11 minute read
Up Close and Personal
from RV News Feb 2022
by ⌘ ⇧ ⌥
Northern Wholesale Supply show attendees get hands-on with new products at the distributor’s largest show yet.
By RV News Staff
Northern Wholesale Supply’s 20-person staff hosted the 35th annual RV Supershow at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch, Minnesota.
Northern Wholesale Supply’s aftermarket distributor show went 23 months without live in-person interaction. Dean Kruchten, Northern Wholesale Supply sales and marketing director, said the absence created a bigger impact on the company’s recent December 2021 show than many expected.
Dealer/retail store attendees visiting the Welch, Minnesota, 2021 show increased 20% over 2019’s last in-person event, Kruchten said. Th e December show resulted in the most aftermarket sales revenue in the show’s history, he said. Sales totals doubled over 2019’s sales numbers.
Exhibitors packed the show fl oor as well. With 12 new exhibitors coming on board, 117 exhibitors dominated the event space.
Nothing is sweeter than being belly to belly with the customers.”
After 2020’s virtual-only gathering, returning to an in-person show sharpened the distributor’s focus on what the gala should include, Kruchten said. Northern Wholesale prioritized interaction between attendees and exhibitors beyond the traditional show hours in less-formal atmospheres.
“Feedback from the show highlights how critical it is for dealers to be able to connect with the suppliers in a format like this,” he said. “It gives suppliers a voice all the way through the channel. Th at gets missed a little bit. It’s critical for both sides of the channel.”
Increased industry demand drove some of the show’s growth, Kruchten said. He also attributed some growth to enhanced virtual integration with the live event.
For the fi rst time, the distributor combined virtual show aspects with the in-person show. Dealer/retail store attendees accessed the distributor’s online portal a month before the live show to see which aftermarket products would be displayed on-site, including new off erings.
“We are using the portal in advance,” he said, adding that staff worked with attendees to ease their comfort scouting out products online before the in-person gathering. “Th at gives attendees a way to be more thoughtful about how they place their orders. Th is is the fi rst time we have simultaneously been an in-person and virtual show. It sounds so easy when you sit in the meeting room and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do both of these.’ It was not so easy.”
Th e show brought new exhibitors and dealer/retail store attendees together. Kruchten said new suppliers have helped Northern Wholesale Supply expand its product breadth for the coming season. Dealer/retail store attendees, new and old, were positive about the event, he said.
One concern, however, was future supply-chain statuses and fulfillment rates.
“Th at is certainly a theme as I’ve talked to dealers,” Kruchten said. “Suppliers are all really optimistic they can meet the demand. If all of us in the channel communicate clearly what the demand will be, together we can do a much better job than we have in the past.”
Kruchten said among the positive comments attendees shared with him was an appreciation for the opportunity to interact hands-on with products and supplier sales representatives.
“Th is is such a tactile industry. Touching and feeling what’s new is important,” he said. “We can do Zoom calls, but we are a hands-on group in this industry.” After a virtual-only show in 2020, exhibitors met buyers face-to-face Dec. 8-9, 2021.
(R) Joe Skuse of JR Products answers an attendee’s product question.
Attendees prepare for Airxcel’s educational session to begin. Dicor and Coleman-Mach products were spotlighted in the session.
Education at the Front The event began with vendor educational sessions on Dec. 8. Classes started at 8 a.m. and ran until 4:30 p.m., with a lunch break. Companies such as Arterra Distribution, Demco Products, King, LaSalle Bristol, Marshall Excelsior, Stromberg Carlson and Winegard discussed new products and merchandising offerings dealers could view when the show floor opened.
The biggest crowd packed into the Lippert seminar. As attendees struggled to find an open seat, Mark Boessler, Lippert’s senior vice president aftermarket, and his sales team discussed Lippert and Furrion products (a separate session on Curt products followed). The staff highlighted Furrion air conditioners and Lippert steps, screen doors and awnings, among other products. Speakers noted how new merchandising displays were available with qualifying product purchases.
“We want to be able to aid the brick-and-mortar store,” Boessler said after the presentation. “Being able to showcase and show all the availability of the merchandise we have is really important.”
Brett Motheral, director of aftermarket sales at Dicor Products, spoke during Airxcel’s session. His presentation before the large crowd began by reviewing new displays for Dicor’s cleaning product line and roofing solutions. The presentation covered Coleman-Mach’s climate control products and SoftStart air conditioner technology as well.
“We are best when we are in front of people,” Motheral said. “Every single person in this room is tired of a Zoom or a Microsoft meeting. I could talk about SoftStart virtually for a half hour, but you have no human interaction or feedback. There is nothing better than being able to answer questions live and gauging reactions to answers given.”
At distributor events last year, Airxcel representatives were grilled about air conditioner availability. This year, Airxcel and other suppliers faced questions about future product availability and lead times. Motheral was also asked whether Thor’s Airxcel purchase would impact non-Thor manufacturers; he said it would not. In his experience over the years, Motheral said the key to answering tough questions is simply to tell the truth.
“Set the dealer’s expectations with solid information so they match up to the consumer’s expectations,” he said. “The dealer needs to be able to tell that consumer what is going on.”
Extra Staff on Hand On the first day of the event, Greeneway RV dealer owner Mick Ferkey brought additional staff to learn about vendors’ new products.
– Denise Melbie
“You have to empower people to do their jobs,” Ferkey said. “You have to give them the tools they need to succeed, and attending this show is one aspect of doing that for my staff.”
Jesse Kizewski, a service tech at Greeneway RV, attended both days and said the first day’s classes were extremely helpful. He cited a session from Arterra Distribution/WFCO about auto-detect software that enables converters to automatically adjust the charging profile between lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.
“Hearing how that works, that was one of the items we wanted,” Kizewski said. “We have had issues getting different converters for each battery, so this should streamline the process for us.”
Kruchten said parts and service managers drive retail/service product selection. He said parts and service managers choose aftermarket products they are comfortable installing and working with, and which follow trends Northern Wholesale sees developing.
“I think that’s truly the benefit of being local. We aren’t trying to draw everybody to Vegas. When they come here, they can bring a few people,” Kruchten said. “It is why our classes are so well attended. The dealers who came for the coursework today may have just come for the day, and dealers may have different people come on the second day.”
Down to Work Attendees initially walked the show floor during a Dec. 8 evening reception. Many then began placing purchase orders at 8 a.m. on Dec. 9. Tablets were available to facilitate electronic ordering. The tablets synced up to the online portals attendees used to prepare their pre-show order at their dealerships.
Patten Custom RV in Princeton, Minnesota, sent three people to the show. Tyler and Mike Patten joined owner Denise Melbie. Each brought oversight of different departments to Northern Wholesale’s show.
“We have someone looking at this from a retail side, sales side and repair side,” Melbie said. “We did some ordering ahead of time and got a good deal.”
For Tyler Patten, being able to return in person was a big boost.
“I love to touch and feel the products again,” he said. “I’m very happy we’re able to be here.”
Mike Patten found the booth with squeeze door locks the dealership purchased. He said he liked seeing up close the way the locks functioned before initially purchasing them. Had he only seen them online, he would not have bought them, he said.
Other dealers looked to secure inventory before the rapidly approaching peak RV selling season. Ferkey said he ordered more parts now to avoid being short on critical items later if he did not order. He cited slide toppers and hitches as future necessary items he ordered in abundance at the show.
(L) Mark Boessler, Lippert’s senior vice president aftermarket, and his sales team led an educational session on Lippert and Furrion products and merchandising.
Northern Wholesale Supply’s show offered attendees electronic on-site ordering. Representatives from Image One Technologies’ TradeWYZ Order Management were on hand to assist attendees with electronic ordering.
“We had a time where Equal-i-zer hitches were hard to get anywhere, and that was an item we were desperate for,” he said. “So, I want to make sure we have plenty before we leave.”
Surge protectors were another vital product. Ferkey told a story about a customer whose $20,000 RV was rendered useless after being hit by lightning because the consumer did not have surge protection. A $400 surge protector, Ferkey said, could have saved the RV and saved the dealership from buying the nonworking RV back from the consumer.
“Th e sales staff showed us what the surge protectors can do and how we can have an 80% close rate when pitching them,” he said. “Th at one change saved us thousands of dollars, and has
– Dean Kruchten
made us thousands of dollars, too.”
Th e show experience was just as impressionable for fi rst-time attendees. Brian Hameiser, a service technician at Hilltop Camper and RV in Rochester, Minnesota, started his new job the week of the show. His fi rst day at Hilltop was Monday and by Wednesday, he was at the Northern Wholesale Supply event.
“It is a great experience getting to meet people like this,” he said.
Hameiser got the job after a friend’s referral brought him to Hilltop. He said he was struck by the friendliness evident among attendees, exhibitors and staff .
“Every time someone looks up, they see someone they recognize and go over to talk,” Hameiser said. “Everybody knows everybody here.”
Reflections Boessler said the opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities of current market conditions with customers up close was wildly valuable.
“Nothing is sweeter than being belly to belly with the customers,” he said. “For us, it is not only the customer relationships we forge but really being able to discuss the investments we are trying to make for their stores and to make their stores the destination for their customers.”
As the event concluded with its traditional poker room reception, Kruchten said he was personally grateful to be able to conduct the event and see customers again. He said the distributor’s 20-person team deserved credit for the event’s success.
“Th e team that puts this together executed fl awlessly,” he said. “My team stepped up. Everything this year was orchestrated. It is a lot of long hours and hard work by everybody. Th ey came in every day with smiles on their face. I think tomorrow morning, they are going to have their biggest smile of all because they get a little break along the way.”
Motheral said he was thankful to fi nally return to greeting customers in person.
“I’ve been doing shows for 30-some years; it’s what I have known all my life,” he said. “Th e last two years have sucked, and you can print that.” Attendees participated in Northern Wholesale Supply’s traditional poker room reception to end the show.
Twelve new exhibitors were among the 117 at the show.
Dealer/retail store attendees talked with exhibitors during a fi rst-day reception on the exhibitor fl oor. Dealer/retail store attendees increased 20% over Northern Wholesale Supply’s last in-person show.
