November 2003               return to the newsletter contents page

Looking Forward: What Does SEDA Have in Store for 2004

Many business people are hard at work planning for 2004. Forecasting, budgeting and strategic planning are all part of the process.

SEDA offers two studies that should be an essential part of every safety equipment distributor’s planning process. The annual Profit Survey gives you benchmarking data that you can’t get anywhere else to help guide your financial planning. The Employee Compensation & Benefits Survey, which will be 

conducted again in January, gives you the latest information on compensation and benefits trends for all types of employees in every region of the country.

Don’t forget to include SEDA’s many training and education sessions in your 2004 plans. Designed for all levels of employees, from seasoned management to brand new customer service reps, SEDA training is targeted, top quality and a great value. Here’s a calendar of SEDA events and activities for 2004 to help you plan your training budget wisely.

JANUARY

Cross-Industry Employee Compensation Survey—survey mails January 3. Participating SEDA distributor members get the safety industry study and the cross-industry study, featuring compensation and benefit information from more than 3000 wholesale-distribution businesses in 40 different commodity lines, absolutely free.

FEBRUARY

Advanced Inside Sales--It’s generally admitted that distribution companies are expecting more from their inside sales staff than ever before. In many companies they have moved beyond the traditional “customer service” role to become a much more aggressive part of the distributor’s selling system. SEDA has partnered with the Association Education Alliance and Corporate Strategies Inc. to develop a CD-ROM based program, Advanced Inside Sales, designed to provide skills that will enable the inside salespeople to fill their new role more effectively.

The three courses included on the CD are: “The Complex Sale,” “Pricing,” and “QVA (Quantifiable Value Added) Selling.” In addition to the three courses, the CD will contain a resource section with additional tools (e.g., margin/markup tables) and printable summaries of the materials covered in the course.

When the student completes the course, he or she may take the final examination on the SEDA web site. The student will receive the score via email.

MARCH

March 7-10 University of Industrial Distribution, Indianapolis, IN—a concentrated educational program focused on the unique needs of the industrial wholesaler-distributor. Entering its 10^th year, UID offers middle managers performance-improving instruction in sales, operations, inventory management, finance and leadership. UID participants can also earn their Professional Certificate in Industrial Distribution. Details at www.univid.org.

2004 PROFIT Survey—survey mails March 15. In a year of unpredictable economic recovery, you need to have the best industry-specific data available to guide you in your budgeting and financial planning. In return for your participation, you will receive the PROFIT Report, a financial and operating profile of the entire industry; Performance Analysis Report (PAR), a confidential report sent directly to you comparing your firm to groups of similar companies in the industry; Profit Toolkit, a computer program designed to assist you in your financial planning for next year.

APRIL

April 19-23 Qualified Safety Sales Professional Course, Louisville, KY—technical and regulatory essentials for safety salespeople. “The most intense and valuable training I have received over my entire business career,” commented one graduate. Nearly 600 safety sales professionals are helping their companies increase sales and forge closer business relationships with customers due to QSSP training. The fall 2003 session was sold out, and April will as well. Bring your sales force up to the safety industry’s standard of excellence with QSSP. Click here for details.

MAY

NEW! “QSSP LITE”—a new technical and regulatory training program for customer service reps and inside salespeople. Two days of introductory training geared toward new hires and those with less than 2 years of experience. Under development now, details to follow soon.

JULY

July 25-28 Safety Week 2004, Toronto, Canada—SEDA’s annual conference for top management. Distributors and manufacturers together for three days of one-on-one conferences, outstanding speakers and networking with industry leaders. Re-energize your business and personal outlook with a trip to Safety Week 2004.

SEPTEMBER

September 14 SEDA Breakfast at the National Safety Congress, New Orleans, LA—while attending the NSC, come have breakfast with your SEDA colleagues and hear from a stimulating speaker selected to give you the latest cutting edge information on topics of critical importance to the safety industry.