VIEW FROM THE REPAIR BENCH I BY STEVE FRANCE Bring Your Techs to NAMM
A ttending The NAMM Show can feel like an information- gathering quest worthy of only Gandalf. For an MI store owner, the pressure is real: buying decisions have risk, every dollar matters and you’re hoping the local market responds the way you expect. My advantage on this particular quest to gather information was that I’m also a repair technician. We want our customers to see value in the products we select at The NAMM Show. We need sufficient margin, and we want to avoid profit-draining service issues after the sale. As musicians,
the related value proposition, the shared understanding will often pay dividends. For instance, when your customer is later standing at the shop counter with a problem, the technician is far more likely to support the product than bad- mouth it. Servicing product is inevi- table, so prepare your staff to offer this support. Have your technicians meet directly with manufacturing product specialists at the show. Encourage them to discuss construction and com- mon failure points and collaborate on foreseeable servicing needs. Then, during negotiations, incor- porate service-related supplies, like screws, guards and braces, into the buying agreement. If a manufacturer expects you to sell and support their products, they should help make the supplies for that support available. A successful trade show strat- egy should include your service technicians. Be a good coach and provide a clear game plan by com- municating every team member’s responsibility to the buying deci- sion, helping everyone understand the value proposition, and negoti- ating the needed service supplies into your buying agreement. Taking technicians to The NAMM Show can be one of the most effective staff devel- opment investments you make. With a clear plan and defined roles, their presence can con- tribute directly to better deci- sions, stronger customer support and a healthier bottom line. MI Steve France is a veteran instrument repair technician and educator based in St. George, Utah. He oper- ates Premium Music Products, where he develops Tech-Oil Lubricants and provides advanced training through Repair Masterclass for band and orchestra repair professionals.
we have an eye for value. As business owners, we can analyze the numbers. As a technician, I’m able to predict how, and how soon, products will fail. This perspective matters. Not every store owner has experience with how instruments break. But their technicians do. That’s why, if you didn’t bring your repair techs to The 2026 NAMM Show, you should seriously consider their attendance next year. GET STRATEGIC BUILD-QUALITY ADVICE That said, simply turning technicians loose on the show floor is rarely effective. Instead, owners should set everyone on their team up for success by clearly defining their roles and helping them understand their strategic value.
Teams perform best when everyone understands their position. It’s the owner’s responsibility to communicate those roles well. Front-line sales staff bring awareness of what local mu- sicians are asking for and can help identify products to stock. Marketing staff focuses on how products will be presented and merchan- dised. Owners evaluate pricing, margin and financial risk. And technicians assess build quality, serviceability and foreseeable repair issues. Everyone should also understand that
Ensure a better NAMM show ROI by bringing your repair technicians.
ultimately, the owner makes the final buying decision. Technicians need clarity on why the final decision on prod- uct is not theirs alone. Everything breaks, especially when it ends up in the hands of a junior high school student. Even the best-built products will require their technical skills, and higher- margin products often justify a slight increase in service work. A technician’s input is crucial, but it’s one piece of a broader business decision. When technicians are involved in buying decisions, they often develop ownership in the products selected. If they helped identify dif- ferences in construction quality, and the owner helps them understand
30 I MUSIC INC. I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2026
Powered by FlippingBook