SEMA News—May 2015
SEMA DATA CO-OP
By Jon Wyly
Product Data: Walk a Mile in Your Customer’s Shoes
“You’ll never truly understand another person until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” So true. Taking the time to really understand your customers’ needs—from their perspective—can pay big dividends in goodwill and lasting, productive relationships.
For example, ask any retailer who is trying to grow his business online what he needs most from you, and the topic of rich product data will be front of mind.
It’s the lifeblood of a business where the consumer is truly in charge of his interaction with the retailer. Countless resources are expended to drive traffic to a retailer’s website, and without the benefit of a knowledgeable salesperson, the parts presentation itself becomes the “silent salesman.” Poor data? All that effort and money are wasted if the deal can’t be closed.
The bottom line is that an ongoing regimen of product data gathering, continued expansion and quality control are critical to the success of your business. You must own the process, understand its importance and seek help when you get confused or sidetracked. The good news is that there is quality, affordable help available.
We at the SEMA Data Co-op are often told, “We just don’t have the time to manage our product data.” As a business owner or sales manager, would you as easily accept a buyer telling you that he didn’t have time to purchase raw materials or goods? Or a salesperson who said that he didn’t have time to call on customers? Probably not, and I use those examples because they illustrate how fundamental good data management and ownership have become to successful business.
Taking the time to really understand your customers’ needs—from their perspective—can pay big dividends in goodwill and lasting, productive relationships. | |
The net result might be some success, no thanks to you, but it is often accompanied by a loss of control of your marketing message that can create unhappy consumers, excess returns and other costly issues. The answer? Own the process! Manage the data! Treat it as the valuable business asset it is. Turn its power loose, and
grow your sales in today’s digitally driven marketplace.
Don’t wait a minute longer to see what is going to happen, because I can tell you, it won’t be pretty. Sales will decline, customers will slowly migrate away from you, and competitive brands that understand the value of having their product data well managed and available will rob you of your market share.
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.
The next big fad is GMC superchargers,” wrote LeRoi “Tex” Smith in the June 1964 issue of Rod & Custom magazine. He was talking about how blowers were moving from pure racing applications to the street, and the opening pages of the story included this photo of Tom Beatty in his shop in Sun Valley, California. “Mr. Supercharger himself,” as Tex called him.
Along with his forced-induction expertise, Beatty is also well remembered for his innovative belly tanker. Bill Burke is credited with pioneering the use of fighter-plane drop tanks as aerodynamic envelopes for land-speed racers, but Beatty built on Burke’s idea, creating a tank that set records at the lakes and on the salt for years. This photo of Beatty (below) was shot at Bonneville in 1955 by Petersen’s Bob D’Olivo, where Beatty set a C Lakester record of 211.267 mph. Later modifications to the tank, including a switch to a blown Oldsmobile engine, allowed it to reach speeds of more than 250 mph.