Distributor Stampede Adds Online Courses to ‘University’

One of the biggest ways distributors can aid integrators is providing them better insight into the products they distribute, especially as the technology gets more convergent and intricate.

New York-based distributor Stampede is stepping up its education and training by announcing it will add an online curriculum to its "Stampede University."

Stampede says it's addressing a few factors with this "completely integrated series" of online courses, which will complement the resources currently available from its website. Foremost, Stampede wants to give busy integrators and their team members the chance to access courses 24/7/365.

Stampede carries nearly 100 lines from a variety of manufacturers, including everything from projectors to audio to control to furniture, with residential and commercial dealers covered.

Stampede will include a consulting program aimed at assisting residential installers break into the commercial sector - and commercial integrators who want to get a foot in the residential door.

While the Stampede courses offer dealers ready-made education on products and technologies of its many brands, company president and COO Kevin Kelly notes that the online curriculum is also designed to focus on overall business operations and strategy.

"Today's ProAV dealer is challenged as never before to find new ways to grow and expand their business that go far beyond the basics of product knowledge," he says. "To be sure, dealers must be fully educated on the products they sell, but they now need to be experts in long-term business planning, business transition and new market development."

Stampede has education materials such as how-to-videos, webinars and white papers already in its online stable.

“A significant part of the value we offer to a manufacturer through Stampede University is by educating the marketplace in new technologies, and manufacturers do want to teach dealers how to use their products and how to sell their products," says Kelly. "In that way, we act as a very necessary bridge between the manufacturer and the dealer.”