The Media Page houses a trove of notes and nuggets from Frostbike Seminars. Whether you need a refresher on what you learned in class or want to delve further into a topic, you’ll find many helpful resources here. Please check back as more info become available.
Women's Demographic Event
Selling to Women: QBP’s Top Dealers Give Tips
For Frostbike, we asked a few of our top dealers to give their input and feedback on what’s been successful or challenging when selling to women based on their experiences. From their comments, we came up with a few tips. Check them out here:
Friday Seminars
Lead for Results
Time: 9am-Noon
Location: Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka
Lori Richman, QBP Director of Organizational Development
Jerry Pomije, QBP CFO/COO
Create a powerful, lasting bike business by clarifying your vision and goals, identifying key strategies, and executing specific actions. During this team-oriented workshop, storeowners will work with their managers and key leadership to identify and articulate a vision and purpose, establish a few critical strategies, and develop an initial action plan to get results.
About Lori Richman
Lori brings 30 years experience in leadership roles to her position as director of organizational development at QBP. She has an MA in Leadership and is a passionate ongoing creator, operative, and learner in the school of life. Lori is a lifelong biker.
About Jerry Pomije
With an MBA and 27 years experience in leadership, Jerry is passionate about business. Drawing on insights garnered from roles in retail, business banking and the bicycle industry, Jerry offers a wealth of practical wisdom for shop and owners and their managerial staff.
Hone Your Competitive Edge with Sales and Service
Time: 9am-Noon
Location: Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka
Leigh Carter, QBP Account Executive
Panel of QBP Dealers
How do you turn browsers into buyers? What does it take to engage and delight every customer while boosting your average sales ticket? During this insightful session, you’ll acquire the tools and skills for creating a high-performance sales and service culture in your shop. After touching on HR basics, we’ll define the ingredients of effective retail selling and inspired customer service. Then we’ll outline the essential steps for opening and closing each sale. You’ll also get basic metrics for measuring the success of your team. Whether you want to supercharge your resident pros or just put the basics in place, this session will help you build better service and increased sales, and keep your customers coming for more.
About Leigh Carter
A passionate student of retail, she brings an inquisitive mind and years of experience to creating successful selling and service cultures. Before joining QBP in 2008, she did extensive sales, service and product training for REI, specializing in new-store openings for the southeast and southwest regions. She also helped hire staff and set up merchandising for new and existing REI stores. An avid cyclist, when she’s not on the bike she’s in her kayak paddling Minnesota’s many waterways.
Build Better Business Through Merchandising
Time: 9am-Noon
Location: Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka
Sarah North, QBP ReTale Coordinator
Looking for a way to increase profitability, build the power of your brand and break out from the competition? Join Sarah North, QBP ReTale Program coordinator, for an informative seminar on the art of merchandising. Starting with the basics of location development, product adjacency and space plans, Sarah provides simple, cost-effective strategies to transform your shop into a high-performance sales zone. Packed with real-world examples from successful store remodels, Sarah demonstrates how design, layout and fixture placement become powerful tools for motivating customers to buy.
About Sarah North
Sarah brings a wealth of Fortune 500 retail experience to ReTale. From insightful advice on fixture placement to detailed concept designs for the entire store, she helps you create an environment that fits your brand and budget.
Effectively Managing Your Supply Chain
Time: 9am-Noon
Location: Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka
Denise Noling, QBP Senior Business Supply Chain Analyst
Mike Roering, QBP Softgoods Sales Manager
Nick Essma, QBP Road and Softgoods Product Manager
In today's competitive retail environment it is critical to manage your inventory from point of order to point of sale. This seminar will review inventory management techniques such as just-in-time (JIT) ordering, min/max, forecasting and product classification (not all products are created equal). Program buys, shrinkage and their impact to your cash flow will be discussed along with safety stock and carrying costs.
About Denise Noling
Denise has more than 15 years of materials management, process improvement, and general supply chain experience. From the aerospace industry to the world of bicycles, she has helped a broad range of companies manage their purchasing, planning and inventory, reduce costs, improve processes and increase supply chain efficiency.
About Mike Roering
In his role as softgoods sales manager, Mike visits retailers all over the country. Always soliciting their issues and concerns, he uses their feedback to help strengthen QBP's programs and services for the benefit of its customers. Mike has worked in the bicycle industry for more than 15 years.
About Nick Essma
A QBP buyer for nine years, Nick was instrumental in implementing just-in-time (JIT) practices with the company's softgoods vendors. With decades of practical experience in the bike industry, Nick offers dealers valuable insights into how they can utilize QBP to make JIT work in their own businesses.
Understanding Shrinkage
Time: 1pm-2:30pm
Location: Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka
Denise Noling, QBP Senior Business Supply Chain Analyst
Panel of QBP dealers
Every year, billions of dollars of products disappear from the shelves of retailers across the nation. Chances are, these losses are costing your business more than you think. Yet theft isn’t the only cause of inventory shrinkage. In this enlightening seminar, materials-management-expert Denise Noling and a panel of knowledgeable bike dealers explore the causes of shrinkage and outline processes you can use to help control it. This is one seminar you can’t afford to miss.
About Denise Noling
Denise has more than 15 years of materials management, process improvement, and general supply chain experience. From the aerospace industry to the world of bicycles, she has helped a broad range of organizations minimize inventory shrinkage and increase supply chain efficiency.
Employee Retention Drives Customer Loyalty
Time: 2:30pm-4pm
Location: Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka
Kari Rosand Scanlon, RJF Agencies
Your employees are essential to garnering customer loyalty. Discover how your company can retain more employees by building a supportive culture. Leave this session with a plan to motivate and reward employees.
About Kari Rosand Scanlon
Kari Rosand Scanlon, Human Resources Consultant, brings over 10 years of experience in the areas of leadership development and employee engagement.
Managing your Cash Flow
Time: 2:30pm-4pm
Location: Marriott Southwest, Minnetonka
Denise Noling, QBP Senior Business Supply Chain Analyst
Panel of QBP dealers
A good cash flow plan can help you run your business, reduce short-term borrowing, and conserve cash so you have money to pay bills. In this seminar you will create a simple cash flow plan and learn ways to conserve cash as it relates to inventory. You will also have an opportunity to discuss cash flow and conservation techniques with a panel of bike dealers who have successfully implemented these strategies in their own businesses.
About Denise Noling
Denise has more than 15 years of materials management, process improvement, and general supply chain experience. From the aerospace industry to the world of bicycles, she has helped a broad range of organizations minimize inventory shrinkage and increase supply chain efficiency.
Download Presentation, ABC Classification, Cash Flow Worksheet (Excel)
Saturday Seminars
Improve Financial Performance Through Analysis and Benchmarking
Time: 10am-11am
Location: QBP
Casey Adams, QBP Controller
Randall Thorson, Financial Analyst
Mike Barnidge, Account Executive
Your business' financial statements can be confusing. Understanding and comparing them to industry benchmarks goes a long way in improving your shop's profitability.
In this seminar you will learn to analyze your financial statements and see how ratios and metrics can reveal areas for improving your operations. You'll also find out how to better represent your business and finances when applying for credit.
Feel free to bring your own financial statements and schedule a one-on-one consulting session after the seminar.
About Casey Adams
Casey has been QBP’s Financial Controller since the beginning of 2009 and has over 13 years of accounting and finance experience. Casey’s experience also includes a strong understanding of customer service and building long-lasting customer relationships.
About Randall Thorson
Randall Thorson recently received his MBA from the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota and works for QBP as a financial analyst. His professional interests include analysis of bike shops, improving operations through IT, and data mining.
About Mike Barnidge
Mike is a former banker, bank manager, commercial lender and licensed stockbroker. He has experience in small business lending, business plan writing and analysis, and small business cash management strategies.
BMX 101
Time: 11am-12pm
Location: QBP
Glenn Dussl – BMX Vendor Sales Manager
BMX is a large and growing sector of the cycling industry. This dynamic sport attracts young and beginner cyclists. Having a strong foundation in BMX can produce lifelong cyclists and customers. This seminar will provide a basic understanding of BMX, and outline steps for selling more BMX. This includes an overview of:
- Major styles of riding
- BMX customer base
- Product offerings to fit your location
- Recruiting a BMX-pert for your shop
- Planning for risks
About Glenn Dussl
BMX Vendor Sales Manager Glen Dussl has been riding BMX since he was nine years old, and still manages to get out to local riding spots on a regular basis. Before coming to QBP, he worked for more than eight years in bike shops, first as a mechanic and salesperson, next as an assistant manager, then as a store manager.
Taking a Closer Look: How Process Improvement Can Drive Profitability
Time: 11am-1pm
Location: QBP
Nick Graham, GRIP Coordinator
Kim Brown, Director of Distribution, Strategic Planning Team Member
The tight economy forced many businesses to take a closer look at their books and budgets this past year. But looking at numbers alone isn't enough. Ggoing through tough times doesn't mean you can't be profitable. With a combination of lecture and group exercises, you'll identify opportunities to minimize waste, reduce costs, streamline processes and maintain profitability, all while improving customer service.
About Nick Graham
Nick Graham joined QBP in 1996. In four years he's taken QBP's process improvement program from a small idea to a company-wide initiative that lets all employees have a voice and participate in continuous improvement. Currently, Graham is applying the principles of process improvement to continued revenue growth initiatives. Graham is Six Sigma certified through the University of Wisconsin.
About Kim Brown
With a BS in Public Administration and experience in four different industries under her belt, Brown has a history of success in distribution. As director of distribution at QBP, Brown continuously looks for ways to improve processes in the distribution center in order to provide the best possible service to QBP dealers.
Download Presentation, Bike Repair Flow
How to Purchase Health Insurance as a Small Business
Time: 1pm-2pm
Location: QBP
Scott Chapin, Benefits Consultant, RJF Agencies
With the national debate on healthcare on center stage, it's difficult for small business owners to see through the hype to the bottom line. Benefits Consultant Scott Chapin helps you decipher how to choose the best group health insurance program for your business and employees. Learn what consumer-driven health insurance programs offer, and discover strategies that combat rising healthcare costs.
About Scott Chapin
Chapin, benefits consultant, designs insurance and risk solutions to ensure the long-term health of businesses and their employees. Scott is managing the agent of RJF’s Bike & Ski Shop Insurance Program, a board member of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation and an advisor to the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival.
Be Social, Be Smart: Making Sense of Social Media Tools for Your Store
Time: 10am-11am
Location: QBP
Mark Graff, SmartEtailing.com
Customers are talking, texting, 'tubing and tweeting. You can (and probably should) join them. It's free, easy and effective IF you approach it with a plan and avoid costly excesses. Get practical, market-based tips and see best practices to help you make the most of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online tools. Learn the best ways to promote your business and drive more traffic to your website and through your doors.
About Mark Graff
Mark Graff is co-founder of SmartEtailing.com, the exclusive provider of QBP's online catalog for use in retail websites. Since 1999 SmartEtailing.com has helped specialty bike retailers successfully manage, maintain and promote a robust, relevant online location for their businesses.