Red Witch Analog Pedals announces an industry first with its Guitar and Bass floor effects Professional Development Program
Breaking the trend of the usual NAMM announcements of new pedals, new technology, or new equipment, the latest creation from the company who created the world’s first mini-pedal range with the Seven Sisters, Red Witch has designed a cutting edge pedal training program for retail sales staff.
The 10-week online course was designed by Red Witch founder Ben Fulton, and is the first course of its kind in the music world. Ben says the course hopes to engage and educate front line sales staff on all things guitar effect oriented.
“Our professional development course is designed to develop competence among the people at the core of the business; the influencers and gatekeepers, the people who sell products, the distribution representatives, the sales people on the shop floors, the people who answer questions for the online shops, and the people making online demos,” Ben Fulton says.
“We know our sales guys are the first point of contact with our customer base. We’re committed to our sales people being the most knowledgeable, the most informed, and most well resourced pedal gurus on the planet.
“The course covers all facets of the pedal world, not just Red Witch specific – key knowledge that all pedal sales staff should know. We’ve taken a broad perspective rather than just focus on our brand,” he says.
Jack Thompson, VP Sales & Marketing of MDG, Red Witch’s USA distributor, says he was ecstatic when Ben first approached him with the concept of the online training program, one stacked with incentives for participants.
“I thought it was a killer idea. An online training program with incentives is the best, most proactive resource I could think of,” he says.
“It will reinforce product advocacy and create an even stronger brand. This program will benefit the dealers, the salespeople, and the customers,” Jack Thompson says.
“We are thrilled to be launching Red Witch’s Professional Development Course at NAMM 2016, and are doubly excited our friends at Sweetwater are the first to engage in the course in the USA,” Jack Thompson says.
Ben Fulton says the inspiration to create the course came from his passion about tone.
“Ever since the sound of Jimmy Page’s Les Paul – Marshall rig hit my ears at the age of 14, I’ve been infatuated and obsessed with great guitar sounds. It’s been the driving force behind all my pedal designs.”
“It’s also why we’ve designed this course. I’m passionate about helping people get great guitar tone. It’s a vocation. I want to help our customers get the best tone they possibly can from their pedals,” Ben Fulton says.
“To achieve this we wanted to equip our front line sales staff with the best possible resource to help them share the gospel of incredible tone using pedals,” he says.
The Professional Development course is delivered via weekly video link, runs for ten weeks and concludes with a live webinar session with Ben.
Ben Fulton says there are also a few surprises in store, as participants will receive unique access to back-stage secrets of many A-List artists who have agreed to participate in the filming of the video content.
“Material that guitar players will find super interesting, that’s not available elsewhere and is only available to course participants,” he says.
The course kicked off in early January 2016 and Nate Periat, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, is one of the first participants.
“The Red Witch online training course has been awesome! I am not only learning about what makes Red Witch pedals great, I am learning about the fundamentals of all guitar pedals and pedal board design. I find Ben’s approach to teaching both very entertaining and very informative,” Nate Periat says.
Jack Thompson says that while initially it may seem odd that a boutique pedal manufacturer is offering such an innovative and bold step forward for the industry, it’s completely in keeping with the Red Witch brand.
“For a long time Ben Fulton’s Red Witch products have reflected a spirit and vision for music that have been missing from the industry.
“The fact that there are currently no other pedal manufacturers in the world providing this level of commitment to the pedal industry, reflects that spirit and vision,” Jack Thompson says.
About Red Witch Analog Ltd
Red Witch Analog Ltd is a boutique manufacturer of world-leading premium analog guitar and bass effects pedals. Critically acclaimed with outstanding international reviews and products enjoyed by an enviable list of world respected artists, Red Witch Analog Ltd has gained a reputation for designing and manufacturing innovative floor effects pedals of the highest quality, renowned for their tone, functionality and artist usability.
The brands and product range of Red Witch Analog Ltd currently include a total of eighteen fully featured boutique analog effects designs, offering unique functionalities unavailable in any other boutique analog guitar pedal effects worldwide.
Conceived in a garage in Paekakariki, New Zealand by musician Ben Fulton in 2003, Red Witch first came to international prominence in 2008 when Andy Summers from the Police used hand built Red Witch pedals on the Police Reunion tour.
Red Witch Analog products have established a loyal following by some of the biggest names in music including Andy Summers (The Police), Sting (Solo, The Police), John Mayer, Mike Patton (Fantomas, Solo, Faith No More), The Arctic Monkeys, Terry Lawless (U2), Monte Pittman (Solo, Madonna), Trinity Roots (New Zealand), Shihad (New Zealand), The Little Bushmen (New Zealand psychedelic/ roots band), Neil Finn (Crowded House, Solo, Split Enz), INXS and Guns ‘n’ Roses.
For more information about Red Witch Analog Ltd please visit Red Witch’s website at www.redwitchpedals.com
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