The proposal submission deadline for the 2011 Ford and Lincoln Project Vehicle Program is March 1, 2011.

Ford and Lincoln are now accepting project vehicle proposals from SEMA members for the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The proposal submission deadline is March 1, 2011, and the award recipient notification deadline is May 2, 2011. All project-vehicle requests must meet the Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program Criteria shown below.

Ford has requested that project requests be submitted in two parts:

1. E-mail a one-page project summary, which must be received by February 21, 2011. Include bullet points for:

• Vehicle/theme
• Vehicle modifications 
• New-product development 
• Promotional plan 
• Vehicle display location at the 2011 SEMA Show

2. Mail a detailed project proposal, which must be received by March 1, 2011. Include detail supporting the one-page project summary on company letterhead, a color rendering and past project-vehicle examples.

Information on Ford vehicles is available here. Information on Lincoln vehicles is available here.

Ford Aftermarket Project-Vehicle Program Criteria

Aftermarket companies requesting vehicles should be:

• A manufacturer or designer/restyler dedicated to supporting new-product development
• Financially capable and willing to spend promotional dollars 
• Actively promoting the vehicle with their product(s) through an established marketing plan 
• A current SEMA member

Aftermarket companies receiving project vehicles must:

• Feature a vehicle in a booth at the 2011 Las Vegas SEMA Show
• Register and keep the vehicle in your company name during the entire contract period 
• Purchase and maintain $3M in general liability insurance and $1M in vehicle insurance 
• Commit to feature the vehicle with the Ford/Lincoln logos intact and visible 
• Order a California-certified vehicle if you intend to register or use the vehicle primarily in California or any other state that has adopted California emissions standards. Failure to do so may subject you to a state fine. 
• Make vehicles available to Ford or its dealers for display, at the owner's discretion

Companies must also submit written quarterly status reports for a period of 18 months, as specified in the contract, stating:

1. Product development
2. Modifications to the vehicle 
3. Events (including dates, location and type of event) 
4. Media exposure (originals or color copies) 
5. Company advertising featuring vehicle 
6. Additional exposure 
7. A copy of your current vehicle registration 
8. E-mail, disc, or fax reports will not be accepted

Please submit Ford and Lincoln proposals to:

Ford Motor Company
21175 Oakwood Blvd., PDCDC MD579
Dearborn, MI 48124
Attention: Sherry Kollien & Mike Nicopolis
semainfo@ford.com

Maintain your competitive advantage by developing a product that offers value to your customers.

The SEMA webinar series provides on-demand information in hour-long sessions that cover a range of topics designed to help specialty-equipment professionals improve their business operations. Members have the added benefit of making the program fit their schedules by tuning into the live broadcasts or downloading past webinars.

The latest SEMA webinar, “Sales Strategy: Creating Your Competitive Advantage,” was led by Chuck Udell, senior partner with Essential Action Design Group.

During the session, Udell explained that customers have the choice of where they wish to purchase, so it is critical to determine why they decide to buy from you instead of your competition.

You must be able to impact a customer’s decision making, according to Udell. For instance, in the specialty-parts business, if a customer purchases a new performance exhaust system from your shop for their ’01 Camaro, offer to install it for them.

Sales Strategies

Strategy is how business should be conducted to achieve desired goals, while sales strategy is the planning of sales activities, including methods for reaching your customers.

Business-to-business strategy is about understanding your customers. You must know how your customers attract and sell to their customers. What are their key performance indicators?

Business-to-consumer strategy is the ability to understand not only what the consumer wants, but also how to deal with their emotions. Whether business-to-business or business-to-consumer, the sales team must not only find, keep and sell profitably to their customers, but also make them advocates for your business. In today’s social media environment, it’s important to have advocates for your business talking about you, whether or not you are aware of it.

Differentiate Yourself

When differentiating your products, services and company, to create and sustain a competitive advantage, ask yourself the following questions: How well do you know your customers and their customers? What steps are you taking to anticipate their needs and solutions for them? Ask them not only about their situation, but also dig into their problems and talk about how to solve them. What are some creative ways in which you could place yourself in the shoes of those you serve? Do your team members have the necessary skills to make changes based on answers to these questions?

Understanding and satisfying customer needs should take precedence over speed and efficiency. A competitive advantage is something the company does or can do that is of value to consumers, which their competitors cannot match. A sustainable competitive advantage is one that is predicted to persist over time. What makes your company and products unique? Internally, start with trust, friendship and teamwork, and the better you do this, the better your chances of creating a sustained competitive advantage.

If your product has value, is rare and cannot be duplicated, and is developed and exploited by your company, you are on your way to creating a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is everyone’s responsibility. All positions within your company must be defined in terms of value creation versus functional terms.

Five factors that impact sales and help to create a competitive advantage include: quality products, pricing strategy, product availability, competitive services and sales skills.

Unique Value Proposition

Your unique value proposition is what makes you more unique, valuable and visible than your competitors. When writing your value proposition, keep it short and uncluttered. Be precise and offer targeted solutions to your customers’ specific needs. Ensure your value proposition sticks by making it memorable. When differentiating your business from others, clarity of message comes into play. For example, determine what you want your company to be known for and focus on that one thing (best availability, order accuracy, lowest price, fast delivery, etc.)

If you are not in the top 20 Google searches, your message is not getting out. Make sure your website is consistent in message and current. Include satisfied customer reviews and plenty of photos on how customers use your product.

Clarity of Measurement

How you know when you are successful and the reasons why are answered by clarity of measurement. Examples include customer- buying average, line items per invoice per customer, time in front of customer, sales volume per customer and number of times a customer buys from you. Which measurement is the primary driver of profitability in your business and does everyone on your team know what that is?

SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

Follow this link for more information on this webinar.

For more information on the SEMA Webinar Program and to view a list of all upcoming SEMA webinars, click here.

Maintain your competitive advantage by developing a product that offers value to your customers.

The SEMA webinar series provides on-demand information in hour-long sessions that cover a range of topics designed to help specialty-equipment professionals improve their business operations. Members have the added benefit of making the program fit their schedules by tuning into the live broadcasts or downloading past webinars.

The latest SEMA webinar, “Sales Strategy: Creating Your Competitive Advantage,” was led by Chuck Udell, senior partner with Essential Action Design Group.

During the session, Udell explained that customers have the choice of where they wish to purchase, so it is critical to determine why they decide to buy from you instead of your competition.

You must be able to impact a customer’s decision making, according to Udell. For instance, in the specialty-parts business, if a customer purchases a new performance exhaust system from your shop for their ’01 Camaro, offer to install it for them.

Sales Strategies

Strategy is how business should be conducted to achieve desired goals, while sales strategy is the planning of sales activities, including methods for reaching your customers.

Business-to-business strategy is about understanding your customers. You must know how your customers attract and sell to their customers. What are their key performance indicators?

Business-to-consumer strategy is the ability to understand not only what the consumer wants, but also how to deal with their emotions. Whether business-to-business or business-to-consumer, the sales team must not only find, keep and sell profitably to their customers, but also make them advocates for your business. In today’s social media environment, it’s important to have advocates for your business talking about you, whether or not you are aware of it.

Differentiate Yourself

When differentiating your products, services and company, to create and sustain a competitive advantage, ask yourself the following questions: How well do you know your customers and their customers? What steps are you taking to anticipate their needs and solutions for them? Ask them not only about their situation, but also dig into their problems and talk about how to solve them. What are some creative ways in which you could place yourself in the shoes of those you serve? Do your team members have the necessary skills to make changes based on answers to these questions?

Understanding and satisfying customer needs should take precedence over speed and efficiency. A competitive advantage is something the company does or can do that is of value to consumers, which their competitors cannot match. A sustainable competitive advantage is one that is predicted to persist over time. What makes your company and products unique? Internally, start with trust, friendship and teamwork, and the better you do this, the better your chances of creating a sustained competitive advantage.

If your product has value, is rare and cannot be duplicated, and is developed and exploited by your company, you are on your way to creating a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is everyone’s responsibility. All positions within your company must be defined in terms of value creation versus functional terms.

Five factors that impact sales and help to create a competitive advantage include: quality products, pricing strategy, product availability, competitive services and sales skills.

Unique Value Proposition

Your unique value proposition is what makes you more unique, valuable and visible than your competitors. When writing your value proposition, keep it short and uncluttered. Be precise and offer targeted solutions to your customers’ specific needs. Ensure your value proposition sticks by making it memorable. When differentiating your business from others, clarity of message comes into play. For example, determine what you want your company to be known for and focus on that one thing (best availability, order accuracy, lowest price, fast delivery, etc.)

If you are not in the top 20 Google searches, your message is not getting out. Make sure your website is consistent in message and current. Include satisfied customer reviews and plenty of photos on how customers use your product.

Clarity of Measurement

How you know when you are successful and the reasons why are answered by clarity of measurement. Examples include customer- buying average, line items per invoice per customer, time in front of customer, sales volume per customer and number of times a customer buys from you. Which measurement is the primary driver of profitability in your business and does everyone on your team know what that is?

SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

Follow this link for more information on this webinar.

For more information on the SEMA Webinar Program and to view a list of all upcoming SEMA webinars, click here.

Brenda Priddy's group of shutter sleuths have uncovered evidence of more Ford European products hitting U.S. shores with these shots of the U.S. spec, 2012 Ford Grand C-Max.

Priddy reports that this early development vehicle has a cobbled together front end, likely to allow clearance for powertrain components. The C-Max will share underpinnings with the new Ford Focus. Under the hood, you will find Ford's 1.6L four-cylinder Ecoboost motor. Spec-wise, Priddy says that the U.S. Grand C-Max should end up with somewhere around 160–165 hp.

Ford has made no secret that U.S. customers will soon be able to buy this vehicle. In early October, the automaker invited American automotive journalists to Nice, France, for an opportunity to drive the Euro-spec C-max as a preview of things to come. However, according to what Priddy has heard, American customers will most likely have only the Grand C-max to choose from simply due to the regular C-max is considered too small to suit the taste of U.S. drivers.

Watch for a possible debut at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.

Photos courtesy of Brenda Priddy & Co.

Brenda Priddy's group of shutter sleuths have uncovered evidence of more Ford European products hitting U.S. shores with these shots of the U.S. spec, 2012 Ford Grand C-Max.

Priddy reports that this early development vehicle has a cobbled together front end, likely to allow clearance for powertrain components. The C-Max will share underpinnings with the new Ford Focus. Under the hood, you will find Ford's 1.6L four-cylinder Ecoboost motor. Spec-wise, Priddy says that the U.S. Grand C-Max should end up with somewhere around 160–165 hp.

Ford has made no secret that U.S. customers will soon be able to buy this vehicle. In early October, the automaker invited American automotive journalists to Nice, France, for an opportunity to drive the Euro-spec C-max as a preview of things to come. However, according to what Priddy has heard, American customers will most likely have only the Grand C-max to choose from simply due to the regular C-max is considered too small to suit the taste of U.S. drivers.

Watch for a possible debut at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.

Photos courtesy of Brenda Priddy & Co.

Brenda Priddy's group of shutter sleuths have uncovered evidence of more Ford European products hitting U.S. shores with these shots of the U.S. spec, 2012 Ford Grand C-Max.

Priddy reports that this early development vehicle has a cobbled together front end, likely to allow clearance for powertrain components. The C-Max will share underpinnings with the new Ford Focus. Under the hood, you will find Ford's 1.6L four-cylinder Ecoboost motor. Spec-wise, Priddy says that the U.S. Grand C-Max should end up with somewhere around 160–165 hp.

Ford has made no secret that U.S. customers will soon be able to buy this vehicle. In early October, the automaker invited American automotive journalists to Nice, France, for an opportunity to drive the Euro-spec C-max as a preview of things to come. However, according to what Priddy has heard, American customers will most likely have only the Grand C-max to choose from simply due to the regular C-max is considered too small to suit the taste of U.S. drivers.

Watch for a possible debut at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.

Photos courtesy of Brenda Priddy & Co.

Brenda Priddy's group of shutter sleuths have uncovered evidence of more Ford European products hitting U.S. shores with these shots of the U.S. spec, 2012 Ford Grand C-Max.

Priddy reports that this early development vehicle has a cobbled together front end, likely to allow clearance for powertrain components. The C-Max will share underpinnings with the new Ford Focus. Under the hood, you will find Ford's 1.6L four-cylinder Ecoboost motor. Spec-wise, Priddy says that the U.S. Grand C-Max should end up with somewhere around 160–165 hp.

Ford has made no secret that U.S. customers will soon be able to buy this vehicle. In early October, the automaker invited American automotive journalists to Nice, France, for an opportunity to drive the Euro-spec C-max as a preview of things to come. However, according to what Priddy has heard, American customers will most likely have only the Grand C-max to choose from simply due to the regular C-max is considered too small to suit the taste of U.S. drivers.

Watch for a possible debut at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.

Photos courtesy of Brenda Priddy & Co.

See Ford’s stable of vehicles, both past and present, in this collection of rides on display at the 2010 SEMA Show. More than 390 Ford vehicles make up the collection—Mustangs, Broncos, F-150s and more—and all of the photos are available for download. The photo gallery on enjoythedrive.com is searchable by exhibiting company name, vehicle make, vehicle model and more.

See Ford’s stable of vehicles, both past and present, in this collection of rides on display at the 2010 SEMA Show. More than 390 Ford vehicles make up the collection—Mustangs, Broncos, F-150s and more—and all of the photos are available for download. The photo gallery on enjoythedrive.com is searchable by exhibiting company name, vehicle make, vehicle model and more.

 

Tom Campbell was elected to the SCCA Pro Racing Board of Directors and also named its chairman.

Tom Campbell Named Chairman of SCCA Pro Racing Board
SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. and Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Inc. announced that Tom Campbell was added to the SCCA Pro Racing Board of Directors and was also elected the board's chairman. Campbell replaces former Chairman Brian Holtz, who passed away in September after an illness. Campbell is a 35-year member of the SCCA and a member of the Mohawk-Hudson Region SCCA, his home region, and the Glen region. He is currently the chairman of the Northeast Division Council, the leadership council for the Division’s 19 regions. His familiarity with the Pro Racing Board stems from his service on the SCCA, Inc., Board of Directors from 1999 through 2004. During his six-year term, he served three years as corporate treasurer and one year as the chairman of the Board. During that time, he was active with the Pro Racing Board of Directors and helped develop operating goals and long-range business plans.

Bestop Welcomes New Manufacturers' Reps
Bestop added Foster and Gold (Western Canada), Kunzman and Associates (Central United States) and SS Sales & Marketing (Western United States) to its family of manufacturers' representatives handling Bestop products. In the Midwest, Kunzman and Associates will work with Bestop's Eastern Sales Manager Brad Bricker. Foster and Gold will report directly to Butch Madigan, Bestop's western sales manager. SS Sales and Marketing will handle the western United States and report to Madigan as well. The three agencies join Bestop's existing family of reps, which includes Hapco, KAM Marketing, NA Williams and Simmons & Associates.

NHRA Jr. Racing League Conference Finals Head Back to Denver, Bristol for 2011
NHRA's 2011 NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals will return to Bandimere Speedway in Denver and Bristol Dragway in Tennessee, respectively. The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Western Conference Finals will be held July 7–9, 2011, at Bandimere Speedway, while the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Finals will take place three weeks later, July 28–30 at Bristol Dragway.

Left to right: Ohio Technical College's Jordan Brenner, Justin Brenner, President Marc Brenner and Tom King accept their 2010 Weatherhead 100 Award.

Ohio Technical College Earns Weatherhead 100 Award
For the third year in a row, Ohio Technical College earned the Weatherhead 100 Award from the Case Weatherhead School of Management and The Council of Smaller Enterprises. The award recognizes the fastest-growing companies in northeast Ohio, based on the percentage of sales growth from 2005–2009. Ohio Technical College placed 62 out of 100 companies on the list.

Pioneer Releases Poll Results for America's Favorite Road-Trip Songs
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. released the results of its first-ever “Favorite Road Trips Songs” poll, conducted in partnership with Harris Interactive. The survey asked nearly 3,000 Americans, “what are your favorite road trip songs of all time?” Here are the results:

1. “On the Road Again,” Willie Nelson
2. “Born to be Wild,” Steppenwolf
3. “Take it Easy,” The Eagles
4. “I Get Around,” The Beach Boys
5. “Highway to Hell,” AC/DC
6. “Free Falling,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
7. “Riders on the Storm,” The Doors
8. “I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night,” Kiss
9. “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” Bon Jovi
10. “Free Bird,” Lynyrd Skynyrd

While “On the Road Again” took top billing overall, respondents from the northeast as well as male respondents across the nation favored the second runner up in the poll, “Born to Be Wild.” Those between the ages of 18 and 34 and those who identified themselves as single and never married listed “Highway to Hell” as their top pick. Additionally, respondents in that demographic highly favored several songs made popular in the late ’80s and ’90s that didn’t make the overall top 10 list, including “Paradise City,” by Guns ‘N Roses and 2Pac’s “California Love.”

Rusty and Steven Wallace Join Motorsports 2011
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace, now a popular motorsports broadcaster and NASCAR Nationwide Series car owner, and his son Steven, a rising star in NASCAR Nationwide racing, will be part of the three-day Motorsports 2011 Presented by SEF Race Car and Trade Show. The duo will meet fans and sign autographs during the event, which is set for the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, January 21–23.