VISIONARY - Music Inc. Magazine

{PROGUITARSHOP}
“We don’t pay commission
to our employees,” Miller said.
“We pay a competitive hourly
rate that basically equals what
they would make if they were
a very solid commissioned employee
elsewhere. We focus on a
team-based environment. I want
these guys working together, not
fighting over a customer.
“We have a very specialized
product, and not every guy in
our store can be an expert in
every category. If you are on a
commissioned sales program,
that salesguy has no incentive
to find the right employee to sell
that product, even if he knows
nothing about it. In our store,
he has every incentive to say,
‘You know what? Let me find
the guy who has the answer for
you,’ and get the right product
in the customer’s hand.”
62 I MUSIC INC. I JULY 2011
Aaron Miller inside Pro-
GuitarShop’s new Portland,
Ore., showroom
HIGH-END RETURN
Despite the recession, Miller
has watched ProGuitarShop’s
high-end business flourish and
said it continues to do so by
double digits. To him, it boils
down — again — to having the
right selection and best service.
“It comes down to a phone call
and white-glove service,” Miller
said. “It’s all about the relationships
you build. If a customer is
willing to spend $2,000–$4,000
on a guitar, you don’t want him
to get just any guitar because he’s
going to send it back and likely
won’t buy from you again. You
want to get him the right guitar,
so he can have the best experience
with your company.”
Miller said ProGuitarShop’s
success doesn’t ride on the back
of video — his company simply
had an original idea and was the
first to execute it successfully.
“That’s what we try to do every
day,” he said. “We’re a marketing
company. We just happen
to get paid for that marketing by
selling gear.
“Our obstacles and challenges
are our biggest opportunities.
Our biggest challenges are finding
enough time and funds to
capitalize on the abundance of
opportunity in this industry.” MI