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SHOWROOM STYLE Trade groups and you — great partners (Continued from page50.)
reduced cost or free, will not buy you into the group. It takes one-on-one personal relationships. I also suggest that you treat these events like any advertising or marketing investment and ask a lot of questions before you invest in a project. Ask questions such as the following: How many people will go through this/these de- sign homes? where and how many times will our company be acknowl- edged? Be creative about ways that you can participate besides providing the goods. • Set up a tabletop display at
monthly meetings or other events. Most trade groups have 8-foot table- tops and display areas for Industry Foundation Partners (product sellers). The cost can range from $50 to $250, depending on the size of the chapter and the monthly turnouts. Showroom promotional pieces, manufacturer lit- erature, and some small knock-dead faucets will work well. Members may
visit your tabletop several times dur- ing a trade group event. • Host open houses at your show-
room. Many of the events that I have attended in plumbing wholesaler and DPH showrooms have missed the mark. Professional tradespeople, like you, will not give up their time for food and beverage only or for a weak event that you honestly would not at- tend if you did not work for your company. Find a local, well-known bath de-
sign authority to speak for 45 minutes in your showroom. Send a promo- tional piece noting that the open house will feature a brief presentation (such as “How to Make Money with ABC Supply’s Showroom in 2011”) to take place promptly at 6:30 p.m. You’d be amazed how many trades- people in your market do not know how to participate or work with your showroom. Some of these people may have taken the multiple roles of design, build and buy, and are sub-
contracting the installation for a plumbing contractor. • Provide programs for local
monthly chapter meetings since many professional trade groups are
attend the monthly meetings and participate in other events. Real success depends on establishing personal relationships.
Do not expect to get business from the group, either collectively or individually, unless you
strapped for the cash necessary to hire professional speakers for monthly programs. I highly recom- mend that showrooms partner with their manufacturer and manufactur- ers’ reps and come up with an excit- ing program such as “Bathroom Trends and Cutting edge Products, given by John Doe of ABC Supply.”
•THE WHOLESALER® — FEBRUARY 2011
The trade group will not accept a “commercial” type program. I devel- oped a 45-minute scripted Power Point program called “Today’s Lux- ury Bathrooms and Trends” for a very well-known bath manufacturer. This program was turn-keyed to their manufacturer reps and many of their showrooms. • Attend conferences and exhibit
at Expos. Many trade groups have a once or twice a year event that in- cludes several days of educational programs coupled with an exhibitor expo. These are great vehicles for showing your wares. They’re also great places for networking with other local home suppliers. I am sure that some of this infor-
mation has great value for you. Sit down, read the article again and write out an action plan. Divide your plan into workable timeframes so that it is not overwhelming and take daily or weekly steps toward better results. 2011 will be a much better year for all of us!
n Peter Schor, president of Dynamic
Results Inc., is a bath/plumbing in- dustry speaker, educator, author, columnist and consultant in the many segments of our industry. For the past 20 years, he conducted seminars and speaks at numerous conventions. Schor has great expertise in the field of showrooms and hotel bathrooms and has won many industry awards. He also consults manufacturers in taking their products to market in the areas of sales, marketing and public relations. Schor can be reached at 1302 Longhorn Lane, Lincoln, CA 95648, phone 916/408-5346, fax 916/408-5899, e-mail pschor@dy-
namicresultsinc.com or visit www.dy-
namicresultsonline.com.
Meier Supply awards employees
JoHNSoN CITY, N.Y. — Meier Supply Company Inc. held its annual em- ployee Recognition event on Decem- ber 10. Recipients of the company’s distin-
guished “employee of the Year” awards were Barry Kepner, who has been branch manager of Meier Sup- ply Company in Harrisburg, Pa., since its opening in 2006, and Tim Meyers, who has been employed by the company for 15 years and has been assistant branch manager in Syracuse, N.Y. for eight years. A raffle was held for six 40” HD
© 2011 See contact information on page 70 • Be sure to visit
www.thewholesaler.com for web exclusive articles and videos! •
LCD Tvs, donated by Meier Supply vendors Larkin and Ice-o-Matic. All proceeds were donated to the Ameri- can Cancer Society. visit
www.meiersupply.com.
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