I recently had a conversation with my peers, the consensus of which I thought would be entertaining and informative for rAVe readers as a whole.

We’re looking for new business.  I think it’s safe to say that many of us out there are. As much as we love our existing customers, we can’t expect them to be there for us forever.

I lose a few customers every year to sheer attrition. Some close their doors, others get bought out by their rivals.

If I’m really lucky, when my customers get bought out, they get bought by one of my other customers, but that’s beside the point.

My point, and I do have one, is that without growing your dealer base by finding new customers, your total number of dealers will naturally decline over time.

So, we were talking about this, my peers and I, and I made the observation that when you’ve signed up ten new dealer accounts, two things happen.

The first, is that one of those ten new accounts will do more business with you than the other nine put together.

The second, is that the star new dealer who’s doing all that business is never, ever, the one you would have guessed would be the standout performer.

I’ve seen it again and again. And my peers agreed that they’ve seen it too.

So the actionable here for you, rAVe readers, is keep a very broad mind when you’re in preliminary discussions with prospective new dealers of your wares. I can almost guarantee that the dealer who pumps your numbers over the top in the coming year won’t be the one you expect.