It has been with us forever, this assumption that the really important areas to address in finding success as audio professionals, are the latest versions of software plug-ins, or the most recent hardware/software/divine intervention products that enable us to take our craft to the next level i.e., work less, improve production and relax more!

We sometimes spend exorbitant amounts of money in search of an edge. We buy the compressor made in England, the microphone made in Austria and the two-track made in Japan.

I've got news for you………Keeping up with the Jones' is not an idea created by the general population, it is a recording industry aberration that eats 1.23 volts and can't be killed!

We strive to stay on top. We carefully watch trends in order to stay competitive with our peers. We spend and out-spend, research, read and re-read tech papers and, perhaps most frightening of all, apply old, outdated technology in new, never-before-thought-of ways!

For the most part, we are convinced that information and inventory are everything! State-of-the-art is it! Don't let it get beyond you!

If we could just pause for a minute, though, step back and really take a good look at our business, we might find that we could add another factor to the success equation. As if we need an addition to this equation anyway…Have you heard this before, equipment/technology does not necessarily a studio make?

People skills. People skills?

There are many top-notch studios around the world that need no mention. They have mastered their market and need no creative input. There are also great studios out there that lie just beneath that curve and would love to move up. Most of all, there are studios everywhere, with great equipment, excellent ears and perfect rooms that few have ever heard of! Why?

Many reasons …… location might be a reason; luck can certainly be involved; advertising in some instances can play a part………and speaking of advertising, it is an art unto itself that few have mastered, believe it. Agencies pull big bucks for doing it right. But who can afford it? Well, there are different types of advertisement... print, radio, television, most recently, Internet and word-of-mouth to name the main categories. Word-of-mouth advertising is the best deal going. It's free!

I remember from my guitar playing days -- way back -- going into the studio to record some stuff we had written. I will never forget thinking the engineer didn't like our music. He just wasn't into what we were doing. He wanted us in and out for whatever reason. We were convinced he knew his job but we had to mention things like compressing the vocals, gating the drum mics and on and on! And we weren't that bad!!! Anyway, getting back to word-of-mouth advertising, there is a given in this area that is well known throughout the customer service industry and it is as follows:

If a client is satisfied with a product or service, he or she will tell one person about the experience. If a client is dissatisfied with a product or service, however, the client will tell ten people.

Like it or not, it is a fact.

And I know there are those of you out there who are already thinking defensively. I'm not suggesting that all engineers are uneducated or ineffective in this area. I'm not suggesting that recording studios don't understand customer service -- just the ones who have the clock on the wall, yeah go ahead, it's ok to smack yourself!

What I'm offering is the notion that there is another angle to consider. No matter what level of recording you do there is a benefit in being able to anticipate what your client's needs are. If you are an engineer, and you know it's coming, don't wait for the artist or someone else to say, "I'm hungry"; don't wait for someone to say, "I need a break". Look for that frustration and act on it. If you can beat them to the punch, so to speak, you've made it easier for the artist. Find out what they're into -- you know the deal! Take it off the manager's shoulders and you buy dinner! You know you can recoup that money somewhere else anyway. This is true customer service. This is what is called "perceived value". And I'll expand on that notion at another time.

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Copyright Ronald G. Brown 2000