Michael Ference Fluid Power Marketing

I had the privilege of attending the 2018 Fluid Power Distributor Association (FPDA) annual meeting in Lake Tahoe last week.  First of all, Lake Tahoe and the whole region around it is beautiful.  Secondly, the Resort at Squaw Creek was incredible. Having the Annual Summit Meeting of the FPDA and the International Sealing Distribution Association (ISD) at this beautiful venue set the foundation for an amazing few days.  Add to that, some of the best speakers makes this a memorable event.  The two associations, FPDA and ISD joined forces several years ago to take advantage of the adjacent technologies, fluid power and sealing. Tim David held us all captivated with his presentation titled 7 Magic Words.  Beth Ziesenis told us more about apps that I would have imagined existed in her presentation Secret Tech Weapons for Distribution.  There were many opportunities for networking, a fun brewery visit, great meals, and a really cool 80s Bingo pa...

I have heard a lot of discussion this week at the FPDA/ISD Summit about the future of sales and the supply chain.  One of the topics within that discussion is about using technology to communicate, including social media.  In the past, face-to-face selling and follow ups by phone and mail were the standard.  Those were the tools of the trade for field sales people in most every industry. Obviously, things have changed and continue to change in the area of communication.  I have even heard that communication trends have changed the actual need for field sales representatives.  Outside of serving existing customers, some experts feel that the value of face-go-face selling is declining, especially because so many people prefer to be contacted electronically. When I started in the business world several decades ago, the briefcase and telephone were two of the key tools of the trade for sales people. Ok, I am really dating myself here but you get the po...

The 2017 Fluid Power Distributor Association / International Sealing Distribution Association Joint Industry Summit is taking place at the Music City Center in Nashville.  With over 250 attendees, this year's event has grown to a very robust position thanks to the leadership of both associations. After a wonderful Welcome Reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville, the event kicked off with a presentation titled Economic Outlook for 2017 and Beyond by economist Chris Kuehl on Monday morning.  In this session, Dr. Kuehl discussed key indicators for the economy such as capacity utilization, the PMI index for optimism, and the Credit Managers' Index, a new one to me. Next on the Monday agenda were two UID-In-A-Day sessions by Mike Marks and Don Buttrey.  Marks, of Indian River Consulting Group, addressed how distributors must move quickly to address today's challenges.  He talked about innovation sand how the game continues to cha...

If your company sells fluid power components or sealing devices, mark your calendar for the FPDA/ISD Joint Industry Summit to be held in Nashville on September 24-27, 2017.  This event combines fluid power and sealing expertise in a joint event to address the many important issues that face both industries. Here is a link to our preview of the event found on our Sealing & Contamination Control Tips website. You can also get more information by following this link to the FPDA website .   One of the features of this  year's Summit will be a panel discussion facilitated by Mark Yourek to discuss supply chain disruption by new entrants into the field.  The panel will consist of both fluid power and sealing thought leaders. The  Opening Keynote   Speaker   will be Economist Dr. Chris Kuehl (PhD),  a Managing Director for Armada Corporate Intelligence.  He is Armada’s economic analyst and works extensively with trade associatio...

Now that the 2015 NAHAD Annual Convention is complete, I can easily look back and say what a great job the association does in providing delegates and all attendees the opportunity to "associate" with each other.  There were speakers and sessions of common interest to all so that, not only do attendees learn from the sessions, they have common ground for discussion because of the sessions and the ideas presented. NAHAD also provides many opportunities for members to meet with each other to discuss matters of business.  Every year, some new session is introduced like speed networking or the fishbowl discussion to bring attendees together for connection.  As time goes by, the association adjusts to the needs and wishes of its members. At the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) and Fluid Power Distributor Association (FPDA) meetings, the same is true.  Attendees have many opportunities to interact, forge new relationships, and even conduct business.  NFPA o...