Today’s showroom industry - the best tool for success!
BY PETER SCHOR
Showroom specialist
I believe it is time that we collectively focus on setting a better course of action for the “product sellers” of plumbing wholesale and DPH showrooms. Truthfully speaking, K/BIS is good at highlighting showroom products but offers very little educational value for selling showroom products. Kitchen and Bath Design News and KBB are great magazines but their focus is for kitchen and bath dealers, not for selling showroom products. ISH North America has run its course here in the U.S. while ISH is still flourishing in Germany.
The ASA showroom programs and events fall far short of what the industry needs which should have no reflection on the great Hank Darlington, Hall of Famer, and his talents. The cost versus investment for manufacturers will be closely evaluated by many manufacturers for 2010. Should we have conventions, every two years? All right industry readers and leaders, this is your time to email me your suggestions on the solution to these problems. Please e-mail or write me with your input and I will begin to take action to develop solutions to these problems. I have strong opinions and great advice which I will use to respond with your collective input in my upcoming columns.
Time to feel and be connected - The DPHA (www.DPHA.net)
I have and will continue to say this in the future, “In these challenging times, I would join the DPHA to increase the competitive advantages that your company needs and deserves.” Whether you are a showroom, manufacturer/importer, trade associate, or professional member; all memberships are $775 per year ($675 for dues and a one-time $100 application fee).
Prior to 2002, the NKBA had a division called DPH which was the only arm responsible for the plumbing, bath, and decorative hardware product selling showroom industry. The NKBA did not remotely understand the education needs of their DPH product selling group members. This is demonstrated by today’s K/BIS 2009 where the educational venue is 90% for kitchen and bath dealers. This venue is heavy on the kitchen and offers nothing for the product sellers except for the exhibits.
In 2002, The Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association was formed for the product selling showroom industry. The DPHA (www.DPHA.net) is a cutting-edge, nonprofit organization whose mission is to create competitive advantages for its nearly 500 members by advancing the business and professional development of independent dealers, manufacturers, representatives and others involved in the decorative plumbing and hardware industry.
DPHA employs a unique consensus-based approach to accomplish its mission statement. This mission is to treat showroom manufacturers/importers and manufacturer’s representatives as peers and partners. Innovation has been a DPHA hallmark evidenced by the fact that DPHA showroom staffs, products, sales and consumer education programs are available to DPHA members only.
DPHA’s first voluntary Data Standard provides a uniform framework for transmitting and uploading pricing information that can be used by almost every point of sale, inventory, accounting, project management and ordering system. The Data Standard asks manufacturers to transmit pricing information the same way. If you look at an Excel spreadsheet, the Data Standard requires that SKU numbers be placed in column A, finish information in column B, finish description in column C, description of the product in column D, MSRP in column E and net price in column F, etc.
Those of you using Eclipse or similar software can readily see the advantage that the Data Standard offers. It can literally save you and your team hundreds of hours of time reformatting pricing information to upload to your systems. Better yet, your sales teams know that the pricing information providing by Data Standard-compliant manufacturers is accurate, making products easier to sell and avoiding potential accounting headaches.
Membership
The DPHA has five membership segments: Independent Showroom Dealers are defined as privately held companies whose primary business is the sale of premium and luxury decorative plumbing and/or hardware products to the consumer, public organization, or specifying trade. Independent dealers must have at least one retail showroom with a minimum of 1000 square feet of showroom space or at least 2/3 of the showroom space exclusively dedicated to high value decorative plumbing and/or hardware merchandise. The four other association memberships types are: Manufacturer Reps, Manufacturers/ Importers, Trade Associates and Professional Members. All memberships are $775 per year. This is a terrific deal compared to what you receive in return. Some of the benefits of DPHA are outlined below.
Live events
The DPHA has a terrific breakfast event at K/BIS every year on Saturday between 7:30 to 9:30 am. Next, their Eighth Annual DPHA Conference and Product Showcase event will take place on Oct. 16-18, 2009 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo. The 7th annual DPHA Conference in 2008 had a record industry turn-out with 85 manufacturers exhibiting and offered exceptional educational programs! The Broadmoor is my most favorite hotel in the world. I’ve been to 5-star hotels in Dubai, Macau, and many other places in the world and I can honestly say The Broadmoor is my top choice. You all know that I wrote articles on “creating the experience” in your showrooms. You will learn this from the inside out at The Broadmoor. The spa is world renown and the mountain zoo, owned by the hotel, is extraordinary!
Magazines
The DPHA has their own monthly magazine called Newsleak which is full of industry news and wisdom. The February 2009 issue had 36 “juicy” pages of articles, industry camaraderie, advertising opportunities, and industry news.
Discussion forums
There are so many so platforms and so many ways to stay fresh and effective from the use of interactive discussion forums.
- Question of the month blog: This blog allows you to respond or read answers to questions and you can go back into the archives and hear the wisdom of the showroom industry from prior months.
- Connections Program: This e-letter program provides guidance for showroom sales professionals, customer service staff, shipping and receiving team members and others; providing guidance on topics ranging from dealing with angry customers to responding to clients who claim they can buy products cheaper on the internet.
- Some of the other formats are: Success Stories; DPHA Discussions; Business Operations; Creating Profits and Value for Owners; Industry Trends; Marketing Ideas; Problems Solved; Discussion Reviews; Webcasting; and Committees. These platforms allow you to share your knowledge and experience!
Common DPHA benefits heading — extraordinary value-added!
On the DPHA website for members is a section called Common DPHA Benefits. There is nothing common about what the leadership (all members) put together! Some of the topics include: Employment Assessment Programs; Employee Assistance Programs; Education Manuals; Document Exchange; Price Lists; Take-off Systems and much more.
Folks, these topics are not just words; this educational information is right on the money! Example of one topic: The DPHA offers the nation’s only modular-based education program for showroom staff and others involved in the specification and sale of DPHA products. The Education Program combines explanations of the technical and performance superiority of products featured in decorative plumbing and hardware showrooms while offering guidance to improve sales skills.
Other topics covered include: Lavatory Faucets, Kitchen Faucets, Baths, FinISHes, Shower Systems, Steam Systems, Water Closets and Bidets, Sinks, Care and Maintenance, Hinges, Locks, Latch Sets and Door Hardware Trim, Protecting the Door, Adorning the Door, Waste and Supplies, Accessories and Cabinet Hardware. If you are running a plumbing showroom and sell to consumers, professional trades, and plumbing contractor clients, DPHA Product Knowledge is 100% on the money. Whether you are selling to the plumber over the phone, a will-call counter, or some other sales venue, the ASA manuals will work.
Many of the DPHA services not listed here are only offered to manufacturers/importers, manufacturer reps, trade associates or professional member. These services include resume postings, Rep Directory and more.
A $775 buy-in is only the beginning! Just imagine the value that you can get from this investment in yourself or your organization. Don’t join unless you are going to make the data work for you and plan on participating in a terrific industry that I love!
Peter Schor, president, of Dynamic Results Inc., is an educator, motivational speaker, consultant, coach and writer in our industry and many diverse others. For the past 17 years, he has conducted 100 educational programs yearly, including 34 industry conventions. Schor has great expertise in the field of showrooms and has won many industry awards. He also works with manufacturers in the field of sales, marketing and public relations. Schor can be reached at 1491 Ivy Arbor, Lincoln, CA 95648, by phone 916/408-5346, fax 916/408-5899, e-mail pschor@dynamicresultsinc.com or website www.dynamicresultsonline.com.