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> Living on the Top Line - The Book > Joe's Blog > The Real Heros of Furniture Retailing
The Real Heros of Furniture RetailingOn this last day of 2009 - pretty much a terrible year for most furniture retailers - I can't help thinking about the one group of people in our industry who, in the words of Rodney Dangerfield, don't get no respect.
They're also the most undervalued, under-coached, over-managed, underpaid, and under-trained people in the business. They're also the most important people in the business, but because of all the over/under things I stated above, our industry and its relationships with consumers suffers greatly.
I'll state my position right up front so there's no mistaking where I'm coming from: These people are our industry's face to the consumer. They see all our customers - every one of them. The owners of retail companies don't, the manufacturing leaders don't, reps don't, no one in the industry press does, none of the gurus of furniture design do.
Every day, in all the furniture stores in America and around the world, retail salespeople generate all our revenue, for most traditionally structured stores, every dollar of revenue passes through a salesperson. Think about that.
I read many industry publications. I marvel at how much hype and hyperbole can be generated around some new product introduction (as if someone has invented a new room for homes that no one every heard of before) while we're still furnishing the same kinds of rooms we furnished in 2000, 1990, 1980, 1970 - and as far back as anyone can remember. Same old, same old.
My favorite topic in the press is who's working where this week. The industry is like a giant recycling bin. How does any of this affect how consumers interact with us, make their purchasing decisions, and finally buy?
Remember this: all the hype and excitement around those new product introductions, new innovations in design or construction or materials, all the dreams of furniture designers and makers, all the plans of retailers and marketers across the industry, comes down to the interaction between one salesperson and one consumer. Nothing else matters. Every time I've attended a market, and that's hundreds of markets, I think the same thing: The wrong people are here!
I'm devoting the year 2010, to improving the way our industry views, values, and supports the tens of thousands of people who face our consumers every day - the ONLY people who are out there every day with your customers.
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