News

Industry professionals will again attend the CEDIA Expo in Atlanta. IPRO will again offer educational and membership opportunities for representatives and manufacturers at Booth # 129.

IPRO Planning Committee meets in Philadelphia. The education and conference committee meeting was held to address the most important educational needs of representative and manufacturing members.

InfoComm was a very successful show for Manufacturer's Representatives. While InfoComm has traditionally been considered the professional sound market, many attendees were from what has been viewed as the consumer electronics market.

IPRO gives its' first "Award of Excellence" to Keith Haas. It the twenty-one year history of IPRO the Board of Directors has been reticent to give this award, but unanimously voted to recognize Keith Haas.

The annual IPRO educational conference exceeds all expectation for attendence and forward thinking workshops. The theme of the Conference was " Survive and Thrive" a reflection of the current econmic challenges and the challenges that face our industry.

IPRO conducts quarterly conference calls to report activities to members. The "Report to the Members" conference call are usually held on the first Monday morning of each quarter.

IPRO Board of Directors announces an affiliate organization, the IPRO Manufacturers Group. The IPRO MG consists of the highest quality manufacturers who serve the audio/video industry.

Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumers Electronics Association, announces a new alliance with IPRO. Both IPRO and CEA feel that the industry will benefit from activities which are mutually supportive and that demonstrate the interdependency of all associations.

Manufacturers continue to utilize IPRO as a resource for sales and market information. The Executive Director reports increasing contact from suppliers who need assistance in bringing products to market.

IPRO becomes a sponsor of the Manufacturers' Representatives Educational Research Foundation (MRERF). This is a unique and exclusive educational opportunity for Manufacturers' Representatives to enhance and demonstrate their professionalism.

IPRO has become the preiminent source for professional field sales organizations, a resource for manufacturers. Representative firms who offer products in all areas of audio-video, home theatre, custom installation, and 12 volt have become IPRO members.

Finally, the book that representatives and manufacturers have wanted and needed! "Outsourcing The Sales Function" provides a complete model for assessing any company's sales function, whether direct or outsourced.

IPRO continually improves new Internet site The Association website been completely renovated to reflect the professionalism, goals, and current abilities of our members, and to provide our industry affiliates with the means to remain informed about the activities of our members.

Industry professionals will again attend the CEDIA Expo in Atlanta. IPRO will again offer educational and membership opportunities for representatives and manufacturers at Booth # 129. During the CEDIA Expo of 2010 all exhibits will be located in Exhibit Hall B. The commitment to support our industry includes numerous educational and professional advancement opportunities. Ray Wright, the IPRO Exec Director, points out that "Manufacturers, Representatives, and our Customers have a huge opportunity to benefit from participation at the CEDIA Expo, the IPRO Conference, and the CEDIA Management Forum". "Attending all three of these events provides business solutions to the challenges that we all share".

IPRO Planning Committee meets in Philadelphia. The education and conference committee meeting was held to address the most important educational needs of representative and manufacturing members. IPRO's stated mission is to demonstrate increased sales "through education and ethical conduct", which is the focus of the annual conference. The dramatic impact of the economic and political changes of the past two years are recognized as providing an increasing list of challenges and solutions for every professional field sales force. The Planning Committee has committed to a focused networking conference of representatives and manufacturers, and will present creative solutions to address these issues. The IPRO Conference will be held in Scottsdale, AZ on October 21 -23, 2010.

InfoComm was a very successful show for Manufacturer's Representatives. While InfoComm has traditionally been considered the professional sound market, many attendees were from what has been viewed as the consumer electronics market. New technoligies have often been introduced first at InfoComm, and often attendees were there to learn of these technologies prior to their appearance in consumer products. The continuing merging of products and marketing efforts have produced new challenges and opportunities for representatives and manufacturers. IPRO has recognized this trend and actively promotes and invites professional sound representatives to participate in the education and professional advancement opportunities that are offered by the Association. More information is availble by calling 800-420-4268, or by email to ray@avreps.org

IPRO gives its' first "Award of Excellence" to Keith Haas. It the twenty-one year history of IPRO the Board of Directors has been reticent to give this award, but unanimously voted to recognize Keith Haas. The Award of Excellence recognizes more than participation and industry support. It recognizes the professionalism and integrity of the individual, and is a statement of the respect that the members of the association has for his performance and consistant professionalism. Keith Haas is currently Chairman of the IPRO Manufacturers Group, an active leader in the audio/video industry, and Director of Sales at Onkyo/Integra. The award was presented to Mr Haas in Scottsdale, during the annual IPRO Educational Conference. We thank Mr Haas for all that he contributes to our industry.

The annual IPRO educational conference exceeds all expectation for attendence and forward thinking workshops. The theme of the Conference was " Survive and Thrive" a reflection of the current econmic challenges and the challenges that face our industry. Prior to the Conference a survey was conducted of IPRO members, asking them to prioritize potential workshop subjects, and these results determined the topics of all presentations and workshops. The results were an attendence of nearly double the expected number of members, as well as a large group of manufacturers. Ray Wright, IPRO's Executive Director stated "This is the only non sales oriented event in our industry , where manufacturers and representatives come together to utilize the unique strengths of both to produce greater sales for both". The quality of communication that occurs is very high, and problems are addressed in a forward-thinking manner. The result is that attendees leave the Conference with a list of the most valuable actions that they can implement for the benefit of their own company. "This was our 19th Conference", Ray reported, "and by far our most productive and profitable. It is a unique event where everyone wins"!

IPRO conducts quarterly conference calls to report activities to members. The "Report to the Members" conference call are usually held on the first Monday morning of each quarter. IPRO has well over one hundred professional field dales organizations in its membership. and faces the challenge of keeping everyone informed. It was decided in 2007 to begin quarterly conference calls that would be held at 9:00 am in each of the time zones, so that it would be convenient for the greatest portion of their members. The calls have included guest appearances from Utz Baldwin, CEO of CEDIA, who contributed valuable information to our members.

IPRO Board of Directors announces an affiliate organization, the IPRO Manufacturers Group. The IPRO MG consists of the highest quality manufacturers who serve the audio/video industry. The objectives of the IPRO MG are: 1)To provide opportunity for the exchange of information through discussion, study and publications, designed to promote interaction between manufacturers and representatives, and 2) To promote and improve the joint effectiveness and efficiency of the manufacturer and his or her representative in the market. Barry Evans, IPRO President, stated that "We have invited manufacturers to our Conference for many years and their unique perspective and insight has been invaluable." "This is a entirely different conversation" states David Thomas, IPRO Vice President. "When the key manufacturers and representatives seek answers to common challenges there is a path created to better relationships and higher sales". Manufactuers who wish to apply for membership in the IPRO MG should contact the IPRO Executive Director at 800-420-4268 or email to ray@avreps.org

Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumers Electronics Association, announces a new alliance with IPRO. Both IPRO and CEA feel that the industry will benefit from activities which are mutually supportive and that demonstrate the interdependency of all associations. The surprise announcement was made by Mr Shapiro during his keynote address at the IPRO Conference in Reston VA on November 10th. IPRO members were in attendence, as well as Don Gilpin of CEDIA, Billilynne Keller of The Raybourn Group, Ray Hall of the Electronics Representative Associaton, and Kerry Moyer of the Consumer Electronics Association.

Manufacturers continue to utilize IPRO as a resource for sales and market information. The Executive Director reports increasing contact from suppliers who need assistance in bringing products to market. Questions address every aspect of our business, and the total membership of more than eighty representative firms have been responsive in providing assistance. The CEDIA EXPO in Denver will provide more opportunity for discussion and interaction, beginning with the representative/manufacturer reception on Thursday evening. Over four hundred people are expected to attend.

IPRO becomes a sponsor of the Manufacturers' Representatives Educational Research Foundation (MRERF). This is a unique and exclusive educational opportunity for Manufacturers' Representatives to enhance and demonstrate their professionalism. MRERF offers a time-tested three year curriculum, held with Arizona State University, which allows a representative principal to acheive the certification of Certified Professional Manufacturers' Representative (CPMR). Some IPRO members have successfully completed this course of study. Also available is a program for the representative salesperson called Certified Sales Professional (CSP), a course which is held at various cities throuhout the country.

IPRO has become the preiminent source for professional field sales organizations, a resource for manufacturers. Representative firms who offer products in all areas of audio-video, home theatre, custom installation, and 12 volt have become IPRO members. They have chosen to communicate the function and performance standards of our member firms to the consumer electronics industry. IPRO has published a brochure called "Outsourcing Field Sales" specifically to be a resource to manufacturers. The newer members are seasoned professionals in the industry, with many years of experience in multiple facets of our business. A complete list of professional field sales organizations, listed by sales territory, is available by clicking the "Members" portion of this website.

Finally, the book that representatives and manufacturers have wanted and needed! "Outsourcing The Sales Function" provides a complete model for assessing any company's sales function, whether direct or outsourced. Authors Erin Anderson and Bob Trinkle combine their fifty years of experience and research on field sales to produce the first definitive, rational and practical analysis of utilizing manufacturers representatives. They also deliver the tools (including the Cost Calculator on an accompanying CD-ROM) to measure the benefits and true costs of going to market through representatives versus a direct sales force. The result is a powerful resource to help both representatives and manufacturers answer questions about the value and effectiveness of going tp market through representatives...no matter who's asking! You may order through ERA by clicking here, then click on the book cover icon, and you will also find it on www.Amazon.com

IPRO continually improves new Internet site The Association website been completely renovated to reflect the professionalism, goals, and current abilities of our members, and to provide our industry affiliates with the means to remain informed about the activities of our members. IPRO chose Web Services US, LLC for this project since they know the industry, provide a professional, fast and easy to use site, an updating system that office staff can use with no programmers, and back it with a comprehensive email, emarketing and support package. Web Services offers affordable and comprehensive packages to IPRO members and affiliates. Find out more about how you can benefit here.