Small Business Networking Roundtable Topics

August 9
6:30pm No Host Cocktails
7-9pm Chapter Announcements, Program, Dinner

Join your colleagues for a dinnertime roundtable discussion. Share insights and experiences on a topic of interest listed below.

The premise on which the idea of roundtables is based is simple – there is no ‘leader’ as such, but each table will choose a facilitator to ease the work process and to maintain focus, and a scribe to record the great ideas and tips. Nobody is at the head of the table, everyone has an equal voice and can speak mind freely on the subject. Bring your toughest questions and best ideas to discuss!

Customer Retention

Customer satisfaction and retention represent constant challenges, especially for businesses with multiple competitors. Each roundtable member will share successful strategies for connecting with customers. Strategies could include regular customer appreciation events, a customer advisory board with rotating membership and generous customer referral incentives. print or email newsletters to their customers or host at the shop interactive customer seminars.

New Markets

Reaching new markets often means marketing existing products or services to new market segments. For example, a shop can target the clients whose vehicles need to have their headlights polished, or begin selling a new product, such as tires. Ask each roundtable member to share a market expansion success, as well as a challenge or temporary setback.

Your Shop’s Website

Websites and online business networks often help a business expand. For example, a body shop could post “before and after” customer photos on its home page to draw in new customers, and any shop can share testimonials from their happy customers. Website-savvy attendees are also encouraged to help hesitant business owners understand online media components and benefits.

Profitability and Business Growth

A business owner concerned about his current bottom line may not concentrate on his long-term business outlook. In contrast, another entrepreneur tracks his daily progress via a spreadsheet program and runs monthly updates to his five-year financial projections. While current profitability keeps a business’ doors open, well-planned growth is key to its continued success. Attendee will share how they developed their business vision and how to monitor short- and long-term profitability.

Team Dynamics, What Works for You?

What practices do you and your team consistently undergo to exercise creativity, generate ideas, solve problems and ever importantly, recharge? Let’s discuss fun ideas about how to mix up the daily meeting schedule or agenda with critical creative exercises. How does your team connect together outside the work at hand? Do you have a softball team or 10-day silent meditation retreat? Where are your leaders in the spectrum of …Do you cheer-lead from the rear or is it a Dictatorship? How do you foster young talent growth, how do you challenge and reward them and when to you lean-in to catch a mistake?

Tweet or Perish: How does social media impact your success at launch and beyond?

In today’s era, consumers expect many touch points – and often. There is one school of belief that maintaining constant connections with the most avid fans is crucial for success and a must-have for pre-launch, launch and beyond. Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and more all help you connect with customers. How do you establish your company’s ‘voice’ and personality? Are today’s methods for ROI measurement even useful? In this roundtable, we’ll share our own stories and explore solutions together. Plus, we’ll examine how leaders and influencers depend on these mediums for their life blood.

Employees – Onboarding them and Keeping them

What are some examples of a tool that has helped save you time and effort in regard to recruitment, onboarding, and/or employee evaluations?
How does your shop onboard new hires? What works? What doesn’t?
How do you encourage your managers and employees to take annual evaluations more seriously when merit increases are not being offered?
Outside of the BAR requirements, what are some areas where automation could be a benefit to your shop?

Event Location: Biltmore Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

Register here >>>>>

 

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Small Business Networking Roundtable Topics

Marketing to Three Generations | July 12, Kukui

with Special Guest Todd Westerlund, President, Kukui

July 12
6:30pm Check-in and Networking
7-9pm Chapter Announcements, Program, Dinner

Presentations these days are so heavily focused on Millennials, but as a shop owner you know that your customers come in all shapes and sizes. This presentation aims to explore the three main generational groups that make up your client base.

Key Points:

  • Baby Boomer Generation | Generation X | Millennial Generation
    • Generational Differences
    • How to market to each Generation

Join us to learn how to retain each generation, from a customer standpoint.

About the Presenter
Todd Westerlund is President of Kukui’s U.S. operations. A marketing and sales veteran, Westerlund formerly served as Kukui’s Chief Strategist.

Westerlund is particularly accomplished in the automotive sector – a field where Kukui serves a growing number of customers. Before joining Kukui, Westerlund served as vice president of sales for Shop Management Services, a distributor of the R.O. Writer shop management software system for repair centers. He also spent four years as a regional manager at Demandforce, where he expanded the company’s automotive division.

Westerlund’s automotive experience also includes serving in sales management positions at Diamond Certified, (a rating service for high-quality companies), managing Internet sales at an automotive dealership and 15 years spent as an ASE-Certified Technician.

About Kukui
With a rich history in information technology, Kukui provides businesses with a custom website platform and software solution that integrates with each organization’s Point of Sale (POS) system. This empowers each of Kukui’s clients with quantitative data showing their monetary return on investment, the number of new clients based on their POS system, statistics revealing their customer retention rate, and areas to improve business through the tracking of phone calls, appointment forms, and feedback from customer reviews.

For more information about Kukui, visit their website.

Event Location: Kukui Headquarters
2077 Gateway Pl. Suite 150, San Jose, CA 95110

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

Register here >>>>>

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Marketing to Three Generations | July 12, Kukui

ASCCA at the SJ Giants, May 10, 6:30pm

ASCCA San Jose and Peninsula Chapters team up at the San Jose Giants

Wednesday, May 10
6:30pm Check-in, 7:00pm First Pitch–by an ASCCA Representative

San Jose Giants Stadium
588 East Alma Avenue, San Jose, CA 95112

Our group will be part of the action as we watch the Giants from the PRIVATE Field-level Party Deck. Package includes game tickets, BBQ meals and two alcoholic beverages per guest, as well as field staff to wait in line for food so you won’t miss any of the fun!! Each guest will have the opportunity to win Lucky Prizes during the game with their very own Scorecard and Bingo card, as well as read up on the history of the team in the program.

Choose one of the four delicious meals (order at the game) and enjoy two adult or other beverages, while enjoying the game on the private party deck.

Bring your friends, family, shop employees, or potential chapter members!

custombutton

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on ASCCA at the SJ Giants, May 10, 6:30pm

Starring YOU and Your Business | Powerful Reasons to Use Videos in Your Marketing

Special Guests Jason Smith & Brett Sigur

April 12
6:30pm No Host Cocktails
7-9pm Chapter Announcements, Program, Dinner

With online video quickly becoming a key means for people to satisfy their information and entertainment needs, small businesses that fail to include it in their internet marketing strategies will do so at their peril.

Video is the future of content marketing. That is, if it’s not the here and now. Various studies show more than half of companies are already making use of the medium – a figure that’s predicted to rise as more and more realise the possibilities. Nielsen claims 64% of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in the near future. It’s not difficult to see why.

Don’t miss this informative and interactive program to see how you can boost your marketing efforts.

About the Presenters

Jason Smith has over 25 years producing content across a wide variety of media platforms. He is a former Entertainment Editor of The Los Angeles Times online, a former Associate Editor of Snowboarder Magazine and a freelance contributor to dozens of print and online publications including Surfer Magazine and the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Following his years in journalism, Mr. Smith was a screenwriter with representation at Accelerate Entertainment and worked developing and writing spec scripts for Broken Road Productions, Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions and others. He has written ad copy for movie promotion, the auto industry, energy companies and city governments as a contractor with top marketing consultants. Mr. Smith currently produces the YouTube channel Cupcake Works at Home and is the Creative Director at Keyframe Video Marketing, based in Santa Cruz, California.

Brett Sigur is a career marketer with over 20 years of experience with brand, product and retail marketing for companies such as Santa Cruz Snowboards, West Marine Products and Bell Helmets. Mr. Sigur is currently employed by Vista Outdoor which is the parent company of many noteable brands including Bell Helmets, Giro Helmets and Blackburn Design. Brett is the Digital Marketing Manager for Bell and Blackburn where he develops, executes and monitors online, print and social media marketing strategies. During his tenure, he has increased Bell’s web traffic 35% and increased online sales by 30% year-over-year. Mr. Sigur was a Founding Board Member of Digital Nest, Inc. in Watsonville, California from 2014 to 2016. Digital Nest provides underprivileged youth and young adults with opportunities to learn marketable technology skills.

Event Location: Biltmore Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

Register here >>>>>

 

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Starring YOU and Your Business | Powerful Reasons to Use Videos in Your Marketing

California Department of Toxic Substances Control Visits the Chapter

Molly Pritz, Hazardous Materials Specialist, California Department of Toxic Substances Control

March 8
6:30pm No Host Cocktails
7-9pm Chapter Announcements, Program, Dinner

More than 31,000 VSRs currently operate in California. These shops can be a significant source of hazardous waste and pollution. If you own a shop or work in one, chances are you already practice some good pollution prevention techniques. The VSR Training and Support Materials can help you to enhance your pollution prevention methods and, at the same time, demonstrate how these methods can potentially lead to big savings.

Bring your questions! Don’t miss this informative session to learn how knowing the rules and regs can save you money. Here are examples of cost savings reported by some shops:

  • Aqueous Brake Washing – About 20% to 80% annual cost savings for all test shops when compared to aerosol brake cleaners.
  • Aqueous Parts Cleaning – Larry’s Autoworks saves approximately $14,000 annually.
  • Oil Water Separators – Salem Boys saved approximately $3,000 a year.

About the Presenter

dtscMolly Pritz is a Hazardous Materials Specialist with Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, Hazardous Materials Compliance Division. While she has only been in her current position for less than two years, her passion for environmental regulation began at a young age when her Air Pollution Control Inspector father gave her a child-sized hard hat and welcomed her to the ”family business.” She subsequently took a seat at the adult table, participated in her first environmental debate, and hasn’t stopped discussing regulations since.

Molly graduated from Bucknell University with a B.S. with Honors degree in Geology. Her honors thesis focused on geochemical modeling of the frac water used in the hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Formation in Pennsylvania. She has also conducted research and monitored passive, acid mine drainage treatment systems. She currently performs Hazardous Waste, Tiered Permitting, Underground Storage Tank, and Hazardous Materials Business Plan compliance inspections and believes that every day is an opportunity to learn something new.

Event Location: Biltmore Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

Register here >>>>>

 

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on California Department of Toxic Substances Control Visits the Chapter

Building Rapport with Clients

with Jenn LeBlanc, ThinkResults

February 8
6:30pm No Host Cocktails
7-9pm Chapter Announcements, Program, Dinner

build-rapportIf you don’t have rapport with your clients and prospects, you’ll never be more than a vendor—to the detriment of your bottom line.

Fortunately, you can easily learn how to build rapport, become more likeable, and transform yourself into the kind of person clients and prospects want to do business with.

During this highly interactive evening, marketing strategist and master communicator Jenn LeBlanc will show you how to deepen your relationship with others—and yourself—so you can do your best work. You’ll learn how developing rapport can bring you your ideal clients and move you closer to the coveted trusted advisor status.

And then, for fun, Jenn will demonstrate a little neuroscience “magic” you can share at parties.

You’ll learn:

  • How to develop rapport with yourself first
  • How to find and serve your ideal clients
  • How to “read” your clients and discover what they’re not telling you
  • How to recognize when you have the three most important elements of deep rapport

About the Presenter

jenn-le-blanc-croppedMarketing Strategist, Speaker, Coach, CEO and Founder, Jenn LeBlanc works with CEOs and CMOs to drive results. For 20 years, she has been driving revenue for companies of all sizes including Microsoft Ventures, Intel, PeopleSoft, Nektar and SAP. To date, she and her team at ThinkResults have delivered over $1.5B in new revenue to clients. ThinkResults has been listed for the last three years (2014-2016) as one of the top Silicon Valley marketing agencies by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Jenn is also a 2016 Silicon Valley Woman of Influence.

Event Location: Biltmore Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

Register here >>>>>

 

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Building Rapport with Clients

Customer Feedback – Worth Its Weight in Gold

with Jen Berkley Jackson, The Insight Advantage

January 11
6:30pm No Host Cocktails
7-9pm Chapter Announcements, Program, Dinner

Your customers hold valuable insights that could be the difference between the success and failure of your business. By soliciting honest feedback from your clients throughout your relationship with them, you can ensure that your customers are getting the value they are looking for.

In this month’s presentation, we’ll talk about the kinds of input that are most important to gather as well as HOW to get that input.

Ultimately, this input will help you:
1) ensure that you have a clear competitive advantage over your competition
2) retain your customers by consistently providing them with what they value most

About the Presenter
Jen Berkley Jackson
As founder of The Insight Advantage, Jen Berkley Jackson works with a wide assortment of organizations, from high tech to no-tech, using research to help her clients understand their customers better than their competition does.  She has the expertise to be able to take any research challenge and quickly diagnose the right methodology(s) to use to quickly and cost-effectively achieve her clients’ objectives.

Jen teaches The Power of Market Research class at UC Santa Cruz Extension and is a member of WIC (Women In Consulting) and QRCA (Qualitative Research Consultants Association).

Event Location: Biltmore Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

Register here >>>>>

 

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Customer Feedback – Worth Its Weight in Gold

Dec 14 | Annual Holiday Dinner Meeting & Board Elections

pine-tree-branchDecember 14 6:30pm
Join us in the bar for drinks at 6:30pm; no host cocktails. Registration begins at 7:00pm.

And don’t miss the annual chance drawings!! Make a donation and cross your fingers! Who will be lucky this year?!

Event Location: Biltmore Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

REGISTRATION ONLINE PREFERRED!

Dec 14| Annual Holiday Party & Chapter Board Election

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Dec 14 | Annual Holiday Dinner Meeting & Board Elections

Part 2: HR + Employment Practices in Need of Repair?

with Shivani Sutaria, Esq., Shivani Sutaria Law Offices

November 9
6:30pm No Host Cocktails
7-9pm Chapter Announcements, Program, Dinner

rules-regulations-500x333Shivani Sutaria, Esq., joins us on November 9 to pick up where she left off from last spring. As you know if you were there, there is a lot to learn every day when it comes to employees and employment policies. You know that as a small business employer, it is overwhelming to keep on top of California’s constantly-evolving and complicated employment laws. But falling behind is not an option in the litigious environment in which we operate our businesses.

A recent study revealed that businesses in the U.S. have greater than 1 in 10 chance of having an employment practices charge filed against them. Employers based in California have a 42% higher chance of facing an employment charge than the national average. Do everything in your power to not become one of these statistics – starting with becoming educated on the following employment law topics at the November 9 meeting:

  • Wage and Hour Law Requirements, Part 2
  • California’s Paid Sick Leave Law, Vacation, Leaves of Absences
  • Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

Shivani SutariaShivani Sutaria, Esq., the principal at Shivani Sutaria Law Offices, is an experienced employment law attorney with an extensive litigation-background. In her practice, she works with employers to develop proactive strategies that will mitigate their employment law risks. Her services include: Providing advice and counsel on employment issues that arise in the workplace; Conducting trainings for management and employees; Performing audits of clients’ employment practices and policies to ensure compliance with current laws and utilization of best practices; Developing policies, contracts and Handbooks that protect the interests of the employer; and Representation of employers in pre-litigation employment disputes such as administrative complaints on harassment, discrimination, wage and hour issues, and unemployment insurance.

Event Location: Biltmore Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054

COST | First person from a Chapter 42 member shop is free; other attendees pay $35

Register here >>>>>

 

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Part 2: HR + Employment Practices in Need of Repair?

Auto Insurance Fraud—How it affects you!

with Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Vishal Bathija & Santa Clara County District Attorney Investigator Dale Morgan

October 12, 2016 | 6:30pm
Biltmore Hotel and Suites Santa Clara Hotel
2151 Laurelwood Road, Santa Clara, CA 95054
View Map

You are cordially invited to attend our monthly Santa Clara ASCCA meeting on October 12th, featuring Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Vishal Bathija and Santa Clara County District Attorney Investigator Dale Morgan. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to understand the frauds that effect our industry, efforts to fight the fraud, and how you can assist in creating a culture of compliance in our industry.

Topics of discussion include:

  • What is the District Attorney’s Office doing to combat auto insurance fraud?
  • What are different fraud schemes that plague our industry?
  • What role can ASCCA members take to help prevent and discover insurance fraud?

There will be a Q&A session to answer any concerns you may have.

About the Presenters
Vishal Bathija is a Deputy District Attorney at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.  He has been a prosecutor for 15 years and has prosecuted a range of cases from attempted murder to child sexual assaults. He is currently assigned to the Auto Insurance Fraud division of the office prosecuting insurance fraud and organized crime rings targeting the insurance industry. He has lectured numerous times for the Monterey Peninsula College Police Academy, the California District Attorney’s Association, and the Santa Clara County Fraud Symposium.

Dale Morgan is currently assigned as a Criminal Investigator for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office Auto Insurance Fraud Unit. Prior to that, he was a Police Officer for the City of San Jose for 30 years. As an officer, Dale investigated gang cases, narcotics, organized auto theft rings, and supervised the undercover investigations unit. Dale Morgan has developed an expertise on Nomadic Organized Criminals (“NOC”) that characterize themselves as Gypsies. He has been the lead investigator in numerous NOC cases involving fraud against insurance companies, hospitals and the elderly. Dale’s expertise has been solicited and used in Federal and State criminal investigations. He has been an instructor in college level classes, as well as regional and national conferences. Dale has been the recipient of numerous awards for his undercover and investigative work including Officer of the Year, Mayoral and City Council Commendations, and numerous departmental awards.

Posted in Past Events | Comments Off on Auto Insurance Fraud—How it affects you!