december 2011 volume 11 • number 12 - American Bonanza Society

ABSOperationsBy J. Whitney HickmanABS Putting the“V” in ValueFor many members “V” stands forthe Bonanza V-tail. The way I see it,“V” means “value” for your membership.As I was flying back from the2011 ABS Convention in Las Vegas, Ihad several thoughts churningthrough my head. The first was, whatan amazing four days we spenttogether learning, sharing, socializing,and making new friends. I hopeour members enjoyed it as much as Idid. I thought the event was very wellattended, with nearly 500 membersand guests (including 125 firsttimers)and 136 airplanes. We had anice hotel and some very goodspeakers and presenters. I thoughtabout how proud I am to be a part ofwww.bonanza.orgsuch a great organization of people,and about what ABS represents to somany. Our mission is to fly our planessafely, educate pilots, and preservethe Beechcraft fleet. The messagewas loud and clear.I thought about the value that ABShas to our members. Are we makinga difference? The answer was clearlyyes: We are providing value to ourmembers. The question now becomes:Is it ever enough? How manyvalue-added services can we give,and how much can we afford?The concept of value-added serviceshas been around for severalyears, and is very popular with membershiporganizations and serviceoriented businesses. In today’s world,where so many different services andproducts are viewed as high commodities,the ability to add value toyour services is an absolute must. Ifwe based our marketing on price, wewould not be able to achieve highmargin sales. And that is where longtermgrowth and sustainability forthe organization resides. This is whyvalue-added services are vital to anorganization such as ours.There are a few ways that ABS canadd value whether we sell a productor provide a service.1. Provide expert advice with highlevels of professionalism. Thereare many places you can get adviceabout flying and main taining yourBeechcraft. But you never knowwhether you’re getting a correctanswer in some venues. ABS’s goalis to always provide the definitiveanswer to your technical questions.2. Recognition. We recognize ourmembers for being outstanding bybecoming a Life Member, joiningthe ABS Ambassador club, attendingBPPP training and ServiceClinics, and receiving preferredrates on products or services suchas Hawker Beechcraft parts usingthe ABS credit card and FalconInsurance discounts for BPPPgraduates and ABS Aviators.3. Education. Whether you’re a newmember or seasoned veteran,the Society continually offers thelatest education and training onyour air plane, tips on maintenanceand how to fly safely, and educationalseminars about aviation orBeech airplanes they have neverseen before.4. Dedicated Personnel. We havehighly trained Technical Advisorsthat can answer almost all ofyour questions regarding yourairplane. What they don’t knowthey’ll re search and help you find,learning even more in the process.We have highly skilled authorswho write articles in our monthlymagazine, professional speakerswho speak at BPPP clinics andconventions, and Membership andEvents per sonnel who can takecare of your questions.4 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY DECEMBER 2011