Music Retailers
“We had assembled all 90+ educational reps from the company and Milt was the featured speaker. He was outstanding…. knowledgeable, stimulating and funny!”
There’s no question that today’s music retailers have way too much on their plate – especially in a competitive environment. So how can you separate your business from another in your area? After spending a lifetime in music, Dr. Milt Allen can tell you ( . . . wait for it . . . here it comes):
“School music teachers today don’t need deals on instruments or supplies. They appreciate the pencils, pens, notepads, calendars and other promotional items – and those things are quite helpful! But if you really want to increase sales, develop loyalty and either solidify current customers or build onto your customer base, here’s the secret:
Stop Selling.
Seriously. Music educators are swamped with the pressures of the day to day grind, juggling programs, budgets, scheduling and personal lives, in addition to constantly changing educational climates (testing, anyone?) program insecurity and the eternal question: “will I have a job next year.” What they need in the field is support. Someone who can act as a resource and is there to help with that grind when needed: their local music retailer. Want to develop customer loyalty? Trust? Then don’t try to sell anything. Instead be a provider of information, a support system and a mentor. By doing this you become not just valuable: but invaluable. And who do you think that music teacher – or parent – will call when they’ve got a bit of money to spend? Yep. You guessed it!”
Music Retailer Ideas
So, how can The Music Guerrilla help you?
-Bring in The Music Guerrilla’s Executive Director, Dr. Milt Allen, to your area for a residency! Dr. Allen, in addition to working with, say, the bands in a school, can also give cross-curricular presentations throughout the school! In addition to showing the power of music to a wider audience, it also provides marketing association for your business, hitting a new demographic! (Of course, administrations love getting full use from a visitor!)
-Set-up 1-day or 1/2 day visits with several of the schools in your area. Make it a week? A great combination are schools that might be willing to help financially support the visit, with schools or young teachers that could desperately use a new perspective. Think about the impact of bringing an invigorating resource to your area for 5 days!
-How about combining a session to your employees about “Not Selling Instruments” with school visits?
-Sponsor The Music Guerrilla for a local in-service or create a workshop! Again, our Executive Director, Dr. Milt Allen, will personally work with you to set-up a special event with you.
-The ole 1-2: Bring Dr. Allen in for your state’s in-service music conference, then keep him around the next week to visit your schools! (Or, have him visit schools before the conference!)
Those are just a few of the ways that The Music Guerrilla can help you. But what about COST? Great question.
Cost
It all depends on the travel, lodging, expenses, etc. While The Music Guerrilla does have a suggested fee for various levels, it depends on what you would like. Remember: a great way to assist in supporting a visit is to see if there are a few schools that might be willing to kick-in a little bit! And the cool thing for you: all donations are tax-deductible and go right back into helping others WAGE MUSIC! Perhaps right in your area!
Contact The Music Guerrilla today to inquire about possibilities. In fact, feel free to contact Dr. Milt Allen directly at: milt@themusicguerrilla.com OR 217-218-6458
C’mon! Let’s WAGE MUSIC together!