LAS VEGAS – With a new era of RVing and a whole new customer who doesn’t play by the long-established rules, RV dealers would be well-advised to come up with new ways of doing business.
Fortunately, according to RV Dealers Association keynote speaker and author Josh Linkner, everyone is full of untapped creativity and innovation sparked by that creativity can be the key to reaching that Millennial customer.
Scroll down for a series of photos.
Linkner spoke during the opening General Session of the RVDA Convention/Expo at Caesar’s Palace.
“Be the source of creative disruptions rather than the victim of it,” Linkner encouraged the dealers.
At the heart of the discussion “Turning Raw Ideas into Powerful Results” were five big ideas that are core mindsets of innovators:
- Every barrier can be penetrated. Don’t bother saying it can’t be done. Set about figuring it out.
- Video killed the radio star. Dealers should put their old selves out of business with a new and better version.
- Break the rules to get the jewels. Stop overestimating the danger of changes and underestimating the dangers of staying put.
- Seek the unexpected. Don’t try to decide between option A, B or C. Ask yourself if there’s an option X.
- Fall seven times and stand up eight. Any time someone fails, they should get back up in a new, creative way.
Linkner used his hometown of Detroit as a positive example of innovation and creativity.
In the early 1900s, Detroit was home to creators and entrepreneurs as the city grew and thrived with the birth of the auto industry.
By the late 1900s, the city was in decay, full of crime and devoid of industry as the American auto industry fell behind.
Now, the city is witnessing something of a rebirth with high-tech companies being encouraged to develop in a redeveloped section of urban Detroit that had been largely abandoned.
This year’s RVDA Convention Expo gained a boost of energy from the new location and layout.
Several manufacturers hosted booths alongside the traditional supplier booths. Among them was a reborn Roadtrek.
Post-show events included a reception hosted by the RVDA of Canada and an event across the street at Margaritaville hosted by American Guardian Warranty Service.
