Wish You Were Here!

CBA Retailers+Resources editor, Carrie Erickson, was in Nashville this week attending GMA. Below are a few of her thoughts on the week and the value of face-to-face connections. Sounds like it was a good week!

You know you’ve had a good GMA week when you sit down to write about it and fall asleep in your chair. Well, that’s one way I know, anyway.

After hardly a free minute the entire time I’ve been in Nashville, I finally finished my interviews and didn’t have an event to rush off to (at least for another hour). The quiet moment when I finally sat down for a quiet two seconds I promptly snoozed into dreamland. Guess the coffee I’ve consumed didn’t overcome late night concerts’ effects.

Now that I’ve come to coherence again, I feel like I’m sending you a virtual postcard. And on it I want to say:  “Wish you were here.”

It’s true. The experiences gained at GMA Week are priceless. Though the hubbub is exhausting, I wouldn’t trade any of that time for sleep I could’ve gotten instead.

As an editor at CBA Retailers+Resources, attending GMA week is one of my favorite parts of my job. It’s my fourth time here and I can see now why people have told me all along that they love this week because it’s like a family reunion. It’s the same way with CBA’s conventions.

Even with technology and increased methods of communication, face-to-face connection is irreplaceable. So much more comes out of a conversation when you have time to sit down and look someone in the eyes. People who were before names on a page are now faces and lives—real people with real problems and real joys, with whom sharing these things enriches both of us beyond our imaginations.

An event like this has incredible value because of the interaction and connection that takes place. Just as the connections made here are invaluable, the connections you make with your customers on a daily basis are what add value to your business.

During her workshop, Molly Conroy-Ungerecht from Planet Management Consulting (who also conducts training seminars for CBA at ICRS), emphasized the need for connection with your customers. The more time you spend with them, the better the connection will be, she says. “A friendly 90-second conversation results in a 25% increase in intent to repurchase or to possibly purchase recommended add-ons that day,” according to Planet Management Consulting.

If we all walked away from here with only statistics and information, the time and return on investment would be void. The relationships built while you’re at industry gatherings or connecting and praying with people face-to-face in your store—that’s kingdom business!