Professional trade group partnerships:
Ideal showroom networking for 2011
BY PETER SCHOR
Showroom specialist
As most of you are aware, I conducted more than 400 showroom and custom-tailored wholesaler, retailer and manufacturer training programs between 1988 and 2010. I have also conducted more than 500 CEU (college equivalent units) and NCIDQ Approved (highest level) sessions for professional trade groups, associations, and local chapters. I have spoken at their national conventions, served on panel discussions addressing their issues and asked them what they expect from you in a working relationship. Most of these programs were bath/plumbing, kitchen and motivational/skill driven.
Also, remember that for years in my showroom columns I stressed “the Three Commandments of Successful Showrooms”:
1. Learn who the qualifying client is
2. Discover who sent the client in
3. Know who is buying the products. Today, any of the tradespeople listed above can be the buyer.
In every single professional trade segment there are good and bad members. If you want to build successful working relationships, please throw away your pre-judgments. Yes, there is a difference between a professional interior designer and an interior decorator, just as there is between a good plumber and a bad plumber. Many people who are aiming for high-end luxury bath buyers hire professional interior designers who are also knowledgeable about designs/builds. In other words, they buy bath and plumbing products and subcontract the installation to plumbing contractors. In many cases, the plumbing contractor is the buyer but the influencers may come from the professional trades.
Here are some great trade groups to consider:
• PHCC (Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors, 4,100 members,www.phccweb.org
• NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), 200,000 members, www.nahb.org
• NAHB Remodelers Council, 20,000 members, www.nahb.org
• NARI (National Association of Remodeling Industry), 7,000 members, www.nari.org
• ASID (American Society of Interior Designers), 34,500 members, www.asid.org
• IIDA (International Interior Design Association), 10,000 members, www.iida.org
• NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association), 25,000 members, www.nkba.org
• AIA (American Institute of Architects), 56,000 members, www.aia.org.
The top leadership of every trade group has confirmed what is necessary to have successful partnerships and better sales results. The bottom line of what you need to know is: Do not expect success simply by joining and participating in design homes. Positive results come from establishing individual personal relationships with these groups and participating in their monthly events.
Some chapters are more “active” than others. The size of the market for a given chapter does not determine the size of its membership and vibrancy. The monthly meeting event topics will dictate which of the events are better attended; i.e., sessions such as what’s new and hot in bathrooms or today’s hottest colors will be better attended than those on how to handle insurance claims or bar coding information.
Here are some tips regarding success with the professional trade groups:
• Join the association as an Industry Foundation Partner. Visit the association’s website to locate the nearest chapter, which will usually will have its own website listing chapter executives, events and much more.
• Attend and participate in meetings. Do not expect to get business from the group, either collectively or individually, unless you attend the monthly meetings and participate in other events. Real success depends on establishing personal relationships.
• Participate in design homes, parade of homes, street of dreams or one of the many other show house events. Contributing plumbing and bath products, whether it is at a 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 design homes? Where and how many times will our company be acknowledged? 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 tabletops 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 literature, and some small knock-dead faucets will work well. Members may visit your tabletop several times during a trade group event.
• Host open houses at your showroom. 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 attend if you did not work for your company.
Find a local, well-known bath design authority to speak for 45 minutes in your showroom. Send a promotional 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 tradespeople 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 strapped for the cash necessary to hire professional speakers for monthly programs. I highly recommend that showrooms partner with their manufacturer and manufacturers’ reps and come up with an exciting program such as “Bathroom Trends and Cutting Edge Products, given by John Doe of ABC Supply.” The trade group will not accept a “commercial” type program. I developed a 45-minute scripted Power Point program called “Today’s Luxury 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 includes 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 information 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!
Peter Schor, president of Dynamic Results Inc, is a bath/plumbing industry 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@dynamicresultsinc.com or visit his web site: www.dynamicresultsonline.com.