“Facilitating and expanding the conversation far beyond the meeting is our ultimate goal. Ross Shafer accomplished that with glowing reviews!”
– Dean Thompson, Executive Director RFCI
THE CLIENT: The Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) is a U.S. industry trade association serving the largest manufacturers and suppliers of raw materials, additives, and sundry flooring products for the North American market. Flooring surfaces represented include everything from vinyl and linoleum to rubber and cork. Members include companies like Armstrong, Mannington, Mohawk, Tarkett, Amtico Intl., Burke Flooring, and many others. RFCI is headquartered in La Grange, Georgia.
THE CLIENT’S OBJECTIVES: RFCI is dedicated to innovation, quality, sustainability, and improving the industry in all ways. Each year, RFCI sponsors a learning retreat comprised of member senior executives. The goal for this annual meeting was to bring in a guest speaker who could enlighten and inspire the group to think in fresh, new ways. Ross Shafer was chosen to talk about how progressive manufacturers and sales representatives can Stay Relevant in a rapidly evolving market.
ROSS’S DELIVERABLES: Prior to his 60-minute keynote, Ross researched the resilient floor covering industry and sat in on sessions of their conference speakers. In addition to his own advice, Ross was able to incorporate the remarks and observations made by industry experts and economic analysts. Ross gave case study examples of how other B2B organizations were able to innovate their operations at little or no cost. He answered the question on everyone’s mind, “What should we be doing that we currently aren’t?” Ross said, “Don’t beat yourselves up with what you can’t afford to do at this time. The economy is unforgiving and the pace of technology outpaces our ability to be on the bleeding edge 100% of the time. However, focusing on the demands of human nature, offering an urgent response to our customers, and noticing opportunities your competitors miss is always a profitable use of your time.” Ross encouraged each member company to appoint an unpaid “chief trending officer” to watch (and report) on trends they may be able to leverage. The role of Chief Trending Officer is typically held by a team member who is very savvy re: a variety of social media. Additionally, Ross underscored the value of using big data and digital marketing to reach the growing digital native population. Ross gave real world examples and tactics of how companies like AT&T and United Airlines are preparing to engage and attract the Year-2020 workforce. Finally, Ross showed the group how to coach world-class behaviors to their own teams. World-Class performance is about mastering the science of your business…and applying a daily discipline to the art of manufacturing and selling floor coverings. As Ross says, “We have to identify and repeat the fundamentals of success every day because once we have a certain amount of success, we tend to eliminate the behaviors that made us successful in the beginning.”