Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM APRIL 2019 62 T he 2019 Appliance Service Training Institute (ASTI) reminded me of a Hank Williams Jr. song, "All My Rowdy Friends are Coming Over Tonight." I truly mean "friends," including all of our United Servicers Association members, manufacturers, suppliers, presenters and sponsors. At ASTI, we are all friends who want to see each other succeed. I won't lie, some of us are rowdier than others, but ASTI's goal is for us all in the appliance repair industry to learn best practices, exchange ideas, and network. It doesn't matter if you've only been in the industry for a short period or for many years, you'll find your fellow ASTI members are willing to share ideas for how we can all improve and learn from one another. The 2019 ASTI was held in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel with the theme "Sound of Success." It was the largest ASTI convention ever by attendance. If you've never attended an ASTI, it's a full five-day training event that offers two learning paths: technical and management. The technical path includes classes on basic electricity and refrigeration, and OEM classes by more than 14 manufacturers. The management path is based on helping you manage a successful business by improving your skills for hiring technicians, marketing (to keep your technicians busy!), and how to look at your books to make sure you're making money. Most attendees attend classes on both paths. Bill Lange of LG Electronics gave an inspiring keynote address on how the appliances of the future will be connected, and how the customer experience will accordingly change. Companies that are proactively improving by attending events such as ASTI will be the successful companies of the future. That's because change is inevitable, and we need embrace it. Our customers' expectations are going to rise, and if we want to continue to be successful we'll need to become the leaders in our markets. That's why ASTI is continually evolving and improving. One of the goals of the ASTI event is to serve as a gathering where attendees can exchange ideas and learn from each other. To encourage this kind of exchange at this year's ASTI, we offered a round robin table event. We had the attendees join various tables with a facilitator at each table and a focus topic to discuss. You could sit at a table for 10 minutes while the facilitator opened and facilitated the discussion. Attendees were encouraged to share questions or input on the subject, and at the end of the allotted time the participants switched tables and discussed different subjects. There was a high-energy exchange of ideas. Google presented at this year's ASTI for the first time, with Dave Delaney leading sessions on "Reach Customers Online With Google," "Get Found on Google Search and Maps," and "Using Data to Drive Growth." We all know how important Google is to our success, and Dave was able to educate us about important ways to improve our online presence. ASTI 2019 opened with an evening reception and was the largest trade show ever, with over 60 vendors. This two-day event is always a great opportunity for vendors to present their products, with many vendors featuring giveaways. It was exciting to stroll around and listen to the vendor exchanges and visit with old and new friends. ASTI gets louder every year! Tracy Janey from General Electric Appliances presented at the ASTI awards banquet on the future of the appliance repair industry. This year's recipient of the United Servicers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award was Ernesto "Buck" Renteria in recognition of his many years of leadership in the appliance repair industry with Whirlpool and Maytag. To all of the ASTI sponsors, vendors, members and attendees, thank you for your support and for attending the 2019 Appliance Service Training Institute. Please make plans to attend next year – you'll be happy you did! To get the early bird rate, register today at www.UnitedServicers.com or call 800-683-2558. Lance Kimball President: United Servicers Association (USA) www.united servicers.com S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T RO ALL MY ROWDY FRIENDS AT ASTI MAKING THE SOUNDS OF SUCCESS

• Cover