ORLANDO — Shortly before the 2010 WQA Aquatech show floor opened here, WQA’s Executive Director Peter Censky took the stage in front of a few hundred water quality professionals to discuss the top issues that will impact this industry within the next decade at yesterday morning’s “State of the Industry” session.
“You’ve all survived the recession,” noted Censky, who confirmed that some are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, “but will you survive the recovery?”
Censky also asked the crowd how the recession has reinvented their businesses and their customers’ thinking, stating that there will not be a return to “normal” and that there will be a new normal which will not include “easy money” and unfair sales and marketing tactics.
According to the association’s Executive Director, there are five big industry trends that water quality professionals should be mindful of as they discover the new “normal,” including:
· Consolidation
· Personal environment
· Green
· The consumer
· Credibility.
Although green is hard to define, dealers and distributors will need to know how and where to market these products and services, but also drive that conversation about the environment by bringing in the personal environment.
Personal environment, which can be viewed as enhancing the customer’s quality of life, is a trend that will grow as awareness and expectations become widespread.
And, says Censky, we are already starting to see this occur. “Consumers are getting smarter. [They’re] taking more personal responsibility,” he said.
Furthermore, according to an industry study, 67 percent of people, which is an increase from previous studies, now have concerns about their water quality, reported the presenter.
Credibility, through certification and good ethics, is one area where successful dealers and distributors can leverage in coming years. And, as Censky noted, “it will be critical for our industry moving forward.”
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