In October, members of the Peace of Mind Transitions team had a chance to attend the NASMM (National Association of Senior Move Mangers) annual conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
NASMM as an organization is now 20 years old. The conference NASMM hosts each year offers a meaningful learning experience for senior move managers. We were able to meet with other move managers, present some of our own learnings, and discover new ideas to implement in our own business.
Overall, the conference was a success. First, it was wonderful to see prior connections in person after more than two years of being online. Those in-person connections made the learning from the conference even more impactful, and it was exciting to both be part of and facilitate learning among live audiences.
One of the main focuses of the conference was to cultivate strategies and systems to improve the ins and outs of running of the business. We had many discussions on apps and cloud-based programs to make our lives easier when running the business and our clients’ lives better as recipients of our services.
We also discussed different types of inventory solutions. We brainstormed and shared best practices for partnering with vendors who help with donating or selling items that are no longer needed. As senior move managers, we often help clients move and downsize simultaneously. As a result, determining what to do with the things not moving with our clients is a major issue that we all deal with. It was so helpful to be able to brainstorm these ideas as a group to learn and share best practices with other senior move managers.
Another point of discussion was the idea of working on your business and not in your business. Peace of Mind Transitions’ own Kaye Ginsberg presented alongside Peggy Shults of Resettle Me on this topic, with a specific focus on profitability. Kaye and Peggy shared strategies or managing profitability, including creating a profit-first accounting style and considering the different costs and structure of the business.
We also discussed the shifting market for senior move manager services. Baby boomers are starting to represent a bigger share of the market and are more discerning consumers. They tend to want more information upfront, ask more questions, and generally do more research before making decisions. As senior move managers, we need to ensure that our marketing and outreach techniques meet the needs of this changing demographic.
The senior move manager industry has been continuously growing and will only get larger. 10,000 people in the United States turn 65 every day. More and more people will be turning to senior move managers each year, so it’s vital for us to prepare accordingly. We can’t wait for next year’s NASMM conference!
