Commercial Integrator + Security Sales September 2024 - 33

PARTNER INSIGHTS
SPONSORED CONTENT
Bosch Integrated Audio Brands' Integrator Commitment
IAB, which leverages the Electro-Voice, Dynacord, Bosch, RTS and Telex brands,
promises to resource channel partners and recommit to industry engagement.
AT INFOCOMM 2024, integrators and consultants got their
first taste of a new initiative from Bosch: its Integrated Audio
Brands (IAB) revitalization. This holistic investment in North America
enfolds well-respected audio brands Electro-Voice, Dynacord, Bosch,
RTS and Telex. An exciting initiative that is occurring simultaneously
with Bosch's planned divestiture of the Communications Business
Unit, IAB opens up a new world of possibilities and potentialities for
these venerable brands. " We're optimistic; we're enthused, " David
Prince, vice president of sales, says with a smile. " It's the right thing
to do for the industry, for our customers and for us. "
Here, we'll explore what IAB means for integrators, consultants
and fellow industry stakeholders.
Renowned Names, New People
The brands that lie at the heart of IAB are renowned. As Prince puts
it, " Historically, we have some very well-respected brands. We have
some very well-respected products. We have some amazing engineers. "
The challenge, he says, was to unify product strategy and
customer engagement more efficiently and effectively, in step with
the changing needs of customers and partners. " It was relatively
siloed, " Prince says. Moreover, he acknowledges that Bosch had
room to improve in the area of resourcing and building direct relationships
with integrator partners, while also nurturing a businessdevelopment
pipeline with end users and consultants. " It was time
to increase our strategic focus on those functions, " Prince states.
And now, with IAB, the brands are embracing a back-to-basics
approach to resourcing the industry, when and where it needs those
resources. " We want to be able to come into play both quickly and
precisely, with the right products and the right team to service them,
making our customers' lives easier and making it easier to do business, "
Prince explains.
A goal like that requires assembling the right team, and IAB did it.
Industry veteran Bradley Drummond pulls together product strategy
and collaborates on the go-to-market approach. Sean Shallenberger
serves as consultant liaison, leveraging his knowledge base to engage
consultants. Curtiss Singleton oversees the teams that compose IAB
and puts all the pieces together. " We started with Curtiss, and then
we brought in his director team, as well as empowering and promoting
some of the internal resources we already had, " Prince explains.
Field Sales Engineering
IAB is built for success below the leadership level, as well, including
benefiting from an investment in headcount. " We did not have field
sales engineering in territory, " Prince acknowledges. " We have some
great technical applications engineers here at headquarters, but they
weren't on the street with our customers. " That's no longer the case.
Indeed, IAB now boasts a team of eight industry veterans, all committed
to proactive partnership with customers. What's more, in an effort
to create a funnel to drive more business to integrator partners, IAB
" Renewing our commitment " - David Prince and the
Bosch team, ready to go at InfoComm 2024 this past June.
now has a three-person business-development team. Plus, proactive
distributor outreach is much more formalized than previously.
The ultimate message is that these brands are passionate about
partnering with the channel more deeply than ever before. " We want to
engage the passion, and we want to engage the industry with where
we see ourselves going in the next couple of years, " Prince explains.
" And we recognized that was going to take a dedicated force who
could really focus on the strategy and focus on more positively impactful
resourcing for the benefit of our current and new customers. "
What's more, whether IAB associates are helping with business
development, sales engineering or something else, a simple mantra
suffuses their approach: " Know your lane. Stay in your lane. That's
not to say that people don't wear different hats, of course. It simply
underlines the importance of expertise and having dedicated focus. "
Strength Across Verticals
IAB brands like Electro-Voice and Dynacord have earned their sterling
reputation across a wide swath of verticals: houses of worship, sports
venues, education facilities, hospitality locations - even space exploration!
That requires a tremendous breadth of products and a global
team ready to support them. Even so, at InfoComm 2024, IAB sought
what Prince describes as " a reconnection and a recommitment to the
industry, " including filling holes in the product portfolio. Indeed, in Las
Vegas, IAB and its brands launched five new families with 22 new
products, encompassing amplifiers, speakers and software.
" Renew the commitment, " Prince says, boiling down IAB's mission at
InfoComm 2024. " Not just products, but with a team that can resource
them. " He adds, " I believe our customers felt this new energy at the
show. " Integrators and consultants visiting the booth found Singleton
and his team eager to learn about their pain points and welcoming
active stakeholder involvement.
As IAB comes fully into bloom, Prince promises, " This is not the
end. This is the new beginning of a recommitment. " And that's a
good reason for integrators and consultants to be excited about working
with some of our industry's most revered, most trusted brands.
Learn more about Bosch Integrated Audio Brands at BoschSecurity.com.
BOSCH
http://www.BoschSecurity.com
Commercial Integrator + Security Sales September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator + Security Sales September 2024
