Author Ryan Estis presented an inspiring keynote speech Tuesday at the RVDA Convention/Expo. His speech touted lessons learned from some unusual sources to encourage RVDA members to move beyond the transaction and find new ways to interact with customers.
Estis’ keynote address took dealers on a winding journey of business success with looks at MartinPatrick 3, Starbucks and the Savannah Bananas. Along the way, he offered three lessons for RV dealers: Move beyond the transaction, unleash human potential and disrupt yourself first.
Estis said the goal is to stand out from the crowd and differentiate a brand experience to grow a dealership’s bottom line.
He began with the example of MartinPatrick 3, a boutique store in Minneapolis that sells clothing, furniture and more by building personal relationships with its clients.
“They are a business that is growing at 40% year-over-year, and they have been recognized as a case study in how to do retail in the age of Amazon,” Estis said. “I hate to shop, but I love Martin Patrick, and it is because of the experience, something they refer to as the MP3 way.”
Estis said the store’s retail manager has consistently gone out of his way to provide personal shopping services, make dinner reservations and help him find a new car.
“It is a differentiated experience that is designed to get to know their customers, to create intimacy and to keep them coming back,” Estis said. “They will ask you questions that are different. They get you engaged. They engage the heart and mind.”
Estis touted Starbucks’ success and how former CEO Howard Shultz focused on human interaction rather than coffee to drive success.
“I visited a few dealerships prior to my time here today,” Estis said, “and you are very much in the human connection business.”
Estis said owners need to help employees find satisfaction in their jobs. Estis shared an interview with Mike Pearo of Hilltop Camper & RV in Minnesota. Pearo said the dealership’s managers sit down with every employee on at least a quarterly basis.
“It is very laid back,” Pearo said. “Tell me something good that is going on in your life, business-wise, personal-wise, and just kind of have that one-on-one conversation. What can I do for you to make it better and just make sure that each employee is being heard regularly so they feel part of the team.”
Estis said he was blown away by the culture and commitment the dealership’s employees had to one another.
“I will tell you, as leaders, managers and owners, when your employees feel seen, heard, understood and valued, when they feel part of something larger than themselves, commitment, engagement and contribution goes through the roof,” Estis said. “They create a high-trust, safe, dynamic, high-performance environment.”
Estis told dealers they need to “disrupt ourselves first,” before the marketplace or competition does.
Estis said that means looking at different ways dealers can do business and following through with those ideas. He said the ideas will not always work, but there is value in trying. He offered Jesse Cole of the Savannah Bananas as a prime example.
Estis said Cole, the owner and founder of “Banana Ball,” takes time daily to produce 10 new ideas and commits to trying at least one of them.
Estis challenged dealers to experiment with their own businesses.
The keynote speech closed with a story about Estis’ brother and the annual trip the brothers take to reconnect. One year, Chad suggested an endurance race.
“It is 60 laps around this grueling course, half of which is this ridiculous vertical incline,” Estis said. “You have four hours to finish the race. We dramatically undertrained for this.”
Runners were asked to consider who they were racing for, and to keep that person in mind when they started to consider quitting the race. Estis said that moment hits many just after the halfway point. He said he and his brother reached that moment, but each time, they encouraged each other to take “just three more steps.”
The brothers successfully finished the race together in less than four hours.
“Our job as leaders is to look inside ourselves and commit to doing the hard work it takes to become a little bit more of who we are capable of being each and every day,” Estis said. “When the pain seems insurmountable, don’t focus on the finish line. Take your next three steps and always hold the answer to this question close to your heart. Who am I running for?”
