Reminders

I enjoy writing this blog. In a way, it allows me to relive the past a bit. If you read my posts you probably know that a good deal of what I write is not terribly original. Indeed, I tend to address strategies, outlooks, and tactics, many of which have been around a mighty long time. I think it is easy to forget many of them, or if not forget them put them in some dusty compartment in the backs of our minds. That’s what I like to do in this blog…remind the reader of things they may have tucked away, but due to the challenges and stress of doing our jobs or running our businesses, haven’t thought about for a while.
Since, the first decade of the 21st Century is now history and a new year has begun, I wanted to begin the New Year by listing what I thought were ten of the most appropriate ‘Reminders’ that I addressed in 2009.
1. March 3: Upholstery manufacturers should question their tactic of “offering to make anything a retailer wants as the crux (or crutch) of their sales presentation.” Major retailers know this already and there are hundreds of your competitors that will make the same offer. It is nothing special. They are looking for YOU to bring them the next big winner. This is special.

2. March 31: Retailers with web sites should be certain that the web site is ‘UP TO DATE’. Your web site is as much representative of your business as is your showroom and product selection. If elements of it are wrong or out of date, if the product offerings are incomplete or many items discontinued…it is representative of your company.

3. April 29: It is very easy to become complacent, to do things a certain way because they have always been done that way. The reality is that some of these old methods may be out of touch, out of date and wrong for the time. Sit back, allow your mind to wander and pretend you know nothing. Then ask questions…why do we do things this way? Some things will still be right for the times; others may be sorely outmoded.

4. May 29: There are many old tactics in merchandising that are as valid today as they were thirty years ago. Do you or does your buyer understand and use them to achieve the results that are right for your company. For instance, with respect to your upholstery assortment: to meet important price points you can change to a more or less expensive frame with the same cover to hit a price. Sometimes a very high-end fabric will still look like a million dollars on a simpler frame. Conversely, some fabrics at lower grades can look great on elegant frames and command a higher retail price point. There are so many techniques like this and this is just illustrative of the point I am trying to make. Nothing new; but, do you remember these tactics and/or have you taught them to your buyer.

5. June 16: It is an integral, if unappealing part of our industry that when we find a strategy or tactic that works, we tend to beat it to death; we execute (good word) it over and over again until it is no longer effective or relevant, then move on to the next great success that we can kill. Some of those old strategies might easily be revived today (private, exclusive letters?) and be as successful as they were years ago. There is an entirely new and different market with a diverse consumer base out there that has never been exposed to that old strategy. Go back into your archives and find the gold nuggets.

6. July 10: Most businesses that have been around for a while do experience, to a greater or lesser degree, some turn-over of personnel. New hires arrive, old employees leave. It is inevitable. When a new employee comes on the scene, do not be so absolutely certain that because you have years of experience, you know everything. You never know from where the next great strategy will come. It is sometimes a great positive to have around you, young people that have not been poisoned by the notion that “we’ve always done it this way” or who have not yet learned that “it can’t be done”. Listen to them, hear them out; and never, ever discourage them from offering ideas.

7. August 7: Furniture is a want in most households, not a need. No one MUST have a new sofa for his or her very survival. As such, furniture retailers compete with other furniture retailers but they also compete with every other seller of any merchandise that is a want and not a need. Sellers of jewelry, cars, vacations, TV’s, audio equipment, fragrances, etc. also vie for the same discretionary dollar. We all eat from the same trough. Retailers need to recognize this reality as more than just a platitude and allocate some of their marketing dollars towards it.

8. September 16: FURNITURE BUYING IS AN EMOTIONAL PURCHASE. This fact does not only apply to better-end, fashion-forward retailers. It also is relevant to the promotional sellers of home furnishings. The consumer buying a $399 sofa is feeling the same emotions as the customer buying the $2,399 sofa. They both want a beautiful home with beautiful furniture. I certainly would not suggest the day of marketing furniture through the use of sales, discounts and other promotions of the like is over. I am suggesting that these approaches might be so much more effective if retailers appealed to some of the emotional motives their customers may have, along with the savings story.

9. November 13: There is no better time than during a downturn to get your business ready for better days. Business will turn around. Make certain that your management, operational staff, and selling staff are ready for better times. This means training, training, and training. What better time is there to pay significant attention to training employees at every level than when there is the time to do it?

10. November 20: Sometimes bosses may think they know what is occurring within the operation, but indeed they may not know. Occasionally, it is helpful to get out amongst the rank and file and ask some questions. There may be some surprises in store. Secondly, remember that what a boss says can and often is taken too literally. Bosses need to be very careful with what they say, how they say it, and to whom. A simple observation can so easily become the new rule.

So there you have it. A few reminders of things you probably already know but maybe haven’t thought about in a while. Have a great year!