FOUR MASTER John Kleis

Reading, writing and arithmetic

John Kleis Towers – Definitely Not Fawlty

One of the longest serving specialists in the industry, John Kleis has been successfully trading from his specialist shop on a busy Reading street for over 30 years. Experiencing a lot of changes in the market first hand during his time in business, John Kleis has furnished the company with an enviable depth of knowledge of the automotive environment.

You may presume that a specialist which has been around for so long would have a reflected feel of its history in its presentation. However, stepping through the doors of John’s store you could easily believe it is brand new! The well laid out store features rows of smart glass cabinets containing a wide range of shiny new products, many of which are powered up. This is part of the key to the longevity and success of John Kleis as John fundamentally believes that a good product sells itself.

It is with this in mind that John and his staff have recently completed work on a demonstration vehicle, a Vauxhall Astra Sport 16v. The car has been tastefully modified to present an audio system, which typifies the kind of work John and his team carry out on a regular basis. However, this vehicle is not just for show; the idea is that anyone interested in experiencing good car audio can have a demonstration of a typical system in a typical vehicle. The fact that it looks as great as it sounds is because John has caught the show bug and has got on board with the FOUR MASTERS events programme. John tells us; “Having not attended shows for some years, I was drawn by the success FOUR seemed to be having at gaining interest in car audio by presenting at shows”.

“Other FOUR MASTERS had referred business to me at shows and we felt that becoming involved would be good for us and the FOUR MASTER network as a whole. We are after all, a group of businesses who are linked not only by the work we accomplish but also by the products we sell, many of which are supplied by FOUR. Our demo vehicle therefore has to fulfil two purposes. Predominantly it is an important reference for customers to use when specifying their own systems. Even if the equipment isn’t what is ultimately chosen, we can use the vehicle as an example of where we place speakers, amplifiers and subwoofers, apply sound deadening and of course to show off our high quality finishing skills”.

At an event we put everything on show and turn it up to draw a crowd. We then encourage visitors to ask questions about the equipment and give them a personal demonstration and we are quite happy to refer work to other FOUR MASTERS safe in the knowledge that the customer will be well looked after.

Behind the scenes at John Kleis Car Audio, the heritage of the company begins to shine through with many press cuttings and trophies gained from car audio competitions in days gone by alongside advert copy used in the past. John is very proud of his business and so he should be.

As with many FOUR MASTERS, John Kleis and his team have diversified into areas other than audio and regularly install vehicle security, hands-free phone kits, full multi-media AV systems and parking sensors, as well as work such as iPod and digital radio integration and key cutting and programming. Over the years John has also developed relationships with other high quality local suppliers and offers their services, which include window tinting, heated seats and equipment repairs.

John has always been keen to train his staff on an ongoing basis. He points out; “By keeping my staff up to date with skills and techniques, we are able to do a better and more efficient job which increases customer satisfaction and this is the corner stone to our business. Our reputation is absolutely the key to our success.”

Unlike many other retail businesses, John has resolutely resisted becoming involved in internet sales. John explains; “Anyone can sell a product and make little or no money from it, but if it requires expert installation then it probably requires an expert to advise the customer in the first place. We do not compete with silly pricing but will offer discounts on installation for product purchased from us rather than from a sometimes completely unknown “bedroom seller” with no back up service”. “We reserve the right to charge customers to “just have a look at my car” as many customers arrive with a product which isn’t suitable for the purpose they have planned. Once we have explained this to customers they are quick to realise that for some products, price is not the only purchasing criteria and expert advice has to be paid for somewhere down the line. This said, we never leave a customer with a problem and always offer a solution even if it is not always free of charge!”

John Kleis currently employs 3 sales staff and 4 fitters in addition to an administrator and of course is always on hand himself to offer his unmatched wisdom and knowledge to help find innovative solutions for his customers requirements.