NAMM U - Management

Plum Grove Music is a David and Goliath success story, with one location, 20 employees and less than $1 million annual sales. And despite strong local competition, the full-service band and orchestra business had grown steadily since 2010 and is debt-free. At 2016 Summer NAMM, company owner Rick Thacker shared five ways for small retailers to compete, beat the odds and thrive in today’s competitive retail marketplace. Here are his five strategies. (Watch the video for the full session.) 1. The Power of One (Location)Thacker advised retailers to embrace their size and use it to the

Want more rentals? At the 2016 NAMM Show, Frank Pampenella of PM Music Center shared the keys to boosting band and orchestra rentals—and cash flow. A successful school music dealer with 31 employees, Pampenella stressed communication as the knot that ties it all together. “With better communications, you’re going to get better customer service, and that’s what really leads to more rentals,” he said. Here are Pampenella’s six steps to growing a rental business: 1. Gain trust with music directors. According to Pampenella, when you contact directors, you’re perceived as a salesperson

From the start, Mason Music’s website has been the centerpiece of its marketing strategy. The site has generated numerous leads for the business, helping grow its lesson program to 650 students per week. At 2016 Summer NAMM, owner Will Mason encouraged retailers to do four things to ensure an effective website that engages customers and generates sales. Here are highlights from the session. (Watch the video for the full session.) The Four Website Fundamentals 1.  Content: The stuff on your website—text, images, videos, etc. 2.  Function: What a visitor can do on your website—navig

At the 2016 NAMM Show, Liz Reisman of Creative Music Center outlined five steps she took to create a retail dream team and reduce employee-management issues. During the NAMM U session, Reisman asked the audience to consider the biggest reason their staff wastes time, and suggested that it’s simply because they don’t have a reason to be focused. Here are Reisman’s best practices. (Watch the video for the full session.) 5 Steps to Building Your Retail Dream Team 1. Identify three goals for each team member. 2. Ask team members to write three goals for themselves. 3. Meet, share, com

How many of you want satisfied customers? At the 2016 NAMM Show, Tracy Leenman of Musical Innovations challenged music retailers to go a step further. She shared the best practices that have helped make her store NAMM’s 2015 Dealer of the Year and the Top 100 Award winner for Best Customer Service—revealing how to build loyal, exclusive customers. Leenman’s best customer-service tips follow. Start with why. Leenman suggested reading the book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek. What’s your why? Is it to get everyone involved in music? I

At 2015 Summer NAMM, Mike Ross of Sweetwater Sound presented a big-picture session on making the most of your website—an issue that affects every music retailer and business owner, small and large. He encouraged retailers to take a closer look at their websites as a vital marketing tactic for continued success. Here are website best practices from the NAMM U session. (And make sure to watch the end of the session video for more information from the Q&A.) How do you know your website is good, working and worth it? Ross urged retailers to start by asking themselves some key ques

In an eye-opening NAMM U session at 2015 Summer NAMM, Robert Christie of A & G Central Music revealed the many benefits of offering maintenance agreements. He covered the nuts and bolts, from putting together a maintenance agreement to possible pitfalls. Christie shared the obvious financial advantage of offering maintenance agreements—and added that having a deep pool of agreements maximizes the opportunity. “The more you sell, the better position you’ll be in,” he said. Christie also pointed out that the real power of the maintenance agreement lies in having satisfied custom

What happens when customers get behind on instrument rental payments or rental instruments aren’t returned? At 2015 Summer NAMM, Robin Sassi and Kimberly Deverell of San Diego Music Studio gave music retailers the lowdown on collections for rental instruments. Sassi and Deverell spoke frankly from 21 years of experience in business and shared valuable tips on how to avoid pitfalls, improve collections and help the bottom line. (Note: This is not legal advice. For more information, consult a legal professional.) When do you start the collection process? Deverell stated that it’s be

Shipping is more important than ever to your customers and your business. In the past decade, the shipping wars between major carriers UPS and FedEx have resulted in substantial price hikes. Tariffs for ground and air shipments will keep increasing. These and other factors, such as package volume, handling, tracking, weight and dimension, will affect your store’s shipping operations and impact your costs. Here are six best practices to consider for improving your shipping process: 1. Know your shipping data. Even though this may seem obvious, it’s often overlooked or dismissed. Un

Is offering free shipping worth it? Consider the data. Recent research by Accent shows that 88 percent of consumers would be more likely to make a purchase from an online shop if it promised free shipping. Depending on your business, the benefits of offering free shipping to customers can be numerous and impactful. Research also reveals that most companies that offer free shipping experience an immediate boost to online sales, which in turn drives top-line revenue and profitability. Typically, consumers will place larger orders when presented with free shipping. Long-term customer

In our mobile, social, right-now world, consumers speak their minds like never before—in-store and online. This presents a huge opportunity to music businesses willing to embrace comments and complaints. Join Jay Baer, digital business expert, entrepreneur and marketing guru, for this eye-opening and entertaining Breakfast Session on customer service in the modern era. He’ll reveal why customers are more vocal than ever and how to use this as an opportunity to grow your business and improve the customer experience. Baer will also share tips and strategies for turning bad news into

Most companies have tons of creative buzz and big ideas. So why do some get game-changing results while others miss the mark? The answer: Successful companies have a process for turning creativity into action. In this NAMM U Breakfast Session, tech entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author and jazz guitarist Josh Linkner discusses innovation in a way you’ve never heard before. In 60 minutes, Linkner delivers practical tools that can be used immediately at your business—tools that can expand creative output and increase the bottom line. Discover how to apply best practices f