Rainwater headlines OARA 2014 as special guest speaker

By Andrew Ardizzi

Toronto, Ontario — March 12, 2014 — Bishop Auto Parts’ Rob Rainwater will be the special guest speaker at OARA’s 2014 convention and trade show.

A longtime industry consultant specializing in how to improve auto recycling sales, Rainwater frequents conventions to help recyclers improve their businesses through his talks, which are fuelled by over 20 years of experience. 

“As most speakers go, after spending so much time in the business you’ll accumulate a number of lessons learned from over the years,” Rainwater says. “The majority of what I speak on are sales-related topics that have been tailored for auto recyclers.”

Rainwater says his talking points are always evolving to match up with the latest industry trends, ensuring anyone who sits in on his panel discussions are always treated to the freshest ideas born from his perceptions of the industry and his conversations with his recycling peers.

“I learn from other recyclers as well when I get to socialize with my peers. I learn from them and it’s always nice to sit and discuss the business,” he says. “I can share the ideas I have and they can share the ideas they have.” 

It’s that socializing aspect that fuels the different possible ways to tackle industry shifts, ensuring that as the various elements composing the auto recycling industry change, recyclers from the top to the bottom of each individual recycling yard are prepared to handle them. 

“As the industry changes, so do the techniques to approach them,” he says. “My presentations are always evolving due to the technological changes within the business and how those applications are handled.”

What’s interesting about Rainwater’s methodology is that he holds the same presentation twice over two days, tailoring one to management and the second to employees and sales associates who may be working on the first convention day, using OARA’s 2014 convention as an example with its Friday start date. He says this allows him to highlight the pertinent aspects for both audiences and how they cross over.

“This way when management introduces a plan for their business, employees have already been prepped on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the new plan,” he says.

When recyclers converge in Toronto from March 28 through March 30, they will have the chance to sit in on four of Rainwater’s presentations. Chief among them is a session focusing on the impact of the internet on the recycling industry and how to best tailor your business to the ever-evolving tech-based dynamics that increasingly influence how consumers communicate with the market.

“I call it, ‘It’s a Visual World.’ In today’s landscape, everything is visual,” he says. “We can instantaneously look at information on our phones, and what I focus on is what recyclers are doing to cater to that visualized aspect of the business.”

Complementing his digital information-centric presentation, Rainwater will also be presenting his “14 Golden Rules” talk focusing on the different sales techniques to best sell your company and understand your customers and what they need from you. His two other presentations focus on employment and employee training, centering primarily on how to find out what jobs best suit employees based on their own personalities.

“I like to share my experiences and how I’ve hired, trained and set expectations for employees with concern to pay structure, mission statements and motivations,” he says. “It’s important to profile people’s personalities and put them in the right job. It’s a matter of understanding what people’s personality types are and what types of jobs there are in the industry.”

Rainwater always enjoys engaging people, and knows the 2014 OARA trade show will be no different for him. He says, though, that one of the best parts of touring the different industry conventions is meeting people who have been helped by the ideas he’s put forth.

“The most exciting thing for me is when people come up to me and say ‘I used some of what you said and I had the best sales month ever the following month,'” Rainwater says. “Those are the things that make it worthwhile. It’s nice for people to say I’ve helped them, and that’s gratifying for me.”

The 2014 edition of the OARA Trade Show and Convention is being held at the Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel on 901 Dixon Rd. in Toronto and kicks off on Thursday, March 27 with the OARA Board Meeting and continues on through the weekend. The convention weekend concludes with the Auto Recyclers of Canada (ARC) Board of Directors meeting on Sunday, March 30. 

Additional speakers include Steve Fletcher, Robert Counts, Dwight Howard, Philippe Clermont and Andrew Horsman.

A live auction is also scheduled to benefit the OARA Employee Scholarship program, in addition there is a scheduled breakfast on March 29 with the Sunshine Foundation, and the annual OARA General Meeting and Elections.

For the complete convention itinerary, as well as the list of exhibitors, please visit OARA.com.