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At the 2018 NAMM Show, Sean Samson of Sean Samson Training had a strong message for music retailers: a new approach equals new revenues. Samson cautioned retailers that you either grow or fall behind. “The way to grow your business between 30–100 percent in the next 12 months is to connect with people,” he said. “It’s the reason why you’re going to sell anything or make a difference in your business.” The 5 Reasons Why People Don’t Buy Why do customers say “no”? According to Samson, the following sales objections are the same across all industries, across the world: 1. No need. I

At The 2018 NAMM Show, Dan Abel, director of marketing for Reverb, shared top-level information about YouTube, designed for music retailers who are already managing a YouTube presence—and for anyone interested in making YouTube more than just a video archive. As a former YouTube staff member who developed strategic partnerships, Abel emphasized the need to think about how you use YouTube. He then offered five ideas to make your videos relevant and to ensure you’re getting in front of the right people, in the right way, in an ongoing fashion. 1. Get discovered with Search Think a

Between them, Bob Popyk and Alan Friedman have 85-plus years of experience in the music industry, as business owners, retail sales and financial consultants, music trade magazine columnists and musicians. At 2017 Summer NAMM, Popyk and Friedman teamed up to offer their best ideas for increasing cash flow right away. Here are their top tips. (Watch the video for the full session.) 1. Sit down with your staff. Popyk shared that very few retail staff ask him to buy when he walks into music stores as a customer. A former music retailer himself, Popyk learned that he needed to help hi

At The 2018 NAMM Show, web designer Michelle Schulp shared her experience with designing and building websites for clients from different industries, including the AV/pro audio industry. She revealed her tips and design secrets for effective retail websites that make a big impact. Here are highlights from the session. (Also, watch the video to view the complete presentation.) Know Your Audience Schulp began by stressing the importance of knowing your audience and why they’re visiting your website. Likewise, know yourself, why you’re uniquely able to give customers value and what

The digital consumer has changed business as we know it. What does this mean to the music products industry? How can your business keep up, and even lead, in this new reality? Following his standing-room-only session at The NAMM Show, international marketing thought leader Marcus Sheridan returned to 2018 Summer NAMM for a NAMM U Breakfast Session. This time, Sheridan revealed proven steps for turning a traditional organization into a powerhouse for this age of online marketing, e-commerce and disruptive technologies. Using examples from inside and outside the industry, he showed

The digital consumer has changed business as we know it. What does this mean to the music products industry? How can your business keep up, and even lead, in this new reality? Following his standing-room-only session at The NAMM Show, international marketing thought leader Marcus Sheridan returned to 2018 Summer NAMM for a NAMM U Breakfast Session. This time, Sheridan revealed proven steps for turning a traditional organization into a powerhouse for this age of online marketing, e-commerce and disruptive technologies. Using examples from inside and outside the industry, he showed

Don’t miss out on your big best-seller for the holidays—and beyond! Saturday morning at 2018 Summer NAMM closed with “Best in Show,” a fast-moving roundup of the biggest products, services and technologies on the exhibit floor. Moderated by Frank Alkyer, publisher of Music Inc. and UpBeat Daily magazines, this NAMM U Breakfast Session featured a panel of gear experts who shopped the far corners of the show floor to bring you their top picks. Discover the new products everyone will be talking about, and find out why these products matter to you. 2018 Summer NAMM – Best in Show Winn

Social media is changing how people interact with each other, and that impacts music retail. At The 2018 NAMM Show, Link Walls, vice president of digital marketing strategy for e-commerce giant ChannelAdvisor, shared the top five social media marketing mistakes to be avoided. As a veteran of e-commerce, Walls identified several recent trends: retailers are spending more on social marketing every year, consumers are spending significant time on social media (an average of 50 minutes per day) and social media is influencing their purchases (a high percentage of Pinterest users boug

I recently attended a seminar by the U.S. Commercial Service on the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This new regulation is the most comprehensive online privacy policy to date, and even though it pertains to the European Union, it can significantly affect you and your music business. As CEO of an online marketing firm that focuses on the music industry, this issue hits home to all of my clients, and NAMM membership in general. In short, the GDPR takes full effect on May 25, 2018, and if email marketing or e-commerce is part of your business or business plan, y

At The 2018 NAMM Show, Jonathan Shue, education director for Dusty Strings Music Store & School, revealed how offering private lessons and group classes can become a key revenue generator for a business. He also shared his expertise on how to do them right. Here are highlights from the NAMM U session. (And watch the video to see the full presentation.) According to Shue, there are several reasons to offer group classes. They generate more private lessons, which can create more long-term students. These students become long-term customers, who promote your store and lessons st

At The 2018 NAMM Show, the Idea Center hosted Jenn Herman, leading Instagram blogger and author of “Instagram for Business for Dummies.” During her session, Herman shared expert tips on how to make Instagram work for your business. Create a business profile on Instagram. A business profile is key to your success, according to Herman, and there’s no downside to upgrading to a business profile. To do so, you’ll first need a Facebook business page, as Facebook links the two accounts. Once you have a Facebook business page, upgrade to a business profile on Instagram. Here’s what you

More than any time in the past 100 years, consumers have made a dramatic shift in the way they reach purchasing decisions. Has your business adapted? Are you prepared for the ever-evolving digital consumer—and today’s noisy business environment? In a special NAMM U Breakfast Session at The 2018 NAMM Show, Marcus Sheridan revealed how buyers have changed, how you can evolve with this shift and powerful examples from forward-thinking companies. Sheridan has been called a “web marketing guru” by the New York Times and one of 20 “Speakers You Don’t Want to Miss” by Forbes. Find out wh