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Why did more than 200 distributor personnel - and one RV journalist -- from throughout the US and Canada brave 14 degree below zero temperature, snow and travel delays to venture into the fields of Nebraska in the dead of winter? That's when Automatic Equipment Manufacturing Co., Pender, NE, hosted its "Road to Excellence" conference. I was invited along with Jim Stanley, executive director of the Warehouse Distributors Association, and John Roba, president of John Roba Associates to be a guest speaker at the January session -- a second session was held in February
The expense of hosting a program like the Road to Excellence can be staggering. Automatic picked up all the costs for the atttendees including airfare, hotel, meals, hospitality, and ground transportation costs, and invited every distributor to send as many people as they can possibly send, from outside sales to telemarketing personnel to top management. Jay Hesse, president, Automatic Equipment, says, "The benefits outweigh the cost, and that if Automatic does it's work well, we'll earn the business, the sales, and the profits."
Automatic Equipment, manufacturer of the Blue Ox, Duncan, and KarTote lines of towing products and accessories, has now welcomed over 400 RV industry personnel (two conferences were held in 1995) to their manufacturing plant, to spend two days exploring ways to help dealers and distributors become more profitable and successful with their product lines.
Automatic calls it getting on the Road to Excellence. I call it an example of what a supplier can do, and needs to do, to build the kind of win/win relationships with their distributors and dealers that will help all of them grow and prosper. Automatic obviously feels that the better their customers know them, their people, and their products, the more successful their distributors will be representing them in the marketplace.
From the results of previous conference, in sales numbers alone, Automatic's approach is proving to work. One of the distributors who attended an earlier conference has seen his sales of Automatic's towing products more than triple since the Road to Excellence seminar. Hesse points out, "A lot of work and effort goes into those kinds of results, but I feel the knowledge and tools are a part of the formula for success, as are the relationships that are enhanced through spending a focused few days with the people who make it all happen."
Distributor's seem to agree. Max Waugh, president of Central Trailer Supply, Albuquerque, NM, says, "If Automatic had a field salesperson calling on me once a month, every month, for two full years, it wouldn't be possible to accomplish nearly as much as was accomplished during the two day conference. I feel Automatic made a wise investment in the Road to Excellence program when you look at the results versus the cost."
The Road to Excellence conference itself starts with a factory tour where attendees get to see all of Automatic's towing products being built; all the way from raw steel being received to finished products being shipped, and all that's involved in the process along they way. When you talk to the manufacturing personnel along the tour you experience a real sense of pride in their work, and from the cleanliness and organization of the factory, you know that quality and efficiency are the by-product of attention to detail by all those involved.
It was also interesting to me to notice the difference between Automatic's factory today compared to my visit a few years ago. Yes, the factory was neat and clean, but it was also a lot more organized as far as work flow was concerned. The big difference however was the workers themselves. They each exhibited a pride and sense of ownership about what they did and what the company produced. Those were traits that I didn't see before. It shows that Automatic has come a long way in terms of manufacturing.
The tour is followed by a day and a half of product reviews, roundtable discussions, marketing presentations, and sales planning, all focused on helping distributors and their dealers to become more successful and more profitable with Automatic's products. One of the more active sessions of the conferences are the breakout sessions and roundtable discussions where distributor personnel discuss ways of expanding markets, identifying new market niches, and ways of improving their sales and service of towing products for their dealers and their customers.
Steve Koehn, field sales representative for Automatic, who lead the Automatic team in developing the Road to Excellence conference says that although the conferences have evolved slightly in format and content, based on feedback received from earlier conference attendees, the overall goal is to help distributors recognize and reach their potential for increased business through helping dealers become towing products professionals. Koehn says, "The more confident and credible the dealer is, through the training and support offered by Automatic and it's distributor partners, the more successful that dealer will be in matching our products to his customers needs."
Koehn adds that although the products are the central focus, being knowledgeable about the customers and markets, proper use and installation, merchandising materials, advertising programs, displays, and service support are all areas that make great products more profitable for distributors and dealers to represent. It's the total package that creates the greatest value for the consumer, and the most profitable product line for the dealer and distributor. He sees the Road to Excellence program as an important way Automatic can add value to their product line for their distributors.
All in all, it seems that Automatic has set a standard among suppliers in the RV industry by recognizing the importance of training distributors on their products and the methods of successfully selling them. They've made a real commitment to meet their responsibility to help their distributors in the sale of their products. In talking to dealers and distributors around the country, more and more are asking for help from their suppliers to help them meet the ever increasing expectations of their customers.
And it also appears that Automatic Equipment Mfg. Co. has stepped forward to meet those requests with programs such as the Road to Excellence distributor program, and their Knowing Towing program (a similar dealer training program currently under development by Automatic).
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