Playback - Fall 2008 - (Page 20)

REPS IN THE FIELD Why YOU Should Attend the NAMM Shows By tOM PARNELL, SALES REP MI dealers have every excuse in the book about why they don’t go to the NAMM shows, but no one talks about why they need to go. I’ve been to virtually every NAMM trade show during my last 28 years as a sales rep in the field. Every one of us should be at a NAMM show at least once a year because that’s the place where MI dealers can share their challenges and invigorate each other with new energy. The first and most important reason for MI dealers to attend NAMM shows is to be an Active Part of the industry. That can only happen if the majority of independent music store owners are present. Successful trade shows require the attendance of both the manufacturers and the retailers—for ongoing discussions about positive ways to grow the industry and to share best practices. Every one of us should be at a NAMM show at least once a year because that’s the place where MI dealers can share their challenges and invigorate each other with new energy. The second reason is Camaraderie during the show and throughout the year. Attending the shows and establishing a stronger “grapevine” of indie MI dealers across the country will build a network. This way, Member groups can connect at shows and communicate on a regular basis. The third reason is Education, which is an extremely important reason to be at NAMM. NAMM offers many great classes on how to run your business more effectively— especially for those dealers who may have started in this business as a hobby and need to stay competitive. The MI industry has evolved and the indie dealers must learn new ways to conduct business. The fourth reason is the Exuberance of just being at a NAMM trade show. This creates a level of excitement that each Member can take back to their stores and their employees, as well as their respective communities and customers. This positive energy is demonstrated everywhere—speakers on stage, buyers listening to a product demo, the person sitting next to you in a NAMM U session. We all know from extensive testing that “music makes you smarter,” and we can, as a collective group of NAMM Members, encourage everyone—from elected officials to our local community members—to create more funding for music education to keep music programs alive in school and to get people of all ages to make music! If every MI dealer in the country truly believes this and supports this ever-so-important issue, nothing can stop us from putting music on top of everyone’s agenda. Let’s all start by making a commitment to be at the 2009 NAMM Show at all costs, so the MI industry can continue to be profitable and healthy for many years to come. Tom Parnell is the president of Next Generation Marketing, Inc., based in Lake Zurich, Ill. 20 PLAYback

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Playback - Fall 2008

Playback - Fall 2008 Contents From the President NAMM Events Music in the News Voices of Our Past, Present and Future: NAMM Oral History Program Celebrates a Major Milestone Commercial Retail Reps in the Field NAMM@AARP New Domestic Members Washington Watch International NAMM Foundation Music Notes Resources Viewpoint

Playback - Fall 2008

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