Furniture Retail Tip #35 From Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90 -Company Assets? Check Every Nook/Cranny For The Major Major One! - Part 1

Furniture World News Desk on 2/27/2012

Michael Greene (Grandpa Mike-e-e at 90

Yes! Sir-e-e! Check everywhere and everyone: Like bookkeeping; like showrooms; like the warehouse; like the truck; like the parking field; like the kitchen and water cooler; like the personnel that sell or record or answer service questions.

Every one of them has a valuable mind, a steady hand and heart, but none is as caring, thinking, worried or involved as You, the 24-hour chief Miss/ Mister of your retail furniture operation. As quoted from the Good Book by caring mothers.., "Kein ayn ahora"... G-d Bless You. And now that I've revealed you as the major, major company asset, your major, major mission is to reveal yourself to your industry and your customers.

How? By exposing yourself in a major, classic advertisement with large print and in color? By getting written up in one of those tell all tabloid. Uh! Uh! Never! That’s not the way to reveal your dedication and caring to your suppliers as basic factors in your business.

Your major mission is not just your buying and selling of products but, rather, the selling of you. Yes! the selling of you, the major asset of your company.

When? At the next market and trade show where you can pick out the top wheels of suppliers: The best reps! The best presidents! A-n-d, beyond a doubt, the chief credit and sales service wheels. To let them know that a young (or not so young) knowledgeable business individual has jumped on the retail merry-go-round and is anxious not only to buy product, but to become an important player in the industry.

If promoting and building your own personal reputation and value is not your bag, then all this garbling may sound like pulpit preaching. However, I want to go on record as saying, that putting yourself out front in industry doesn't necessarily make you an ego maniac, it makes you a thinking, business executive.

Yes! All day long, in retail, you're buying and selling merchandise and services. But all day long you should also be buying and selling yourself as accomplished management. Wow-e-e!

Let your segment of the industry know that you're not just a computer number on their invoices nor are they just another supplier. You're you, Jack Smith! and they are Jane and Tom! Which means they're the ones who have to keep their promises re quality and shipping dates and you have to honor yours, as well, including fields of mutual credit. If you say the check is in the mail you have to make sure it is and so is the stamp on your envelope.

And while you are at it, get involved doing some good for our industry. Yes, I know that you are busy in your local community, but maybe not so busy that you can’t do your part for industry organizations and charitable efforts. Get involved with the NHFA, WHFIA OR HFIA. Support your organizations like GMFA, Tri-State HFA, Florida HFA… or any of the other HFA’s, IA’s or FA’s that do good work.  Or, get involved with the home furnishings fund raising arm of City of Hope, the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation or the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library. Along the way you will cement your reputation as a Mench.

So what does all this rigmarole boil down to, Grandpa Mike-e-e? It boils down to sincere give and take by us folks in the buying and selling phases of daily industry... especially, these days, where little kids are growing up talking with I-pad, U-pad, Business-pad, Politics-pad and Bank-pad… and cartoon Love-pads. Smart machines that don't cry or bleed.

At least we here in the furniture game have something called a Comforter Pad that can make a breathing person feel human, cozy and caring… even kids.

PS. Stay tuned for my next week’s column, Check Your Assets –Part 2. It will deal with an equally important topic of selling this very same, #1 company asset (you), to your customers and prospects.

Grandpa Mike-e-e

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