So, 300 Incentive Professionals walk into a bar...
Greetings from San Diego and the 11th (or 12th?) Incentive Marketing Association Executive Summit. 300 professionals from all parts of the market have gathered here to teach, learn, and network.
It's an amazing gathering, even more so because even though I've been in this market for some time (longer than I'd care to admit, to be candid), I see SO many people I don't recognize. For someone allegedly "in the know", it's somewhat disquieting.
What it does is underscore the complexity of the business. I often say that our market is a "simple business that takes a lifetime to learn". The Summit brings that into sharp relief, as I get to interact with people who are part of our market but are "invisible" to me most of the time.
Many in our business don't come here--they believe there's nothing to learn from all those %$&#@ Gift Card Providers. But the legendary Business Analyst Michael Corleone once said something about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Since most of the people who do what I do consider Gift Cards the Antichrist (and that's one of the kinder phrases I've heard).
But that's very parochial and potentially dangerous attitude. To not know what other parts of the business are doing leaves you exposed to "blind-side" hits you never know is coming. I have learned more in the past 48 hours about what's going on in the business than I had in the prior 48 weeks.
Not everything I've learned is Unicorns and Rainbows. The End-User is seeking new and different ways of rewarding and recognizing their employees, and the traditional merchandise model is not as dominant as it was. The portent of new trends in reward/recognition do not bode well for the old model.
I'm a big proponent of "constructive destruction"--in the rubble of the old model is opportunity. The more I know, the more I can construct a view of the market and where it's heading. If I'm smart and lucky I can surf the wave just right I'll be ahead of my competition.
Michael would be proud of me, just before he put a horse's head in my bed...
Pete
posted by Pete Mitchell at 1:33 PM
1 Comments:
It's the 12th.
The end-user IS looking for new ways to reward customers, new sources for merchandise and they have less and less time to find them. The rep is in a unique position to bring the customer "what's new" - how will they bring it if they don't know about it? And how can you pretend that an entire industry group isn't there when your customers surely know about them.
The advantage for us in attending the Summit is that you see how the "other halves" do it. How they go to market, what are they focused on, what is working in their world. Worst case, you know what you're talking about when you sell against it with your customers (Distributor and User - if you think Distributors aren't using gift cards...think again). Best case is you learn something you can apply to your business and make valuable contacts that may prove useful as our sector morphs into whatever is next.
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