Hearthlist Digest #261 - Wednesday, January 27, 1999
 
RE: Hearthlist Digest #260 - 01/25/99
  by "John Crouch" <[email protected]>
 

(back)
Subject: RE: Hearthlist Digest #260 - 01/25/99
From: "John Crouch" <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 18:30:52 -0500 (EST)
 
 
Grant Darrow said:
 
I think it was Crouch that stated that the proper way to sell stoves
right
now is to emphasise the customers ability to stockpile fuel. To
oversell y2k
compliance could simply be setting yourself up for big trouble if
indeed it
isn't compliant and there is indeed a big problem, especially if its
right
there in Black and White in your  product brochures.
 
Personally I'm looking forward to setting my clocks back to 1976
 where I
began in this industry ) and watching  everything thats going (or NOT
going)
too happen.
 
It was me Grant, and I continue to think that 'Stockpiling fuel', and
'Emergency preparedness' are the best approaches to this issue.  HPA
will probably have some press releases on Emergency Preparedness in
the packets we give to the shelter magazine editors at the Expo.  We
are also getting ready to add something to the HPA web site, along
these same lines.
 
Grant makes an interesting point about retailers, and the level of
preparedness needed to support our units.  Is it possible that the
owners of every bad door gasket, and every bad piece of glass, and
every pellet stove that works sporadically will call you next fall?  I
think it is possible, and very likely.  Our stores will need more
parts, and more people (always the hard part) who can separate out the
simple questions from the complex questions quickly, than we have ever
needed before.
 
Think about all the gas products you've sold in the last five years,
some of which may need to be serviced, can you create a mailing that
attempts to spark those contacts before August or September?
 
Grant, as a sweep, you've probably already thought about how buried
your phone is going to be next fall.  Every sweep in both countries
will be getting calls from people they've never heard from next year,
and need to think now about ANYTHING they can do to prepare for that
onslaught.
 
Speaking of thinking ahead: HPA will be holding a Panel discussion at
Expo on the Y2k opportunity on Saturday morning, before the show
opens.  (We're still lining up people for the panel, one retailer from
eastern Canada told me she was so busy, between last years Ice Storm
and next years Y2k, that she might not come to Phoenix.  Obviously I
urged her to reconsider).
 
Also, 65 companies have registered online for the show (almost 200
people) http://www.hearthassoc.org/expo/ExpoReg2.html , and many more
have requested their hotel rooms through the web (72% of our room
block is already reserved) http://www.hearthassoc.org/expo/.
Remember that Feb 12th is the last day to preregester so you can get
your badges in the mail and avoid any lines.
Finally; Plan to stop by the HPA Membership booth and get a copy of
the new HPA Membership CD-ROM, Beta edition.   We will have a
searchable database of the directory, plus a number of other goodies,
which we will give to the First 1000 companies that stop by and ask
for them.  See you in Phoenix.
John Crouch, HPA Director of Government Relations.