MAKING IT IN MONTANA

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MAKING IT IN MONTANA

• BY DEVON DAVIDSON
• OWNER/OPERATOR BILLINGS, MT

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TIME LINE MARS OF BILLINGSJune 2000 January
2009

• June 2000 Discovered the MARS Opportunity
• January 2002 Started MARS as Partnership
• August 2002 Added employee 2nd mobile unit
• October 2004 1st set of TWINS born
• May 2005 Added 2nd employee 3rd mobile unit
• December 2005 Bought out partner
• October 2006 Added 3rd employee
• January 2007 2nd set of TWINS born
• May 2007 Purchased Retail Location
• June 2007 Added 4th employee
• May 2008 Open House for Retail Location
• June 2008 Landed 1st true whole lot account
• July 2008 Added 5th employee 4th mobile unit
• January 2009 Landed 2nd true whole lot account

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The MARS OpportunityJune 2000

• Discovered while living in Michigan
• Moved to Montana and worked for RR
• Continued to pursue opportunity
• Decided to form partnership with cousin
• Persistence paid off!
• 1-1/2 years from discovery to start-up

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On our way to TEXAS!January 2002

• 3 weeks of training
• 1 week of convention
• 1 week with mentor in Helena, MT
• Record start-up week

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Hired First Employee Added Mobile Unit
2August 2002

• Saw need for another operator and trailer within
  7 months
• Hired Lance Davidson and bought used MARS trailer
• Expanded business through dealers

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Bridger Gentry BornOctober 2004
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Hired Second Employee Added Mobile Unit 3May
2005

• Still expanding through the wholesale market and
  now renting shop behind scenes
• Hired Dave Andersen and bought 1974 VAN

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Bought out PartnershipDecember 2005

• Ward Lien decided to move to Seattle, WA to start
  his own MARS business
• I bought him out and started looking for another
  employee

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Hired Third EmployeeOctober 2006

• Went through one other employee before hiring
  Shawn Hove
• Also hired Josh Helvik part-time
• Continued to expand our services to our wholesale
  market

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Gavin Paige BornJanuary 2007
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Purchased Retail LocationMay 2007
Before
After

• Need for a bigger/better shop
• Opportunity to have a retail store front
• 4000 sq. ft of shop and 700 sq. ft. office
• 6 work bays, wash bay, paint room, air, radiant
  heat
• 504b SBA loan (50 Bank, 40 SBA, 10 down)

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More Shop Pictures
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Hired Fourth EmployeeJune 2007

• Hired Scott Paquin
• Promoted Lance Davidson to Shop Manager
• Removed myself from trailer and started walking
  all lots and managing business

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Open House for Retail May 2008

• Jayson Jones joins us for training on Alien Hide
  and XPEL
• Invited customers and served food and drinks
• Other local MARS operators joined us
• Showcased new products and new retail location

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Before and After Pictures of Retail Showroom
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More Open House Pictures
1st time Jayson comes to MT RM Spotted Tick
Fever 2nd time Jayson comes to MT Pelt Mohawk
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Landed 1st Whole LOT June 2008

• Signed 1 year agreement with Montanas largest
  Chevy Dealer
• Interior/Exterior Whole Lot for 95/vehicle
• Includes Paint Touch-Up, W/S Chip and Interior
  Repairs
• Write-up all extras Bumpers, Stripes,
  Accessories, Headlights
• They sell 100 200 used per month
• Huge increase to our business

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Hired 5th Employee and added Mobile Unit 4July
2008

• Hired Jason Auch who worked as a detail manager
  for one of our accounts for the past 9 years
• Bought a used MARS trailer already set up and
  ready to go
• Whole lot account and retail business 1st and 2nd
  largest accounts in 2008
• RECORD year for MARS of Billings

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Landed 2nd Whole LOTJanuary 2009

• Signed 2-year agreement with Montanas only
  Signature Toyota dealership
• Interior/Exterior Whole Lot for 115/vehicle
• Includes Paint Touch-Up, W/S Chip, Scratch
  Removal, Interior Repairs, and Custom Floor Mats
• XPEL program in finance
• Spraying Alien Hide in new Tundras
• Service Drive Program
• Exciting opportunity in 2009 with this account
• Only provided a few services the past seven years

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How do we do it?THEN to NOW!

• THEN
• Persistence
• Reliability
• Quality
• Professionalism
• Relationships
• Drive and Desire
• Work Ethic
• Expectations
• Community Involvement

• NOW
• All of the THENs plus
• Building a Team
• Quality Control
• Diversification
• Services
• Markets
• Advertising
• More Relationships
• Retail Follow-up

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Building a Team and Expecting Quality

• Add friends, family, and people you know and can
  trust
• Work 3 months, then make commitment
• MARS Certified
• Salaried Commission
• Team Commission Pool
• Quality only as good as your last job
• Bonuses end of 2nd and 4th quarters based on
  sales
• Company outings
• Yearly conventions

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Diversifying Your MARS Business - Services

• Offer as many services as you can
• MARS Your One-Stop Shop
• If you cant take care of it, who can?
• Helps get through tough economic times
• Allows you to offer Whole Lot Programs
• Having a quality team allows this

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MARS of Billings Services

• Paint Touch-Up 27
• Scratch Removal 21
• Whole Lot Programs 15
• Bumper Repair Blending 13
• Accessories 9
• Interior Repairs 5
• Detailing 3
• Miracle Shield 2
• W/S Repair 1
• Pinstriping and Graphics 1
• Brite Lites 1
• Alien Hide Spray In Bedliner 1
• Cladding Repair 1

• Other Markets/Services
• Medical Furniture
• Furniture Stores
• Home Furniture
• Restaurant and Casino Furniture
• Bank ATM Machines
• Hockey Goalie Pads
• Vehicle Signage
• RV Detailing Interior Repairs
• Boat Detailing
• Other Markets Not Yet Tapped
• Semi Dealerships
• Implement Dealerships
• Rental Cars

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Check these Out!BUMPERS 403 in 2008
Bumper Weld Before
Bumper Weld After
Bumper PDR Weld After
Bumper PDR Weld Before
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Bumper Replacements!After Market or
Reconditioned?
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DO YOU DO HEADLIGHTS?Wholesale 40 - 75
Retail 100 - 125
Before SAAB 9-5
After SAAB 9-5
Before Tundra
After Tundra
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How about Accessories?Graphics Chrome
Before Graphic
After Graphic
Before Flames
After Flames
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If your not doing these, get started NOW!
XPEL Miracle Shield
Alien Hide Spray-In Bedliners
Two systems that make your MARS business complete!
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Do you think were crazy?Can you detail my???
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Detailing, Stains, Odors
Skunk Odor
Interior Detailing
Removing Red Stains
Detailing Opportunity to up sell our
services Misconception that MARS details cars DO
YOU?
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Re-Coloring Your Furniture
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Anybody Paint ATMs?

• BNI Referral
• 350 to clean and re-finish front gray area
• 3 hours and done!

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Medical Furniture Tears!

• These jobs are being referred to us by an
  Upholstery shop
• Patient Tables/Chairs are expensive and too large
  to take out
• Drs. are willing to pay good to repair

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How about Hockey Pads?
Clean, Prep, Re-Dye PLAY HOCKEY!
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Adding a Retail Store Front to a Mobile Business

• Start mobile working for wholesale
• Improve your skills
• Ease into the retail work
• Under sell and over deliver
• Start growing a team
• Re-Invest money in your business
• Save your
• Find a building that works and is in a good
  location
• Have a vision
• Keep the mobile side of the business going
• Start thinking about advertising to retail market
• Customer service and follow-up at the retail
  level

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The Challenge of Advertising

• How do we get the word of MARS out to Retail
  public in our communities?
• Radio?
• Phone Book?
• Flyers?
• Newspaper?
• TV?
• BNI?

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Use Corporate MARS to help with Flyers Ads
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Must haves for a multi-man retail/wholesale
MARS Business

• Build relationships and more relationships and
  more relationships
• Diversify Dont put all your eggs in one
  basket
• Set realistic goals
• Passion to be a MARTIAN!

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Thanks to all my family!
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Questions???