Five Ways NRHA Membership Can Help Your Business

For over 100 years, the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) has been dedicated to providing the latest and most beneficial programs and services to its members. Today, your association is continuing to work hard to develop and offer tools and resources to help you become a better, more profitable merchant. NRHA offers a host of great benefits, and below you will find five of the association’s most helpful tools.

1. Online Training Programs
   
   NRHA offers members unlimited access to a variety of online employee training programs designed to help store owners create a knowledgeable and confident staff. In 2014, NRHA updated and released a brand new version of the Basic Training Course in Hardware Retailing. In early May, NRHA will be completing the update of the Basic Training series by releasing an updated version of the Basic Training Course in Building Materials Retailing. This online training program will continue to teach valuable product knowledge information for nine departments, as well as tips for encouraging add-on sales and answering customers’ frequently asked questions. The updated course will be interactive, using audio narration and short quizzes.In addition to the Basic Training series, NRHA offers many other online training course including Project PRO, Our Three Pennies of Profit, NRHA’s Loss Prevention Series, Selling Skills & Customer Relations and Retail Merchandising.
2. The Cost of Doing Business Study 

   The industry’s most trusted annual benchmarking study offers retailers the opportunity to compare their company financial data with industry averages. Through the members only portion of www.nrha.org, members have access to the full study, as well as an online calculator that allows retailers to quickly and easily plug in their company’s financial data and compare it to national industry averages.

3. NRHA Health Insurance Program 

   A members only program, NRHA’s comprehensive health insurance program offers store owners the ability to offer solid benefits at an affordable group rate. In addition to health insurance, the program recently added life, dental and vision insurance options. Visit the website to find out more about how the program can work for your business.

4. 2014 Employee Compensation Report 

   NRHA has conducted and released a brand new Employee Compensation Report, available to members on www.nrha.org. The report gives members the opportunity to compare 2014 payroll and typical salaries by job title, size of operation, type of market and store type with the rest of the industry. The study also including information on employee bonuses, insurance and retirement benefits, paid vacation and days off, employee training allocations and much more.

5. Industry Support 

   Membership dues allow NRHA to develop new training programs, conduct industry specific research and create services specifically designed to help independent home improvement stores of all shapes and sizes.Additionally, NRHA is proud to be part of the Advocates for Independent Business (AIB), a coalition of trade associations and organizations that represent locally owned, independent businesses. This partnership allows NRHA to join efforts to provide a collective voice supporting policies and legislation that impact independent businesses. It also allows NRHA to exchange ideas and programs to deliver more value to independent home improvement retailers, as well as support the growth of the “Buy Local First” movement.

To learn more about NRHA programs and services and join, please visit www.nrha.org or contact NRHA’s member services department at (800) 772-4424 or nrha@nrha.org.