IPRO Conference: Formation of New Leaders Group; Deep Dive Solutions For the “New Normal”

The IPRO 2010 Conference was held in Scottsdale Oct 21-23. At the event, 70 manufacturers and manufacturers representatives gathered in Arizona to communicate and problem solve on the “changing paradigm” issues facing not only the rep community but the custom integration channel in general.

A sobering keynote by Tim Costello, of Builders Homesite, Inc., kicked off two days of discussion on how our industry needs to re-align itself with the reality of the “new normal” in which we now live and work- one that is a far different thing than what the industry is used to.

“The paradigm has shifted," executive director Ray Wright said. "One of the ways IPRO is addressing this is by the building of 'an industry Superbowl' team that can compete and win in this business. We have a lot of players, but we needed a playbook. We didn’t have a clear view of the goal post, we had a only a vague idea of what others do and it is common for players to tackle their own team mates. It is hard for us to win in these conditions. The opposing team is tricky; including a difficult economy, political dissension, traditional ideas that no longer work, resistance to change, being over-worked and under-paid, and the fear of being hit with something we did not see coming.”

IPRO's steps to address that include the following:

- The best and brightest leaders have been installed to guide IPRO in 2011 and 2012
- IPRO has the best programs to support all of our businesses
- A “New Leaders Group” has been formed to help see the future
- Supporting allied associations is a huge priority
- IPRO plans to communicate with, learn from, and teach those who see the industry as a huge opportunity for new business
- Plans to outline the playbook, and become even more efficient, cooperative, and effective
- Representatives must create “a new partnership” with their suppliers
- Industry must find ways to keep our customers in business
- Being blindsided by the unexpected is unacceptable.