BrandSource members Lisa and Gordon Neve of Neve’s Furniture & Flooring get in the spirit of the show.
Four days of deals, business insights and bonding by BrandSource members, vendors and staff
By Alan Wolf, YSN
BrandSource concluded its 2022 Convention this week in Dallas, and perhaps the biggest takeaway besides the bevy of deals and best practices was — economic news to the contrary — the business is alive and well for members.
The upbeat timbre was everywhere — in conversation with dealers, on the crowded Expo show floor, at the electric opening-night reception, or the bustling Stampede deal-a-rama.
But to keep those spirits high, along with sales and profits, members were presented with a simple four-point action plan for the current post-pandemic environment. As AVB’s CEO Jim Ristow stated in a rousing State of the Union address, “After two-and-a-half great years our world, the economy and our industries are changing. The good news is I see opportunity, and it just requires basic table stakes to win. AVB has the solutions but it’s ultimately up to you to ‘own it.’ If you plug in, you will win.”
The four steps include:
- Raising fees for members’ superior but underpriced delivery, installation and haul-away services to match marketplace rates, which can boost profits by as much as 5% in appliances and 8% for furniture.
- Employing a point-of-sale system (POS) that connects members’ online, in-store and backroom functions for a smoother consumer experience and more efficient operations.
- Keeping one’s website up to flagship standards with accurate pricing and consumer conveniences like live chat, payment gateways and real-time in-stocks, which attract and keep customers.
- Increasing one’s marketing spend to match the sales strides members have made in recent years and to avoid getting drowned out by box stores.
To help put those points into practice, members were presented with an expansive, five-track program of educational sessions spanning marketing, service, home furnishings, HR and the luxury segment, along with a record number of vendor trainings.
But the BrandSource Convention wasn’t all business. Other highlights included the induction of Grand Appliance’s Mark Reckling and Pardini Appliance’s Mark Pardini into the BrandSource Hall of Fame; the naming of 2022’s BrandSource Dealers of the Year; special events for the group’s Women in Business and Young Professionals associations; and the launch of an annual trade school scholarship program for foster care clients in partnership with BrandSource charity partner Together We Rise, with one of the ten grants honoring the late BrandSource member, president, friend and mentor Bill Pleasants.
All told, a productive and memorable time was had by all at Convention 2022, and we look forward to the next national gathering at Harrah’s Las Vegas next year in March.
BrandSource, a unit of YSN publisher AVB Inc., is a nationwide buying group for independent appliance, furniture, mattress and CE dealers.
