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If you’ve been following my columns thus far, you already know that marketing your business can be a challenging yet rewarding venture. While there is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, let’s take a look at some common mistakes you should be aware of in order to maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

All too often, what appears to be a minor sprain or strain escalates to a recordable injury because the only alternative for the employee is a trip to the ER or doctor’s office. Invariably the visit results in an anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxant prescription and/or chiropractic therapy; both defined by OSHA as recordable.

With all of the goings on over the last two years, many of us have lost sight of our customer base undergoing a significant change. Baby Boomers have moved into the background as Millennials are entering their prime earning time and make up a significant portion of decorative plumbing showrooms' professional and homeowner customers.

When it comes to keeping your finger on the pulse of the economy, ASA chief economist Dr. Chris Kuehl does just that through his live monthly ASA economic update webinars (a free member benefit) and through his three-times-a-month podcasts (also a free member benefit) where Dr. Kuehl zeroes in on a specific topic of great interest to ASA members.

While much uncertainty in the economy is ahead, we know we’ve been in this position before and we know we can weather any changes ahead. It will be increasingly important to harness the power of not only our industry trade association, but also the power of the organizations across our industry working together collectively, cooperatively and complementary as buying groups, adjacent industry organizations, and regions to support our overall industry strength.

We have much smarter circulators these days, so I was wondering whether today’s contractors preferred using circulators or zone valves. I posed the question on The Wall at HeatingHelp.com, which is a place where some of the smartest hydronic-minded people meet to discuss such things. They are never shy when asked a question. Here’s some of what they had to say.

As the popular saying goes, "branding is what people say about you when you're not in the room," while marketing is how you communicate your brand message to the world.

So will 2023 still be a sellers’ market, or can we expect things to level out? According to Danielle Hale, Realtor.com chief economist, next year could be more of a “nobody’s market.”

As 2022 comes to a close it is now time to review my predictions from last year as well as predict ten more trends I see as we enter 2023. Just like last year, I will stay away from prognosticating about where the stock market will be at this end of the year; instead, I will stick to identifying trends that supply houses will find important in this upcoming year. With all that being said, let's jump right in and review my 2022 predictions.

When I open the ballroom door and enter the 2022 DPHA conference, the booths catch my eye but I am looking for familiar industry wide faces and those new personalities that i do not know.  The DPHA conference is all about the decorative plumbing and hardware, period. It presents me with the opportunity to see new products from decorative plumbing and hardware focused vendors, industry relevant education sessions and opportunities to interact with the people that manage and own DPHA businesses.