Sure, there are marketing resources out there for businesses like yours, but you don’t know where to start and what exactly to do. Plus, people are still worrying about the economy and things haven't really gotten that much better it seems.

Middle C Music’s Myrna Sislen knows a thing or two about making her store the local mecca for students of all ages. During this session at The NAMM Show, she shared her experiences with adult music lesson students—and her first-time foray into Groupon, the deal-of-the-day website that features discounted gift certificates.

From a bird’s eye view, the NAMM Show is both spectacular and overwhelming—thousands of products displayed by more than 1,500 exhibitors for viewing in a space of four days! How do you see it all?  Frank Alkyer and his panel of well-respected retailers and buyers searched every aisle for the best products, ideas and trends, and selected their top finds in four categories: Best Add-On or Accessory, Gotta Stock It, Companies to Watch and Best in Show. Watch the video and hear about the hottest gear, the must-haves and the newest products from the NAMM Show 2012!

Marketing tools and technologies are constantly emerging and changing. This session shows you where to invest, what to test and when to let-it-rest when it comes to marketing to your customers. Learn the best ways to spend your time and money—and recognize the new technologies that are less likely to pay off.

David Meerman Scott, Marketing Strategist and Bestselling Author of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR" and "Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead"

Donovan Bankhead is back with his brilliant session from Nashville that got rave reviews from attendees! His organization methods are a must-try, especially in our music products industry, where it’s no surprise that many of us fall into a creative category. As easy as it is to categorize ourselves, the same can’t always be said for our files.

Is your store over-inventoried with too much of last year’s “hot product”? Do you know what emerging trends will determine this year’s “must-have” products? How can you forecast the “new best sellers” and also know when hot products start to cool down-before you place your next Purchase Order?

Marketing 101 says the best customer is the one you already have. Every fall, a gush of new customers tumble right into our laps during rental season. And, every fall, we provide them with their instruments and supplies—and that’s it. Other than a few reeds or bottles of valve oil during the year, we may not see these customers again until June, if they return their instrument.

Before starting their store in the mid-1960s, Lauren Haas Amanfoh's grandfather went to his childhood music store and asked the owners how they survived the Great Depression. With their advice, he set up the business model that Royalton Music Center still uses today—through good times and tough times, Royalton has survived and thrived. More recently, it has adjusted to today's economy and boosted lessons, rentals and sales—at a time when many retailers are closing their doors. Lauren discusses several factors she attributes to her company's recent success: proven methods to bring more stability to the industry and ultimately bring music to more lives.

Want to attract more customers to your store? Want the customers who do visit your store to purchase more products? Want to accomplish this without spending money? Learn how to effectively merchandise your store to attract your customer’s attention, interest and desire to own the products that you offer.