After a 1,000 miles of driving to see more than two-dozen California Leon Speaker dealers one week in June, what were the significant lessons learned? I hit the bricks with Leon founder, Noah Kaplan, and visited a variety of dealers in sunny CA for serious discussions about market conditions, business techniques, business management and the role of strategy in business.

The profile of these dealers ran the gamut from brick-and-mortar high-end two-channel experts with decades of experience, to young techies with iPads that were full of pictures and programs and no offices.

McIntosh Laboratory Inc. strives to make dealers successful—on their own terms.

People don’t get into the luxury home-entertainment channel because they have a cookie-cutter approach to retailing. The high-end audiovisual business always has been about passion, personal taste, self expression and style. So when it comes to special events and in-store promotions, it’s not surprising that the luxury retailing landscape is rich, varied and reflective of dealers themselves, and their discriminating clientele.

Ernie Carswell, a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles real-estate market, is at the top of his game. While he started small in Dallas during the Oil Crisis, he represents double-digit million-dollar properties today. His clients include CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, entertainment studio executives, foreign dignitaries, government officials and regular folk. Luxury CE talks in-depth with the quintessential sales professional.

Supervisors who don’t conduct performance reviews are missing a great opportunity to empower employees, says Gary Vikesland, PhD, in “Use the Performance Review to Motivate Employees.” Reviews can be nerve-racking for both parties, so they are often skipped. When conducted correctly, performance reviews can be a positive experience, whether a pay increase is provided or not.

Vikesland advice: Keep the performance review as objective as possible. That means you must measure the employee's performance level and not his or her personality traits.

When it comes to dealing with terminated employees, Knight Kiplinger, editor of the Kiplinger Report, goes against the grain. The "clear out and get out" approach sends a demoralizing message to your existing employees. "Will I be next?" is the nagging question that will affect performance. Your employees will see through any thinly disguised veil of ‘Mr. Nice Guy', no matter how many barbeques you throw.

Selling a product and selling an experience are two totally different things.

Despite the lagging economy, I had the chance to observe two very effective transactions take place at a pair of high-end retailers during my latest visit to San Francisco. At Tiffany & Co. on Post Street, the salesman, who greeted his client by name, was engaging and personable—and had a sense of exactly how much the client would spend. As a result, he suggested a modest bracelet charm, and completed the transaction within minutes.

Since it costs five times more to attract new customers than to retain existing ones, it is in your best interest to keep your customers happy. A University of Missouri study shows that ninety percent of customers who are dissatisfied, not only will not do business with you again but will not tell you why. The same percentage will become loyal, repeat customers if their complaints are handled quickly. Janelle Barlow, author of "Branded Customer Service" discusses how to sell your brand promise through customer service.

 To see interview video clip, click here. 

Motivating your staff when raises are impossible can be done, and it can be done without giving a raise.

As a business owner or manager in the world of custom integration, I’m sure you’re in the same boat as I am: You’ve been forced to whittle down your staff to a core group of indispensable employees. Some of your staff reduction or “right-sizing” has been painful, but I’m guessing, for the most part, that those who got kicked off the bus weren’t the most productive employees under your roof.

So now you have your superstars to work with—the people who make you shine and perform on the frontlines everyday. These are the folks you entrust to turn ordinary clients into raving fans. It’s a terrific scenario to be in with one exception: You, like everyone else, are experiencing a 20- to 60-percent decrease in revenues.