SEMA News—December 2014

HERITAGE

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy of the Petersen Archives

A Steal

Shelby American had a presence at the High Performance and Custom Equipment Trade Show at Dodger Stadium in 1967, the event that would go on to become the SEMA Show. It’s interesting to see what’s in the Shelby booth—as well as what’s not. Shelby’s iconic Cobra roadster and the GT350 Mustang are represented only by photos on the booth’s back wall. Note, too, the “wanted” poster on the easel soliciting for manufacturer’s representatives to handle Shelby’s parts and equipment.

The engine in the center of the booth is a small-block Ford outfitted with a Paxton supercharger. Shelby began offering the blower on ’66 GT350 models, though the expensive option found few takers. Only 11 GT350s left the factory as supercharged models. Many more of the Paxton kits were sold over the counter to Shelby Mustang owners who were looking for extra grunt from their 289ci V8s. Speaking of which, the back wall of the booth also displays single- and dual-carb intake manifolds, a carburetor, a piston, a camshaft, lifters and other speed equipment offered by Shelby.

Dominating the floor space in the booth is a GT40. Though not technically a Shelby product, the GT40 became the Ferrari fighter that Henry Ford II wanted it to be only after Carroll and his engineers successfully upgraded the race car. Six months prior to the trade show, GT40s famously went 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans, with the top two spots taken by Shelby-backed cars.

The GT40 in the booth was not one of those winners, though. Those cars were Mk II models with 427ci engines. This one was a Mk I with a 400hp 289. According to the card alongside the car, this particular “prototype racing car” was “entered in competition at Daytona Continental, Sebring, LeMans, Nürburgring. Price: $18,250.”

That was a lot of money in 1967 dollars. Consider that Shelby’s ’67 GT350 and GT500 had starting prices of around $4,200 to $4,400. So did the Corvette. A 427 Cobra—considered stratospherically priced for the everyday enthusiast—was nearly double that. The all-new Camaro, by contrast, started at less than $3,000.

And yet, fast forward nearly five decades. A documented GT40 Mk 1 prototype, believed to be the first GT modified by Shelby, sold at Dana Mecum’s Houston auction in April for $7 million. Given that yardstick, the $18,200 Shelby was asking for this car was a real bargain.

SEMA News—December 2014

HERITAGE

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy of the Petersen Archives

A Steal

Shelby American had a presence at the High Performance and Custom Equipment Trade Show at Dodger Stadium in 1967, the event that would go on to become the SEMA Show. It’s interesting to see what’s in the Shelby booth—as well as what’s not. Shelby’s iconic Cobra roadster and the GT350 Mustang are represented only by photos on the booth’s back wall. Note, too, the “wanted” poster on the easel soliciting for manufacturer’s representatives to handle Shelby’s parts and equipment.

The engine in the center of the booth is a small-block Ford outfitted with a Paxton supercharger. Shelby began offering the blower on ’66 GT350 models, though the expensive option found few takers. Only 11 GT350s left the factory as supercharged models. Many more of the Paxton kits were sold over the counter to Shelby Mustang owners who were looking for extra grunt from their 289ci V8s. Speaking of which, the back wall of the booth also displays single- and dual-carb intake manifolds, a carburetor, a piston, a camshaft, lifters and other speed equipment offered by Shelby.

Dominating the floor space in the booth is a GT40. Though not technically a Shelby product, the GT40 became the Ferrari fighter that Henry Ford II wanted it to be only after Carroll and his engineers successfully upgraded the race car. Six months prior to the trade show, GT40s famously went 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans, with the top two spots taken by Shelby-backed cars.

The GT40 in the booth was not one of those winners, though. Those cars were Mk II models with 427ci engines. This one was a Mk I with a 400hp 289. According to the card alongside the car, this particular “prototype racing car” was “entered in competition at Daytona Continental, Sebring, LeMans, Nürburgring. Price: $18,250.”

That was a lot of money in 1967 dollars. Consider that Shelby’s ’67 GT350 and GT500 had starting prices of around $4,200 to $4,400. So did the Corvette. A 427 Cobra—considered stratospherically priced for the everyday enthusiast—was nearly double that. The all-new Camaro, by contrast, started at less than $3,000.

And yet, fast forward nearly five decades. A documented GT40 Mk 1 prototype, believed to be the first GT modified by Shelby, sold at Dana Mecum’s Houston auction in April for $7 million. Given that yardstick, the $18,200 Shelby was asking for this car was a real bargain.

SEMA News—December 2014

HERITAGE

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy of the Petersen Archives

A Steal

Shelby American had a presence at the High Performance and Custom Equipment Trade Show at Dodger Stadium in 1967, the event that would go on to become the SEMA Show. It’s interesting to see what’s in the Shelby booth—as well as what’s not. Shelby’s iconic Cobra roadster and the GT350 Mustang are represented only by photos on the booth’s back wall. Note, too, the “wanted” poster on the easel soliciting for manufacturer’s representatives to handle Shelby’s parts and equipment.

The engine in the center of the booth is a small-block Ford outfitted with a Paxton supercharger. Shelby began offering the blower on ’66 GT350 models, though the expensive option found few takers. Only 11 GT350s left the factory as supercharged models. Many more of the Paxton kits were sold over the counter to Shelby Mustang owners who were looking for extra grunt from their 289ci V8s. Speaking of which, the back wall of the booth also displays single- and dual-carb intake manifolds, a carburetor, a piston, a camshaft, lifters and other speed equipment offered by Shelby.

Dominating the floor space in the booth is a GT40. Though not technically a Shelby product, the GT40 became the Ferrari fighter that Henry Ford II wanted it to be only after Carroll and his engineers successfully upgraded the race car. Six months prior to the trade show, GT40s famously went 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans, with the top two spots taken by Shelby-backed cars.

The GT40 in the booth was not one of those winners, though. Those cars were Mk II models with 427ci engines. This one was a Mk I with a 400hp 289. According to the card alongside the car, this particular “prototype racing car” was “entered in competition at Daytona Continental, Sebring, LeMans, Nürburgring. Price: $18,250.”

That was a lot of money in 1967 dollars. Consider that Shelby’s ’67 GT350 and GT500 had starting prices of around $4,200 to $4,400. So did the Corvette. A 427 Cobra—considered stratospherically priced for the everyday enthusiast—was nearly double that. The all-new Camaro, by contrast, started at less than $3,000.

And yet, fast forward nearly five decades. A documented GT40 Mk 1 prototype, believed to be the first GT modified by Shelby, sold at Dana Mecum’s Houston auction in April for $7 million. Given that yardstick, the $18,200 Shelby was asking for this car was a real bargain.

SEMA News—December 2014

HERITAGE

By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy of the Petersen Archives

A Steal

Shelby American had a presence at the High Performance and Custom Equipment Trade Show at Dodger Stadium in 1967, the event that would go on to become the SEMA Show. It’s interesting to see what’s in the Shelby booth—as well as what’s not. Shelby’s iconic Cobra roadster and the GT350 Mustang are represented only by photos on the booth’s back wall. Note, too, the “wanted” poster on the easel soliciting for manufacturer’s representatives to handle Shelby’s parts and equipment.

The engine in the center of the booth is a small-block Ford outfitted with a Paxton supercharger. Shelby began offering the blower on ’66 GT350 models, though the expensive option found few takers. Only 11 GT350s left the factory as supercharged models. Many more of the Paxton kits were sold over the counter to Shelby Mustang owners who were looking for extra grunt from their 289ci V8s. Speaking of which, the back wall of the booth also displays single- and dual-carb intake manifolds, a carburetor, a piston, a camshaft, lifters and other speed equipment offered by Shelby.

Dominating the floor space in the booth is a GT40. Though not technically a Shelby product, the GT40 became the Ferrari fighter that Henry Ford II wanted it to be only after Carroll and his engineers successfully upgraded the race car. Six months prior to the trade show, GT40s famously went 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of LeMans, with the top two spots taken by Shelby-backed cars.

The GT40 in the booth was not one of those winners, though. Those cars were Mk II models with 427ci engines. This one was a Mk I with a 400hp 289. According to the card alongside the car, this particular “prototype racing car” was “entered in competition at Daytona Continental, Sebring, LeMans, Nürburgring. Price: $18,250.”

That was a lot of money in 1967 dollars. Consider that Shelby’s ’67 GT350 and GT500 had starting prices of around $4,200 to $4,400. So did the Corvette. A 427 Cobra—considered stratospherically priced for the everyday enthusiast—was nearly double that. The all-new Camaro, by contrast, started at less than $3,000.

And yet, fast forward nearly five decades. A documented GT40 Mk 1 prototype, believed to be the first GT modified by Shelby, sold at Dana Mecum’s Houston auction in April for $7 million. Given that yardstick, the $18,200 Shelby was asking for this car was a real bargain.

SEMA News—December 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Newsflash: Rich Marketing Content = More Profits. Is Yours In the SEMA Data Co-op?

We’re pleased to report that the SEMA Data Co-op has surpassed critical mass and is rolling! Your industry-owned product data repository now has more than 350 brands covering more than 2.7 million live part numbers. Every week, we see thousands of data exports pulled down by data receivers—our industry’s resellers and retailers. That means that more products are getting more exposure, leading to increased sales.

That’s great news. Meanwhile, the marketplace continues to evolve. These days, more than 50% of all sales begin with online research, and studies show that a product listing that offers an image is more than twice as likely to sell as one with no image. Rich data—images with multiple views, video files, audio files—is reported to be as much as 17 times more likely to prompt a sale.

Given that we are moving into an age in which the Internet is the primary source of product information, high-quality “rich data” is essential to your company’s success. These days, a photo is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million.

Make no mistake, building rich data assets does require investment in time and people. But building rich data should be the target moving forward, and it should be in every company’s marketing budget. If you’re already shooting new products for a catalog, look into shooting 360-degree views or adding an audio or complete description of the benefits. With just a little more effort and investment, manufacturers can provide consumers with more reasons to buy and have that investment pay back in multiples.

Where to begin? A good start would be to download the “Digital Asset Best Practice Guideline” for the automotive market. This document was assembled and updated by the Technology Standards Committee of AAIA, now known as The Auto Care Association. It outlines industry best practices for producing audio, video and product images, and it details how to maximize return on the investment. Anyone in the industry can download the free report by going to www.SEMAdatacoop.org and clicking the link for the Digital Best Practices Release found in the “library” menu under “data standards.”

Rich digital assets are even more valuable now as the SEMA Data Co-op rolls out a tremendous new tool for the industry, SEMA Search. You can think of SEMA Search as the online encyclopedia of automotive aftermarket specialty parts. It’s designed for use by salespeople in the trade to access product information housed in the rapidly growing SEMA Data Co-op database.

Through SEMA Search, products are made visible to more receivers and their customers. With rich data to accompany year, make and model information, the buying proposition is much more compelling.

SEMA Search empowers salespeople to match customer inquiries with a broad array of product choices. Tapping into up-to-date information in the SEMA Data Co-op means less chance of ordering errors and fewer returns. And end users—the ultimate beneficiaries we all work for—will find it easier than ever to find the parts that feed their enthusiasm for aftermarket upgrades.

It’s clear that we’ve reached an age where data quality is the key to success. For those SEMA Data Co-op members who haven’t yet begun to take advantage of the selling opportunities provided by enhanced product imagery and marketing copy, now is the time to gear up. For those whose products are not yet represented in the SEMA Data Co-op, it should be obvious: Now is the time to get in.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—December 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Newsflash: Rich Marketing Content = More Profits. Is Yours In the SEMA Data Co-op?

We’re pleased to report that the SEMA Data Co-op has surpassed critical mass and is rolling! Your industry-owned product data repository now has more than 350 brands covering more than 2.7 million live part numbers. Every week, we see thousands of data exports pulled down by data receivers—our industry’s resellers and retailers. That means that more products are getting more exposure, leading to increased sales.

That’s great news. Meanwhile, the marketplace continues to evolve. These days, more than 50% of all sales begin with online research, and studies show that a product listing that offers an image is more than twice as likely to sell as one with no image. Rich data—images with multiple views, video files, audio files—is reported to be as much as 17 times more likely to prompt a sale.

Given that we are moving into an age in which the Internet is the primary source of product information, high-quality “rich data” is essential to your company’s success. These days, a photo is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million.

Make no mistake, building rich data assets does require investment in time and people. But building rich data should be the target moving forward, and it should be in every company’s marketing budget. If you’re already shooting new products for a catalog, look into shooting 360-degree views or adding an audio or complete description of the benefits. With just a little more effort and investment, manufacturers can provide consumers with more reasons to buy and have that investment pay back in multiples.

Where to begin? A good start would be to download the “Digital Asset Best Practice Guideline” for the automotive market. This document was assembled and updated by the Technology Standards Committee of AAIA, now known as The Auto Care Association. It outlines industry best practices for producing audio, video and product images, and it details how to maximize return on the investment. Anyone in the industry can download the free report by going to www.SEMAdatacoop.org and clicking the link for the Digital Best Practices Release found in the “library” menu under “data standards.”

Rich digital assets are even more valuable now as the SEMA Data Co-op rolls out a tremendous new tool for the industry, SEMA Search. You can think of SEMA Search as the online encyclopedia of automotive aftermarket specialty parts. It’s designed for use by salespeople in the trade to access product information housed in the rapidly growing SEMA Data Co-op database.

Through SEMA Search, products are made visible to more receivers and their customers. With rich data to accompany year, make and model information, the buying proposition is much more compelling.

SEMA Search empowers salespeople to match customer inquiries with a broad array of product choices. Tapping into up-to-date information in the SEMA Data Co-op means less chance of ordering errors and fewer returns. And end users—the ultimate beneficiaries we all work for—will find it easier than ever to find the parts that feed their enthusiasm for aftermarket upgrades.

It’s clear that we’ve reached an age where data quality is the key to success. For those SEMA Data Co-op members who haven’t yet begun to take advantage of the selling opportunities provided by enhanced product imagery and marketing copy, now is the time to gear up. For those whose products are not yet represented in the SEMA Data Co-op, it should be obvious: Now is the time to get in.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—December 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Newsflash: Rich Marketing Content = More Profits. Is Yours In the SEMA Data Co-op?

We’re pleased to report that the SEMA Data Co-op has surpassed critical mass and is rolling! Your industry-owned product data repository now has more than 350 brands covering more than 2.7 million live part numbers. Every week, we see thousands of data exports pulled down by data receivers—our industry’s resellers and retailers. That means that more products are getting more exposure, leading to increased sales.

That’s great news. Meanwhile, the marketplace continues to evolve. These days, more than 50% of all sales begin with online research, and studies show that a product listing that offers an image is more than twice as likely to sell as one with no image. Rich data—images with multiple views, video files, audio files—is reported to be as much as 17 times more likely to prompt a sale.

Given that we are moving into an age in which the Internet is the primary source of product information, high-quality “rich data” is essential to your company’s success. These days, a photo is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million.

Make no mistake, building rich data assets does require investment in time and people. But building rich data should be the target moving forward, and it should be in every company’s marketing budget. If you’re already shooting new products for a catalog, look into shooting 360-degree views or adding an audio or complete description of the benefits. With just a little more effort and investment, manufacturers can provide consumers with more reasons to buy and have that investment pay back in multiples.

Where to begin? A good start would be to download the “Digital Asset Best Practice Guideline” for the automotive market. This document was assembled and updated by the Technology Standards Committee of AAIA, now known as The Auto Care Association. It outlines industry best practices for producing audio, video and product images, and it details how to maximize return on the investment. Anyone in the industry can download the free report by going to www.SEMAdatacoop.org and clicking the link for the Digital Best Practices Release found in the “library” menu under “data standards.”

Rich digital assets are even more valuable now as the SEMA Data Co-op rolls out a tremendous new tool for the industry, SEMA Search. You can think of SEMA Search as the online encyclopedia of automotive aftermarket specialty parts. It’s designed for use by salespeople in the trade to access product information housed in the rapidly growing SEMA Data Co-op database.

Through SEMA Search, products are made visible to more receivers and their customers. With rich data to accompany year, make and model information, the buying proposition is much more compelling.

SEMA Search empowers salespeople to match customer inquiries with a broad array of product choices. Tapping into up-to-date information in the SEMA Data Co-op means less chance of ordering errors and fewer returns. And end users—the ultimate beneficiaries we all work for—will find it easier than ever to find the parts that feed their enthusiasm for aftermarket upgrades.

It’s clear that we’ve reached an age where data quality is the key to success. For those SEMA Data Co-op members who haven’t yet begun to take advantage of the selling opportunities provided by enhanced product imagery and marketing copy, now is the time to gear up. For those whose products are not yet represented in the SEMA Data Co-op, it should be obvious: Now is the time to get in.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—December 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Newsflash: Rich Marketing Content = More Profits. Is Yours In the SEMA Data Co-op?

We’re pleased to report that the SEMA Data Co-op has surpassed critical mass and is rolling! Your industry-owned product data repository now has more than 350 brands covering more than 2.7 million live part numbers. Every week, we see thousands of data exports pulled down by data receivers—our industry’s resellers and retailers. That means that more products are getting more exposure, leading to increased sales.

That’s great news. Meanwhile, the marketplace continues to evolve. These days, more than 50% of all sales begin with online research, and studies show that a product listing that offers an image is more than twice as likely to sell as one with no image. Rich data—images with multiple views, video files, audio files—is reported to be as much as 17 times more likely to prompt a sale.

Given that we are moving into an age in which the Internet is the primary source of product information, high-quality “rich data” is essential to your company’s success. These days, a photo is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million.

Make no mistake, building rich data assets does require investment in time and people. But building rich data should be the target moving forward, and it should be in every company’s marketing budget. If you’re already shooting new products for a catalog, look into shooting 360-degree views or adding an audio or complete description of the benefits. With just a little more effort and investment, manufacturers can provide consumers with more reasons to buy and have that investment pay back in multiples.

Where to begin? A good start would be to download the “Digital Asset Best Practice Guideline” for the automotive market. This document was assembled and updated by the Technology Standards Committee of AAIA, now known as The Auto Care Association. It outlines industry best practices for producing audio, video and product images, and it details how to maximize return on the investment. Anyone in the industry can download the free report by going to www.SEMAdatacoop.org and clicking the link for the Digital Best Practices Release found in the “library” menu under “data standards.”

Rich digital assets are even more valuable now as the SEMA Data Co-op rolls out a tremendous new tool for the industry, SEMA Search. You can think of SEMA Search as the online encyclopedia of automotive aftermarket specialty parts. It’s designed for use by salespeople in the trade to access product information housed in the rapidly growing SEMA Data Co-op database.

Through SEMA Search, products are made visible to more receivers and their customers. With rich data to accompany year, make and model information, the buying proposition is much more compelling.

SEMA Search empowers salespeople to match customer inquiries with a broad array of product choices. Tapping into up-to-date information in the SEMA Data Co-op means less chance of ordering errors and fewer returns. And end users—the ultimate beneficiaries we all work for—will find it easier than ever to find the parts that feed their enthusiasm for aftermarket upgrades.

It’s clear that we’ve reached an age where data quality is the key to success. For those SEMA Data Co-op members who haven’t yet begun to take advantage of the selling opportunities provided by enhanced product imagery and marketing copy, now is the time to gear up. For those whose products are not yet represented in the SEMA Data Co-op, it should be obvious: Now is the time to get in.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—December 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Newsflash: Rich Marketing Content = More Profits. Is Yours In the SEMA Data Co-op?

We’re pleased to report that the SEMA Data Co-op has surpassed critical mass and is rolling! Your industry-owned product data repository now has more than 350 brands covering more than 2.7 million live part numbers. Every week, we see thousands of data exports pulled down by data receivers—our industry’s resellers and retailers. That means that more products are getting more exposure, leading to increased sales.

That’s great news. Meanwhile, the marketplace continues to evolve. These days, more than 50% of all sales begin with online research, and studies show that a product listing that offers an image is more than twice as likely to sell as one with no image. Rich data—images with multiple views, video files, audio files—is reported to be as much as 17 times more likely to prompt a sale.

Given that we are moving into an age in which the Internet is the primary source of product information, high-quality “rich data” is essential to your company’s success. These days, a photo is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million.

Make no mistake, building rich data assets does require investment in time and people. But building rich data should be the target moving forward, and it should be in every company’s marketing budget. If you’re already shooting new products for a catalog, look into shooting 360-degree views or adding an audio or complete description of the benefits. With just a little more effort and investment, manufacturers can provide consumers with more reasons to buy and have that investment pay back in multiples.

Where to begin? A good start would be to download the “Digital Asset Best Practice Guideline” for the automotive market. This document was assembled and updated by the Technology Standards Committee of AAIA, now known as The Auto Care Association. It outlines industry best practices for producing audio, video and product images, and it details how to maximize return on the investment. Anyone in the industry can download the free report by going to www.SEMAdatacoop.org and clicking the link for the Digital Best Practices Release found in the “library” menu under “data standards.”

Rich digital assets are even more valuable now as the SEMA Data Co-op rolls out a tremendous new tool for the industry, SEMA Search. You can think of SEMA Search as the online encyclopedia of automotive aftermarket specialty parts. It’s designed for use by salespeople in the trade to access product information housed in the rapidly growing SEMA Data Co-op database.

Through SEMA Search, products are made visible to more receivers and their customers. With rich data to accompany year, make and model information, the buying proposition is much more compelling.

SEMA Search empowers salespeople to match customer inquiries with a broad array of product choices. Tapping into up-to-date information in the SEMA Data Co-op means less chance of ordering errors and fewer returns. And end users—the ultimate beneficiaries we all work for—will find it easier than ever to find the parts that feed their enthusiasm for aftermarket upgrades.

It’s clear that we’ve reached an age where data quality is the key to success. For those SEMA Data Co-op members who haven’t yet begun to take advantage of the selling opportunities provided by enhanced product imagery and marketing copy, now is the time to gear up. For those whose products are not yet represented in the SEMA Data Co-op, it should be obvious: Now is the time to get in.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—December 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Newsflash: Rich Marketing Content = More Profits. Is Yours In the SEMA Data Co-op?

We’re pleased to report that the SEMA Data Co-op has surpassed critical mass and is rolling! Your industry-owned product data repository now has more than 350 brands covering more than 2.7 million live part numbers. Every week, we see thousands of data exports pulled down by data receivers—our industry’s resellers and retailers. That means that more products are getting more exposure, leading to increased sales.

That’s great news. Meanwhile, the marketplace continues to evolve. These days, more than 50% of all sales begin with online research, and studies show that a product listing that offers an image is more than twice as likely to sell as one with no image. Rich data—images with multiple views, video files, audio files—is reported to be as much as 17 times more likely to prompt a sale.

Given that we are moving into an age in which the Internet is the primary source of product information, high-quality “rich data” is essential to your company’s success. These days, a photo is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million.

Make no mistake, building rich data assets does require investment in time and people. But building rich data should be the target moving forward, and it should be in every company’s marketing budget. If you’re already shooting new products for a catalog, look into shooting 360-degree views or adding an audio or complete description of the benefits. With just a little more effort and investment, manufacturers can provide consumers with more reasons to buy and have that investment pay back in multiples.

Where to begin? A good start would be to download the “Digital Asset Best Practice Guideline” for the automotive market. This document was assembled and updated by the Technology Standards Committee of AAIA, now known as The Auto Care Association. It outlines industry best practices for producing audio, video and product images, and it details how to maximize return on the investment. Anyone in the industry can download the free report by going to www.SEMAdatacoop.org and clicking the link for the Digital Best Practices Release found in the “library” menu under “data standards.”

Rich digital assets are even more valuable now as the SEMA Data Co-op rolls out a tremendous new tool for the industry, SEMA Search. You can think of SEMA Search as the online encyclopedia of automotive aftermarket specialty parts. It’s designed for use by salespeople in the trade to access product information housed in the rapidly growing SEMA Data Co-op database.

Through SEMA Search, products are made visible to more receivers and their customers. With rich data to accompany year, make and model information, the buying proposition is much more compelling.

SEMA Search empowers salespeople to match customer inquiries with a broad array of product choices. Tapping into up-to-date information in the SEMA Data Co-op means less chance of ordering errors and fewer returns. And end users—the ultimate beneficiaries we all work for—will find it easier than ever to find the parts that feed their enthusiasm for aftermarket upgrades.

It’s clear that we’ve reached an age where data quality is the key to success. For those SEMA Data Co-op members who haven’t yet begun to take advantage of the selling opportunities provided by enhanced product imagery and marketing copy, now is the time to gear up. For those whose products are not yet represented in the SEMA Data Co-op, it should be obvious: Now is the time to get in.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO