related companies, such as, Audio Video Integration, Inc. (www.avintegration.com) and our distribution company KAM Distributing (www.kamdistributing.com).

Market Categories
DesignTech Marketing segments its sales efforts into four key areas:

1. High-End Audio-Video / Home Theater Storefronts
2. Custom Installation Companies
3. Strategic Volume Retailers
4. Security / Builder Distributors & Dealers

Total Solution relationships with our dealers
Our mission is providing our dealers with a "total-solution" resource, for only the best quality product lines. Our relationships (dating back several years) with larger retailers provide us with total market support and understanding, for the manufacturer and dealer awareness.

The prevalence of "convergence" has caused a blurring between many traditional channel lines. We enjoy the credibility and understanding of traditional as well as the newly-entering disciplines into the market, because of our tenacious interaction with everyone from the smallest specialized custom installer, to the largest mass-merchant. Market awareness, insight and credibility are key to marketing in the new millennium. This is what DesignTech Marketing gains through its current structure and people.

Our Sales People

Andrew Ard, Principal / Sales Manager
In his thirty (30) years in the industry, Andrew has successfully proven his abilities, at every level of this business. Andrew is as tenacious at sales, as he is at acquiring industry knowledge and technical aptitude. From 1991 until early 1996, Andrew was the sole salesperson and developer of this company's four state territory. He became one of the first at Runco International to qualify as a Technical Sales Representative in all product categories. Andrew is actively involved with all key accounts in the region, as well as maintaining his relationship with major retailers and oversight of all territory sales efforts.

Andrew has continued to strengthen this company's ties with the custom industry as a current member of CEDIA's Board of Directors and as current Chairman of IPRO (Independent Professional Representative Organization). Andrew is a recent chair of the CEDIA Sales Representative Action Team (chair 1999-2003, member over 10 years), recipient of CEDIA's 2000 Rep of the Year Award and, and member of many manufacturer Rep Advisory Councils. Additionally, Andrew is a Charter Member of the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) and has been instrumental in organizing ISF seminars, and serves DesignTech Marketing as an instructor in product and AV distribution training on a consistent basis.

Andrew's background includes over ten years in retail (averaging $1 million per year in his last 3 years), a B. S. in Finance / Marketing from University of Illinois, Urbana-Urbana-Champaign) and the completion of sales training courses (such as, Xerox' Professional Selling Skills).

His association with product lines has not only been long-term, but his efforts have been decorated with such awards as Most Improved Territory, Sales Achievement, and Excellence in Sales and Product Training.

Our Inside Sales and Support People

Although our inside sales people serve both staff and sales functions, their compensation is strongly tied to sales. They are:

Karla Ard, CPS, Accounting Manager / Marketing Support Backup / Partner
Karla has been involved with our business since 1991, bringing her corporate experience and insight after seven (7) years with JCPenney's home office and three (3) years with EDS to this organization. Her main oversight is mainly financial; including, the consolidation of all financial statements and financial reporting.

Denise Larenas, Office Systems and Training Consultant
Denise began working with us in 2000. Her organizational skills and sensitivity to the political nature of our business was facilitated through her 15 years with a medium-sized law firm in Chicago. In summer of 2005, Denise left our daily office functions to pursue her dream of pursuing real estate sales, but remains an experienced and extremely capable on-call consultant and trainer for our office personnel.

Wanda Andrews, Accounting Assistant
Wanda joined us November 2007. Her background includes nineteen years experience with CPA firms providing accounting services for a wide variety of clients. She has also held other various accounting positions in private industry firms.