There are two truths that are universal in all forms of business, regardless if you are business-to-business or business-to-consumer.
First, your product or service is the solution to a problem or need. Just think about it for a moment. When was the last time that you purchased anything that served no purpose for you in some form or fashion? Many times, the reasoning is emotional and not physical, but the purchase is still a solution.
A business or industry cannot survive, much less thrive, if there is no need in the marketplace.
Second, every successful business person will tell you relationships matter. Relationships with your customers, relationships with your vendors, relationships with your investors. The list goes on and on. The key to sustaining success in business is by winning and keeping customers. The key to winning and keeping customers has always been relationships.
There is no better evidence of the importance of this fact than the emergence of websites like Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor. These services allow real people with real experiences to inform the public of how their relationship with a particular business or person went.
Word of mouth is the most influential marketing tool there is for any business, and in a world that can now go viral in the matter of minutes, having great relationships is crucial for your business’ survival and reputation.
We live in a world where we have reduced relationships down to “friends” and “followers” on social media and no longer place the value we once did on meaningful personal interactions. It is easy to make our customers, employees and business partners feel like just another number.
NBSRA understands the impact relationships play on our industry and have dedicated the 10th annual conference entirely to “Relationships: The Key to Success” as our theme for 2019. The association will bring together numerous rent-to-own (RTO) business owners, employees and affiliates October 15-16 in Fort Worth, Texas, with one common goal in mind: advance the continual growth of the RTO shed industry in a positive and ethical manner.
To help achieve this year’s focus on relationships, the NBSRA has an amazing line up of speakers prepared to share their expertise in sessions such as:
- Optimal Business Performance at the Intersection of Faith and Science
- Two Sides of the Same Coin: The RTO and Manufacturing Dynamic
- Engagement AND Commitment: What’s Needed in a Successful Employee/Employer Relationship
- Salesperson and Customer Relationships
- Maximize Your Human Capital: How Our Relationships Matter
- Branding in a Non-brandable Market
- RTO’s “Driving” Force: Transportation
- Legal and Legislative Updates with Ed Winn
As business owners, manufacturers strive to create and sustain a thriving network of satisfied customers that will continue to serve as the greatest referral source a company can have. Shouldn’t there be just as much focus on your RTO partnership and the relationships they create as an extension of your brand?
