SEMA Kicks Off 2014 Webinar Series

SEMA will kick off its 2014 webinar series Thursday, Jan. 9, with popular SEMA Show speaker and noted author Christine Corelli (www.christinespeaks.com), who will deliver “Twenty Ideas in 20 Minutes — Driving Business Growth and Fueling High Performance: How to Create a Sales-Service Excellence Culture.”

Getting customers is one thing. Between the challenges of escalating competition and "service savvy" customers, if you don’t excel in sales and every single aspect of the customer’s experience, they will take their buying power elsewhere. It’s that simple.

With the launch of the webinar, SEMA will implement a new format for the SEMA Education Institute (SEI). Traditionally hosted over a one-hour period, SEI will offer selected webinars in compact and concise 20-minute sessions. According to Zane Clark, SEMA’s director of education, “The shift serves to address our members’ busy schedules and challenges the presenter to focus the content on the key deliverables that will directly benefit our industry.”

In addition to the reduced session length, SEI also will offer sessions on Tuesdays (typically hosted on Thursdays) and incorporate new formats, such as video conferencing and live interviews.

Be sure and save the dates for other webinars that will be hosted through SEI during the first part of 2014:

• Feb. 6: "Opportunities for Growth: Working With the Top Auto Manufacturers," presented by Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG).

• Feb. 20: "So You Want to Be in Pictures? A How-to and the Pros and Cons of Product Placement in Film," presented by Mark McFann, Cast a Long Shadow.

• March 4: "SEMA Garage: Product Development and Innovation," presented by Mike Spagnola, SEMA.

• March 18: "911 Customer Service in 20 Minutes — Eight Words That Kill the Deal,” presented by Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor (www.nancyfriedman.com).

• April 17: "Volunteering at SEMA: Grow Your Contacts, Grow Your Business," presented by SEMA Councils and Networks.

SEI webinars provide representatives of SEMA-member companies with timely updates and sessions covering best business practices, industry trends, sales and marketing and more. Participants don’t have to leave the desk or office to benefit from a session, and they can interact via the live webinar or download the session when it’s convenient. SEMA webinars are free to SEMA members and $29 for non-members.

For more information and to register, visit www.SEMA.org/webinars.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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