The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center
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The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in |
Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp A Smashing Success! Two years ago Howard Anderson had a dream and it involved you! On May 19-21, 2008, his dream came true, and it was better than he could have ever imagined. Howard’s vision was that of a boot camp – a place where you could go to learn new, profitable business ideas that could be implemented as soon as you returned to your store. He created just that and named it the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp 2008. “I wanted attendees to see new tools and ideas that could make them more profitable,” said Howard. “I also wanted to create an atmosphere where dealers could share their successes and encourage each other.” So, attendees gathered in Baltimore, MD, and the camp began May 19, with a welcome introduction by Howard. He started out by talking about having an “Attitude of Gratitude.” “I talked about having a mindset of being thankful for being born in this country with all the prosperity, opportunities and freedoms that we have,” said Howard. “And I talked about being thankful for our families, friends, customers and even our competition. Then I told the attendees that for our camp, they had to ‘ditch’ any desire they might have to complain.” Howard said he didn’t want the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp to become a seminar around complaints. He wanted it to be about finding solutions and working on improving business. “I am happy to say they didn’t disappoint me,” he shared. “I am so proud of those who attended. They were positive and upbeat. They came to learn, and they came to share. They came looking for new and exciting ways to make more profit in their business and they found what they were looking for!” Much of the excitement and many of the new ideas came from Boot Camp Guest Speaker Bill Glazer. Although not extremely well-known in our industry until now, Bill is one of the most celebrated marketing advisors in the retail world. He spoke at the event as a personal favor to Howard and the result: Bill astounded the group! Recapping, Howard said, “Bill shared his unique advertising ideas in his talk called Outrageous Advertising That’s Outrageously Successful. When it comes to creating retail sales campaigns to fill stores with new and previous customers, Bill is a true genius. He is best known for his outrageously effective direct-response advertising and direct mail, lab tested with his own exceptional business. We walked away with MORE ideas to grow our businesses than we ever thought were imaginable. He showed us lots of time tested things that will work! New ideas that will help us dominate the marketplace and leave all of our competitors in the dust!” The next session Bill gave was How To Live Life On Your Own Terms. Howard asked Bill to share this subject since the number one complaint he hears from dealers in this industry is that they never seem to have the time to get what they want accomplished. “He showed us ways to ONLY work and sell to the people we choose to do business with, the ones that are profitable,” Howard said. Some of the points Bill addressed included the following:
A number of additional presenters also shared insight during the Boot Camp. Claude Whitacre presented some great new ideas on marketing and advertising. Ron Romano showed attendees how to use technology to keep in touch with customers. Doug Huggins shared simple topics that didn’t cost a lot of money and that could be used right away. He also performed magic tricks for the group. Sue Keyes discussed employee relations and how not to hire the “Employee from Hell.” Elizabeth Anderson shared her program on how to make sewing classes profitable. And Howard Anderson shared as many systems that he had in place that any business could use to make their business more profitable. Explaining further, Howard commented, “I have been in the vacuum and sewing business for over 20 years. Over that time I’ve seen disturbing trends in our industry. The declining number of successful vacuum and sewing dealers and the shrinking of market share of the independent dealers. I saw the same ideas, demos and ads being recycled year after year. They were tweaked and improved but there were few new ideas that I could say ‘Wow! I have to rush home and implement that’. That is why I started looking outside our industry for ideas. I looked in malls. I read other store ads in the newspapers and magazines. I read books. But it wasn’t until I stumbled upon Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer that I really had a breakthrough. Over the last five years I have been going to all of their seminars, buying tons of programs and CDs and redesigning my business.” At the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp Howard was able to share some of the things he has learned with others. And, he learned a lot by preparing for the event and listening to the presenters. Many of the attendees also felt the Boot Camp was a huge success. Cindy Kraft of Cindy’s Sew Easy in Ohio said, “The three days at the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp have given me a vision of what my business can become and how I can get it there!” Kevin Edman of City Wide Vacuum in Utah shared, “I learned a lot of valuable MONEY MAKING strategies and marketing ideas. It was time and money well spent. Thank You!” Kathryn Tonian of A-1 NW Vacuums in Oklahoma shared, “Great tools! I would highly recommend this boot camp. I feel that after this boot camp we can make more money in our business. Please contact me for future camps.” Want to hear more comments? There are video testimonials from attendees that you can watch online at www.LongViewRetail.com. While you are online viewing the videos, you will also see a link to an offer that Howard is extending to the industry. He videotaped the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp 2008 and put together a package of a DVD and CD along with a workbook and most of the handouts and PowerPoint slides from the presenters. As a special bonus, he has included a CD of all the ads and promotions that he has done. The package is now available to purchase. It can be ordered online at www.LongViewRetail.com. Recapping topics covered, here is a list of what was shared at the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp 2008. These are segments covered on the DVD:
Reflecting on the event, Howard said a big factor that made the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp 2008 unique was that after most presentations, there were roundtable discussions held. He said these discussions provided an opportunity for the attendees to say, “OK. Now how can I use that in my business?” He added, “The high noise level of chatter at the tables was great. People shared and discussed what they wanted to do. Everyone came up with great ideas to take home. People who attended came with an open mind. They, and I, learned some great new ideas and systems of implementation. They worked together to find solutions to their challenges in what was being shared. They cultivated new long term friendships, and they left with a new vision and optimism for their business.” Because Howard loves to see people grow and become more successful, he is planning the 2009 Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp. It will be held May 18-20, 2009, at the Phoenix Airport Hilton. All of the speakers are not selected yet but he guarantees it will be bigger and better than the last one. “Even though I had been talking about the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp 2008 for almost two years, some of you didn’t hear about it until late,” he said. “Well, this time you have a year to plan. Go to www.LongViewRetail.com and leave your information and I will be sure to get you all the information as the event unfolds to be bigger and better in Phoenix!” Howard’s main goal with the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camps is to share knowledge that can improve your business growth. He concluded, “I love this business and most of the people in it. I am terrified that in looking at the trends, we might not have products to sell in the not-too-distant future. The existing stores need to become more profitable and we need more new people in the business so that our overall percentage of the independent dealer market grows. That will never happen if we don’t learn to become more profitable and encourage more people to enter our sandbox. I believe that every store has the potential to be a million dollar store, no matter what competition you have or what your market is. You may have to move. You may need new employees. You may need other products. You may have to change the systems you have in place. But it can be done. The tools are there. Find them!” Watch the people who attended the Ultimate Profit Explosion Boot Camp 2008. They are and will be the movers and shakers of this industry in the future. Reprinted from Floor Care Professional, July 2008 |