Learn that in every selling situation, someone is leading, and someone is following. When the buyer leads, we give away too much information and get next to nothing in return. When the seller leads, we learn what the buyer really needs, and why, and then sell them the correct solution. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to know who’s in control, and comfortably and seamlessly become the leader to achieve more of the results you want.
Learn important marketing techniques to use while your business is closed or your customer traffic is reduced.
Learn how to stay connected to your customers and your community during this time of crisis.
This is meeting is designed for store owner, managers and sales professionals.
Join Chris Cook of MEA and our special guest speaker as we provide the marketing tools you need to navigate through the COVID-19 crisis
We will take your questions and share knowledge to help everyone through this challenge.
This is meeting is designed for store owner, managers and sales professionals.
Join Chris Cook of MEA and our special guest speaker as we provide the marketing tools you need to navigate through the COVID-19 crisis
We will take your questions and share knowledge to help everyone through this challenge.
Kevin Hallinan of WINNING, Inc. shared sales insights in this week’s weekly presentation with Mobile Electronics Association
April 23, 2020 -- Today, MEA’s weekly webinar focused on selling, and Kevin Hallinan presented on “The Buyer Seller Dance and How to Take the Lead.” Hallinan—a KnowledgeFest speaker—has over 30 years of sales, training, and management experience. Those who missed the presentation can view the recording by visiting Mobile Electronics Association on Facebook. Attendees also asked questions relating to how the current COVID-19 crisis has impacted how salespeople interact with clients.
Hallinan urged attendees to be willing to think differently about selling. He then discussed how to create ground rules for selling. “In selling situations, someone is leading and someone is following in the conversation,” he said. “How do we know if we are the one who is leading or following? The one who’s talking is following. The one who’s asking questions is leading. The more questions we ask, the better off we are.”
Hallinan also asked attendees to think about the three most compelling words they can think of if someone were to ask whether they should work with them or with a competitor. “The bad news is, we’re not sure what will resonate with the customer. What is that customer’s reason for doing business? Honesty, quality of workmanship, and price are our reasons. But our job is to find out their reasons.”
Stay tuned for the next weekly MEA presentation. And remember to visit www.meahelp.com for resources relating to COVID-19.
Davis Distribution, DOW Electronics, and Go Fast Solutions All Honored
Seattle, Wash., October 15, 2020 – Elite Distributor Alliance (EDA) was thrilled to see three of its members recognized by MEA and its members as the best in the business. Davis Distribution, DOW Electronics, and Go Fast Solutions were named as the finalists for this years Distributor of the Year Award to be presented at Knowledgefest LIVE in Dallas, Texas the first week of December.
EDA believes in partnering with vendors and dealers alike bringing added value, sustainability, and integrity to both.
DAVIS DISTIRBUTION
Davis Distribution adds value to the vendor and their customer in some very special ways. For example, Davis is committed to protecting their dealers within their assigned trade areas and providing many trainings throughout the year that dealers can access on Davis’s powerful You Tube channel. On the vendor side Davis (and all EDA members) are committed to tracking serial numbers and eliminating all transshipping practices. Vendors love doing business with Davis – the integrity of the organization instills confidence.
Davis was founded in 1998 by Kevin Taliani, and today with two generations of Taliani’ working day to day Davis serves the needs of Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, Southern New Jersey, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. Davis operates two distribution centers, with one each in West Virginia and Indiana.
DOW ELECTRONICS
DOW Electronics, founded in 1959, is currently under its third generation of family leadership and celebrating 37 years of 12-volt distribution. As a four-time Mobile Electronics Distributor of the Year winner, (2014, 2015, 2018 & 2019), Dow continues to stay true to their mantra ‘Customer Focused, Technology Driven’. Creating and expanding on industry leading, dealer centric programs like SmartServices, SmartShip and SmartCourier as well as a fun and informative You Tube channel. These value added services are helping DOW grow a very loyal customer base. Six fully stocked Distribution warehouses provide 1-2 day product delivery across 21 US states and Puerto Rico, while DOW’s 100 + employees ensure that customer satisfaction, product availability and vendor support are at the highest possible levels. Additionally, Dow supports many Industry events, shows and organizations to help maintain, drive and grow a healthy business market for dealers.
GO FAST SOLUTIONS
GoFast was founded in 2016 and entered the 12V arena in August 2019. True to their name, Go Fast has rapidly made a very positive name for themselves in New England. Now with over twenty employees, Go Fast’s mission is to provide the highest level of sales and service at competitive prices – and their customers love it.
Dave Prinz, president of Go Fast Solutions says, “Being recognized by the 2020 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards as one of the Top 3 Distributors is no small accomplishment for any company, but the thing that makes this recognition special for GoFast Solutions is that this is their first year in the industry.”
While Go Fast is a new name in the industry, its staff brings a wealth of industry experience. The company’s twenty plus emplyees not only are industry professionals, they’re also enthusiasts. Note: Jon Mercado, a sales professional on the Go Fast team is also being recognized as one of the Top Five Sales Reps!
Go Fast operates through a state of the art 30,000 square foot facility in Middletown, Connecticu
ELITE DISTRIBUTOR ALLIANCE
EDA is pleased to see the industry recognize these EDA members. Jim Warren EDA’s Executive Director said, “For Distribution to succeed it’s imperative that you build relationships with your customer by adding value. EDA members are very good at this – helping dealers have product in the right place at the right time, helping them become experts, and providing needed profitability to their business. It’s really inspiring to see these three distributors being recognized for their hard work.”
EDA is a member owned alliance of like-minded distributors committed to the highest standards and serving the 12 volt industry. Find out more at www.elitedistributoralliance.com
Mobile Electronics Alert - North Andover, MA – March 30, 2020:
The Mobile Electronics Association announces the launch of www.MEAhelp.com as a resource for the Mobile Electronics Industry.
This resource will be updated frequenlty with infomation about: Vital Resources for Retailers, COVID-19 Health Information, Federal & State Resources and Education & Training Events.
Mobile Electronics Association Reports KnowledgeFest® Long Beach a Success
Year-Over-Year Growth Continues
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – March 2, 2018 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) reported the launch of its weekend KnowledgeFest® event in Long Beach, California was a success. Long Beach is now the third event in its KnowledgeFest series. The other two 2018 events are in Indianapolis (March 16-18) and Dallas (August 17-19).
This first-time event held in the Long Beach Convention Center attracted more than 1,100 attendees, including more than 760 dealers from California, the surrounding states, and Canada, as well as attendees from five other countries. Forty-five exhibitors covered more than 45,000 square feet of sold-out exhibit space.
KnowledgeFest Long Beach featured more than 30 hours of educational programming for retailers covering installation, management and sales topics. Manufacturer trainings totaled 60 hours. Programming was packed and, for several sessions, standing room only.
“MEA was pleased and excited to bring KnowledgeFest to dealers not only in Southern California, but the entire west coast,” said Chris Cook, MEA president. “In making this decision to bring our unique KnowledgeFest programming to the region, we got buy-in from the major manufacturers headquartered in SoCal and we carefully evaluated locations and venues. We are grateful to all the manufacturers in the specialist channel who supported the event by exhibiting and to the dealers who turned out to experience our unique offering. We’ll be back in the Long Beach Convention Center’s Hall C next year on February 22-24.”
KnowledgeFest is three regional events covering the eastern, central and western US and Canada. KnowledgeFest combines a tradeshow floor with educational programming and training for dealers. KnowledgeFests are the only industry events dedicated to the mobile specialist, the installing dealer. For more information go to www.knowledgefest.org.
2018/19 KnowledgeFest Dates:
- Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 16-18, 2018
- Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas, August 17-19, 2018
- Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, February 22-24, 2019
About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest®, events in Long Beach, Indianapolis and Dallas that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers.
The moderator (Chris Cook of MEA) will provide updates on the impact of COVID-19 on the Mobile Electronics industry.
Some of the top KnowledgeFest instuctors will take your questions and share their knowledge to help everyone through this challenge.
This is meeting is designed for store owner and managers and will discuss issues and opportunities regarding business operations.
5-3-2017 -- The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards 2017 are officially underway with nominations now open. The awards celebrate companies and individuals that best exemplify the highest standards of quality and service excellence. Winners represent the industry at-large to consumers and act as ideal examples to better their peers within the industry.
To begin the nomination process, click the following link and follow the steps: CLICK HERE.
This awards process begins with the selection of nominees through industry voting. The two main categories of retailers and installers are narrowed down to the "Top 50," then through peer and consumer voting, the list is narrowed to the “Top 12” retailers and installers, and these finalists submit materials to be judged by Mobile Electronics magazine’s editors and select industry judges. The winners are chosen and announced at a special awards ceremony during the Mobile Electronics Group KnowledgeFest event in August.
In addition to those categories, other industry professionals are recognized for their outstanding service. Those categories include Most Improved Retail Chain, Best Customer Retention Program, Expeditor of the Year and new to this year's awards, Salesperson of the Year.
"It’s been a while coming, but as of this year, the Industry Awards will recognize the in-store individuals who are most responsible for bringing in the revenue and filling up the bay," according to a statement on the official website, meindustryawards.com. "Sales professionals can submit their nomination videos and let indusrty peers and their customers vote for them."
Additional awards are given for vendors and sales representatives. Vendors and representatives nominate themselves to be included in the industry voting and submit videos and other materials to encourage industry professionals to vote for them. Then the three top vote-getters in each category are considered finalists, with the winner announced at KnowledgeFest.
To learn more about the Industry Awards, visit meindustryawards.com.
North Andover, MA – July 21, 2020 – The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards for 2020 are officially underway with nominations closing today, Wednesday, July 22, 2020. The awards celebrate companies and individuals that best exemplify the highest standards of quality and service excellence. Winners represent the industry at-large to consumers and act as ideal examples to better their peers within the industry.
To sumbit your nomination, click the following link and follow the steps: CLICK HERE.
This awards process begins with the selection of nominees through industry voting. The three main categories of retailers, sales professionals and installers are narrowed down to the "Top 50 (Top 20 for Sales Pros)," then through peer and consumer voting, the list is narrowed to the “Top 12” retailers, sales professionals and installers, and these finalists submit materials to be judged by a select and trusted panel of industry judges. The winners are chosen and announced at a special awards ceremony during the Mobile Electronics Association's KnowledgeFest event in September.
In addition to those categories, other industry professionals are recognized for their outstanding service. Those categories can be reviewed at https://meindustryawards.com/.
"It’s been a while coming, but as of this year, the Industry Awards will recognize the in-store individuals who are most responsible for bringing in the revenue and filling up the bay," according to a statement on the official website, meindustryawards.com. "Sales professionals can submit their nomination videos and let indusrty peers and their customers vote for them."
Additional awards are given for vendors and sales representatives. Vendors and representatives nominate themselves to be included in the industry voting and submit videos and other materials to encourage industry professionals to vote for them. Then the three top vote-getters in each category are considered finalists, with the winner announced at KnowledgeFest.
To learn more about the Industry Awards, visit https://meindustryawards.com/.
‘Mobile Electronics Association’ to provide strong branding, kick off membership campaign
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – July 6, 2016 – Mobile Electronics® has approved a new name to represent the membership component of its industry offerings. Mobile Electronics Association™ (MEA) and its new logo will stand alongside KnowledgeFest®, the educational element, and the trade publication Mobile Electronics® magazine. In addition, a new website, join-mea.com, will provide retailers and vendors with information on the benefits of membership.
The Mobile Electronics Association is a vertically-integrated association with over 1,100 dealers, installers and manufacturers as its members. MEA provides a forum and voice for the mobile specialist channel and manages shared business resources and solutions for its retail members. In addition, through integration with Mobile Electronics magazine and KnowledgeFest, MEA promotes education and peer networking to advance the professionalism and profitability of the industry.
“In 2014 we officially retired the MERA (Mobile Electronics Retailers Association) brand and consolidated our three entities under the Mobile Electronics corporate brand,” said Chris Cook, president. “And while Mobile Electronics magazine and KnowledgeFest retained strong recognition, the identity of the membership was lost in the shuffle. MEA is a strong identity that also represents a broadened approach to membership.”
MEA will work to include all parts of the mobile electronics industry, welcoming vendors, retailers and service providers as members, while leaving the door open for other service and technology providers that significantly impact the market. The goal of the association is to increase participation and provide a better platform for networking and sharing of information through a diverse membership environment.
The new logo will be presented at the upcoming KnowledgeFest trade show and conference, August 20-22, in Dallas. The association will also launch a new campaign aimed at increasing membership and communicating the benefits of MEA to the mobile electronics industry. For more information, please visit www.join-mea.com.
Industry trends and strategies for growth considered.
North Andover, MA – May 23, 2019 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) hosted a leadership conference last week in Orlando to discuss its newest KnowledgeFest event planned for May 15-17, 2020 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. Companies represented included MEA Partners: Alpine, Cerwin Vega, DS18, InstallerNet, JL Audio, JVC, Kenwood, Focal, Rostra, Sony, VAIS Technology, VOXX, all of which will be exhibiting at the Orlando event. Seventy-five percent of the exhibit space is pre-sold. Leadership discussed growth trends and opportunities for KnowledgeFest, met with Visit Orlando and received tours of the host hotel, the Rosen Centre, and the convention center exhibit hall.
The group acknowledged that KnowledgeFest plays an important role in educating retailers and provides value for all their employees through its workshops and manufacturer-sponsored training. Now with the new KnowledgeFest Orlando event drawing attendance from the east coast, exhibiting manufacturers can support training for retailers nationwide.
KnowledgeFest is the only industry event devoted exclusively to the mobile specialist, the installing dealer. The addition of a fourth event in Orlando brings KnowledgeFest to a coast-to-coast nationwide audience. Combining an exhibit floor with dealer education and manufacturer training, KnowledgeFest delivers a tremendous value for the entire industry.
Other topics that were discussed at the conference included strategies to grow MEA’s retailer membership, mobile industry trends and challenges facing today’s mobile electronics specialists. "We had many of the top leaders from our industry in the room,” said MEA President, Chris Cook. “We appreciate the many actionable ideas they contributed to help us grow membership and improve the quality of service delivered to consumers.”
Upcoming KnowledgeFest events:
- August 9-11, 2019 - Dallas, TX
- February 7-9, 2020 - Long Beach, CA
- March 27-29, 2020 - Indianapolis, IN
- May 15-17, 2020 - Orlando, FL
About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest, regional trade-only industry events that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers. Learn more at mobile-electronics.com.
North Andover, Mass., – December 28, 2021 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) announced the finalists for the 2022 Industry Awards earlier today, live on its Facebook page. MEA President, Chris Cook held the Finalists Presentation, in which The Top 12 Retailers, Top 12 Installers, Top 5 Technicians and new Top 5 Sales Professionals and other awards were announced. Also noted were the "Top 3" and "Top 5" awards for finalists in the vendor, vendor tech support, expeditor, sales rep, rep firm and distributor categories, as well as the top 5 Technicians denoting the finalists for the coveted Trusted Tech award. Each "Top" award recipient will receive a signed wall certificate.
While the final stage of the Industry Awards will be held in Las Vegas during KnowledgeFest, Cook noted that the announcement produced its own set of winners.
"It's important to recognize that making it to the Top 12, Top 5 and Top 3 categories signals a major achievement in this industry," he explained. "It means that these individuals, stores, brands and companies are part of a unique group that represents the best of our industry. We're overdue in recognizing the significance of their efforts, and I am proud to create a special event for that purpose.
Some of the award categories are decided solely on industry votes. For these, the top vote-getter will be announced at KnowledgeFest as the ultimate winner of the category. For the Top 12 retailers, Top 12 Installers, Top 5 Technicians, Top 5 Rookies, and Top 5 Sales Professionals, each recipient will need to submit additional materials for judging to determine the winner in each category.
The finalists lists can be viewed at meindustryawards.com by clicking on the Winners tab and selecting '2022' winners. To view the 2022 Industry Awards Finalists Presentation, visit the Mobile Electronics magazine page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MobileElectronics. The final awards will be announced at the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards celebration during the KnowledgeFest trade show and conference in Las Vegas, February 20, 2022. For more information, visit www.meindustryawards.com.
Welcome to the Mobile Electronics Show
Bringing the pages of Mobile Electronics magazine to Life!
Watch the Latest Episode here:
Mobile Electronics Alert - North Andover, MA – March 30, 2020:
The below link is for applying through the Small Business Association (SBA) for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Relief. This is a short form (5 screens) that can be completed online in a few minutes. MEA recommends that all members that have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus apply for this relief.
You will need the following information:
1. Business Tax ID or Social Security number
2. Total Sales for the period from 2/1/2019 through 1/31/2020
3. Total COGS (Cost of Goods Sold - which is only what you pay for products for resale) for the same period (2/1/19-1/31/20)**
4. Total Operating Expenses (Total of everything else you paid not including the COGS) for same period (2/1/19-1/31/20)**
5. The date the business was established (usually date of incorporated) and current ownership is the same if it has not changed
6. Select “Automotive Repair” activity and “Automotive – Parts. Accessories” for detailed
7. Number of employees you had employed as of 1/31/2020
8. You will need the full name, address, DOB and social security number of each owner of the business and the % of ownership they have
9. Bank name, account number and routing number
**As long as you use a good faith effort in compiling the information, the government is most likely to forgive some errors.
To Start Your Application Click the Button [CLICK HERE]
