How the customers of tomorrow interact, engage and buy may look very different from what you see today. At The 2017 NAMM Show, award-winning marketing executive and author Larry Bailin hosted this NAMM U Breakfast Session to help NAMM members future-proof their businesses. Prepare for the customers of tomorrow by building better connections with the customers of today.

In this NAMM U session, Robert Christie of A&G Central Music discusses changes he’s made to his repair shop that have improved the customer experience and the bottom line. Get ideas on improving purchasing, inventory management, and selling repairs and maintenance agreements that can help your repair operation right away. Take control of your bottom line now.

What does it take to reach today’s connected customers? How do you create an experience, in-person and online, that exceeds expectations, drives sales and wows consumers? At this session from 2017 Summer NAMM, customer-experience expert Doug Fleener looked at how to make a business stand out in this age of unlimited choices and nonexistent attention spans. Watch the video.

At The 2017 NAMM Show, Tim Spicer of Spicer’s Music led NAMM Top 100 retailers in a session chock-full of innovative store-design ideas. These music retailers operate in vastly different locations­ and markets, and each one shared his unique vision to inspire fellow music retailers to get creative with store design.

Want to grow your rental business and make it more profitable? In this NAMM U session, Daniel Jobe, music retail consultant of the CPA firm Friedman, Kannenberg & Co., led a dynamic panel of school music retail experts. They presented five essential strategies to grow your rental business and bottom line, covering everything from best practices in growing your rental program to creating rental customers for life to financing your rental infrastructure.

Dimensional weight is a huge factor to consider when shipping an item as large as a musical instrument. This year, dimensional weight shipping costs rose, which can affect your costs. Here, James Matthews of Lojistic explains what this means, and your options.

Retail giants don’t happen overnight. Sam Ash Music is a prime example. Founded in 1924, it’s the largest family owned U.S. music retail chain, with 46 locations. At 2016 Summer NAMM, COO Sammy Ash and Northeast Regional and Social Media Manager Ben Ash—a father-and-son team—revealed what it takes to run a successful multi-generational family business and achieve longevity.

Are you a veteran music retailer or new to the business? Financial gurus Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co. say it doesn’t matter—smart financial management is required to grow your business regardless of your experience. At 2016 Summer NAMM, Friedman and Jobe gave retailers a list of what not to do in the fiscal running of a music store.

In one year, Monster Music did $110,000 in new business on Reverb.com, an online marketplace for selling gear. In this session, owner Brian Reardon reveals his proven recipe for success on Reverb.com, including best practices for everything from product photos and listings to customer inquiries and shipping.

Being a small, independent retailer could be your most overlooked competitive advantage. In this session from 2016 Summer NAMM, Rick Thacker of Plum Grove Music shows you why. He reveals how he uses his size as a single-store retailer to adapt quickly to the marketplace, create a remarkable experience for customers and as a networking tool to prospect for new business.