Read the on the digital platform for Mobile Electronics magazine [Click Here]   In the midst of a pandemic, we must apply lessons learned to ensure the survival of our businesses for the future.   Experience is the best teacher—although the test is given first, and then the learning begins. Like many of you, I run a small business. The Mobile Electronic Association is considered a small business by any standard. We have just a few team members who do an incredible job serving you as a member of the association. Our mission is to educate, inform and empower you to succeed in your business. We do this not out of obligation, but out of love for the industry. That industry is you! Many of the calls, emails and messages we get from you relate to support you need to make the right decisions. For example, as a member, you may be using our point-of-sale software. As a result, you may need to know how to do something to improve your experience with that software. However, member inquiries for support go far beyond software. That’s what I would like to address now.   As your industry association, we are here…

Read the on the digital platform for Mobile Electronics magazine [Click Here]   As we all adjust to new safety guidelines and precautionary measures, this should be the message from every retail store.   After speaking at the Car Media Convention in Germany on February 16 of this year, I found myself wondering if this virus could affect our industry and our nation. If so, what kind of disruptions could it cause? Just a few weeks later on March 11, I spoke at the GoFast event in New England. I noticed great trepidation from exhibitors and attendees as to how they should interact with one another. Some greeted each other by nodding from a distance. Others offered a fist-bump, and some just embraced with a firm handshake or brotherly hug as if nothing had changed. This was my first real indication that something was seriously wrong. That night after the New England event, I had a long dinner with some well-respected members of the mobile electronics industry. Much of our conversation focused on what might happen next. For me, this marked the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each day, news reports sounded worse. The future began to look bleak with…

Finding hope for our industry in this most critical time by Chris Cook Ask me what is on my mind and you may get an earful of what I believe and how I think things will play out. The reality: None of us knows how things will turn out. Right now, I am more interested in our future as a country and more specifically, as the mobile electronics industry. I am humbled and honored to serve as the president of the Mobile Electronics Association (MEA), especially at this period in our history. At MEA, we are doing everything in our power to help mobile electronics specialty retailers sustain their businesses. We created www.MEAhelp.com as an effort to aggregate important information critical to our industry’s survival during this time. Please take a moment right now to review and let us know if there is anything more we can provide to assist you. Education and Training Resources Since this crisis started, we have been busy with meetings, webinars and gathering important resources to help the industry. Every Friday we meet with a group of industry leaders which includes manufacturers, distributors and other industry associations. During our meetings, we discuss the week’s events,…

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…