NAMM NEWS
By Causby Challacombe
NAMM’s Top100
Dealer Awards
Bringing International Retailers Together for One Extraordinary Night
A
Top 100 Dealer Award
means many things. It
means a time that all of
the effort and resources
you put into that success-
ful marketing campaign
is recognized. It means becoming the first
store from your city, province, or country
to win a Top 100 Dealer Award. It means
examining and fine-tuning your business
to determine exactly what you did this
year that will stand out and that you can
build on in the future. It means the oppor-
tunity to learn from your peers.
I have heard from stores that are
ecstatic and humbled that they were
included in the Top 100 and I have heard
from stores that are disappointed that
they were not included on the list. There
is one way to look at the Top 100 whether
you are on the list or not. It is the same
lesson that I am sure most of you apply to
your business: how can I learn from my
peers to promote further growth? If you
aren’t reaching outside of your comfort
zone, chances are your employees and
business are not growing to their full
potential.
My dad owns a small business. He
started this business from scratch in a
down economy. He had a stable job but
wanted more and just like a lot of you,
he started his business with nothing but
vision and passion. The vision built his
business but the passion has sustained
it. I have seen first-hand the struggles,
rewards, disappointments, and successes
of going down this path – and that there
are many obstacles that stand in the way.
What I have learned from him is you
have to continually adapt your business
to meet the demands of the consumer
and the market. He is never satisfied with
standing still and waiting. Every day he
is creating excitement, cultivating cus-
tomers, and making sure his employees
see his passion. Each day is a new op-
portunity even though he has been doing
it for almost 40 years. He takes every op-
portunity he can to learn, especially from
his peers. His industry does not have a
Top 100 Awards, but if it did, I believe he
would jump at the chance to meet with
his staff and say, “We have done some
great things this year. Let’s talk about
them so other businesses can learn from
us or better yet, we can learn from them.
We are meant to grow together.”
The most
important take-
away from the Top
100 Awards is it
brings the music
retail community
together. There are
laughs, tears, high
fives, and best
practices all being
exchanged and
shared. It is the
only place to go to
see what a store
is doing to bring
music into their
community. As
your trade associ-
ation, it is NAMM’s
honour to bring the
retail community
together for one night and celebrate the
passion that ignites our industry.
Retail as we know it is constantly
changing. Our members have to adapt
and change just to keep an edge on their
business. We recognize their commitment
to their businesses and to the music prod-
ucts industry. We want to share with the
world the stories of our members and all
of the positive things happening in music
retail. We are living in exciting times filled
with challenges to overcome, new con-
cepts to implement, and the opportunity
to make a meaningful, positive impact on
the communities we serve!
The Top 100 Awards recognize, re-
ward, and promote best practices among
NAMM retail members. In May, we will
be announcing the 2017 Top 100 Dealers
and sharing their strategies for success.
Please join us in Nashville, TN for
Summer NAMM 2017, running July 13-15,
2017, as we honour our members and
their achievements. We hope to see you
there!
Causby Challacombe is the Director of
Membership for the National Association
of Music Merchants (NAMM), the global
not-for-profit trade association represent-
ing 9,000 manufacturers and retailers of
musical instruments and sound products.
NAMM’s mission is to strengthen the
music products industry and promote the
pleasures and benefits of making music.
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
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