"Rather than feel alone in the quest for retailing excellence, the NBDA has provided wonderful friends and tools to keep me buoyed in the rough and tough world of the bicycle business."
Dale Brown, Cycles De ORO, Greensboro, NC, Member 10+ years
MEMBER BENEFITS
Super Seminars Free NBDA Super Seminars are offered annually at the Interbike International Bicycle Expo. We also offer a series of webinars throughout the year. These dealer-focused seminars are oriented to helping dealers become more profitable, and more knowledgeable about the skills required to be successful businesspeople. Follow the link for more info on the Super Seminars, and see below for more details on Interbike.
Newsletter Outspokin’ The monthly members-only newsletter, the Outspokin’, is the NBDA’s prime vehicle for giving dealers the kind of information they need. It carries a mix of "how to" features, discussions of industry issues, and progress reports on the NBDA. NBDA member retailers are also entitled to run free classified ads in the newsletter. An electronic version of this, the Outspokin' Online is also available in a .pdf format to members who prefer that format.
RESEARCH: Cost of Doing Business Study, Industry Overview, U.S. Specialty Bicycle Retailer and More... The NBDA compiles leading statisical studies for the bicycle industry annualy. These reports focus on sales, market summarys, top vendors and and in-depth finaclial profiles of specialty bicycle retailers. All these reports can be found under the Research and Reports Tab of this site, and purchased within the NBDA online catalog. Members receive a substantial discuont on these reports annually! A key member benefit.
Profitability Project (P2) The NBDA Profitability Project , or P2 program is designed to improve the bottom line for participating specialty bike retailers. The format is similar to that of “20 Group,” Mastermind Groups, Dealer Groups and Young President’s Organizations (YPO), which have been successful in the automobile and other industries. Each group is made up of non-competing dealers who meet to learn, compare, network, examine and analyze specific data from their businesses.The format of the meeting includes reviewing financial ratios for the group (as a whole) and a discussion of dealer best practices. Meeting also includes visiting a local participant's store and providing constructive feedback by other owner-retailers involved the group. Additional fees apply for participation.
NEW RIDER IN-STORE TRAINING: BICYCLING SKILLS 123 In partnership with the League of American Bicyclists, the new Bicycling 123 rider education program is designed to support NBDA member dealers as they encourage cycle safety within their community. The League provides the materials and training for bicycle store owners and employees to teach safe riding to their customers in short and entertaining classes. Several NBDA member dealers were involved in creating and refining the program and have used it successfully to help people ride safely and with confidence. Course descriptions, a list of Licensed Clinical Instructors (LCI's) and more details about the program can be found on the Bike League's Web site at: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/bicycling123.php
SHIPPING DISCOUNTS: NBDA Freight Savings Plan
Retail and associate members of the NBDA can take advantage of significant savings on inbound collect and outbound prepaid shipping. Participation in the NBDA Freight Savings Plan is free to NBDA members. All you have to do is become an NBDA member and sign up to participate in the program. The Freight Savings Plan is administered by Siriani and offers savings on select services with FedEx Express®, FedEx Ground® and FedEx Freight®. YRC Freight, Central Freight Lines and New Penn also offer substantial discounts. No matter what you ship, one small package, less-than-truckload, truckload or time-critical shipments, membership in the NBDA Freight Savings Plan can make a difference. For more information or to enroll, call Siriani at 1.800.554.0005 or go tohttp://www.siriani.com/nbdafsp.
*For eligible FedEx® services and rates, contact your freight savings program provider, Siriani. See the applicable FedEx Service Guide or FXF 100 Series Rules Tariff for terms and conditions of service. FedEx service marks used by permission.
The NBDA publishes Bicycle Retailer And Industry News, the industry's leading trade magazine Through a subsidiary, NBDA Services, Inc., the NBDA is the publisher of Bicycle Retailer And Industry News, the industry's leading trade magazine, with revenues from advertising go towards funding NBDA programs. The NBDA offers qualified members expedited subscription. Bicycle Retailer is normally available free of charge to qualified members of the specialty bicycle industry in the U.S.and Canada by request. To receive the magazine free of charge, subscribers must be legitimate businesses of bicycles and/or bicycle products, and submit a signed subscription request form, which is now available by e-mail or fax from the NBDA— required by the BPA audit, which assures a superior subscription list. Qualified NBDA members can now request the form from NBDA and submit it directly to the NBDA office. We'll handle the rest. Members can access the subscription formon-line in a .pdf format or e-mail info@nbda.com and request the form, and it will be either sent as a file attachment, or as a fax. Completed forms must be faxed or mailed, because a valid signature is required. Top headlines, daily breaking news stories, advertising rates and other details can be found online by visiting www.bicycleretailer.com.
Retailers Receive Discounts on BicycleIndustryJobs.com The NBDA and OutdoorIndustryJobs.com, an employment network Web site for the outdoor, bicycle, hunting & fishing, action sports and winter sport industries have partnered to bring a state-of-the-art online job board focused directly on the bicycle industry at http://www.bicycleindustryjobs.com . Retailers will receive a 55% discount on Job Postings.
Discounted Bikes Belong Coalition Membership The Bikes Belong Coalition works for more and better facilities for cycling, as well as promotion of bicycle use. The NBDA supports this effort, and NBDA member dealers may join the Bikes Belong Coalition for a reduced rate. Stores with less than $300,000 per year in gross sales would pay $75 annually to join Bikes Belong. The dues for stores from $300,001 to $500,000 in annual sales are $150. Stores between $500,001 and $1 million in sales pay $250, and those with revenue of $1 million and over pay $400, plus $400 for each additional million in sales.
Discounted IMBA Membership
The NBDA is an enthusiastic supporter of IMBA, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, and supports its mission to create, enhance and protect great trail experiences for mountain bikers worldwide. To learn more, visit http://www.imba.com or visit the retail-specific page here. NBDA members are encouraged to support IMBA and can join for a 25% discount, just $75 for NBDA retail member dealers. Retailer members benefit from good relationships with IMBA chapters and affiliated clubs — partners in helping grow mountain biking. IMBA also leverages dealer support by partnering with local, state and federal officials and land managers to accomplish more than a single store could independently.
Free On-site Registration at Interbike Our partnership with Interbike provides all dealer members free on-site admission to the industry's leading trade event, the Interbike International Bicycle Expo--a savings of $35 per person. The NBDA sponsors, endorses and encourages annual participation by all members. For more information or to register for this year's event, please visit www.interbike.com. The Bike Cooperative The Bike Cooperative's mission is to maximize efficiency and profit for retailers through identifying common needs in Buying, Marketing, Cost Savings, and Training. The collective power of the group brings strength to the individual. TBC's mission is to identify common needs among its members and leverage the group to maximize efficiencies and economies of scale. Among TBC's offerings to dealers is to pay 1/2 of annual NBDA dues for TBC dealer members. So if a TBC member joins the NBDA for $75, TBC will pay the rest. Such a deal! Information on the TBC: www.thebikecooperative.com.
A Guide to Bicycle Dealer Agreements Dealer agreements with major bicycle brands used in the independent bicycle dealer segment of the market are similar in style and content and typically very one-sided. Independent bicycle dealers have had virtually no input on the content of dealer agreements currently being used. Sellers (bicycle manufacturers or wholesale distributors) rarely negotiate or modify their standard printed forms of dealer agreement, perhaps because dealers seldom ask them to do so. NBDA has commissioned the preparation of this Guide to help its members understand the terms of the typical dealer agreement and to offer some suggestions on clauses which might be added to a printed dealer agreement form to provide the dealer with a more even-handed relationship with its seller.
This Guide will provide retailers and your lawyers with an explanation of why certain provisions are in the typical bicycle dealer agreement, and offer some suggested modifications that might be appropriate in certain circumstances. Realistically, your lawyer may only be able to modify a limited number of provisions in the dealer agreement. Because the seller is unlikely to completely rewrite its printed form of agreement, any changes which are agreed to will most likely be embodied in an addendum attached to the Agreement or by striking out and/or hand marking changes on the printed form.
The Guide addresses various provisions of a typical bicycle dealer agreement, and offers some suggestions on alternative provisions that might provide higher levels of protection to a dealer.
Available to NBDA members free of charge. Dealer e-Group The "nbdadealers" e-mail list (nbdadealers@yahoogroups.com) was created by the NBDA to help keep specialty bicycle retailers connected, and to help them share information, and discuss business strategies. If you are not an owner or manager of a specialty bicycle retail store, please do not attempt to subscribe to the list. The list is open to owners and managers of specialty bicycle retail stores that are current dealer members of the NBDA. E-mail messages may be exchanged individually, or as a daily digest. To subscribe to "nbdadealers," send an e-mail message to info@nbda.com with your name, store name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Request to be added to the list. The NBDA's list manager will then verify that you are an owner or manager of a specialty bicycle retail store. Please remember to include your e-mail address on all correspondence. An NBDA member number, or store phone number, are required so we can call to verify who you are. If non-retailers are found to be on the list, the NBDA reserves the right to remove them. NBDA staff members will also be on the list.
Once approved by the NBDA, you will be able to send and receive e-mail messages with your fellow bicycle retailers. If you wish to take advantage of the special yahoogroups features such as polling, digest modes and more, you will need to obtain a yahoo i.d., available free of charge at yahoo.com, and then link your e-mail address and the NBDA group. Information on doing this is available at www.yahoo.com, which has a good help menu. Credit Card Processing Discount The NBDA has a program available for discount credit card processing, with a solid company that has been doing business with bicycle retailers for many years. Low rates for Visa and Mastercard processing are based on dollar volume and average ticket size. A great program! Contact John Mahan or Jim Parmes at Preferred Card Services; phone 800-656-0077. See them on the web at: www.preferredcard.net. Liability Insurance Referrals 1. RJF Agencies offers store insurance specifically for bicycle and ski retailers that includes coverage for items not always included in normal policies. This includes shop ride liability, rental liability, repair liability and coverage for demos and loaners.
RJF also offers advice on reducing liability that include an employment law hotline, employee recruiting and hiring adcvice, drug testing policies, employee handbooks, shop safety, liability checklists and more.
For information on RJF Agencies, visit this link online:
Contact: Scott S. Chapin Bike and Ski Shop Insurance-Managing Agent 7225 Northland Drive North #300 Minneapolis, MN 55428 1-800-444-3033.
2. The NBDA has worked with National Insurance Professionals Corp. for a number of years. NIPC has insurance programs for retailers and suppliers alike, and has specific background in the bicycle industry. For information, contact Jamie Augustine at 1-800-275-6472.
3. Holmes Murphy & Associates has a dedicated Bicycle Risk Solutions team helping bike store owners find solutions to protect their business and grow bottom line profitability. Holmes Murphy focuses on understanding your business and the risks you face daily in the retail cycling industry, including shop led rides, bike rentals, demos, or the like.
To learn more about Holmes Murphy, contact Josh Powell at 800-247-7756 or visit www.covermybikeshop.com.
NBDA.com The NBDA's web site is devoted to specialty bicycle retailers and provides industry-specific business information. The NBDA’s site address is www.nbda.com, but you already know that because you're reading this on the site. The site also includes a Dealer Finder to help consumers and members of the bicycle trade find dealers in their area, and to help them learn some of the basics about bike buying. Associate Membership The NBDA has a special non-voting membership category for non-retail members, such as bicycle manufacturers, distributors and service companies related to the bicycle industry. Their dues help to support the promotion, advocacy, research and educational programs of the association. Associate members receive the monthly newsletter, access to the NBDA member list, and are eligible to participate in the shipping program. >>Associate Member List
Membership Card Every NBDA member receives a membership card upon joining, or with a renewal, which identifies the store or associate member as a member of the association. Window Sticker Every NBDA member receives a window sticker which shows affiliation with a national professional association. It’s designed to inform your customers of your involvement with a prestigious national association. Additional stickers are available for current members on request.
Chapter Program The NBDA encourages retailers to organize in their local communities to address local issues. The NBDA has an information packet for those considering forming a local dealer organization, including sample by-laws and procedural information, available by request.
The Bike Cooperative's mission is to maximize efficiency and profit for retailers through identifying common needs in Buying, Marketing, Cost Savings, and Training. The collective power of the group brings strength to the individual. TBC's mission is to identify common needs among its members and leverage the group to maximize efficiencies and economies of scale. Among TBC's offerings to dealers is to pay 1/2 of annual NBDA dues for TBC dealer members. So if a TBC member joins the NBDA for $75, TBC will pay the rest. Such a deal! Information on the TBC: