1. Jim Pancero educates operators with fresh sales ideas |
This week's Town Hall focused on better ways to reach customers with sales coach Jim Pancero, but the meeting kicked off, as always, with a legislative briefing from Ken Presley.
With Congress leaving Washington, Ken Presley briefed motorcoach operators on the status of CERTS, the Payroll Protection Act and the RESTART Act. He encouraged operators to phone the state and local offices of federal elected officials while they are in town and press for CERTS co-sponsorship and the need to include the components of CERTS in any relief package.
Pancero, a Hall of Fame Speaker says there are two realities to selling today. First, it's going to take some time. Second, selling and buying are going through a strong cultural shift. He recommends getting stable for the long haul and identifying the ways that you can stay in business for the next 12 months.
He told operators the best thing they can do now is to be proactive and contact customers just to talk, and it doesn't have to be about making a sale. It's just about communicating.
There was a great deal of discussion in the chat room with regard to the need to educate consumers to look at more than price. And in the current environment, hygiene and safety are big selling points that allow you to open the conversation and talk about value versus price and a variety of critical differentiators.
As always, the session is recorded and the slides are available, too.
|
|
|
2. Congress has headed home: Call your Senators and Representatives and share our industry's ask
|
|
By Ken Presley
If there was ever a time to call your legislators, it is now.
Nearly every individual and many industries were waiting for some good news in what was touted as a relief bill. Of course, the motorcoach industry is anticipating inclusion of the CERTS Act in the bill.
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Meadows, Senate Minority Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi once again failed to arrive at an agreement as Democrats and Republicans posture going into a pivotal election season.
I think this is all you’re going to see until Congress gets back into session after Labor Day," said Sen. Chuck Grassley. The Senate will not reconvene until after Labor Day.
The Senate version of the CERTS Act (S. 4150) now has 28 cosponsors and the House version (H.R. 7642) has 46 cosponsors. Additionally, the RESTART Act continues to garner popularity with Congress as 52 Senators and 91 House Members have now signed on as cosponsors.
The industry needs more cosponsors for the CERTS Act and if there is any positive news that comes out of the delay, it is we have more opportunity to bolster our cosponsors. If your Senator or House Member is not a cosponsor yet, please give them a call. They are back home right now and may welcome an invite to stop by and visit your facility.
|
|
3. MMA video helps operators promote their new cleaning technology to educate consumers
|
|
Members of the Maryland Motorcoach Association, not only received EZ Dissan electrostatic sprayers, but the association created a video operators can use to show customers how their coaches are cleaned.
In a time when consumers are concerned about hygiene and safety, this video is as important a sales tool as the technology itself.
|
|
|
4 . Homeland Security reminds business owners to beware cyber scams related to SBA programs
|
|
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is currently tracking an unknown malicious cyber actor who is spoofing the Small Business Administration (SBA) COVID-19 loan relief webpage via phishing emails. These emails include a malicious link to the spoofed SBA website that the cyber actor is using for malicious re-directs and credential stealing.
CISA analysts observed an unknown malicious cyber actor sending a phishing email to various Federal Civilian Executive Branch and state, local, tribal, and territorial government recipients.
The phishing email contains:
- A subject line, SBA Application – Review and Proceed
- A sender, marked as disastercustomerservice@sba[.]gov
- Text in the email body urging the recipient to click on a hyperlink to address:
- hxxps://leanproconsulting[.]com.br/gov/covid19relief/sba.gov
- The domain resolves to IP address: 162.214.104[.]246
|
|
5. UMA Member Annett Bus Lines gets right to the point in asking for relief to keep companies together
|
|
UMA Membership is FREE through 12/31/2020 |
|
Because our industry is stronger together, we invite operators to try UMA Membership FREE through year's end. Join us.
|
|
|
6. Midwest Bus & Motorcoach Association proves in-person meetings are possible with safety precautions
|
|
The good news is that, not only was the July event a success, but turnout was better than expected, with 53 attendees, including 20 operating members and nine vendors, according to Cherie Hime, the regional association’s Executive Director.
Planned long before the global pandemic disrupted the industry, the 2020 convention was held
in Bettendorf, Iowa, on July 27-28, at the Isle Casino and Waterfront Convention Center.
CDC protocols
Hime credits the hotel for following social distancing protocols and guidelines from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Seatings and tables were spaced apart, and hand sanitizer
was readily available. MBMCA also provided free masks from FEMA to attendees.
|
|
UMA Members have access to a variety of resources to help sustain your business and our industry.
Check out our Social Media Tool Kit to enhance your online profile and promote our industry and UMA's AssurCLEAN Program to put your passengers at ease so they can travel confidently.
And remember to read and subscribe to Bus & Motorcoach News, which is powered by UMA, and your source for the weekly Motorcoach Minute video.
|
|
2020
-
UMA Town Halls, every Thursday at 2:00 p.m. ET Learn more.
-
UMA Safety Management Seminar, December 2-3, 2020, Ashburn, VA Learn more.
|
|
2021
-
UMA Motorcoach EXPO, March 3-7, 2021, Orlando, FL Learn more.
|
|
|
Every Thursday at 2 p.m. ET on the Zoom platform. Join from your computer or phone. |
|
Resources, news and important links for advocacy, federal programs, and more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
