More than 60 Yamaha Music School owners and Yamaha music dealers from across North America recently attended the Yamaha Advantage program, a conference designed to help educators and dealers develop relationships with their customers and sharpen skills in finances, sales, marketing, operation and employee training.
The Yamaha Advantage conference was held at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on June 3 – 5.
The most recent addition to the conference, the Yamaha Music School Advantage program, celebrated its third successful year. Registered Yamaha Music School operators attended a jam-packed day of various workshops, including sales techniques, marketing and business operations, tactics for building awareness, improving customer relationships and increasing enrollment. These seminars were led by Tom Hemphill, franchise marketing manager, Yamaha Corporation of America, who used case studies and role-playing to give attendees the tools they need to face challenges in the industry.
Attendees were also offered Financial Advantage seminars throughout the day. Financial Advantage, the legacy component of Yamaha Advantage, has trained more than 600 dealer participants in numerous training sessions. The workshops were led by Alan Friedman, CPA, a partner with Friedman, Kannenberg & Company, P.C. with more than 30 years of accounting, tax and consulting experience in the music industry; and Daniel Jobe, an accounting, tax and consulting professional who works closely with music stores to supervise accounting issues.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to work with educators who share our passion for developing young music makers,” noted Hemphill. “At Yamaha, we are committed to supporting the next generation of musicians by encouraging them to make waves – to grow artistically and to share their passion with the world. This event truly represents the core of what we believe in as a company.”
The Music School Advantage and Financial Advantage workshops were also held with Succession Advantage, the component seminar in the program that helps business owners as they plan for their retirement or the sale of their school.
Educators and dealers had high praise for the workshops they attended. “The Music School Advantage program was incredibly inspiring. It was wonderful to learn about what Yamaha can bring to our communities,” said Heidi Grimes of East Valley Yamaha Music School in Chandler, Arizona.
Rick Cochran of Fort Bend Music Center in Stafford, Texas said of Financial Advantage, “The information presented at this seminar drastically changed the way I manage my business for the better. I believe that programs offered by Yamaha like this will tremendously benefit our industry.”
