CE Pro October 2021 - 62

Channel
TIPS | EDUCATION & EVENTS | DISTRIBUTION
Buying Groups
Gather for Successful
In-Person Events
ProSource met for the first time in
more than one year, while Nationwide
Marketing Group's PrimeTime hosts
3,500 attendees. By CE Pro Editors
TWO OF THE INDUSTRY'S
top buying groups - Nationwide
Marketing Group
and ProSource - held
in-person events in August,
which was the first time
in-person events were able
to be held for these key
business groups. Both events
were deemed successes just
for the mere fact that they
were held.
ProSource
Celebrates 2021
At ProSource, there was no
" state of the business " report
delivered. Instead, when Dave
Workman, CEO and President
of ProSource, took the stage
at La Cantera Resort and Spa
in San Antonio, Texas, and
declared the conference, " a
celebration of excellence, " in
the wake of 2020.
Perhaps it was the fact
that custom integration
had been one of the few
businesses to successfully
weather the pandemic's disruption.
Perhaps it was the
ability for so many to finally
reconnect after so long. In
62 | CE Pro October 2021
any case, the energy and
enthusiasm on display left
the conference abuzz, and,
at the end of the day, left
dealers and vendors charged
and ready to tackle the difficulties
that loom ahead for
the industry.
Marcus Sheridan kicked off
the keynote with energetic
aplomb, despite having
nearly lost his voice the day
before. A renowned keynote
presenter, having had several
articles written on his marketing
principles, and author
of the marketing book " They
Ask, You Answer, " Sheridan
got his start selling fiberglass
pools. And it's that experience
he pulled upon as part
of the keynote.
He discussed the current
market, the profile of the
modern consumer and how
marketing has become just
as integral to making a sale as
sales itself. The goal? So integrators
can understand what
they must do to become the
most trusted voice in their
respective spaces. In essence,
it was all about building leadDave
Workman, CEO of ProSource, called the recently completed
ProSource 2021 event a " celebration of excellence "
after the group dealt with the difficult 2020.
ership and expertise.
As Sheridan put it, " no
longer can companies assume
the consumer will be
ignorant of all the information
that's on the market. "
Integrators need to be willing
to talk about what others
aren't willing to talk about,
show what others won't
show, and sell in ways that
others currently aren't.
He discussed the importance
of owning the conversation
surrounding the
business online and how
a straightforward, honest
presentation can pay dividends
in the long run before
going on to discuss the
key elements of businesses
that consumers nowadays
demand. All of it provided
with actionable advice and
use-cases taken from his
own business in fiberglass
pool installations.
Following Sheridan's
keynote, integrators then
gathered a series of Power
Meetings, led by Sheridan,
with the continued focus
on improving many of the
customer-facing elements
of the industry. Topics
included how to better put
the buying process into the
hands of the customer, how
videographers and reporters
can breathe new life into
a marketing team, the role
sales and installers play as
SMEs and the right tools for
communications.
The integrators then had
the opportunity at routine
intervals to break out into
workshops to test Sheridan's
guidance in practice
and gain valuable experience
from dealers who had
already implemented some
of the discussed initiatives to
relative success. Education
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CE Pro October 2021

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