SEMA News—April 2015

SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly

Confused About Data Management? Here Are the SDC’s Top Five Reasons to Get Started Now!

I was talking to an old friend who runs a specialty performance distribution business, and he said, “You know, it just seems like nobody talks to each other on the phone any more.” Yep, e-mail has changed the way we communicate. The same sentiment can be heard in brick-and-mortar stores across the country in the form of, “You know, people don’t come into the store like they used to.” There’s no question that the Internet has changed the way we do business as well. So what’s the common thread that is replacing the long-standing virtues of face-to-face business, customer relationships and loyalty? If you ask me, it’s technology.

As we have talked about so many times before, today’s consumers are increasingly demanding and have a pretty short attention span. You can thank the Internet for that. E-commerce has created an expectation of instant results, which has caused consumers in many cases to forego old loyalties in exchange for convenience, speed and ready availability of information.

So what does this mean to you and your business? Well, it’s rapidly becoming a “jump on board now or get run over by the train” scenario. Information—and specifically product information—is driving the choices that consumers make every day. Brand owners and resellers that have the best product information are winning with today’s consumers. Remember, even if they buy locally, more than 75% of consumers use the Internet to research potential purchases.

Here are the SDC’s top five reasons why you should get started managing and distributing your product data now:

1. Quality product data helps make you “visible” to the 75% of consumers who are researching their potential purchases on the Internet. Every time product information is added to a website, blog post, forum or most anywhere else on the web, the search engines start crawling, cataloging and presenting that info in search results.
   
2. Quality product data is a requirement for doing business with many of your larger customers. Frankly, it’s almost impossible to get your foot in the door with the larger retailers and WDs unless you have their data needs handled.
   
3. You can accelerate your new-product sales by making product data available in a timely manner, populating key websites, blogs and forums and getting enthusiast “chatter” started.
   
4. Your own business systems require data to help you operate efficiently. Why not make sure it’s the best available?
   
5. Many of your competitors are working hard on their product data right now—and gaining market advantage in the process.

Don’t let a wait-and-see attitude stall you for one more day. The future of your business depends on it! 

To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact SEMA Data Co-op Director of Membership Jim Graven at jimg@SEMAdatacoop.org or 888-958-6698 x4.
 

SEMA News—April 2015

REQUIRED READING

The Reviews Keep Coming In

While the SEMA Show is a trade event that is not open to the general public, thousands of journalists from around the world participate in it and serve as the eyes and ears for enthusiasts. These reporters work around the clock to scour the SEMA Show floor in search of standout products to share with their readers and viewers. Even if you were able to attend the 2014 SEMA Show, these publications are helpful in highlighting products that you may have missed. After all, there were more than 2,300 exhibitors and more than 1 million sq. ft. to cover. Take a look at some of the magazines that offered comprehensive coverage that you will not want to miss.

SEMA News—April 2015

REQUIRED READING

The Reviews Keep Coming In

While the SEMA Show is a trade event that is not open to the general public, thousands of journalists from around the world participate in it and serve as the eyes and ears for enthusiasts. These reporters work around the clock to scour the SEMA Show floor in search of standout products to share with their readers and viewers. Even if you were able to attend the 2014 SEMA Show, these publications are helpful in highlighting products that you may have missed. After all, there were more than 2,300 exhibitors and more than 1 million sq. ft. to cover. Take a look at some of the magazines that offered comprehensive coverage that you will not want to miss.

SEMA News—April 2015

REQUIRED READING

The Reviews Keep Coming In

While the SEMA Show is a trade event that is not open to the general public, thousands of journalists from around the world participate in it and serve as the eyes and ears for enthusiasts. These reporters work around the clock to scour the SEMA Show floor in search of standout products to share with their readers and viewers. Even if you were able to attend the 2014 SEMA Show, these publications are helpful in highlighting products that you may have missed. After all, there were more than 2,300 exhibitors and more than 1 million sq. ft. to cover. Take a look at some of the magazines that offered comprehensive coverage that you will not want to miss.

SEMA News—April 2015

REQUIRED READING

The Reviews Keep Coming In

While the SEMA Show is a trade event that is not open to the general public, thousands of journalists from around the world participate in it and serve as the eyes and ears for enthusiasts. These reporters work around the clock to scour the SEMA Show floor in search of standout products to share with their readers and viewers. Even if you were able to attend the 2014 SEMA Show, these publications are helpful in highlighting products that you may have missed. After all, there were more than 2,300 exhibitors and more than 1 million sq. ft. to cover. Take a look at some of the magazines that offered comprehensive coverage that you will not want to miss.

SEMA News—April 2015

REQUIRED READING

The Reviews Keep Coming In

While the SEMA Show is a trade event that is not open to the general public, thousands of journalists from around the world participate in it and serve as the eyes and ears for enthusiasts. These reporters work around the clock to scour the SEMA Show floor in search of standout products to share with their readers and viewers. Even if you were able to attend the 2014 SEMA Show, these publications are helpful in highlighting products that you may have missed. After all, there were more than 2,300 exhibitors and more than 1 million sq. ft. to cover. Take a look at some of the magazines that offered comprehensive coverage that you will not want to miss.

SEMA News—April 2015

REQUIRED READING

The Reviews Keep Coming In

While the SEMA Show is a trade event that is not open to the general public, thousands of journalists from around the world participate in it and serve as the eyes and ears for enthusiasts. These reporters work around the clock to scour the SEMA Show floor in search of standout products to share with their readers and viewers. Even if you were able to attend the 2014 SEMA Show, these publications are helpful in highlighting products that you may have missed. After all, there were more than 2,300 exhibitors and more than 1 million sq. ft. to cover. Take a look at some of the magazines that offered comprehensive coverage that you will not want to miss.

SEMA News—April 2015

BUSINESS
By Chad Simon

Retail Spotlight

The Truck’n America Family Goes the Extra Mile to Service Clients

Truck’n America specializes in truck accessory product sales and installations. Truck caps, tonneau covers and step bars are the company’s best sellers, along with exterior accessories that include sidebars, floor liners and bedliners.

Morrison’s father and grandfather were from Indiana, which was considered “truck-cap central” at the time. They brought truck caps down to Maryland and sold them out of a crab shack they rented in Waldorf.

Today, Truck’n America specializes in truck accessory product sales and installations, and also sells cargo and utility trailers and golf carts. Truck caps, tonneau covers and step bars are the company’s best sellers, along with exterior accessories that include sidebars, floor liners and bedliners.

Sales Growing Post-Recession

The company’s demographic is mostly men between the ages of 35 and 60 who can afford a brand-new truck and want to accessorize it. Because the business is located near Baltimore and Washington, D.C., it doesn’t have an off-roading customer base. Instead, people use trucks commercially for farming, construction and landscaping and for home improvements on the weekends. The company also sells to older government workers who buy trucks for recreational purposes, including hunting, fishing and biking.

According to Morrison, truck sales are picking up due to the drop in gas prices. As a supplier of truck accessories, Truck’n America’s success relies on truck sales, so if that’s strong, business is strong. So far this year, the company’s sales are up 20%. In January alone, sales were up 26%.

Aside from a franchise location that was added about three years ago in Ocean City, Maryland, the company hasn’t expanded much recently due to the economy. At one point, 13 stores spread from Florida to Long Island, New York.

A Tight-Knit Family

The recession was the biggest challenge Morrison had ever faced, but he decided to hunker down and tackle the challenge head on with the Truck’n America family intact.

“We didn’t lay anybody off,” he said. “Things were tight, but we’re family, so we were able to fight through it together. We have a good core of guys; all of our managers have been with us for many years. We are keeping our sales up because my guys treat our customers right.”

Morrison’s newest manager is a friend who was the left guard on his football team in high school, and he’s been with the company for 10 years. Another manager was Morrison’s next-door neighbor growing up. His inventory manager has been working with him for 25 years, and the other four managers started when they were 18.

Forging Relationships

The company is involved in charity events to maintain relationships with clients, including an annual car show in which the money raised is donated to Southern Maryland Center for Independent Living. In addition, the Morrison brothers coach several of the local Little League teams and Truck’n America sponsors them.

“We’ve all grown up in Maryland and Virginia,” Morrison said. “We’re the local store, so we try to push that angle. If my air compressor goes bad, I’m using a local person to fix it.”

Offering More Than the Internet

Looking ahead, Morrison said that he plans to add a few more stores in Maryland and Virginia for a total of 10.

“I think of this as our market, and I’d like to shore it up,” he said. “One of my guys wrote on one of our signs that we know more than the Internet. I think that’s true. I overheard one of my guys talking to a customer who had bought a weight-distributing hitch online, and he didn’t know how to work it. My guy spent seven minutes on the phone telling him how to hook it up. He asked the customer to bring it in so he could hook it up for him. Try to get that kind of service online. Nobody there knows how to hook it up.”

Morrison admitted that it’s frustrating when someone comes in to touch and feel a product and then goes home to order it online.

“We’re getting more than what they charge online because we do know more,” he said. “You don’t get customer service online unless you have a problem. They are all about getting the product to you quickly. If we don’t have it in stock, I can have it to you next day. When it comes to an issue, such as a tonneau cover that doesn’t fit properly, bring it in, we’ll adjust it, and you’re on your way. We’re getting some customers who have gone to the Internet to buy a product cheaper and thought they saved money, but in the long run, they really didn’t because of the technical issues they had.”

It may sound clichéd, but Morrison’s advice to novice retailers is to treat everybody well, both clients and employees. Nothing happens until the sale is made, so your success is based on the performance of your employees.

SEMA News—April 2015

BUSINESS
By Chad Simon

Retail Spotlight

The Truck’n America Family Goes the Extra Mile to Service Clients

Truck’n America specializes in truck accessory product sales and installations. Truck caps, tonneau covers and step bars are the company’s best sellers, along with exterior accessories that include sidebars, floor liners and bedliners.

Morrison’s father and grandfather were from Indiana, which was considered “truck-cap central” at the time. They brought truck caps down to Maryland and sold them out of a crab shack they rented in Waldorf.

Today, Truck’n America specializes in truck accessory product sales and installations, and also sells cargo and utility trailers and golf carts. Truck caps, tonneau covers and step bars are the company’s best sellers, along with exterior accessories that include sidebars, floor liners and bedliners.

Sales Growing Post-Recession

The company’s demographic is mostly men between the ages of 35 and 60 who can afford a brand-new truck and want to accessorize it. Because the business is located near Baltimore and Washington, D.C., it doesn’t have an off-roading customer base. Instead, people use trucks commercially for farming, construction and landscaping and for home improvements on the weekends. The company also sells to older government workers who buy trucks for recreational purposes, including hunting, fishing and biking.

According to Morrison, truck sales are picking up due to the drop in gas prices. As a supplier of truck accessories, Truck’n America’s success relies on truck sales, so if that’s strong, business is strong. So far this year, the company’s sales are up 20%. In January alone, sales were up 26%.

Aside from a franchise location that was added about three years ago in Ocean City, Maryland, the company hasn’t expanded much recently due to the economy. At one point, 13 stores spread from Florida to Long Island, New York.

A Tight-Knit Family

The recession was the biggest challenge Morrison had ever faced, but he decided to hunker down and tackle the challenge head on with the Truck’n America family intact.

“We didn’t lay anybody off,” he said. “Things were tight, but we’re family, so we were able to fight through it together. We have a good core of guys; all of our managers have been with us for many years. We are keeping our sales up because my guys treat our customers right.”

Morrison’s newest manager is a friend who was the left guard on his football team in high school, and he’s been with the company for 10 years. Another manager was Morrison’s next-door neighbor growing up. His inventory manager has been working with him for 25 years, and the other four managers started when they were 18.

Forging Relationships

The company is involved in charity events to maintain relationships with clients, including an annual car show in which the money raised is donated to Southern Maryland Center for Independent Living. In addition, the Morrison brothers coach several of the local Little League teams and Truck’n America sponsors them.

“We’ve all grown up in Maryland and Virginia,” Morrison said. “We’re the local store, so we try to push that angle. If my air compressor goes bad, I’m using a local person to fix it.”

Offering More Than the Internet

Looking ahead, Morrison said that he plans to add a few more stores in Maryland and Virginia for a total of 10.

“I think of this as our market, and I’d like to shore it up,” he said. “One of my guys wrote on one of our signs that we know more than the Internet. I think that’s true. I overheard one of my guys talking to a customer who had bought a weight-distributing hitch online, and he didn’t know how to work it. My guy spent seven minutes on the phone telling him how to hook it up. He asked the customer to bring it in so he could hook it up for him. Try to get that kind of service online. Nobody there knows how to hook it up.”

Morrison admitted that it’s frustrating when someone comes in to touch and feel a product and then goes home to order it online.

“We’re getting more than what they charge online because we do know more,” he said. “You don’t get customer service online unless you have a problem. They are all about getting the product to you quickly. If we don’t have it in stock, I can have it to you next day. When it comes to an issue, such as a tonneau cover that doesn’t fit properly, bring it in, we’ll adjust it, and you’re on your way. We’re getting some customers who have gone to the Internet to buy a product cheaper and thought they saved money, but in the long run, they really didn’t because of the technical issues they had.”

It may sound clichéd, but Morrison’s advice to novice retailers is to treat everybody well, both clients and employees. Nothing happens until the sale is made, so your success is based on the performance of your employees.

SEMA News—April 2015

BUSINESS
By Chad Simon

Retail Spotlight

The Truck’n America Family Goes the Extra Mile to Service Clients

Truck’n America specializes in truck accessory product sales and installations. Truck caps, tonneau covers and step bars are the company’s best sellers, along with exterior accessories that include sidebars, floor liners and bedliners.

Morrison’s father and grandfather were from Indiana, which was considered “truck-cap central” at the time. They brought truck caps down to Maryland and sold them out of a crab shack they rented in Waldorf.

Today, Truck’n America specializes in truck accessory product sales and installations, and also sells cargo and utility trailers and golf carts. Truck caps, tonneau covers and step bars are the company’s best sellers, along with exterior accessories that include sidebars, floor liners and bedliners.

Sales Growing Post-Recession

The company’s demographic is mostly men between the ages of 35 and 60 who can afford a brand-new truck and want to accessorize it. Because the business is located near Baltimore and Washington, D.C., it doesn’t have an off-roading customer base. Instead, people use trucks commercially for farming, construction and landscaping and for home improvements on the weekends. The company also sells to older government workers who buy trucks for recreational purposes, including hunting, fishing and biking.

According to Morrison, truck sales are picking up due to the drop in gas prices. As a supplier of truck accessories, Truck’n America’s success relies on truck sales, so if that’s strong, business is strong. So far this year, the company’s sales are up 20%. In January alone, sales were up 26%.

Aside from a franchise location that was added about three years ago in Ocean City, Maryland, the company hasn’t expanded much recently due to the economy. At one point, 13 stores spread from Florida to Long Island, New York.

A Tight-Knit Family

The recession was the biggest challenge Morrison had ever faced, but he decided to hunker down and tackle the challenge head on with the Truck’n America family intact.

“We didn’t lay anybody off,” he said. “Things were tight, but we’re family, so we were able to fight through it together. We have a good core of guys; all of our managers have been with us for many years. We are keeping our sales up because my guys treat our customers right.”

Morrison’s newest manager is a friend who was the left guard on his football team in high school, and he’s been with the company for 10 years. Another manager was Morrison’s next-door neighbor growing up. His inventory manager has been working with him for 25 years, and the other four managers started when they were 18.

Forging Relationships

The company is involved in charity events to maintain relationships with clients, including an annual car show in which the money raised is donated to Southern Maryland Center for Independent Living. In addition, the Morrison brothers coach several of the local Little League teams and Truck’n America sponsors them.

“We’ve all grown up in Maryland and Virginia,” Morrison said. “We’re the local store, so we try to push that angle. If my air compressor goes bad, I’m using a local person to fix it.”

Offering More Than the Internet

Looking ahead, Morrison said that he plans to add a few more stores in Maryland and Virginia for a total of 10.

“I think of this as our market, and I’d like to shore it up,” he said. “One of my guys wrote on one of our signs that we know more than the Internet. I think that’s true. I overheard one of my guys talking to a customer who had bought a weight-distributing hitch online, and he didn’t know how to work it. My guy spent seven minutes on the phone telling him how to hook it up. He asked the customer to bring it in so he could hook it up for him. Try to get that kind of service online. Nobody there knows how to hook it up.”

Morrison admitted that it’s frustrating when someone comes in to touch and feel a product and then goes home to order it online.

“We’re getting more than what they charge online because we do know more,” he said. “You don’t get customer service online unless you have a problem. They are all about getting the product to you quickly. If we don’t have it in stock, I can have it to you next day. When it comes to an issue, such as a tonneau cover that doesn’t fit properly, bring it in, we’ll adjust it, and you’re on your way. We’re getting some customers who have gone to the Internet to buy a product cheaper and thought they saved money, but in the long run, they really didn’t because of the technical issues they had.”

It may sound clichéd, but Morrison’s advice to novice retailers is to treat everybody well, both clients and employees. Nothing happens until the sale is made, so your success is based on the performance of your employees.