The headline news in August 1975 was the upcoming Dodger Stadium Show Scheduled for November 5 - 16. A front page issues piece dealt with excise tax on truck accessories and RV News becomes the newest industry trade publication, focusing on the RV aftermarket and service. Time Passes, But Issues Remain the Same

From RV News, Volume 1, Number 1 (August 1975)

(The following comments made at a recent meeting of the Warehouse Distributors Association (WDA) for Leisure and Mobile Products are, we feel, are of special interest to all of us associated with the RV aftermarket industry. The speaker was Robert Levin, president of Rogers Distributing Co. and vice president of WDA. - The Editors)

Dealers, WDs Must Be Considered In Manufacturer Marketing Plans

by Bob Levin,

Since the energy crisis belted our industry, I feel the time is now, for us - those who survived - to stand up and be counted. We in the aftermarket have had a growth likened only to Topsy's cat - "It just growed. "

The awareness of the industry, that we as warehouse distributors possess, has shown us that there is a necessity for a new relationship between suppliers, manufacturers and WDs alike. This is not something we would like to have happen - it is something that is going to happen.

Together, we must supply, not only the product and consumer warranties, but technical and selling information to our dealers and to our customers as to why a product is a valuable purchase.

All money flows in reverse. The money supply comes from the consumer through the dealer or store to the WD, and then to the manufacturer. In order to keep this flow moving, we must all do our part.

The dealer must be a better merchant in order to sell his wares and his services to a more sophisticated consumer. Service is king, and we had all better listen to this cry.

We as an association have progressed in the common ground called communications. Monthly news letters, credit reporting on a local as well as national basis have been established. Now the industry recognizes us as a very definite link between the consumer and the product. The purchases made by WDs kept many a manufacturer going during the energy crisis.

I want you to be aware of the size of the market. Previously, we measured productivity by the number of units sold. That market was cut in half last year, but many did not realize that all the units already in use would require products to repair and upgrade those rigs. I believe the manufacturing level of new units will rise steadily over the next few years on a good stabilized basis.

Each year as more units come into the market, our market will grow. These customers are then our customers and our market, and we want it. If some manufacturers continue to market on a "today's sales only" philosophy, I think they are heading on a collision course with problems.

We as WDs recognize the problems in getting a product to market. Sometimes it is almost impossible for a manufacturer to get a WD to take on a new item, and therefore, he must go to direct selling to start product movement. We accept and understand this, but we deplore the pricing structure that is used. Why? Eventually then a manufacturer will want to go the wholesale warehouse distributor route and will approach our industry stating they are moving their product in our area.

The manufacturer should realize the adverse impact of such a pricing structure that a change in marketing technique will have on the WDA and the dealer. This creates extremely hard feelings between our customer and ourselves.

I would recommend that if you must create a new market, do set up a proper price structure. Then when the time is right and it is practical for us to step in and market, we can do so with a reasonable return on our investment. We know that once a manufacturer has grown and his market expands, it is impractical for him to ship small quantities or carry a lot of small customers, and that is our function.

My point is - Sell us, not our customers, by providing good logistics on promotion and the proper techniques of marketing and we can both grow. Many think they are cute using direct selling techniques at low prices under weak excuses. These people are only kidding themselves. To quote an old cliche - "There are no secrets in business." Each WD must and does make his own marketing decisions as he sees best, but it is a small world. Make sure in your marketing that you understand what the real size of the market potential is. Don't expect more than is really out there.

Other industries have cleaned up their act and market on a very well defined system of manufacturer-distributor-dealer.

The problem that we have had our industry has been fantastic growth, and many ambitious individuals have had a lack of long-term planning necessary for the inevitable stability of the industry. Experience has always been the best teacher, and we have experienced phenomenal growth, the unsophisticated and under capitalized manufacturer, the energy crisis, tight money, and now we must pull together for the future because RVs will not dry up and blow away. They are a very definite part of the American way of life, and we must now stand up and be counted as a sophisticated segment of our industry, and this can only happen through mutual understanding and through an organization such as the WDA.

MEET RV NEWS

You are now reading the only publication dedicated solely to you - Californians who make their living serving the recreation vehicle aftermarket. Never before has a publication been available that was designed to help you operate your business more effectively and more profitably in your area.

RV NEWS is planned specifically for RV parts and accessories retailers and the service divisions of all RV outlets. It is concerned with enlarging your scope and keeping you abreast of what's happening in this exciting, changing and expanding industry. By covering a specific regional-area - California only at first, with gradual expansion into adjoining states where RV dealers have similar opportunities and problems - we feel we can meet your needs better than broader-based publications that try to cover the entire national scene.

This concept was arrived at by Publisher Dan Holt and President Sam Thomas after years of experience in assisting retail RV dealers solve the multitude of problems they face daily. They envisioned a regional organization that would offer assistance to all RV dealers in the fields of service tips, store layout, merchandising etc. on a regular basis. They planned a medium that would allow individual dealers to air their thoughts, ask for solutions to problems and to help other dealers by passing along ideas that have been helpful to them.

In short, RV NEWS is planned as a forum for the exchange of information as well as a general source of news about the West's RV industry in general and RV retailers in particular.

This means it's pages are open to YOU!

The staff, in addition to Holt and Thomas, both of whom have extensive experience in the RV aftermarket, includes Ken Fermoyle, Klein Shield and Max Todd.

Fermoyle was the original editor of Wheels Afield, an RV consumer magazine, and was with that publication for eight and a half years. He has also held editorial positions with Motor Life and Popular Science and done extensive freelance writing on camping/RV and automotive subjects.

Klein Shield is a talented' designer and graphics artist, with years of experience in his field. He will serve as art director for RV NEWS.

Max Todd is well-known in the industry as a result of his association with CAMPER COACHMAN and Woodall's TRAILER TRAVEL, as well as other publications in the field. He has contributed several articles for this first issue and his byline will continue to be seen in the future.

Actually, however, we expect that you, our readers, will make just as important contributions to RV NEWS as any of the staff members.

We plan a number of regular monthly features designed to let you participate directly. In addition to a traditional "Letters to the Editor column," we plan a Reader Forum department as part of the editorial page. This will allow anyone with a point to make about our industry to express his/her views publicly to the RV NEWS readership - all professionals in the field.

We also hope to start a column entitled "It Worked for Me!" in the next issue. If you, as a dealer, have come up with a merchandising promotion, display layout or any other successful idea you're willing to share with others, this space will be open to you.

On the service side, we plan a regular department in which RV service technicians can exchange solutions they've discovered for the many repair and maintenance problems that occur all too often in any RV service shop.

Those are for starters only, since we plan to be flexible as everyone must be in the RV business today. We hope, however, that they get across the main theme: Namely, that this is YOUR publication, and we welcome input from you. Let us know what types of articles you'd like to see, what problems we can assist you with, what products you need to know more about.