When Max Johnson first joined NSCA in November 2018, he was an industry newbie, helping us develop customer relationships and honing his selling skills as a sales and marketing specialist.
This summer, after eight months with us, his new love for the industry led to a new role at NSCA: Max is now our channel partner manager! Because many of our members will have the chance to work with Max, we asked him a few questions so you can get to know him a little better.
Q: What are you looking forward to most in your new role?
A: Meeting and getting to know our longtime partners and increasing awareness of NSCA among manufacturers. I’m also extremely excited to learn more about the cool technology our manufacturer members are producing. I’m kind of a tech junkie!
Q: What will you be doing in this new role?
A: I hope to use what I’ve learned about our integrator members so far – and what they need help with – to help manufacturers better understand integrator business models and how they operate, as well as find new ways to share manufacturers’ products with integrator members.
Q: What goals do you have when it comes to helping manufacturers make the most of NSCA membership?
A: There are several!
First, I want to ensure that manufacturer members understand the resources available as part of membership. Whether that’s using our Electronic Systems Outlook report to see which construction markets are growing the fastest or staying on top of important legislative activity that could affect their bottom line.
Second, I’d like to help them take advantage of NSCA events available to them, including Pivot to Profit and the Business & Leadership Conference. I think there are also opportunities for manufacturer members to get involved with and support the NSCA Education Foundation, the Ignite initiative, and other industry events.
Lastly, with my background in traditional and digital marketing, I want to show manufacturers how to increase awareness within the integrator channel. Through things like social media and NSCA’s website, I know there are more opportunities to increase manufacturer brand recognition among members.
Q: What one thing do you think manufacturers don’t know (but should) when it comes to NSCA membership?
A: A few resources that manufacturers don’t know about include NSCA’s Legislative Tracker and our Business Accelerators and Member Advisory Councilmembers.
The Legislative Tracker actively tracks important legislative activity that could hurt our industry – especially when it comes to PoE licensing. Our business resources, like our Business Accelerators and Member Advisory Councilmembers, offer manufacturer members help in important business areas: mergers and acquisitions, cybersecurity, freight shipping, project management, sales training, etc.
Q: When should our manufacturer partners reach out to you?
A: NSCA is a great resource for almost anything they might need. Although our focus is on integrators, this focus ultimately benefits the manufacturers that work with them. Or, if manufacturers are looking for a great beer recommendation, I can help with that, too!
Q: How have you seen membership make a difference for our manufacturer members so far?
A: Our Ignite program is a great example of the impact NSCA has on manufacturers. Many of our manufacturer members have rejuvenated their internship programs by using the Ignite internship roadmap.
Q: What do you love most about working at NSCA?
A: The people, of course! I’ve always been a people person. Everyone in this industry seems to understand everyday hiccups and we’re always there to help each other out.
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
A: I’m a vinyl junkie and love spinning records with friends and family. I’m slowly building my collection of vintage vinyl and am always looking for someone to connect with! I also enjoy supporting local craft breweries and trying new beers.