Boosting the Benefit of Bar Time

The networking during bar time and other events generates a big return while attending the DPHA Conference (October 12-14, 2017) at the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Chandler, AZ. At the bar, members can discuss how things are going with peers from across North America. It's also the only venue where dealers can receive a real inside perspective on the state of the industry and business practices that others use to address the daily challenges of owning and running a showroom. 

 

You can maximize the returns on your bar-time conversations in Chandler by preparing in advance - sorry though, that does not mean to start drinking now. When someone asks how's business, don't automatically respond with the tried and true, "good, could be better, great, coming around, on the uptick," etc. Instead, use those standard questions to engage a more beneficial conversation by giving a couple of examples of how you have made things better, changes that are taking place or recent accomplishments. Instead of saying, "business is good," relate that business is good because a couple of new things you have tried are starting to bear fruit. For example, state something to the effect that you took a dive headfirst into the social media pool and already have acquired 625 new friends, several of whom you converted to customers when they came to the showroom. Or you may want to say, "we weaned our faucet lines from 163 down to 24 that we now focus on. Our sales, margins and profits all increased as a result." Two examples is all you need to really get the discussion going because your peers are likely to respond with recent accomplishments of their own. 

 

Bar time also presents a perfect opportunity to talk about problems you are working on or challenges you are looking to overcome. When you are networking with your peers, talk about what's different now compared to six months ago and why. It's a great way to catch up with old friends, and a better tool to really engage in a meaningful discussion. 

 

Finally, don't be shy about asking your peers for opinions and their advice. To get the conversation going, you may want to say, "our business is really starting to take off. I know you guys are also doing well, especially since you started using iPads in your showroom. Can you explain what you had to do to get buy-in from your staff to move away from paper catalogs and use electronic libraries on tablets instead?" 

 

When you are at the DPHA Conference, don't miss the opportunity for meaningful engagement and guidance from your peers. Instead of responding with the standard one-word or one-phrase answers to questions about how your business is doing, think about follow-ups that can start a conversation about challenges, or issues and experiences that you want to discuss from a resource that is rarely available at any other time of the year. And it's also okay to have a drink or two. 

 

Do you need more reasons to attend the DPHA Conference? Let us provide another one. It will make your business better. If you waited until the last minute to reserve, there's still time to make your business better. Contact Jim Babbitt at jbabbitt@dpha.net or call him at 224-999-0434 to reserve.