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Greetings! Hope the selling season is going well but don't forget now is also the time to set up the future. The customers are in your locations, this is when to discuss safe use and service on the products they are purchasing. Service is one of the big keys to off- season income and good product performance for your customers. This leads to great word of mouth sales from satisfied customers. Plan now for EXPO and your MAHPBA Annual Meeting, these are two major keys to your business future! J. Patrick Ryan, Editor
It has certainly been an unusual year! I have seen a lot of ups and downs, but there is one that I'd like to share. In June of this year I met with a very sad and downtrodden hearth dealer. He said that he was prepared to close the doors and he just couldn't withstand another month of this financial pressure that he had been under for the past six months. He told me that he would pray on it and make a final decision in two weeks. Two weeks came and he tentatively said that he would try and stay the course for another few months. Since then things picked up a little. Then this remarkable individual began to show his resiliency. He told me he wanted to do a trade show and asked for my help. I watched his enthusiasm throughout a long week end of "tire kickers". He never grew tired. Then I told him I had some obsolete products I was hoping to sell at a discount, and he looked at this as a golden opportunity. Most other dealers perceived this as a distraction, but he thought of it as a gift. He advertised to all of the home show attendees. Turns out he sent out 30,000 e-mail blasts to promote this "special sale". Needless to say this sale was a complete success! The best part of this is his answer to me when I asked if he was enjoying the additional profits that he made on the obsolete products. He said, "I didn't take the extra profit, I gave the discount to the customers. They needed a break too"! This is surely a great time to check our mettle and see what we're made of!
MAHPBA is pleased to announce its slate of three new candidates who have committed to be placed on the ballot to be elected to the board of directors for the coming year: .
The Board of Directors is also happy to announce its slate of officers for the coming year: Officers for 2010
Have you seen your invoice for your 2010 membership dues? This is just a reminder that your membership expires on December 31, 2009. It is more important than ever in these tough economic times for us to stay strong and band together. There is always more power in numbers.
Do you know what to do if a T.V. crew wants to interview you about a tragic gas explosion in your area which might have been hearth related? Would you like to be prepared to offer input to your local town or county if they suddenly "found" the money to hold a woodstove changeout? Do you know how to prepare if you are invited to be on a live radio talk show with an anti-wood person whose daughter has asthma?
Annual subscriptions for HE@RTH Online Trianing are valid from April 1st through March 31st. Since we are 6 months into the 2009-2010 subscription year, we have lowered the prices to about half! Now you can buy an individual subscription for $125 (normally $249). Companies can buy up to five individual subscriptions for $249 (normally $449) or up to ten for $374 (normally $698). Subscriptions are valid until March 31, 2010. In a recent survey of over 500 NFI Certified Specialists, cost effective and convenient training classes that are available close to home were the top three concerns. The half year prices for subscriptions makes HE@RTH Online Training a great solution. You have access to almost 30 classes that are presented live and over 50 pre-recorded OnDemand sessions that can be accessed 24 hours a day. Now you can earn all the CEUs you need to renew, without ever leaving your home or office, all at a very economical price.
Taking care of outdoor furniture as days get colder and wetter can be an easy task. Haul all the pieces inside to that spot where they can avoid the onslaught of ice and cold. But furniture dealers and makers, as well as professional organizers, know having an indoor home for that 6 foot long, stone top table or cast-aluminum chaise is not likely to happen.
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