From A Rep's Perspective
Hi, I’m Mike Root, President of Furniture Sales of Mid-America, a furniture wholesale company in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states that has been recognized by numerous national furniture factories for sales excellence including Salesman of the Year more than 10 times. Recently I was appointed to the Executive Committee of the International Home Furnishings Representative’s Association (IHFRA), and asked to write this blog. I see incredible opportunities for our industry to make a difference in people’s lives. It will be my intention to share with you whatever positive stories I hear from around the country as they relate to the home furnishings industry. True, this is a blog for furniture representatives. But the reality is that we are all representing the home furnishings industry. Therefore I will write to and for reps, but hopefully the message will resonate with all throughout the industry. My perspective is one of a third generation furniture guy. My father, Emmet Root, is still active as a rep after over 50 years. I myself have been a rep since 1994. Before that I was in furniture retail, wholesale and rental for over 10 years where I was recognized by the Small Business Administration as an Entrepreneur of the Year. I was also honored by the Omaha Chamber of Commerce for leading a company as one of the Top 25 Fastest Growing Enterprises three years in a row. I’ve seen just about all sides of the industry, and I love every bit of it. My background of sales and marketing has led the past several years to extended studies in direct response marketing to help my dealers sell more with less effort. Some cost effective promotional items for reps and retailers to help maximize your customer’s value can be found on my website at www.FurniturePromotions.com. I recently co-authored a book “Secrets of Peak Performers: Wealth Creating Strategies from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs”. More information about me or my book can be found on my blog at www.MikeRoot.com. To contact me please email me at meroot@mikeroot.com.
So I was hanging out with George Foreman this weekend...
That’s right, my son and I were with the real George Foreman this weekend and I’ve got a picture on my blog to prove it (www.MikeRoot.com). He is a very personable guy and one can instantly tell why he is so well liked. From being a Gold medalist to two time boxing champ to major entrepreneur and pitchman, he has come a long way from his humble beginnings. From a life in the spotli ...... Read More
Comments (1)Ways to Save Money on Your Market Follow Up
The National Rep Trade Association, IHFRA, has developed a number of benefits this last year that are excellent ways for reps to save money on after market follow ups. Since we are all putting presentations together over the next several weeks here are a few of the discounts you can take advantage of as an IHFRA member. FedEx - Make sure you are signed up with Fed EX for up to 26% discounts on sh ...... Read More
Comments (2)It's Wednesday At Market, Where were You?
It’s Wednesday of market and I am flying home on the late flight out of Greensboro. I left Omaha the previous Tuesday so I am anxious to get home. But what amazed me about today is how many customers are still shopping on Wednesday of market and how many reps went home early. Today my father and I had a total of five presentations of which only one was an appointment. If we would have l ...... Read More
Comments (18)How Social Networking Can Help You With Market Preparation
More and more people are trying to figure out what social networking is all about. I will raise my hand and tell you that I am one of those people. I have profiles in Linked In for business contacts, Facebook for personal and business contacts, Twitter for I don’t know what, and YouTube for videos I do.And then of course I have my blog at www.MikeRoot.com to tell the world some of the st ...... Read More
Comments (6)CIT Woes Are Going to Hurt Even More
The front page lead article in today’s Wall Street Journal headline states “CIT in Last-Ditch Rescue Bid”. It indicated that CIT was going to try a financial restructuring by turning over the company to bondholders. It also indicated GM tried that same thing and not enough lenders accepted the deal forcing GM into bankruptcy. The article’s tone suggested the same m ...... Read More
Comments (1)The Master of the Upsell
This last weekend my son and I made our annual pilgrimage to South Bend Indiana to see the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Michigan State Spartans. Now no Irish jokes please because this isn’t a column about how my alma mater barely held on to win one at home, or their any of their recent struggles that have turned a few hairs grey. This is actually about the Budget Rental Car we pic ...... Read More
Comments (1)The Tale of Two Markets
This week, I had the distinct pleasure of going to both the Las Vegas market and the High Point pre-market. In the old days, I used to have customers show up at different factory market spaces at the same time. At least they were in the same city! But this last week I had customers in Vegas, High Point and overseas. I also had customers who were happy to be staying home. Oh, the simpler days ...... Read More
Comments (19)There's No Recession At the US OPEN
My kids both played competitive tennis through college which means my wife and I saw a lot of tennis matches throughout the years. This past weekend I decided we would leave the nice quiet lifestyle of Omaha NE to travel to the hustle and bustle of New York City for the premier professional tennis event - the US OPEN.The environment was electric with people everywhere. The US Open was sold out e ...... Read More
Comments (6)Subject: The Home Furnishings Rep Live Webinar is only ONE day away ...
I’m hosting a webinar tomorrow to review the results of the Home Furnishing Rep Survey. Over 408 Reps take the time to share their comments and solutions to the state of the Rep Profession. They revealed challenges of being a rep as well as many solutions to how they are surviving in this incredibly tough environment. There has been an exceptionally high level of interest in getting the ...... Read More
Comments (1)Subject: The Home Furnishings Rep Live Webinar is only ONE day away ...
I’m hosting a webinar tomorrow to review the results of the Home Furnishing Rep Survey. Over 408 Reps take the time to share their comments and solutions to the state of the Rep Profession. They revealed challenges of being a rep as well as many solutions to how they are surviving in this incredibly tough environment. There has been an exceptionally high level of interest in getting the ...... Read More
Comments (0)What is the Role of the Independent Furniture Rep In the Future?
A couple of weeks ago I conducted a survey of Independent Furniture Reps. I was blown away by the response. Over 400 reps took the time to give their opinions on a wide range of issues as well as the state of their economy. Next week I will conduct a FREE Webinar to review all the results with those that are interested. Please watch this blog for more details as they get finalized. There is i ...... Read More
Comments (6)Half a Century of Furniture Rep Wisdom
My father Emmet Root, a still active Furniture Rep with over 50 years experience in the industry, wrote the following article for the publication RootNotes. He has seen many business slumps over the decades and has always felt there was a significant need for the traveling furniture salesman. In this article he suggests that times may be changing. For a complimentary copy of RootNotes Online re ...... Read More
Comments (5)
