For 30 years, Elite Media Solutions, run by Brian Gibson, has stayed focused on two primary principles: great products and responsive customer service.
The company’s adherence to those principals was recognized at CES 2017 when Elite Media Solutions was named the recipient of the Consumer Technology Association TechHome Division’s Integrator of the Year for 2016.
Accepting the award at the Mark of Excellence Awards ceremony in Las Vegas, Gibson noted, “I am honored and humbled to accept this award on behalf of Elite Media Solutions. Receiving this award is pure validation that striving to be and do your very best at every step in the process truly pays rewards. From conception to completion and especially post installation, our goal is to leave our clients knowing that they made a wise choice in choosing Elite Media Solutions.
“We strive on a daily basis throughout the company to show our clients and prospects what it really means to be Elite. It is a concept that our company lives and breathes at each and every touch point. Delivering a high-quality, complex system that is reliable and simple to use is what continually has our clients recommending us to their family and friends,” he added.
The company does a lot of things uniquely, including having a showroom that looks like a colonial home to fit with the style of New England. From that multi-story old home located in center of affluent Wellesley, Elite hosts clients for demos and builds racks.
“You would think that after 30 plus years in the business, one might sit back and rest on their laurels,” said Gibson. “That is certainly not acceptable at Elite, we spend countless hours each and every week honing the process, updating and documenting procedures, finding new ways to do our jobs more efficiently.
“We have added a dedicated client relations manager to ensure that we deliver what we promised from start to finish and beyond. Our clients know they have someone to call when they have questions or concerns. They also know that if this person doesn’t have the answer immediately, they will receive continual follow ups until an answer is available. Communication is the key to making certain that our projects go smoothly during every phase of the project.”
Efficiency is also a priority. Elite Media consistently maintains one of the highest revenue-per-employee ratios in the industry. In 2015, the company reported $2.68 million in revenue with just six employees. That equates to $446,666 in revenue per employee, well above industry averages that hover in the low $200,000 range.
“To achieve such success is a 100-percent team effort, using documented procedures takes the guess work out of what to do in any situation. We are even more proud that we pay our employees well above industry averages by position. It took many years to assemble a team that totally and without question understand what it means to be elite,” said Gibson.
Keys to Success: Recognizing Vendors, ProSource
Gibson says one of the keys to Elite’s success is simplifying things for clients, who often believe buying an electronics entertainment system is a daunting task.
“Our goal from initial contact is to leave them knowing that they are in good hands, working with one of the very best system integration teams in the country. Allowing them not to feel pressured and to be a part of the process is vitally important,” he noted.
Elite also believes its vendors and rep firms are vital to their success, so much so that the company has created its own awards program for them. The award is known as the Gear Award, representing the “gear” that Elite buys from them as well as how they play such an important part in the company’s process as one of the teeth in its “gears” that keep the Elite machine moving forward. This year, Elite recognized Sony Electronics and Jarmac Marketing.
Finally, Gibson says being part of the ProSource buying group has made an enormous impact on his business.
“Sure it’s great to know that you are getting the best pricing out there, but more importantly it’s the people that you meet from all across the country who are willing to share openly their struggles and victories, helping us to understand that we are not alone with our challenges while we continue to learn new ways to win at what we do. It truly is a family of dealers that care for each other and we are proud to be a member,” he said.
