You’re looking at over 1,000 years of experience, and that’s just the managers!
The weeks leading up the event were a blur of activity and planning. Most of the logistics were on Jeanie Hickman to figure out, like how to get some 30 people transported here safely, on time and around their busy schedules, putting them up in the hotel, keeping them fed and together, all while still getting payroll done on time! Kudos to her for pulling that off!
The event itself was a blur of activity, kicked off by none other than Pam Petrow, President and CEO of Vector Security, one of our largest customers, who began by giving out a pair of sunglasses to every attendee. She then proceeded to tell us that the true path to becoming an extraordinary company is found only by focusing on all things from the viewpoint of the customer! She challenged us to keep the glasses on our desks to remind us to have that perspective going forward (ah, now the glasses made sense!) You see, the customer doesn’t care if you had a bad day, didn’t get enough sleep last night, or you’re really behind in your work, they just want to feel they are the most important thing while they are in front of you, and that you’re totally focused on their needs! There’s never any exception to that level of focus. Competition is too high and the economy is too tight to risk anything less than our constant best for our customers!
Many managers got to meet and mingle with each other for the very first time. It was really quite interesting to be able to see the faces behind the names and voices that had been only heard on phone calls or seen in emails for so long. But the real event began the next day.
Starting at 8:00 am Randy was the first of a dozen presenters who covered everything from Supplier Relations to HR Updates. Randy started by giving a brief history of AlarMax, and shared our current standings, all of which are exceptionally good, and we are scaling for growth, both by opening new locations, (Ft. Lauderdale, Albuquerque) and through acquisitions (only hinted at). His presentation culminated by showing us this video:
That set the tone for the overall theme, which was that if we want to truly be extraordinary we have to have each others backs.
Matt Ehrman, VP of Supplier Relations followed up with a presentation summarizing the current snapshot of our markets by total potential dollars, latest acquisitions, and then drilled down into our new focus on Core Partners, no longer trying to be all things to all people – requiring massive investment in inventory that may or may not sell. We are beginning to be more selective in who we partner with and who we stock in depth.
The Core Partner strategy is currently focusing on these partners:
Video Surveillance: InVid, Hanwha Vision, AvyCon Fire: Honeywell, Potter, Eaton
Intrusion: DSC, Qolsys, 2GIG, Napco
Access Control: Keri Systems, KanTech, Comelit, PDK
Networking: TRENDnet
Tools & Hardware: Dottie, Simply45
Batteries: PowerSonic, UPG, ProCell
Next up was Steve Heier who presented on the new ERP system road map, P21, and how it would enable us to integrate many aspects of our business, particularly credit card processing at the time of sale, FedEx and UPS integration, consistent/reliable costing and selling prices, supplier costs, order cost, commission costs, and accurate profitability in real time.
He then laid out the next steps with P21, capitalizing on its ability to accurately manage vendor programs, returns to vendors flowing through P21, invoices and statements being emailed vs. printed and mailed, API connectivity that will allow us to pursue nationwide organizations, and finally, to facilitate our very first e-commerce B2B portal – giving our dealers 24/7/365 access to purchase from us.
Matt then introduced Jim Ure, VP of AV Marketing and Sales. Jim took us through his incredible background in Pro AV and sales, which his role was most recently Director of Business Development with Bosch. He talked about all the various ways AV impacts our lives and business, and what a unique opportunity we have to cross sell our existing alarm customers the AV products because they already have the components in place and the customer base to up sell. It becomes a win win for everyone.
After lunch, it was Marketing’s turn to present, and Steve Mobley walked us through his background experience and the new marketing campaigns we are implementing, and the in-branch marketing opportunities he wants to explore, taking greater advantage of shelf space and technology like QR codes and smart phones. He then gave us a brief on the progress on the e-commerce site, which will have a soft launch in June.
Branch Operations & Sales was next with Jeff Schuh presenting to give an inside look at how a typical branch operates, then some valuable insights on best practices to increase efficiencies and sales income. Jeff then introduced Bob Restani who gave a primer on Wire & Cable sales, which he is supremely knowledgeable about. He broke it down by most common, what gauges are used for specific markets, like Security vs. Fire, and the specific manufacturers we carry and what they’re best suited for. He then finished with best practices for storage.
Doug Kinney was next, and he presented on Purchasing/Inventory Management and Methodology best practices. He talked about the many reports branches get that he uses to optimize purchasing and to forecast shifts in the needs of his customers. Staying ahead of the curves is how he keeps his customers happy, by anticipating their needs in advance, keeping supplies high for those key products, and also making them aware of new products and services that will help them win new customers and retain existing customers.
Susan Reilly then turned the focus to Corporate Office Operations, walking us through a typical work day and weekly behind the scenes that most of the branches have very little insight to. She introduced key managers, Katie Nasti, who supervises Accounts Receivables, and Kristen Lyons, who supervises Accounts Payable, highlighting each’s responsibilities. It was then announced that we will be moving the Finance operations in house as we can now produce our own financial statements, and we have better cash flow reporting. Auditing corporate financials and branch audits will still remain an outsourced function.
Jeanie Hickman then presented on HR Updates, sharing new policies for hiring new employees, employee referrals, and talked about the final phase underway in creating the first Employee Handbook. She updated us on changes to 401(K) accounts, with many new and better features. Training opportunities were discussed, and then Benefits packages were covered, including a newly added Employee Assistance Program, that offers free and confidential counseling regarding emotional support, work-life solutions, financial resources, identity theft services, legal guidance, on-line will preparation, on-line support and even live phone support. These resources should be posted in your branches/ office somewhere prominently. ADP changes and addictions were then discussed, and then a team- building exercise was a welcome break from being seated and taking in so much information.
Ken Lawrence then took the stage to talk about his work on National Programs, highlighting Strategic Accounts he’s working on procuring. Strategic accounts was defined as a regional or national company with multiple locations in at least two states, or a dealer program with dealers in multiple states, and/or conglomerates that are buying multiple dealers across states. He then shared 5 strategic accounts he is targeting. Ken finished by offering his help to everyone as their Outside Sales Resource.
Bill Lew was the final presenter and shared his vast experience Improving Customer Relations. He walked us through why AlarMax is so important to our customers, how we can improve customer relations, how facilitating trainings can increase sales, and several personal insights into how to direct your interactions with customers to maximize sales.
And the day of presenters wrapped up with Randy again taking the stage to open things up for questions, and then he took one more step to make sure everyone got the primary message, and we all watched the “Be There for Each Other” video again, and he closed by saying “We want you to come away feeling Empowered to Make a Difference!”
For the evening dinner and speaker event, corporate office employees were encouraged to join, and then it was the branch managers turn to meet and talk with people who had previously been faceless names and email addresses.
After a hearty buffet dinner a surprise guest speaker, Pittsburgh Steeler former running back Rocky Bleier gave an enthralling talk about how he came back after a grenade nearly ended his career while serving in Viet Nam. He then graciously hung out and let anyone who wanted to take photos with his 4 Super-Bowl rings while he signed autographs. Allinallitwasavery successful first night leaving everyone who attended feel challenged and excited for what’s to come.
