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PRI Attendees Gain From Seminars On Partnerships, Marketing, Vintage Racing
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Successful racing business owners continue to grow and improve, and many of them attended day one of the PRI Trade Show’s exclusive business management seminars in impressive numbers. Among the hot topics covered this year were the growing opportunities in vintage racing, techniques for building partnerships that benefit both parties, and strategies to promote and market small businesses.
In his seminar "Fast-Tracking Word of Mouth," veteran PRI presenter and columnist Tom Shay of Profits Plus explained that referrals and good reviews don’t just happen. “Most people tell you they get most of their customers from word of mouth, but if you ask how they make that happen, they have no plan. I know word of mouth can be created, and I’ll give them concrete ways to do that.”
Attendee Alex Youngblood told us he picked up a number of valuable tips that he’ll put to work at Youngblood Performance in Crossville, Illinois. “There are some things that I’ve been missing in my business, things I could be doing online and also ways that I can deal with my customers better. This will definitely help me make some decisions about those things.”
Next door, those interested in elevating their business or race team received priceless information from “The Value of Partnerships,” facilitated by Brett Roubinek, Tim Bampton and Mo Murray of JMI, which represents such high-profile clients as Jeff Gordon and John Force Racing, as well as developing the motorsports programs for brands like Verizon and Subway.
Partnerships and sponsorships are a subject near and dear to attendee Matt Fenaroli, who works as the fundraising director of the Kansas City Automotive Museum, but also manages the racing career of his 18-year-old daughter Natalie Fenaroli, who started racing karts at the age of five.
“There are challenges to getting sponsors even at the highest levels, but as these guys pointed out, there really are things someone at the grassroots level can do. I think the biggest thing I got from them is that if you’re going to talk to somebody about supporting a driver or a team, you really need to start out with what you’re going to do for them. If you can find out what their problem is and help them solve it, they’re definitely going to be interested in you.”
The biggest crowd draw of the day was “Opportunities in Vintage Racing,” handled by leading experts in the field: Tony Parella of Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, J.R. Mitchell of GMT Racing, and Chuck Cornelison of VDS Racing Engines. The three laid out the astonishing growth potential in this arena, as well as the demographic make-up of its well-heeled participants. “Vintage racing is going through a significant transformation,” said Parella, whose series has gone from five to 15 races and continues to attract significant numbers of participants and sponsors. “There’s more opportunity than at any time in its history.”
That fact wasn’t lost on Doug Nagy of Street Wise Motorsports, Rancho Santa Margarita, California. “This really confirmed some thoughts I already had about vintage racing, so it kind of verified the direction I’ve been thinking about going. My business is involved in fabrication and race car building, but I’m starting to get inquiries from vintage race people, so I’m exploring that as a possible direction to go. I think it might be a nice thing to add to the business I’m already doing.”
In his seminar "Fast-Tracking Word of Mouth," veteran PRI presenter and columnist Tom Shay of Profits Plus explained that referrals and good reviews don’t just happen. “Most people tell you they get most of their customers from word of mouth, but if you ask how they make that happen, they have no plan. I know word of mouth can be created, and I’ll give them concrete ways to do that.”
Attendee Alex Youngblood told us he picked up a number of valuable tips that he’ll put to work at Youngblood Performance in Crossville, Illinois. “There are some things that I’ve been missing in my business, things I could be doing online and also ways that I can deal with my customers better. This will definitely help me make some decisions about those things.”
Next door, those interested in elevating their business or race team received priceless information from “The Value of Partnerships,” facilitated by Brett Roubinek, Tim Bampton and Mo Murray of JMI, which represents such high-profile clients as Jeff Gordon and John Force Racing, as well as developing the motorsports programs for brands like Verizon and Subway.
Partnerships and sponsorships are a subject near and dear to attendee Matt Fenaroli, who works as the fundraising director of the Kansas City Automotive Museum, but also manages the racing career of his 18-year-old daughter Natalie Fenaroli, who started racing karts at the age of five.
“There are challenges to getting sponsors even at the highest levels, but as these guys pointed out, there really are things someone at the grassroots level can do. I think the biggest thing I got from them is that if you’re going to talk to somebody about supporting a driver or a team, you really need to start out with what you’re going to do for them. If you can find out what their problem is and help them solve it, they’re definitely going to be interested in you.”
The biggest crowd draw of the day was “Opportunities in Vintage Racing,” handled by leading experts in the field: Tony Parella of Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, J.R. Mitchell of GMT Racing, and Chuck Cornelison of VDS Racing Engines. The three laid out the astonishing growth potential in this arena, as well as the demographic make-up of its well-heeled participants. “Vintage racing is going through a significant transformation,” said Parella, whose series has gone from five to 15 races and continues to attract significant numbers of participants and sponsors. “There’s more opportunity than at any time in its history.”
That fact wasn’t lost on Doug Nagy of Street Wise Motorsports, Rancho Santa Margarita, California. “This really confirmed some thoughts I already had about vintage racing, so it kind of verified the direction I’ve been thinking about going. My business is involved in fabrication and race car building, but I’m starting to get inquiries from vintage race people, so I’m exploring that as a possible direction to go. I think it might be a nice thing to add to the business I’m already doing.”
