The survey was sent to RV Trade Digest subscribers via e-mail. The survey consists of 16 questions and only takes a few minutes to complete.

If you would like to have your voice heard regarding our editorial content, please fill out the electronic survey.

The information collected will be used to help the staff of RVTD decide what topics should be covered in the near future.

If you are a subscriber and did not receive the 2009 Reader Survey, please contact Jean Simkins, Jackie Kimmel or Nikki Becker and request your survey.

We appreciate your time in taking our survey and hope to serve you better with the information collected.

There is a great debate about whether overnight parking should be allowed or banned.

Personally, I am against overnight parking in commercial parking lots. Campgrounds are built to house RVs properly. Most have restroom facilities, activities and the basic necessities that most RVers need such as: electrical outlets, dumping stations, water lines, etc.

Some RVers may choose to park at Walmart because it is less expensive than a campground, others probably park there because they know they can.

I want to open this up for a lively debate. Should RVers be allowed to park on commercial lots overnight? Why or why not? Does it hurt campground owners if people are opting to visit places like Walmart instead of their campground? Is it a safety risk to park overnight on a commercial lot? What are your thoughts?

The RVTD Lifetime Value Awards are given to dealers who focus on customer service and build excellence through employee training and education.

Dealers can enter anytime using our online application. To apply click here

All applicants are reviewed by a panel of RVTD and Stag-Parkway staffers. Several finalists are chosen and each finalist receives a cash reward and a dealer profile featured in RV Trade Digest. At the 2010 Stag-Parkway show, one finalist will be chosen as the Lifetime Value Award winner and will receive an additional cash prize.

Numerous dealers have already seized the chance to be considered. RVTD will be accepting applications until September 15, 2009. That leaves less than three months to apply.

If you have trouble applying for the Lifetime Value Awards or have questions, please feel free to e-mail the editorial staff at editor@rvtradedigest.com

There is no fee to apply and all dealers are welcome to apply.

I am unfamiliar with this particular selling method, but did a little research to try and understand it a little better.

From my research I learned that the four-square method is a selling technique that employs a worksheet some dealers use to negotiate the sale of an RV, boat or car. This worksheet is separated into four squares, hence the name.

The four squares represent the trade-in value, purchase price of the vehicle, down payment numbers and monthly payment numbers. Sales people crunch numbers into the different squares to attempt to view the overall profit of the dealership. Some even refer to this method as “working the numbers.”

This method could be considered controversial because buyers who are unfamiliar with how the method works could perceive a deal that isn’t really there.

In researching this topic I found more articles on how to avoid getting “trapped” by this four-square method.

I would like to get a discussion rolling on the four-square selling method. Do you, or any of your sales staff, currently use this method? Have you ever experienced this sales method while purchasing a new vehicle. If you do use this method, is it effective? Is this sales method controversial or cross ethical lines? I want to hear your thoughts.

The editorial staff will begin putting together RVTD’s June/July Sourcebook print issue the week of June 1, and we are giving one last opportunity for company updates.

If you have not updated your company listing, please contact Jean Simkins or Nikki Becker for more information.

In addition to updating current company contact information, company representatives may also submit products to feature in the Online Sourcebook.

There is no limit to the amount of products each company may feature. For more information on how to submit products, contact Jackie Kimmel by e-mailing Jackie@rvtradedigest.com

If you have trouble updating or inputting products please feel free to contact one of the RV Trade Digest staff members.

With Memorial Day around the corner travel experts, campground owners and dealers are all speculating about how well the 2009 camping season will turn out.

Several campgrounds this year are offering discounts, some RV dealers are offering passes to local national parks to entice customers to travel, and AAA announced today they believe the lower gas prices will cause more Americans to get out and travel for the upcoming holiday weekend.

Thankfully, I have been seeing more positive news about the RV industry and more specifically the 09 camping season; however, I am not sure all industry professionals would agree with me.

I wonder if the slight upturn in the industry is due strictly to trends from years past or if this camping season may spark a larger turnaround for the industry? What do you think?

Will this year’s camping season be better or worse than 2008? Do you think geographic location dictates how well the camping season will go? Do you use camping season as a sales tool at your dealership? Let’s hear your thoughts.

A few fellow Twitter members had posted “tweets” about how the swine flu pandemic was one way to help promote the RV lifestyle because RVing allows consumers to travel without the being near crowds.

I think the national media exhausted the swine flu story. I am not saying swine flu isn’t a valid concern, but my question is should people be promoting the RV lifestyle based on fear of contamination?

What most people don’t realize is that 13,000 people in the U.S. die from the regular flu each year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite the swine flu being a more immediate health concern, why is it necessary to use it as a promotional tool for RVing? Aren’t there more creative ways to promote RVing such as the opportunity for consumers to build family relationships and the fact that RVing is the least expensive way to travel?

The swine flu news obsession seems to be the most recent flash-in-the-pan disease epidemic like SARS and the bird flu once were.

What are your thoughts?

Editor’s Note: If you are feeling the symptoms of swine flu stay home, wash your hands frequently and consult your physician.

To help companies post products and have them appear quicker, below is an example of how to submit the information needed for the Sourcebook and potential publication in the magazine. RV Trade Digest uses a bullet-point product feature style.

Here is the template of how product releases should be submitted.

Company name, corporate office location, presents its product name.

*Bullet-point about product

*Bullet-point about product

*Bullet-point about product

*Bullet-point about product

Web site

Example:

RV Trade Digest, Fort Atkinson, Wis., presents its Online Sourcebook.

*Comprehensive online RV company and product listing Web site.

*Company listings used for the RVTD June/July directory.

*Features hundreds of companies and products serving the RV industry.

*Manage or update your listing all year long.

www.rvtradedigest.com

Companies may submit multiple products and use as many bullet-points as desired. Please include a high resolution photo with all product releases.

Please refrain from using “biased” language in the listing. All products submissions may be edited for style and grammar.

Products can be submitted through the Sourcebook or e-mailed to the editorial staff at rvproducts@rvtradedigest.com.

The sourcebook, formerly called the RVTD “buyer’s guide,” is a comprehensive addition to www.rvtradedigest.com where companies can list their contact info, Web site links and even post new products.

This new portion of our site will allow buyers to search for companies and products in multiple ways. Users may search with the search box or by the numerous category listings located in the left hand column of the site. Keep in mind each category may have several sub-categories.

The online sourcebook offers several features such as: recently added products, premium “featured” listings which appear at the top of the pages of specific categories, and links on how to manage all postings.

The site was created not only to get more product and company information out but to help the editorial staff of RV Trade Digest collect the correct information for our June/July Sourcebook Directory print issue.

We are encouraging readers to visit the site and review the info currently listed and update if necessary for accurate publication in the June/July issue.

For additional information on how to manage your listing or sponsor a specific section for added exposure contact Nikki Becker by e-mailing nikki.becker@cygnuspub.com or calling 800-574-7377 ext. 1317.

To view the online sourcebook click here

However, not all news coverage has been bad.

For example, over the weekend RVIA President Richard Coon was featured on Fox News’ Fox & Friends television program highlighting new innovations within the RV industry. Coon displayed several products from companies such as Forest River and Damon and heavily promoted the RV lifestyle.

A few weeks ago, former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee hosted a live special from Elkhart, Indiana to try and shed some light on what is happening in the ‘RV capital of the world.’

Additionally, MSNBC.com has created a section on its Web site entitled “The Elkhart Project” designed to tailor news coverage of the RV industry.

With media turning to more RV related stories, does this help the industry? Does national media coverage (either good or bad) help the industry’s image? What do you think is missing from the news coverage?