The U.S. government estimates that less than 1% of U.S. small businesses currently export, even though there’s huge demand for high-quality, American-made products. SEMA members as a group appear to fare better as a percentage of those that engage in exporting, yet many SEMA-member products are finding their way into overseas markets, often through their U.S.-based warehouse distributors or in response to ad hoc requests from overseas customers and in the absence of a deliberate policy on how to maximize their bottom line through a deliberate effort.

“My guess would be that about 75% of SEMA-member manufacturers’ products wind up overseas somehow,” said Wade Kawasaki, president of Exports International. “I think a very small portion — perhaps 20% — have an integrated strategic plan on how that is done and how to expand or structure upon what they have.”

Given that exporting is an important but underutilized tool to help U.S. companies better weather the current prolonged economic downturn, the U.S. government recently announced a new initiative to assist firms. On March 11, 2010, President Obama signed Executive Order 12870, the National Export Initiative. It includes an increase in the budget of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration in order to expand the number of trade experts available to serve as advocates for U.S. companies. The initiative includes a number of goals, including increasing the number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) exporting to more than one market by over 50% and increasing the presence of U.S. SMEs in emerging markets such as Brazil, China and India

For more information about how to jumpstart your export success, contact Linda Spencer via e-mail at lindas@sema.org. She can help you capitalize on the SEMA Show programs aimed at bringing together exhibitors and international buyers as well as obtain distributor lists, information on overseas trade shows and relevant laws, regulations and tariffs.

The U.S. government estimates that less than 1% of U.S. small businesses currently export, even though there’s huge demand for high-quality, American-made products. SEMA members as a group appear to fare better as a percentage of those that engage in exporting, yet many SEMA-member products are finding their way into overseas markets, often through their U.S.-based warehouse distributors or in response to ad hoc requests from overseas customers and in the absence of a deliberate policy on how to maximize their bottom line through a deliberate effort.

“My guess would be that about 75% of SEMA-member manufacturers’ products wind up overseas somehow,” said Wade Kawasaki, president of Exports International. “I think a very small portion — perhaps 20% — have an integrated strategic plan on how that is done and how to expand or structure upon what they have.”

Given that exporting is an important but underutilized tool to help U.S. companies better weather the current prolonged economic downturn, the U.S. government recently announced a new initiative to assist firms. On March 11, 2010, President Obama signed Executive Order 12870, the National Export Initiative. It includes an increase in the budget of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration in order to expand the number of trade experts available to serve as advocates for U.S. companies. The initiative includes a number of goals, including increasing the number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) exporting to more than one market by over 50% and increasing the presence of U.S. SMEs in emerging markets such as Brazil, China and India

For more information about how to jumpstart your export success, contact Linda Spencer via e-mail at lindas@sema.org. She can help you capitalize on the SEMA Show programs aimed at bringing together exhibitors and international buyers as well as obtain distributor lists, information on overseas trade shows and relevant laws, regulations and tariffs.

Vic Edelbrock Sr.’s earliest designs were intended to squeeze more power out of that roadster’s flathead V8. By 1958, the company’s inventory stretched far beyond the venerable flathead, but because of its longstanding experience with Ford performance, “it was only natural for them to take an immediate interest in the new Ford engine,” wrote Technical Editor Ray Brock in Hot Rod magazine’s August 1958 issue.

That “new Ford engine” was the FE series V8 — so named for its Ford/Edsel applications. When the article was written, Edelbrock had already bought an Edsel Pacer and was developing a triple-carburetor manifold for it. Over the course of eight weeks and two lengthy articles, Edelbrock tested some 30 different engine combinations, taking a stock 361-inch Edsel motor from 211 peak horsepower to 342. Edelbrock and his team reworked the ignition, swapped in several different camshafts, added bigger valves and multiple carburetors, mounted headers, and even bored and stroked the block up to 412 inches.

“The Ford automobile is no longer a lightweight piece of machinery,” Brock wrote in his conclusion, “but we guarantee that the car will jump if some of the information discovered in this story is properly applied.”

Vic Edelbrock Sr.’s earliest designs were intended to squeeze more power out of that roadster’s flathead V8. By 1958, the company’s inventory stretched far beyond the venerable flathead, but because of its longstanding experience with Ford performance, “it was only natural for them to take an immediate interest in the new Ford engine,” wrote Technical Editor Ray Brock in Hot Rod magazine’s August 1958 issue.

That “new Ford engine” was the FE series V8 — so named for its Ford/Edsel applications. When the article was written, Edelbrock had already bought an Edsel Pacer and was developing a triple-carburetor manifold for it. Over the course of eight weeks and two lengthy articles, Edelbrock tested some 30 different engine combinations, taking a stock 361-inch Edsel motor from 211 peak horsepower to 342. Edelbrock and his team reworked the ignition, swapped in several different camshafts, added bigger valves and multiple carburetors, mounted headers, and even bored and stroked the block up to 412 inches.

“The Ford automobile is no longer a lightweight piece of machinery,” Brock wrote in his conclusion, “but we guarantee that the car will jump if some of the information discovered in this story is properly applied.”

In comments to a proposed inspection regulation issued by the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, SEMA supported a provision that would exempt vehicles registered as exhibition vehicles from OBD II requirements. Under state law, an exhibition vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle which is maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest and which is not used for the transportation of passengers or property on any highway, except to attend such functions. SEMA also recommended that the exhibition vehicle definition be expanded to include a vehicle used for personal recreational travel not to exceed 2,500 miles per year.

SEMA also sought clarification on a section of the proposal that would require the inspector to reject a vehicle if the ball joint wear exceeds manufacturer’s specifications. The proposal does not make clear whether it is referring to the manufacturer of the vehicle or the manufacturer of the ball joint, be it a Tier I original-equipment supplier or an aftermarket product. Further, the proposal gives no objective criteria by which an inspector can deem a specific ball joint to be sufficiently worn as to constitute an inspection failure. Since vehicle manufacturers use different designs of ball joints from a variety of suppliers, the degree of wear allowable can vary from vehicle to vehicle and model year to model year. It is therefore necessary to refer to a given ball joint manufacturer’s service specifications to determine replacement status of joints not fitted with wear indicators. For additional information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

In comments to a proposed inspection regulation issued by the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, SEMA supported a provision that would exempt vehicles registered as exhibition vehicles from OBD II requirements. Under state law, an exhibition vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle which is maintained solely for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades and other functions of public interest and which is not used for the transportation of passengers or property on any highway, except to attend such functions. SEMA also recommended that the exhibition vehicle definition be expanded to include a vehicle used for personal recreational travel not to exceed 2,500 miles per year.

SEMA also sought clarification on a section of the proposal that would require the inspector to reject a vehicle if the ball joint wear exceeds manufacturer’s specifications. The proposal does not make clear whether it is referring to the manufacturer of the vehicle or the manufacturer of the ball joint, be it a Tier I original-equipment supplier or an aftermarket product. Further, the proposal gives no objective criteria by which an inspector can deem a specific ball joint to be sufficiently worn as to constitute an inspection failure. Since vehicle manufacturers use different designs of ball joints from a variety of suppliers, the degree of wear allowable can vary from vehicle to vehicle and model year to model year. It is therefore necessary to refer to a given ball joint manufacturer’s service specifications to determine replacement status of joints not fitted with wear indicators. For additional information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

The Chinese State Council has launched a six-month campaign to enforce laws against counterfeited and pirated goods at the production and distribution levels. The special intellectual property rights (IPR) campaign is focusing on product areas subject to high levels of infringement, such as music and video products, mobile phones and auto parts. The crackdown is scheduled to last until March 2011 and will target commodities such as pirated publications, DVDs and computer software, along with violations of trademarks and patents. The national effort will concentrate on 14 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Beijing, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shanghai. For more information, check out China's Special Campaign to Combat IPR Infringement.

Protecting the intellectual property rights of members is a top SEMA priority. Visit www.sema.org/ipr for more information about patents, trademarks and copyrights, and links to previous SEMA articles and webinars on this subject. SEMA is also part of the Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy (CACP), a business alliance with more than 700 members that works with government, industry, the media and consumers to combat counterfeiting. For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein.

	Use blogs to build brand loyalty and trust. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools in creating a successful business venture.

You don’t have to be a geek or techie to understand social media; all you need is a passion for your job, according to Rick Calvert, CEO and co-founder of BlogWorld and New Media Expo, who hosted the SEMA webinar entitled, “Connect With Customers on Blogs: What You Need to Know.”

“During the 2000 presidential elections, bloggers who were just as passionate about the news and politics as I was were having these amazing discussions online,” Calvert said. “The same thing happened after the events of 9/11 and for about five years, I spent several hours a day reading and commenting on blogs.”

Calvert’s epiphany hit him one day when he was stuck in traffic on his way home from work while listening to a news program on the radio. The host said something that made him call into the show, and at the end of the conversation, the host suggested that Calvert should start his own blog. Calvert went home that night and within five minutes he did just that.

“It was that easy; anyone can do it,” Calvert said. “I started contacting other bloggers whom I liked and respected and asked them for some advice, and not only did they contact me back, but they also linked to my blog. Over time, more people started contacting me, and companies wanted to advertise on my blog. I was surprised to learn a blogging tradeshow didn’t exist. So in 2006, BlogWorld was born, and in 2007, we hosted our first show with 1,500 attendees. This year, our show will have more than 4,000 attendees with a combined audience of more than 250 million people.”

The Social Media Explosion

Social media is the simultaneous reinvention of radios, newspapers, magazines, televisions, movies and books. Social media grows exponentially faster because it’s all of these mediums combined.

“It’s a fundamental shift in the way people communicate with each other, and our business practices have to change in order to keep up with this shift,” Calvert said.

Facebook has more than 300 million users today, which is larger than the total population of the United States, and tops Google with the most weekly traffic, according to Calvert. In contrast, it took radio 38 years to get to 50 million users. Ninety-six percent of millennials have joined a social network.

Engage Yourself

If you’re worried about starting a blog because people will say bad things about you, if you have a terrible product, they’re already saying bad things about you. The best strategy is to be engaged. Have a blog, be on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, where people are having discussions about your company, products and industry and engage in that conversation. If you have a great product, people will say nice things about you. Before blogs and social media, if a customer had a good experience, they might write you a letter of thanks, but this was always a one-on-one experience where no one else could see it. When this happens via social media, everyone sees what that customer says about you and how you respond to that customer.

“If you have a bad product, social media can’t save you,” Calvert said, “but if you have a great product, if you treat your customers well and you are passionate about what you do, social media is the best friend you will ever have because everyone will know how great your product is and how you interact with your customers.”

Bloggers are like guitar players, according to Calvert. Almost all of us have played a musical instrument at some point in our lives. Most people aren’t very good at it; they get frustrated and quit over time. These people are at the bottom of the pyramid. Then there are people who keep playing, and they get better. They play in a garage band with their friends or for some extra money at weddings. There are also people who make a living out of it. Las Vegas is a great example of this; the place is full of musicians who play for a living, but they aren’t famous. At the top of the pyramid are those most-influential musicians who are rock stars. Likewise, some bloggers are real journalists; it’s what they do every day. Others are rock-star journalists who have their own fan base.

Drive Traffic to Your Blog

For companies just starting out and introducing a new product, to get your name out there, start a blog that talks about the problems your product solves. Reach out to people individually to tell them you just started and ask for their feedback. It takes time, but slowly build relationships with them.

To drive traffic to your blog, post good content. Write about and post videos of what people need because they want value. For instance, if you’re selling brake pads, talk about the types of materials that make a difference in performance. So, when your community is ready to buy, they’re going to buy from you because you’ve already given them value for free. Seventy-eight percent of consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 14% trust advertisements, according to Calvert. Newspapers as they exist today are dying. They must either learn to adapt or die.

Word of Mouth

Treat bloggers the same way you would treat traditional media outlets, but don’t send them press releases. Blogs should serve as your home base, and you should direct traffic from Facebook to your blog. It’s where you create your contact and add the greatest amount of value to your customers. Blogging is an ongoing thing, and you want people to relate to you as a human and not as a company. One quality blog post a day or even a week is better than 10 lousy blog posts per day.

“Build brand loyalty and trust,” Calvert said. “It’s word of mouth on steroids. Once you start doing this effectively, your customers are going to sell for you in a way you could never do yourself.”

For more SEMA webinars, click here.

	Check out an exclusive tour of the 2010 SEMA Show in a SPEED TV special premiering Sunday, December 19, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. (EST).

Thousands tune in regularly to watch television hosts Matt Steele, Bruno Massel, Kevin Byrd and Bryan Fuller modify cars and trucks on national TV. The four experts will take viewers on an exclusive tour of the 2010 SEMA Show in a SPEED TV special premiering Sunday, December 19, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. (EST).

Watch as they set out to uncover the hottest automotive accessories and newest trends. The four men divide and conquer to bring viewers an entire hour filled with highlights from the premier automotive trade show in the world.

Check your local listings or click here to verify the air dates and times. Then, set your DVRs for the SPEED Channel and be prepared to take notes on the newest products and trends hitting the market.

	Check out an exclusive tour of the 2010 SEMA Show in a SPEED TV special premiering Sunday, December 19, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. (EST).

Thousands tune in regularly to watch television hosts Matt Steele, Bruno Massel, Kevin Byrd and Bryan Fuller modify cars and trucks on national TV. The four experts will take viewers on an exclusive tour of the 2010 SEMA Show in a SPEED TV special premiering Sunday, December 19, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. (EST).

Watch as they set out to uncover the hottest automotive accessories and newest trends. The four men divide and conquer to bring viewers an entire hour filled with highlights from the premier automotive trade show in the world.

Check your local listings or click here to verify the air dates and times. Then, set your DVRs for the SPEED Channel and be prepared to take notes on the newest products and trends hitting the market.