ABCI Congratulates 2017 Aviation Marketing Scholarship Winners

Aviation Business Consultants International (ABCI) is pleased to award two unique Aviation Marketing Scholarships, which involve Silver Level memberships to two remarkable individuals with extensive knowledge of sales and marketing, and a deep affinity and long dedication to the aviation industry.

These memberships to our Aviation Marketing Insider Circle program include office hours, books, and access to our members-only materials in exchange for their participation in the program.

The annual value of each aviation marketing scholarship is $3,348.

The intention of the aviation marketing scholarship program is to incorporate new ideas and synergy into the group for the benefit of ALL of our members. Winners were selected based on written application and responses to essay questions.

This year's winners are Joni Schultz and Kasey Dixon.

Joni Schultz is the President of the Whirly-Girls International. Kasey Dixon is the Industry Happiness Advocate at Synapse MX.

Schultz's innovative approach comes from an extensive sales background

Sometimes the innovation is the market you use to deliver the product. For example, with the proper research and delivery, perhaps the product is brought to market that it doesn't even necessarily fit in. For example, at EAA AirVenture, the largest aviation trade show in the world there are vendors that are there selling non aviation products such as chairs and cookware. The product fits in the show because you have 40,000+ people walking around and at some point they want to sit. They sit in the outdoor furniture and they sit while watching a food demonstration. Those products sell because the consumer sees a value, perhaps it's just at that time but sales are made. Innovative and creative because thought has been given to the consumer experience. Innovation can be defined as a new thought but it always means "thinking outside the box", in my mind. Creative minds find innovative thinking easy.

In my direct sales business, because our products worked together so well I used the standard cross selling technique for nearly every sale. However, my favorite incentive had to be the monthly customer special. How the incentive worked is for every order totaling more than $50, the customer was eligible for the customer special purchase. My unusual/innovative sales pitch would be, asking those that didn't take advantage of the special if it was ok to offer the sale of that special to someone else that didn't quite spend the $50 in sales. Sometimes reverse psychology drove the consumer to buy the special themselves.

I also asked if the customer wanted more than one special, perhaps to use for gifting giving etc. The end result was that I always sold a customer special to every eligible order and the sales of that party order increased. Increasing the total sales up helped the hostess receive more free product. Hostesses booked repeatedly with me and they referred me to their friends and family. WIN-WIN.

Dixon's approach to selling involves a creative use of story.

I once sold a car by creating a lengthy and humorous fictional story about the car, complete with digitally illustrating the car into completely ridiculous scenes. It got quite a bit of attention on a message board and I sold the car for my full asking price within 48 hours.

Both winners also have an extensive connection with and affinity for the aviation industry.

Schulz explains a long dedication to the industry that took several forms.

My career began at a small commuter airline in reservation sales department. After several years of working in the industry, I applied and was offered a reservations sales position with a major airline. After being overlooked for job advancements within the company because of my lack of a higher education, I decided to pursue a college degree and decided that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) was my first and only choice. ERAU was my dream school, being a non-traditional student and very serious about my studies, I excelled. During my time there, I was the recipient of several scholarships. I graduated with a 3.40 GPA and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a National Leadership Honor Society. After graduation, I was recruited by an leading aviation insurance company as one of their first female underwriters. My experience includes: sales positions in the airline industry, travel industry and trade show industry. By far, the most personal growth happened to me while owning and building my own direct sales business. I have, since that time, retired from the gainfully employed positions to donating my time and talents to a non-profit organization I am passionate about.

Dixon's history with aviation is also long and emotional.

My aviation love story is a long one that can be traced back to seeing a "Flying Tigers" P-40 at an airshow as a young girl... I was simply transfixed by the sight. My family struggled financially when I was growing up so aviation was a fascination I only enjoyed from afar. I joined the military with the intention to fly helicopters but endured a disabling injury that precluded military flying, so I stayed on the ground maintaining AH-64D attack helicopters, doing one tour in Iraq before being medically separated. I traded my military career for an academic one and at 28 years old I finally became a private pilot... one of my most cherished achievements. I hold my Airframe & Powerplant, Private Pilot, and Remote Pilot certifications; two associate degrees in Aviation Maintenance from TSTC Waco, graduating with a 4.0 and honors; and a BS in Aeronautics, Minor in Management from Embry-Riddle, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Today I am wearing several hats as the Industry Happiness Advocate at SynapseMX, a modern aviation maintenance software company.

I'm extremely passionate about aviation, with my short list of "things to do" including my Instrument and Commercial ratings. My ultimate dream is to own a warbird and start a historical WASP re-enactment flying team of aviatrices. Today, I am just elated to be able to work with other "Avgeeks" and participate in the industry.

"We are VERY pleased and humbled by the quality of applications this year for our aviation marketing scholarship, and we want to thank everyone who applied." Said ABCI Chairman John Williams.

"We wholeheartedly welcome these two into an already amazing group." Added ABCI President Paula Williams. "Magical things happen when you put good people together, and the background these two women bring to the table is beyond what we could have hoped for to add to the mix. We really look forward to see how they grow and change the dynamics of the group and the level of interaction we have with our members this year."

About ABCI -

Aviation Business Consultants International (ABCI) is a marketing company that assists aviation- related companies to market more effectively and sell more of their products and services. ABCI brings technologies and "inbound" marketing techniques from the finance and technology fields to the aviation industry, and focuses on measurable, content-rich, "long cycle" marketing of complex or high-value products and services.

About the Insider Circle -

After informally introducing clients to one another on several occasions, ABCI founders Paula and John Williams noticed that these introductions often led to creative referrals, co-marketing arrangements, and other mutually profitable endeavors.

ABCI created an private social media group, a book club, interactive webinars, in-person events and other resources to foster these relationships among aviation companies. Silver and Gold level members also receive one-on-one sales and marketing consulting services, in the form of "office hours," at profoundly discounted rates.