CE Profile of Excellence Award: Dirk Dutton, Primetime Audio Video

Each week, we aim to provide an informative - yet colorful - profile of one of your fellow CE pros. Interested in being featured yourself? See below.

How would you use Twitter to describe what your company does (140 character limit)?
Give an unbelievable experience from walking through the door to the final system explanation to “Exceed all customer expectations!”

After you complete a project, what do you think your typical client tells his friend about the experience?
That Primetime is awesome and they would never use anyone else.

What can CE pros learn from your company to make them think differently and run their business better?

Over the last couple of years we really took the time to build stronger relationships with fewer vendors/partners and really got behind them full force.

Once this was accomplished everything just seems to flow so much better, once you are behind them they are behind you. This helps ensure an environment to promote growth and stronger customer service; we can take care of the customer now and ask questions later.

What trade tip can you offer your fellow CE pros?
Do whatever it takes to take care of the customer. Keep your image above the rest. Keep it real!

What’s the wildest request you’ve ever had for an installation?
I had a customer that was very attached to their dog, so we installed a 40-inch TV and audio system in -- you guessed it -- the dog house.

What is your 3D strategy and do you think the technology will live up to the hype?
I’ll tell you what, I was really thinking myself that 3D was a fad and kind of cool until we hooked up a Sony XBR directly to a DirecTV receiver in our satellite demonstration area and I was floored!

Seeing live TV in 3D was truly fascinating and indescribable, our 3D TV (higher margin) sales skyrocketed and DirecTV sales went through the roof. I now believe that 3D is not a fad and should only improve and help reinvent TV sales where HD left off.

What is your absolute favorite piece of audio demo material?
The truth is we very seldom actually demo audio material. We do a fantastic job selling our brand, our story, and our trust that when it comes down to it no audio demo is usually needed. It isn’t like it was 10 years ago when people would invest hours into demoing gear, nowadays so much stuff sounds so good and looks really good, you are really selling your brand.

What is your absolute favorite piece of video demo material?
Video, on the other hand, is a different animal, we demo what’s hot in the market place, so when SpeedRacer was hot we bought 15 copies; when Avatar hit, we bought 15 of them.

It’s what the consumers want to see!

What is something most people don’t know about you?
Mike and Ikes are my favorite candy!