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RAD Update
Well after a few failed attempts to pass the distributorship over to someone else, I’ve decided to keep things going. There have been a few changes however.
- I quit my manufacturing consulting job for less
driving and less headaches.
- I’ve taken on a customer service role with Rival. This involves visiting OEM customers who I know anyway. No biggie.
- RAD now has the option to carry any competing drivers we see fit. We are just in the organization stage for shipping rates etc. That will take a bit of work.
There are other things like the opportunity to get some of their larger drivers (8’’, 10’’ & 12’’) and some 4.75’’ & 5.5’’. This is all pretty relaxed at the moment, so we’ll see how everything goes. There’s pricing and MOQ to deal with and that can get a bit crazy. It would be great to offer something other than 7’’ drivers and I’m familiar with most of their line-up. I would really like to get their 5.5’’ brute. We’ll see what the next couple of months bring.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.
Leon
and 2 others.
Comments
Dan
InDIYana Event Website
Rival prices their drivers more in line with SEAS Prestige. It is hard to tell why people buy certain drivers and not others.
I'll keep working on it to see if I can get a reasonable amount. There's no way I can handle their usual MOQ, but having a foot in the door helps.
I also have a pair of 152-KJ-08. I was hoping the 176-KC-08 was a better cosmetic match, they are kind of close but the KC is heavily treated, obscuring quite a bit of the cone material detail. The KJ appears to have very light treatment.
That being said, these are pretty nice drivers. I have heard a few designs with them now, and have some upcoming projects that will be ready for next year of my own. The TS parameters on them can be challenging for the "deep bass small space" crowd, but are otherwise just fine.
For social Media, I'm not good at that at all. I rely totally on organic marketing with word of mouth and people sharing across Social Media.
Friday is my last day at the plastic manufacturing gig. Starting Monday, I'll be 1-2 days a week visiting Rival clients.
Rival will be running the 8'' matte black aluminum in September. That is a very cool looking driver. I'm trying to get in on that run. I'm waiting to know that they will be running without custom changes. It's a nice driver without, but many times the clients want changes to suit their application.
Some of the coating's raw materials are brought from Europe and formulated in Canada. The KC is sandwich layered with 2 different coatings. They have another which is similar to the KC. It is called KVC. It has 3 distinct layers.
As a note; the P and KB are common runs and usually readily available. I've been told that the CP may make an appearance again and they improved its coating. Like with most manufacturing companies, product improvements are routine.
If I advertise through social media it will add to the cost of the drivers. If I introduce special packaging, it will add to the cost of the drivers. I've been trying everything I can to keep the prices reasonable for DIY'ers with a shallow wallet.
This is what concerns me a bit about bringing in Rival's larger drivers. I am concerned that just like the 7'', people won't see the value. I'm still mulling that over.:)
So I understand and appreciate your social media ineptness. I don't claim any particular
knowledge, but you gotta think "ground up" and "free".
So, open a Facebook account for RAD. Announce some builds and kits, get some word of mouth going (for free).
Maybe have a small giveaway lottery for new members.
I think "DIY Loudspeaker Pad" on FB has something like 10K members now. Drop a few messages there
about drivers and prices, and then word of mouth will kick in big time when people talk about their builds.
All this is pretty much free so far.
I think your packaging and delivery times are good, but (of course) it would be nice to have cheaper shipping.
You might also build in a partial reductions of the quoted shipping prices into your price structure.
I think you have the right idea, "word of mouth", you just got to pull a few more strings.
Good luck.
Much to the dismay of the folks at Rival, I've had some BIG sales with the intention of getting the products in the right hands and garnering some reviews, post, builds etc. Strangely, none of that happened.
Kits are an investment that can get quite expensive when you tag the cost of drivers, crossover parts, cabinets and shipping etc. Curt Campbell was kind enough to share his talent for the Slapshot MTM kit that I thought would be a great seller. To my ears, that is a stellar speaker which is easy on the wallet and easy to build. To date, I haven't seen one build of the Slapshot. Go figure.
Shipping is always a pain to deal with. Compared to most of RAD's competitors, RAD has the best rates. With that said, RAD can change to flat-rate shipping at any time and it may be a future consideration.
Anyway, everything is a work in progress as we try to refine.
InDIYana Event Website
This week we will be re-formatting the RAD site. RAD will not offer any products other than Rival, except for some coils. In order to get the absolute best price for DIY'ers, RAD will be concentrating solely on Rival products. I'm trying to get the 'P' and 'KB' drivers out for around $60. This is the price that I've been fighting for and hope to have that nailed down by next week.
We don't have many of the R176-KC-08 left in stock. We will blow those out at $82.29 per pair.