Diligent unceasing persistence is a theme, of the HTSA's 12th spring event. Executive Director Richard Glikes welcomed new members Furman, Pantel, Pioneer and Samsung, as well as over 120 member attendees and 90 vendor attendees who welcomed the opportunity to network, discover new business strategies, and learn how to avoid the pitfalls of doing business in 2009.
“Key goals are to share ideas and information and relationship building through meeting new people and strengthening existing friendships," Glikes said. "Members need to increase their financial acumen, focus their businesses and create marketing activities that work."
He went on to site how the landscape has changed dramatically and in many ways it is a hostile environment. “It's not just about the TV sale, it's about the lighting and the furniture. Today's major obstacles include margin erosion, cash flow problems and market visibility. We have to take back market share. Now is the time to spend more money on advertising and not less; you need to be visible.
“We need to rollout an economic motivational strategy to further encourage our members to focus on our vendor partners," Glikes added. "You have to develop a key marketing strategy focusing on a three pronged effort: Enewsletters, direct mail and the Internet. Our growth comes from taking business away from someone else...our assiduous assimilation.”
The keynote speaker was Ron Shapiro, CEO of the Shapiro Negotiations Institute. The expert negotiator, sports agent, attorney and New York Times best-selling author of “The Power Of Nice" presented on: “Outprepare to Outperform: Taking Back Control in Difficult Times.”
USA Today called Shapiro, “one of baseball's most respected agent-attorneys" and The Sporting News named him one of the 100 most powerful people in sports. His impressive list of clients includes more Hall of Famers than any other agent, including Cal Ripken, Jr., Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Kirby Puckett and Eddie Murray. In addition, Shapiro is the special advisor to the owner of the NFL Baltimore Ravens and to the general manager of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs.
Shapiro's message was clear: Utilizing the power of preparation to become a better negotiator. He spotlighted that preparation is the only aspect of a negotiation you have control over. He encouraged all HTSA members to have a “preparation checklist” in order to be better prepared to find a win-win with your customers, reduce expenses and negotiate price. He cautioned, “not to let excuses get in your way”.
