Do it Best Conference focuses on the customer
SAN DIEGO
The three-day conference focused on practical advice for the co-op’s members. Dealers learned how to attract new customers, hang on to the ones they already have and motivate both groups to spend more time—and money—in the store.
“Don’t ask people what they’re looking for,” advised Patrick Rodmell, president and CEO of Watt International. “Ask them what they’re trying to do. [Then] you can engage them in a conversation.”
Bob Taylor, president and CEO of the Fort Wayne, Ind., co-op, participated in a panel discussion that distilled the lessons learned during various sessions. On the question of e-commerce, Taylor told members that the venture is not just about transactions.
“When a customer gives you a six-digit sku number for an item you don’t even stock, it’s pretty obvious they’ve been out there on your site, shopping,” Taylor said.
Bill Zielke, vp-marketing, advised retailers to borrow ideas from anywhere they can if they think it will help their retail operations. “Thinking outside the box is no longer valid,” he explained. “The world is changing so fast there is no box.”
In addition to the educational program, Do it Best dealers and vendors participated in a golf tournament and a tour of the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar. The San Diego Convention Center hosted approximately 200 exhibitors as part of the event.
Like many retailers who attended the show, Barbara Peterman of AL&M Building Supply came to pick up some ideas that might work in her two Houston-area stores. Peterman liked the idea of doing holiday-themed endcaps and window displays but wished there was an easier way to obtain designs and materials. “I have to buy my stuff at Wal-Mart,” she noted.
Peterman was also impressed by Freiberg, who advised dealers to “act like a Sherpa” and cull out liabilities on their team. “If you have some employees who are not a good fit, you have to face up to that reality,” Peterman said.