SEMA 2008 WHERE CREATIVITY HITS THE ROAD… By David Herrmeyer

This year we are taking an entirely different approach to our coverage of the 2008 SEMA Show. Because of the challenges facing the auto industry and this down economy, we are giving priority coverage to companies who had more than a blank stare when we asked them what they were doing to help you sell more of their product. We need marketing creativity. We cannot overcome our challenges by providing more new products for customers who aren’t buying. We need to get better at selling and marketing, and the manufacturers have to step up to the plate. They must help us develop the skill to hit a home run with their product.

I’m happy to report that many companies are focusing more of their creative efforts on helping you. We’ll cover a few of them, with coverage continuing in the January issue.

One of the more exciting things at the show for me, personally, came in the form of an opportunity to interview Todd Roberson and many others in front of a video camera at our booth. Those interviews will be posted on our web site. Unfortunately I can’t provide any more address than www.truckingtimes.com. For readers who subscribe to our free weekly e-newsletter, we will provide links as they become available. You can subscribe with the link at the bottom of the page at www.truckingtimes.com
Attendance at the show was down, as anyone would expect, but morale seems to remain high. We are a pretty positive bunch in a pretty resilient industry. The three most exciting thing I saw at the show from a conversation with Steve Bolio, a meeting with Todd Roberson, and 3M’s new window film which I’ll include in product coverage.

Steve Bolio is a factory representative with Scafidi-Bolio & Associates. Steve is well known in SEMA circles as a hard-working SEMA Board member. He created a project truck totally on his own to see what he could do to improve gas mileage with aftermarket products he reps. His project may not have been strictly scientific, but you really can’t argue with his results. He set out to see how much fuel savings he could get on a 2008 Chevy Silverado x-cab pickup with 2WD, automatic transmission, 4.8 liter V8 3.73, posi-traction gear ratio, and with 6,900 miles on it. Using 89 octane fuel and doing the best he could to test it accurately after each accessory was added, he proved you can increase mileage from 18.7 MPG to 26.7 MPG by adding aftermarket accessories. This is phenomenal! Steve added five accessories: A Diablo/Sport Programmer; an AirAID air intake system; A Truxedo Deuce tonneau cover; an MBRP catback exhaust system; and an AirAID PowerAID throttle body spacer. I can’t wait for the January issue to show you the individual results and how they had a cumulative effect you would never expect to see. Great job, Steve! And thanks to Kelly Kniefel of Truxedo for letting me know of this.

Todd Roberson has left A.R.E. and formed his own new company called AAG – American Aftermarket Group. This company provides buying coop services to select truck accessory dealers using the Internet to order from member manufacturers. This has been tried in the past, but the timing seems better now since market conditions have been turned upside down. Todd is a credible leader in the industry. You know the questions I’d ask – like are you selecting the manufacturers of the best quality products, and are you providing good marketing help and customer service? He has assured me the company has a vision that includes all this and more. He has several manufactures on board and is organizing a dealer base. In my opinion, this has a very good chance of creating a new distribution channel for some products, and for some dealers. We all need to keep an eye on this one. My video interview with Todd will be one of the first to be available at www.truckingtimes.com.