Home Furnishings Industry Conference draws nearly 380 to Texas

Social media, partnering among key themes

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, May 9, 2011

SAN ANTONIO — The importance of partnering in the industry and the pressing need to climb aboard the social media bullet train were key themes of the Home Furnishings Industry Conference here.

Steve DeHaan, left, National Home Furnishings Assn., and Sharron Bradley, Western Home Furnishings Assn. Their groups worked together to host the conference.

Nearly 380 people - including retailers from 85 companies - attended the April 30-May 2 conference, coordinated by the Western Home Furnishings Assn. along with the National Home Furnishings Assn.

Political columnists and commentators Bob Beckel and Cal Thomas got the ball rolling with a humorous and touching presentation on the importance of coming together despite differences.

Later, social media guru Erik Qualman took the stage with a more direct message to the businesspeople here. He amended a political adage to explain why social media can't be ignored and is vital to businesses these days.

"It's about a people-driven economy, stupid," Qualman said. The effective use of social media - everything from Twitter and Facebook to LinkedIn and YouTube - is the equivalent of "word of mouth on steroids" and on a global scale.

"Everything in time is going to be rated," Qualman said, and it's already happening faster than he ever thought it would. He pointed to the trip planning website Tripadvisor.com, noting how it can tell a user just how many Facebook friends have been to a specific hotel in New York and what they thought about it.

As for Twitter, the social media tool that that enables users to follow each other with short messages or "tweets," Qualman conceded that he thought "it was stupid" at first.

But he has since seen how businesses such as Jet Blue are using it effectively. He showed one 30-minute Twitter stream from Jet Blue with tweets from the airline and its followers on subjects including public relations, sales, service and response to crisis messages.

While a business is inclined to sell right from the start, Qualman said this would be a mistake with Twitter and other social media tools. He suggests a four-step process: listening, interacting, reacting and finally selling. A company that tries to sell immediately is like someone who walks up to a group of people who are having a good time to say, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I'd like to tell you why I'm great."

He encouraged companies to develop what he called "listening reports," and pointed to free tools on the Web that enable them to monitor monthly, weekly, daily or more frequently.

How many times should a business post online in a given day or week? Qualman said the number doesn't matter as much as the quality of the posts. They should all create value for their target audience, and he said if you have to think for more than three seconds about whether or not a post does this, it probably shouldn't be posted.

And while people are always looking for a magic pill when it comes to social media - the easiest way to get it done - Qualman said there isn't one. Instead, it takes a lot of hard work. It takes time to build relationships.

"But when stuff is hard, that means you can stand out because not everyone is going to do it," he said.

Guests packed the room in the Westin Riverwalk for other general session presentations, too.

John Moore, a former marketing executive at Starbucks and Whole Foods, offered thoughts on "The Bigness of Smallness," or what large and small companies need to do to connect with consumers. Kelly McDonald of McDonald Marketing wrapped up the general sessions with her speedy and funny presentation on recognizing consumer diversity and "How to Market to People Not like You," which is also the title of her latest book. (See the May 16 print edition of Furniture/Today for more on both speakers.)

Conference organizers added "after sessions" following the general sessions. Attendees sat around tables to discuss themes from the presentations, then reported to conference facilitators Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender of Kizer & Bender.

Breakout session covered everything from Facebook case studies of furniture stores that are using social media to a retailer panel discussing ways to improve cash flows. Moderated by Joe Milevsky of JRM Sales & Management, the panel featured Howard Haimsohn of Lawrance Contemporary, San Diego; Shane Spiller of Spiller Furniture, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Dave Harkness of Harkness Furniture, Tacoma, Wash.; and Travis Garrish of Forma Furniture, Fort Collins, Colo.

At a closing party at the Stables at the Pearl Brewery, Haimsohn honored sponsors and co-hosts of the conference with thank-you awards.

He said the overwhelming response to the combined WHFA/NHFA conference this year prompted the retailer groups to work together on a joint convention for next year, too - hopefully with additional industry organizations joining in - at the Westin Mission Hills in Palms Springs, Calif.