By Mr Retail
For over two years now, I have been writing articles for CEoutlook. I asked to do them anonymously as it allowed me to remove a lot of the politics around discussing sensitive topics. And it may still be true that I’ll see some personal blowback from going public.
But at the end of the day, Amy and I started this column to try and help you to think outside the box. Continuing to do business as status quo doesn’t work, plain and simple. We either adapt, adjust, and grow, or eventually wither and die.
So, I am Mark Miller, and I own Westminster Speed & Sound in Westminster, MD. I have been in the industry full time since 1986 and have owned my company since 1990, when I was 23. In 1997, I met Joe Cavanaugh at an Eclipse dealer trip to Hawaii and again at a KnowledgeFest in Louisville, Ky. We developed an instant bond and shortly after, he asked me to fill an empty seat on the board of MERA (now MEA). There I met folks like Rick & Claudia Mathies, Mike Cofield, Bob, Graham, Charlie Weisel, Joe Monaghan, Vicky Scrivner and Wild Bill. Most of the folks’ stores were a lot larger than mine, and for the first time in my life, I did a lot of listening instead of a lot of talking.
Many, many hours were spent having one on one conversations where they imparted to me wisdom about running a successful business in our industry. And I loved every second of it. That chapter lasted for five years.
So that brings us to here and now. I have gotten most of the politically sensitive conversations off my chest and want to begin talking about more personal successes. I hope now that you can put a pretty face (kidding) to Mr Retail, that we can have more interesting discussions after each article goes live.
As we get closer to the fall selling season, I wanted to write a bit about how my business is going and about things I have done to keep momentum going. Around April of last year, I saw our “pandemic business” dry up pretty quickly, so I started advertising again.
Once I got to mid-May, I put lots of time and energy into advertising. I was investing 5 percent of my gross in it, which I hadn’t done in probably 15 or so years. But it worked. 2022 was our best year ever. Going into 2023, my ad budget was now the largest it had ever been. So I decided to start working on a strategic marketing plan. I wanted to be able to better track my advertising dollars as well as branch out into new medias and new topics.
The results so far have been outstanding. We are up again over 2022 and are seeing more and more new faces in our showroom, which is a win.
Billboards are one of the newest mediums for me, as I haven’t used them for almost 20 years. One is a digital board where I can change the message any time I want, and one is a static, vinyl board.
So, I shared a lot with you. How about if you share with me in the comment section what has been working for you? What have been your successes over the last year? What topics would you like us to talk about in upcoming Mr Retail articles?
More than anything else, thanks for continuing to invest in this industry I love. I am coming up on 40 years in this industry and still love it as much today as when I was 16 years old and buying my first system.
Thank you for all your time and effort you have put into these posts, I enjoy reading them and getting an insight into the American industry and upcoming trends that we sometimes see here in Australia!
Thanks again from across the globe and I look forward to reading more from you. ✌️🔊
I knew it! I F’in knew it.
Mark,
I was there in the early days of MERA and was so thankful to have met you and enjoyed the time we spent on industry issues back then. Thanks for the great articles and sharing on current industry issues. I appreciate a good read on CE Outlook. How about sharing some of your successes in Motorcycle Audio! Your support for the industry has stood the test of time, keep up the good work and wishing you continued success in an ever-changing industry.
Love it. I been reading the articles and enjoying them. Now, I don’t have to decide if it’s bs or not! Lol! Looking forward to more!
Hi Mark!
I had no idea Mr Retail was you but it makes sense now that You’ve been revealed.
I remember one day in Omaha, at one of the early Knowledge Fests around 1998, when one of the speakers didn’t show up for his presentation on advertising and promotions. The room was literally filled with retailers wanting info on how, what and where to promote their businesses so You and I jumped in and together did an hour totally off the cuff. The retailers were engaged with an abundance of questions which I think we answered pretty good considering we were just a couple of guys doing our best to share what we knew about the subject. Your understanding the basics of advertising, promotions and the need to advertise SMARTLY, to get a return on your investment, was outstanding.
Great articles Mark and of course you know I appreciate your wisdom on these business topics whether or not you’re CE Outlook’s famous Mr. Retail. Keep up the good work. As a possible article or two, I’d be interested in hearing about busy retailers or those needing to grow staff are seeking out and recruiting qualified individuals to either bring in as ‘experienced and ready to install’ or perhaps those retailers taking on trainees/interns to learn the ropes from someone mentoring them in the install bay like a senior technician – and do those mentors get the time or pay to do so.
Maybe also cover what approaches work well to get people in from out of the area/out of state to essentially move for a good opportunity. What incentives, stipends for moving expenses and obligations are in place for those candidates?
I think it’s a topic the vast majority of the shops will be interested in talking about further. As everyone is saying – “It’s tough to find good people these days.”
Thank you for taking the time to make your posts Mark! It is great to see you add your name to them now, that will only add to the credibility and weight of your ideas and suggestions!
Billboards can work well if you let them. They are a great example of the seesaw of offer vs info. Great offer = less time needed, info ad = more time/exposures.
1. Free Hamburgers at XYZ – probably only need to advertise that one day
2. Springfields Best burgers at XYZ – needs time and repetition to set into peoples minds
Too many businesses don’t weight out the value of their message and the time it will take.
Thanks again for sharing and helping the industry out!
…and I thought I was Mr. Retail, Mark!! LOL!! Although I was probably better at IASCA & SBN event production! We’ve seen this industry over so many years, (50 for me) and I’m still full time at my shop daily, 2-weeks shy of reaching the ripe age of 70, (50 years in M.E.) I have read all your posts on CE and, of course, they were/are spot on; Kudos to you. Re: your anonymity, I saw (and see) no reason to conceal your ID and tenure, not with your experience, I say screw “political correctness”. Those with our experience should speak their minds to those that need to expand theirs. I will continue to read the posts, glad now that you are the author. Carry on!
Mark, Im here at 256 Customs in little ole Boaz AL, and Mr, Bill “Wild Bill” McDowell is here with me just about every single day! We look forward to your columns all the time!!! Keep up the great work!
Mark,
I am just a lowly rep but I have always read your Mr. Retail columns and agreed wholeheartedly. I just wanted say that I appreciate the insightful info and knowledge you have shared with dealers. I frequently spread your messages around to my customers.