As always, the 2019 DPHA conference was abuzz every day from 7 in the morning until well after midnight. It has been another good year for our industry, and most are enthusiastic about their individual futures and excited about the expanding opportunities in the decorative plumbing and hardware market.
The days were punctuated by captivating product booths and many varied discussion topics. Below are the more popular trends and topics that were consistent threads in my many conversations:
- Business remains strong with some secondary markets anticipating a small slowdown in early 2020.
- New products introduced were mostly simple upgrades and product line tweaks with only a few truly new products presented.
- People are interested to see if industry consolidation will continue and how it will affect the DPH showroom world.
- The industry needs to remain focused on luxury versus premium.
- Where do the fascinating new technologies fit into our hand-crafted product business?
The education sessions were anchored by talented, insightful people. Here are my key takeaways:
David Avrin enlightened us by helping us to:
- Locate customers we did not know existed
- Continually work to surprise and delight our customers
- Remove FRICTION at all points of customer interaction
- Allow your team members to make what they think is the best decision versus “doing what the book dictates”
- Learn why your customers want to buy
- Remember trust is the root of a good relationship
Jay Acunzo open our eyes to:
- Never stop looking for the next big thing
- Never wait for what was the next big thing to die before moving on
- Never stop improving your business' unique draw
- Never stop evaluating your process and structure
- Understand what the anchors of your business are
- Build on and refine what is working
- Meet your customer where they are
- Make your business’ culture embrace change and creativity
Designer Panel: Overcoming Confirmation Bias, What The Trades Really Want
- Do not get rid of printed catalogs
- As a group, they do not want to buy plumbing on the Internet
- They need more door hardware training to improve their confidence with product applications
- Trades cannot always get to the showroom to work with a client, and might send in client alone with STRICT instructions on what to show them
- They need CAD files now and will soon need BIM (building information modeling) product files
- A lot of clients are not adventurous and want their entire bathroom designed from one brand’s product series with no deviations
- New product updates are important, so please ask how each designer would like updates delivered (email, text, etc.)
- CEU’s are important but not mid-day
- Designers need finish samples to complete client design presentations - why are they so very hard to get?
The DPHA conference allows the talented people in the DPH world the opportunity to focus on bettering their businesses. Other gatherings are focused on product and purchasing programs. Last week we talked about everything from what ERP to use to earning customer trust. If you did not attend, you missed the opportunity to gain valuable insights into your business by bouncing ideas off of some very knowledgeable and engaged people.
It is now only 11 months till our next DPHA conference. Please make plans to join your fellow Decorative Plumbing and Hardware professionals in New Orleans, October 22 - 25, 2020.
The more we work together the more our industry will improve for the benefit of us all.
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