Strengthen Your Company Through Community
No matter what niche you're in—rods, restoration, racing, restyling, reps, trucks or wheels and tires—there's a SEMA council or professional network that's right for your company. SEMA councils and networks offer members a variety of market-specific programs and activities designed to provide educational and networking opportunities while promoting their particular industry segment.
Display Your Truck or Jeep at the SEMA Show and Support SEMA Cares
By Clayton Drescher
At this year’s SEMA Show, the Truck and Off-Road Alliance will display several vehicles in premier spots between the South Hall Las Vegas Convention Center and the new Performance Pavilion exhibition area. As the SEMA Show continues to grow and expand, the conduits between exhibition areas gain in visibility and impact. Each day, thousands of attendees will be exposed to this selection of impressive vehicles that promote the mission and membership of TORA.
TORA members are invited to submit a 2015 Display Vehicle Application and photo or rendering of their vehicle for display consideration. The applicants must abide by SEMA Show feature vehicle policies and eligibility requirements. Applications will be accepted online through August 28, 2015, and applicants will be notified of their vehicle's status by September 14, 2015.
Contact Clayton Drescher at 909-978-6696, claytond@sema.org for more information.
SEMA Garage FAQ for TORA Members
By Clayton Drescher
The SEMA Garage is an invaluable product-development tool for manufacturers, especially those serving the truck, SUV and off-road markets. Sixty percent of the Measuring Sessions hosted by the SEMA Garage in the last 12 months have featured trucks or SUVs, and the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) has compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Measuring Sessions to orient new and veteran members alike to the services and opportunities available at the Garage.
Maybe you’ve wondered what you should bring to a Measuring Session or if you’ll have private access to the vehicles. Are the right people in your company getting all the Measuring Session notifications and are they aware of the digital data available through Tech Transfer? These questions and more are answered in the SEMA Garage FAQ.
Visit the FAQ webpage and www.semagarage.com to learn more.
Connect With ARMO at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals
ARMO is hosting a general membership meeting at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals on Thursday, August 6, at the Kentucky Expo Center. General membership meetings are a great way to connect with fellow industry professionals to discuss day-to-day challenges, the future of the industry and how to get involved. This is an exclusive opportunity to build a lasting connection to SEMA and the ARMO council.
The meeting will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will take place during the NSRA Street Rod Nationals, where a range of activities and vehicle displays will be on site. Please visit the NSRA events page to learn more. RSVP for the 2015 ARMO General Membership Meeting.
For more information, contact Jim Skelly at jimsk@sema.org.
Earn Up to $600 in Two Easy Steps
Manufacturers’ reps have a new opportunity to partner with the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) for a special incentive. Between now and September 2, 2015, reps who refer new suppliers to the SDC can earn a cash reward of anywhere between $150–$600.
The first step for reps is to start a conversation with their manufacturer clients about the benefits of selling more parts with data and the solutions that the SDC offers to help them manage and distribute great product data. Next, visit the SDC incentive page and complete the form by September 2. An SDC employee will follow up with each supplier to begin the on-boarding process.
As long as the supplier is referred during the incentive period and on-boarded by November 27, 2015, the referring rep will receive a check in the amount of that supplier’s first month’s dues. These checks are issued to individual reps, not SEMA-member companies.
For reps who need a little preparation for these discussions, training is available through the MRN Certification Program. The web-based educational series helps manufacturers’ representatives learn more about what the SDC offers through courses designed to build confidence in discussing the data-management system with customers. Contact SDC Director of Membership Jim Graven at jimg@SEMAdatacoop.org to sign up.
Visit www.sema.org/mrn to learn more about the MRN SDC Incentive program and start earning rewards today.
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Rules of Sales Success: The 80–20 Rule
By Amanda Gubbins
Every market has a potential customer base, be it big or small, depending on the size of the target market. But not every dealership is a potential customer. Sometimes the best new prospects are current customers.
As a rule of thumb, 80% of a company’s business is generated by 20% of its customers. Though the goal when prospecting is to drum up new business, restylers should devote their time and energy to the prospects with the greatest potential to become loyal customers. A good place to start is by asking some basic questions. Honest answers will help clarify where to focus efforts:
- Is the dealership doing business with another restyling center? If so, is the competition too well established for you to get your foot in the door?
- Will you have to devote a great deal of time and energy to get an order from this dealership? Given the effort required to generate the business, will it be profitable in the long run?
- Does the dealership have the potential to be a significant source of business in the future? If so, should you spend the time now to plant the seeds?
- What are your chances of reaching the decision maker?
The “PRO Sales Training Manual” walks restylers and installers through this and many other selling guidelines. It’s a helpful resource for training your entire team and it’s available at a special rate for PRO members. While it can be purchased by anyone for $149.95, PRO (and TORA) members receive the discounted price of $24.95 for the printed copy. The digital edition is free for PRO members. Contact Clayton Drescher to place your order today.
Steps to Maximizing Every Sales Opportunity
By Amanda Gubbins
Generally speaking, people don’t like to be “sold.” However, they do like to buy, provided, of course, they perceive value and understand the benefits. That’s where skills and know-how come into play. If restylers can give a good reason why their products and services are a perfect fit for the dealership, they are far more likely to gain attention and ultimately earn business. Facts like this can go a long way—the average gross profit on dealer-installed accessories that restylers provide is 50%–75%, versus 10%–20% from the factory.
But that’s not all; products won’t fly off the shelves by themselves. Simply “selling” the dealer doesn’t necessarily make for success. It’s important to build a relationship with the dealership, earn management’s commitment to supporting an accessory program and convince the salespeople on the floor to follow through and sell the products.
Whether working with existing accounts or making cold calls to prospect for new business, there are a few steps restylers can take to maximize every sales opportunity. The “PRO Sales Training Manual” walks restylers and installers through these techniques—from what to wear and how to set goals, to how to structure a sales call and start building relationships with key dealership players.
The “PRO Sales Training Manual” is available as a hard copy, bound in a three-ring binder or for the first time in electronic format for easy use on a tablet. While it can be purchased by anyone for $149.95, PRO (and TORA) members receive the special discounted price of $24.95 for the printed copy. The digital edition is free for PRO members. Contact Clayton Drescher to place your order today.
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Karen Vielkind |
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SBN Member of the Month—Karen Vielkind, Girls ‘N Garages
Karen Vielkind is the owner and editor-in-chief of Girls ‘N Garages, based in Plympton, Massachusetts.
What does your company do?
Girls ‘N Garages is a women’s automotive magazine that is currently published four times per year.
What is your position?
Editor-in-chief and owner.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
Getting to talk to women about their experiences being in the automotive world.
How long have you been involved with the automotive aftermarket?
About five months, creating and developing the magazine.
What brought you to the industry?
My fiancé, and wanting to see more women in it.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Never stop doing your best just because someone doesn’t give you credit.
What would someone meeting you for the first time be surprised to learn?
I am a quadruplet.
What is your dream car?
A ’55 Chevy 3100 pickup.
What is your favorite pastime?
Cruising in my truck and reading/writing.
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YEN’s Hot Rod Power Tour 2015: Recap
SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN) kicked off the month of June with the Hot Rod Power Tour, where eight YEN members reached out to young professionals regarding the variety of career paths and opportunities available to them in the industry. Starting off in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 5, members traveled though Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana where the tour concluded.
Over the course of seven stops and 1,500 miles, participants had the opportunity to highlight the efforts of SEMA and YEN in person and through more than 1,000 posts on social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Members connected with fellow enthusiasts and professionals, gaining valuable insight and a variety of helpful perspectives on the state of the industry, having conducted more than 50 interviews with event attendees.
“Thanks to the Power Tour, I now have connections across the SEMA family of companies and have lifelong friends in different niches of the market,” noted participant Keith McWilliams of COMP Performance Group.
The Tour included visits to schools with education programs dedicated to automotive research and technology, and included the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Ranken Technical College, Lawson State Community College and the Tuscaloosa Center for Technology. YEN members were delighted to meet and engage with 250 students, finding their enthusiasm for the industry affirming and inspiring to their own career goals and achievements. Participant Matthew S. Davis, director of marketing at Premier Performance Products, was particularly delighted to share his insight with the students he met on the tour.
“The connections I made on this trip with the other YEN members were very valuable to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed networking with the upcoming generations at the school stops. I very much enjoy networking and helping others realize their dreams; it brings me a lot of joy.”
For more information on upcoming events and how to get involved with SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN), please visit www.sema.org/YEN.
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