Retail Ideas
Leslie Carothers Retail Ideas columnist Hi, I\'m Leslie Carothers, principal of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, a national company specializing in helping retailers and manufacturers use the internet and their websites to powerfully drive traffic and profitability. I have been involved in all aspects of the retail home furnishings business for over 25 years-especially with respect to sales, sales training, writing, speaking and consulting. By writing this blog, I hope to educate, inform and stimulate you to try new ideas in your own businesses that can help you make money and engage with today’s customers in ways that are fun, personalized and relevant –to them. I welcome all of your comments so we can have a shared dialogue benefitting our entire industry. Please feel free to either email me at leslie@tkpartnership.com or call me at 713-705.2482.
NEGATIVE ONLINE REVIEWS - WHAT TO DO?
Consumer opinions. Good ones? You love them. Bad but balanced? Hate to see them, but try to listen and learn, right? But, when they’re both bad AND unfair? They make you boiling mad and defensive!Why? Because you know you did all you could to help solve their issue. Your people went above and beyond the call of duty and handled the customer with respect, care and kindness. You bent your ...... Read More
Comments (4)RESULT: 1/3rd STORE TRAFFIC INCREASE IN ONE DAY
The skeptics may ask: “Really? A NON-SALE event did that - and for under a $1,000.00 - on a Saturday?”The skeptics may think: “I don’t believe it. Is there proof- in writing?”Yep. I’m writing this post to share this: Even though you may not think or be convinced that YOUR customer, at the local level, is interested in eco-friendly furniture - I believe tha ...... Read More
Comments (0)REACHING THE INTERIOR DESIGNERS WHO CAN BRING YOU BUSINESS-NOW!
At 8pm tonight, Thursday, Feb. 25th, interior designers from around the world will hold the first ever interior design “chat” with consumers from around the world-on Twitter.Every retailer, every manufacturer, every supplier, every home stager, every remodeler, everyone involved in any way with the home furnishings and related industries is welcome to attend. What is the purpose? Int ...... Read More
Comments (2)RESULT: 1/3rd STORE TRAFFIC INCREASE IN ONE DAY
The skeptics may ask: “Really? A NON-SALE event did that - and for under a $1,000.00 - on a Saturday?”The skeptics may think: “I don’t believe it. Is there proof- in writing?” Yep. I’m writing this post to share this: Even though you may not think or be convinced that YOUR customer, at the local level, is interested in eco-friendly furniture - I believe th ...... Read More
Comments (2)MY BIGGEST SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKE
Mistake? “Isn’t that just a little bit risky, Leslie - to admit a big mistake right when many of us in the furniture industry are on the verge of adopting a social media strategy in 2010 and might consider hiring your company?” My answer to you would be, “We’re ALL still learning and if SOMEONE like me who does social media for a living doesn’t admit that ...... Read More
Comments (13)WHY DO CEO's DO IT?
I do it. Jerod Lazan of http://yourfurniturelink.com and http://mortisetenon.com does it. Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan) , owner of one of the most successful social media agencies in the country, http://newmarketinglabs.com and co-author of the new ” must read” book “Trust Agents” does it. Sarah Thornton , co-owner with her husband, Andy ,of Richmond, VA based retailer, ...... Read More
Comments (13)ONLY RESULTS MATTER, RIGHT?
How can you prove, Leslie, that social media is really working to deliver sales or save me money? I am hearing this question more and more from retailers and manufacturers as they begin to consider using social media-specifically Twitter-to engage and interact with online consumers.So, CAN I prove it? The answer is…YES, and, when money can be saved permanently (and, with social media dep ...... Read More
Comments (1)Do you knOH Julia Rosien?
On July 13th, Cargill’s BiOH polyols division, (my client) kicked off a video commenting campaign on their business to consumer social media site: www.experiencebioh.com called “Soy Style-Did You KnOH?”Julia Rosien is the communications director for www.naturaworld.com (not my client but my friend!) a manufacturer of organic, natural and green mattresses. Maybe some of you are ...... Read More
Comments (1)@Kathy Ireland is rocking the Twitterverse
Many of you know (but maybe a few of you don’t) that Kathy Ireland is the owner of Kathy Ireland World Wide and that KIWW is, according to Newsweek, a 1.4 billion dollar a year company which produces over 15,000 items sold to home furnishings consumers around the world through over 17 different manufacturer licensees. I knew Kathy was a huge and well respected name in the home furnishings i ...... Read More
Comments (18)Manna from heaven? - A social media miracle for a mom
This is the story of a lifetime. It is a story about the generosity of the furniture industry-even as we are facing the worst economic situation of our lives. It is the story of one well respected blogger and his wife . It is the story of one Romanian badly abused Mom and her three children-one with Down’s syndrome- who had run out of options. It is a story of profound hope in the goodness ...... Read More
Comments (1)What I learned about the 'Green' consumer
The green consumer is not who you think it is. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending www.d2eboston.com to represent my client, BiOH polyols (makers of a soy based ingredient used in cushions and mattresses-www.BiOH.com) at the exhibit space of one of BiOH’s retail partners-Circle Furniture. Circle is a well known independent Boston area retailer with six stores and a core focus ...... Read More
Comments (10)Message of hope to our industry CEOs
Leaders: I may be wrong, but please read on. Right now, I know each of you are taking the actions-hour by hour - that are necessary for the survival of your businesses. After 27 years of getting to know many of you, whether retailer, manufacturer or supplier- I know you are a group of people who care deeply about the impact your decisions on the lives of each of your stakeholders. I believe y ...... Read More
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