Are you a veteran music retailer or new to the business? Financial gurus Alan Friedman and Daniel Jobe of Friedman, Kannenberg & Co. say it doesn’t matter—smart financial management is required to grow your business regardless of your experience. At 2016 Summer NAMM, Friedman and Jobe gave retailers a list of what not to do in the fiscal running of a music store.

In one year, Monster Music did $110,000 in new business on Reverb.com, an online marketplace for selling gear. In this session, owner Brian Reardon reveals his proven recipe for success on Reverb.com, including best practices for everything from product photos and listings to customer inquiries and shipping.

Being a small, independent retailer could be your most overlooked competitive advantage. In this session from 2016 Summer NAMM, Rick Thacker of Plum Grove Music shows you why. He reveals how he uses his size as a single-store retailer to adapt quickly to the marketplace, create a remarkable experience for customers and as a networking tool to prospect for new business.

Want to make your school music rental business more efficient, and ultimately find new ways to add to the bottom line? During this NAMM U session, Frank Pampenella of PM Music Center shares six ideas that he’s used to improve cash flow, operations and customer service in his successful rental program.

Mason Music’s website has been the centerpiece of its marketing strategy. The site has generated numerous leads for the business, helping grow its lesson program to 650 students per week. At 2016 Summer NAMM, owner Will Mason encouraged retailers to do four things to ensure an effective website that engages customers and generates sales. Here are his best practices.

We all want our sales staff to perform like a finely tuned team of superstars. The hard part is motivating them so they produce consistent results. Here, Liz Reisman of Creative Music Center shares her system for conveying expectations to employees and getting them working together as a team. Walk away with five sure-fire ways to be the Coach K of your retail sales staff.

How many of you want satisfied customers? At the 2016 NAMM Show, Tracy Leenman of Musical Innovations challenged music retailers to go a step further. She shared the best practices that have helped make her store NAMM’s 2015 Dealer of the Year and the Top 100 Award winner for Best Customer Service.

Is your store’s website working for you? Want practical tips to take your online presence to the next level? Here, Mike Ross of Sweetwater Sound offers seven simple ideas you can use to improve your website right away. Find out how to give your website an upgrade, straight from a retail leader.

In an eye-opening NAMM U session at 2015 Summer NAMM, Robert Christie of A & G Central Music revealed the many benefits of offering maintenance agreements. He covered the nuts and bolts, from putting together a maintenance agreement to possible pitfalls. Discover how maintenance agreements might help your retail business.

What happens when customers get behind on instrument rental payments or rental instruments aren’t returned? At 2015 Summer NAMM, Robin Sassi and Kimberly Deverell of San Diego Music Studio gave music retailers the lowdown on collections for rental instruments. Sassi and Deverell spoke frankly from 21 years of experience in business and shared valuable tips on how to avoid pitfalls, improve collections and help the bottom line.