Format for Roundtables Revised by
SEN
Chapel Hill, NC A revised Dealer Executive Roundtable program
that will “accelerate increased growth and profitability” for
members has been implemented by the SEN Buying Group, the
organization announced last month.
Kenneth Peterson, CKD, president of SEN, said that the new
format will debut at the buying group’s Spring Conference, set for
Charleston, SC April 28 to May 1. It will merge two business
education programs that SEN has been offering separately: self-help
Dealer Roundtables and Dealer Financial Comparison Reports,
Peterson said.
Among the objectives of the new roundtable format are to enable
SEN members to improve their understanding of financial statements,
identify in what areas they can improve their company’s
profitability, and collectively solve common business problems,
Peterson said. Roundtable groups of 8 to 10 members will have a
facilitator with proven business experience and will work as a team
for a three-year period.
The original SEN Dealer Executive Roundtable was launched in
1991, three years before SEN formed its buying group program. “At
that time, small groups of 6 to 10 members met regionally at a
central location to solve business problems of a common nature.
There was a tremendous perceived value in this program because
dealers ‘no longer felt so alone’ in a depressed economy where ‘big
boxes’ were starting to gain significant market share,” Peterson
said.
After the buying group was launched, the roundtable concept
remained a permanent programming fixture at SEN National
Conferences. However, an increased number of participants
diminished its intimacy, noted Peterson.
“In reconfiguring the roundtable into small self-help groups, we
are in a sense going back to our roots while shifting the focus to
comparing member financial statements. This new learning dimension
will quicken the pace of change to improve the bottom lines of our
members,” he added.
Additional information can be obtained by contacting SEN at
(800) 991-1711, or by visiting the buying group’s Web site, at
www.SENbuying.com.