Behind the Scenes

Are potential big dollar high-fidelity buyers put off by a small unassuming shop with a rather shabby exterior? It was a question that was foremost in my mind but one that had never occurred to Ian Robinson, the owner and proprietor of The Contemporary Sound Centre at 87-89 Riversdale Road, Hawthorn, Victoria.

"People tend to follow me around" he mused. "Customers have followed me from my original business (Chelsound Electronics in 1964) to Beaumaris (1971) where the Contemporary Sound name started, to the present shop in Hawthorn in 1976. In those days I was only working part-time as I worked for the SEC - in charge of High Voltage Stations".

While I was in the store a customer came in looking for a new cassette deck. After spending some considerable time discussing the equipment the customer already owned and his requirements, Ian suggested that the best deck for his purposes would be a model of a brand that he didn't sell. He then directed the customer to another retailer which handled the brand in question and was currently having a 'sale'.

Somewhat surprised by this unusual sales approach I questioned Ian about it. "He needed that particular deck," he said, "If I had sold him anything else neither he nor I would have been happy. As it is, he'll probably come back to me next time and, with luck, I'll have something that suits him"

Ian's attitude to customer service is reflected in the store hours - 10am to 7pm on weekdays and 10am to 1pm on saturdays. "By staying open until 7p.m." he explained, "people don't have to rush out from the city and make, perhaps, a hurried decision. They can take their time. Also, a large percentage of my customers live many kilometers away and they appreciate the unusual hours."

Contemporary Sound sells Rogers, RCF, NAD, EEI, Challenge, Perreaux, Wharfedale, Bozak, Link, Thorens, Ariston, STD, Maruni, Stanton, Empire, Bellex, Mission, RTR, Altec, AKG, Sennheiser, Sansui, Akai and Decca, amongst other brands and carries a full range of accessories and connecting leads - many of which are made and packaged by Ian himself. "It's not only cheaper for the customer" he commented, "the quality is better. It also means that I have all the parts on hand to make up a special lead on the spot."

Ian Couldn't remember the last time he sold a 'one brand' system as he believes that by mixing and matching he can give the customer a better sound. "About the only thing I'm guilty of" he stated "is influencing customers on a limited budget to 'prune' the system so that they get a better overall sound. You can always add an additional component, such as a cassette deck, at a later date."

There is a fair amount of 'as traded' equipment in the shop - some of it reasonable vintage. There was, for example, one of the first mass produced production transistor amplifiers. The pricetag on this particular unit was almost ridiculously low.

"you probably don't realize this," said Ian, "but Scotch College is just up the road and a lot of the students want something cheap that they can keep in their rooms. I check each component out and sell it at cost." The idea seems to be that when the students go out into the work-force and can afford to up-grade, they will come back to Ian. As if to prove a point, the amplifier in question was sold to a student shortly afterwards.

Service is obviously the backbone of Ian's business. His service equipment is the best and most comprehensive I have yet seen outside a laboratory or distributor's service section. Every cassette deck that comes in for repair has its bias and equalisation optimised and is returned with a graph of the frequency response and the cassette used to make the response. Ian also puts a 'voice-over' on each tape, explaining exactly what he has done and if necessary, some hints about machine maintenance. "By doing it this way," Ian explained, "the customer is happier, more likely to appreciate what has been done and heed the instructions. It also saves on paperwork. Besides," he grinned, "it's more fun."

Service charges are very reasonable considering the amount of test gear Ian has at his disposal. The minimum charge is $18 and a quote will cost you $15. If the equipment brought in for repair or alignment has been sold by Ian, even many years ago, he halves the rate. Ian's service is going so well that he just bought a micro-computer for stock control. "Using the computer means I am never out of parts, which means faster turnaround time on repairs" he commented. "It's a bit extravagant. but I also use it for design work and my accounts" (Ian has designed and built several laboratory grade amplifiers, one of which is used in conjunction with his chart recorder).

Ian insisted that he did not carry any big parts, such as transformers or motors. "Those I have to order in, as do most service facilities." Nevertheless, because Ian is highly regarded in the industry. he can obtain almost 'unobtainable' parts very quickly. He will service any electronic component and is authorised to perform 'under warranty' work on many brands.

Plans for the future are rather vague, though Ian does want to move into bigger premises. He won't be moving far if possible and at the time of writing he was considering a large shop just 1 kilometer down the road.

In these times of cut-throat competition and exaggerated claims, Ian Robinson is one dealer that can sleep very soundly and, as one representative for a prominent distributor put it "there are a lot of bigger dealers, with better turnover figures, but there's no man I'd rather deal with."

 

Reprinted from Australian HiFi.

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