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When someone walks in your store or calls to ask about music lessons, chances are they’ve already given it some thought—and are ready to take the next step. At least that’s how Carol Cook of The Music Room sees it. At The 2017 NAMM Show, Cook shared how she and her team work with potential students to get them signed up for lessons. She also discussed ideas for strengthening lesson programs. “We’re always changing and trying to make ourselves better in this arena,” Cook said. Here are her seven steps for creating or enhancing a successful lesson program: 1. Interview the customer.

Wentworth Music is a testament to the power of word-of-mouth advertising. At The 2017 NAMM Show, Noel Wentworth shared how he grew his lesson program from 90 to more than 900 students during the past 13 years. His secret? The power of storytelling. “If word-of-mouth is king, then a good story or experience is your No. 1 asset,” he said. Wentworth added that his company has made its music school the go-to place for lessons—in a city of approximately 200,000—by starting with a simple question: What did you wish for when you first picked up an instrument? One of the most popular answ

You do a Google search for your store and your products, only to find another store show up first. It’s infuriating. Does this mean Google hates you and likes the other shop better? What makes Google happy? In this NAMM U session from The 2017 NAMM Show, Larry Bailin, online marketing expert, breaks down the barriers that keep you from gaining the top Google positions you deserve. He shows how to keep your music retail business from being de-listed by Google, what it takes to get to page 1 on Google, and pay-per-click mistakes that can cost you money and get you bounced from a top

The 2017 NAMM Show began with “Breakfast of Champions,” a deep dive into the minds of five industry innovators. This NAMM U Breakfast Session, hosted by NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond, featured up-close interviews with these leaders, who are currently charting the future of the music products business. To kick off the session, Lamond commented on the importance of innovation at every NAMM member business. (Watch the video to see the full segment.) “Last year, we kept hearing about the word disruption,” he said. “It was the big word of the year, disruption. And in fact, I think

Quinn the Eskimo Vintage Horns represents a new breed of music retailer: one without a storefront and, for much of the company’s history, a website. The seller of used, vintage and new horns began as an eBay retailer and has since evolved into a multichannel online store. Last year, it yielded $5 million in revenues. Company founder Matt Stoecker spoke with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond about online retail innovation during “Breakfast of Champions” at The 2017 NAMM Show. Stoecker, who has a background in microbiology, was working for Microsoft while selling horns on eBay. When

Cosmo Music embodies several forms of retail innovation: the in-store customer experience, retail events and e-commerce. A single-store operation north of Toronto, the company has a 56,000-square-foot location, more than 2,000 students in its lesson program and 10,000 instrument rentals. Mark Hebert, Cosmo Music’s second-generation leader, discussed his omnichannel model with NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond during “Breakfast of Champions” at The 2017 NAMM Show. Here are highlights. (Watch the video for the full interview.) On consolidating to one location: “Realizing that we had

Larry Fishman, founder and president of Fishman, stopped by “Breakfast of Champions” at The 2017 NAMM Show. There, NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond interviewed Fishman—the mind behind multiple groundbreaking products—to hear his insights on innovation. After discussing the early days of his company, Fishman shared his process for developing new products and technologies. “I have a process that works for me because I get bored really easily,” he said. “I watch some people work on projects, and they go, ‘OK, I’m going to do this and this and this and this.’ And they plan it out ste

Robbie Robertson, the legendary songwriter, guitarist and member of The Band, made a surprise appearance at “Breakfast of Champions” during The 2017 NAMM Show. NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond spoke with Robertson about his career highlights, the importance of trusting your gut and the role instruments have played in inspiring him as a songwriter. He also received NAMM’s 2017 Music for Life Award. Here are highlights. (Watch the video for the full interview.) On paying his dues during his early career: “It was really about absorbing everything. The idea of coming from Canada and

A hashtag is a way of grouping a subject or a topic together, so it can be easily found in an online search. It’s a way of being part of a conversation, letting you connect with other social media users based on a common interest. Hashtagging can also be a way to make a statement without worrying about punctuation. It’s used on most popular social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest. What’s the point of hashtags? Hashtagging can really set your social media posts apart, if it’s done creatively. At Mike Risko Music, there are many ways we use the

The NAMM Show and Summer NAMM are always fun times to see new products, meet new people and catch up with old friends. But as retailers, we need to make sure we’re getting the most out of each show. With all the fun distractions, remember that we’re there to work. It’s easy to watch every demo, concert and artist signing, but if you do that, you won’t leave your first booth. The more things around you change, what used to lead to success will eventually lead to failure. We need new ideas and approaches just to maintain our positions in the marketplace. The NAMM Show is the single

At 2016 Summer NAMM, John Mlynczak of Noteflight interviewed Sarah Jones of Gruhn Guitars and Tim Spicer of Spicer’s Music about their social media strategies and what has worked for each of them, specifically on Instagram and Facebook. Here are their best practices. (Watch the video for the full session.) WHAT WORKS FOR GRUHN GUITARS Jones shared that organic reach has worked for Gruhn Guitars, although the company has recently experimented with boosted posts. Gruhn also uses different content on each platform. Jones acknowledged that you’re likely going to have some crossover au

When a retailer approaches me to talk about succession planning, here’s how a typical conversation goes: Retailer: My store grosses about $1 million a year. What’s the most I can get for my store? Me: Sounds like you've built up a successful business. Congratulations, but I believe you are asking the wrong question. Retailer: What do you mean? Me: I mean a much better question to ask is: Under the right terms and conditions, assuming we get everything right regarding the running of our business, over the next numbers of years, with solid reoccurring cash flow and earnings, what’s