This year at the Louisville RVIA (rv industry assocaition) trade show their was a hope in the air that wasn't there last year.  Such a difference from last year.  Even with the show being quite a bit smaller (it was still huge:) dealers and vendors we spoke with all felt the same way.

Ron, Shauna, and I attended this year and had a great time meeting with dealerships, getting to see the new products, and catching up with friends.

Looking forward to some great things in 2010!

I've never, never, never taken much time at all away from the business. We only started taking any real serious family vacations just in the past couple of years. A couple of weeks ago I took a week long fly-in fishing trip to northern Ontario, Canada.

The fishing was less than exciting, the weather was cold and rainy half the days, but the quiet and beauty of the outdoors and wildlife was every minute. When you get to a place like I went you can't help but reflect on life a bit. After all, there's not much else to do:) I came home with a renewed appreciation for what's most important in life. I pray that it lasts.

I'll be updated some more here about some of the ideas/concepts/thoughts that have tickled my brain a bit.

For now enjoy the Slide Show of my Trip Up-North.

In my last post (RVIA in Louisville) we touched on using Internet marketing and new technology as an advantage for your RV Dealership instead of ignorning it and hoping it goes away ... maybe because you think it's costly or you just don't understand it.

Over Christmas the Wallenbeck Family traveled back home to Watkins Glen, NY where I grew up to spend some time with my extended family. Weather was gracious to us over the 1400 miles back and forth and it was a great time. When I travel and even at home I enjoy visiting local coffee shops. Not because I enjoy coffee that much (only been drinking it for a year), but rather because each one is typically unique and has a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). I'm not talking about Starbucks or The Beanery, but local, sole proprietor type java houses.

Take for instance StoryLines (see photo) in my small hometown. You can see the outside in the photo ... it looks interesting and has character. You walk in and it feels warm and cozy. Well placed rows of family friendly books. Comfortable lounge chairs and many games to play with a friend. And yes ... thy sell coffee which is where they make their money ... obviously. Yet, they provide all those other unique features so that you'll stay and drink your coffee and make plans to meet your friends there again. Maybe you'll pick-up a book and read it. Maybe you'll like it and buy it for yourself or a friend.

WOW!!! What a great time in Louisville this year. It was exciting to see and talk with so many RV Dealers that are looking forward to the upcoming RVing season. Yes, there are always challenges to overcome, but the overwhelming mood was positive.

The most exciting part of our conversations had alot to do with both foundational and innovative ideas and concepts in Internet marketing. Seeing the online landscape not as a necessary evil, but rather as a platform for being creative and marketing your RV Dealership in a way that uses new technology as an advantage. Great stuff.

Mike, Jeff, and I drove to RVIA in Louisville from our headquarters in Michigan and Ron flew in from Texas. Something I 've always wanted to do was stop in Ann Arbor, MI and visit Zingerman' Deli. You might be thinking so what ... a deli, a place to eat, a restuarant ... but trust me this place is a lesson in customer service that is to be recond with. I'd been reading about the guys who created the deli and the Zingerman Community of Businesses. I'm telling you ... it's worth going out of your way for the experience.

Because of my last flight being in the air for 3.5 hours on a 2 hour trip in a middle seat, I splurged the $29 and upgraded to Economy Plus on United which gives you a seat with much more leg room and a few first class left-over perks. My intent was to stretch out a bit and get some shut-eye, but the Starbucks on an empty stomach quickly sent caffeine surging through my veins giving me the feeling that some excited organism is desperately trying to break out beneath my skin.

So, I figure now is a good time to empty my brain of recent events.

I'm headed home from the Dallas RV show where I spent some time with Fun Time RV, one of our RV Dealer's in Texas. Sam Kidd, the owner, is very forward thinking and I always look forward to the brain power it requires when meeting with him and his folks. The vast majority of RV Dealers out there tend to think in terms of the present and are always 'catching up' to where their prospects/customers are ... very reactive.

Sam is the kind of guy that is thinking 1 to 3 years down the road. When is the last time you had a client that was wanting to discuss and plan ahead for where they wanted to be 1 to 3 years from now? He sees 'it' coming. It's alot of challenging work to think forward ... you may not always be right ... there's risk involved ... but I've NEVER seen someone with a multitude of successes that wasn't willing to make a mistake. Playing it safe gives you a paycheck ... playing it forward allows you the opportunity to have your dreams become a reality.

It was just 6 years ago that we started with one RV Dealership as a client. I'd been involved with web development for a few years prior and the opportunity presented itself to develop a website development and Internet marketing service to RV Dealerships. I knew where I wanted to be ... I knew what it looked like ... it's taken alot of late nights, financial sacrifice, and a patient/loving wife and daughters. Have I arrived? I'll never 'arrive'. Why? because where I want to be keeps evolving and what things look like keeps responding to the technology and marketing opportunities that are ever changing.

It's a great life helping RV Dealers develop and market websites for their prospects/customers to research and discover their next personal or family adventure!

Until next time...