This is how I see myself and my fellow sales representatives.

We are “Conduits” to our retailers, becoming their eyes and ears as to what is relevant in their marketplace, supplying them with ideas and creative ways for them to gain business.

Due to this long recession, most of our independent dealers had to tighten up on expenses, with tough decisions to be made, meaning many of their life long employees needed to be let go in order to keep their doors open.   As a result, our dealers are basically locked into covering the stores at least six days a week, if not all seven days, leaving little time for extracurricular activities such as coming to 1 furniture market, let alone 4 markets.

We have become more important resources to our dealers now than ever before, because our retailers are consumed by the day to day responsibilities of wearing multiple hats to cover for the shortage of staff and look to us to bring them not only new merchandise, but ideas on marketing, e-commerce, etc.

A good retailer of mine said to me last week, “Chris, I used to own my store, now my store owns me”.

Being in retail for my entire life before becoming a rep 8 years ago, I know all to well that 95% of retailers get caught up in the price game, trying to be the best “price” instead of the best “value”.  As an industry on a whole, we are to blame for this occurrence.  Because of this infatuation with “price”,  the Good/Better/Best format of merchandising has almost gone extinct, in its place are way too many stores offering a Sea of Goodness.

It does not matter what lines you represent, it is always beneficial for our the retailers and yourself, to subscribe to the GBB format and have more expensive furniture on their floor then what your line has to offer.   When I work with a dealer that doesn’t have the greatest mix of price points and they tell me that “I have 5 spots open for you”, I reply with, “I’ll take 3 of them, and here are 2 suggestions for a little higher end manufacturers”.

I challenge each and every one of you to think outside the box and ask yourself before you visit each of your retailers “What is one thing I can do to help this dealer become better”.

Christopher DeLisa

Forget about the business outlook, be on the outlook for business.

-Paul J. Meyer

IMPORTANT FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Baker Furniture in Cramerton (standing L-R) owners Jim and Sandra VanPelt and (sitting L-R) their children who help run the business Greg VanPelt and Holly Hite

As covered by the Gaston Gazette, April 2013   (Cramerton is a close suburb of Charlotte, NC)

A 60-year-old Gaston County tradition is coming to an end.

Baker Furniture Co. in Cramerton plans to close by the end of July, having furnished local homes for three generations.

Owners Jim and Sandra Van Pelt say the time is right to stop working 12-hour days and start spending that time with their four grandchildren.

Customers have come to expect the VIP treatment from the business. Sandra Van Pelt often travels to customers’ homes to measure spaces before placing orders.

Baker’s has built a reputation of carrying high-end brands.

It’s come a long way since Sandra Van Pelt’s father, Floyd “Red” Baker, opened the store in 1949 in his garage.

He sold discount furniture to people still recovering from the Great Depression.

Sandra Van Pelt recounts how the business was born. Her parents drove to Hickory to buy a mahogany bedroom suite from a manufacturer. Baker, hunting a bargain, asked if he could get a good deal.

The salesman agreed, but on the condition that Baker buy six bedroom suites instead of one.

The couple made the deal. They put one set of furniture in their home and the other five on the lawn for sale. Customers soon arrived, and “Red” Baker watched the business continuously expand until his death in 1985.

That’s when Jim and Sandra Van Pelt became owners. Their grown children, Greg Van Pelt and Holly Hite, also work at the store.

Less attention to quality

For the last five years, annual sales at the furniture store have totaled $5 million, said Jim Van Pelt. He and his wife take pride in serving discerning clients from Charleston, S.C., to Atlanta.

But the Charlotte region provides loyal customers who, Sandra Van Pelt says, wouldn’t go anywhere else to buy furniture.

“In a small business like this, your customers become your family,” Jim Van Pelt said. “So that’s the bittersweet part.”

Styles and customer habits have changed dramatically over the decades.

Two decades ago, clients wanted everything in a living room to match. From the draperies to the armchairs to the sofa, the “matchy-matchy” style was the rage.

But these days, eclectic styles are in fashion and anything goes.

The Van Pelts have filled fewer custom furniture orders in recent years. Some customers lost interest in picking out solid wood frames, flipping through sample books and selecting ornate fabrics.

They want to walk in a furniture showroom, scout out items they think will look good and leave with the purchases in tow, Sandra Van Pelt said.

Many customers are also paying less attention to quality and are more focused on the price tag.

“Most people have become a lot more conscious of price because of the economy,” she said. “Even people that have money, they’re not throwing it away. They’re still careful with how they spend it.”

‘Personalized attention’

Beverly Cole of Gastonia has moved several times over the past five decades. And the staff at Baker Furniture Co. has been there to help her redecorate each home.

“They wanted to please you so much. I really do think that’s the thing that Gastonia is going to miss so much,” she said. “You knew when you went over there, if you couldn’t find it, they were going to order it for you. That personalized attention is going to be hard to come by now.”

She can’t recall exactly how many furniture pieces she’s bought from the Van Pelts. Since 1960, they’ve helped her select beds, living room furnishings, dining room tables and framed pictures.

After recently moving into an apartment, she found herself once again calling on the services of the Van Pelts. They helped find a headboard for a bed that matches her night stand.

Then Sandra Van Pelt arrived to help her place furniture in different rooms.

“I’m going to miss them terribly,” Cole said. “It’s been a wonderful relationship with needing furniture and having some wonderful people to buy it from.”

Closing out

The store is still fully stocked. The Van Pelts replenish the showroom with items from an on-site warehouse. They hope to have all furniture and rugs liquidated by the end of July.

Jim Van Pelt said the property and 40,000-square-foot brick building are for sale.

The business has always been on Market Street. Additions and renovations have been made over the years to accommodate more showroom space.

Sandra Van Pelt said longtime customers hear about the store closing and stop by to greet her. Then they cry together and remember the friendships made.

It’s emotional because she’s been involved in the business all her life.

“We have always strived to sell people good furniture and give them choices,” she said.

As covered by the Gaston Gazette, April 2013

Savvy Spaces, Charlotte, NC:  One day after selling every single piece of their significant inventory…  at a profit!

Anja and Gene Rosenberg

Anja and Gene Rosenberg have long been recognized for their dedication to the greater Hartford community. They have supported and contributed to many organizations including The American Red Cross, The Leukemia Society, Saint Jude’s, The March of Dimes, The Revitalization Corp, The Family and Children’s Aide, The National Conference for Community and Justice and as major contributors to The Hebrew Home and Rehabilitation Center, which bears their name. In addition, they support the Hartford Hospital Stroke Center, Tufts University Hillel, Hebrew High School and Chabad Summer Camp. Gene is Chair of Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation, which gives to charities such as The Jimmy Fund, CCMC, Bob’s Camp and Camp Rising Sun. He serves on the boards of Chabad, University of Hartford Hillel, Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Bushnell and ADL. Anja is a member of the executive board of Jewish Family Service. She has volunteered at the Hebrew Home for over 10 years. She has served as President of Hebrew Health Care’s Auxillary, The Farmington Valley Arts Council and as a Trustee of the board of Hebrew Health Care.

Gene and Anja’s volunteerism and generosity are a reflection of their values and their commitment to helping others in the community. Jewish Family Service is the fortunate recipient, among so many others, of their philanthropy.

Whether you’re trying to decide whether to close, reinvent or improve your business, these books are both full of great ideas.  Enjoy…

Necessary Endings by Dr Henry Cloud

Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute

A high-end, heirloom-quality furniture manufacturer and seller that has called Paterson home for more than 60 years — whose clients include actors, kings and billionaires — is closing its massive showroom in the city’s downtown to open one closer to customers in Bergen County.

VIOREL FLORESCU / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The decision by Greenbaum Interiors to shutter its 100,000-square-foot showroom, while leaving a company-owned, 30,000-square-foot factory in Paterson, is the latest blow to the state’s third-most populous city, dramatically diminishing the presence of a high-profile business that draws customers from North Jersey and New York State.

Greenbaum Interiors notified customers of its plans by mail last week and email this week, touting a sale that will slash prices by up to 65 percent to reduce its inventory enough to fit into a smaller showroom in Bergen County.

“If people won’t come here, there is nothing I can say or do to make them come,” said Susan Greenbaum Gross, president of Greenbaum Interiors. “We have to be close to our customers.”

No Bergen property has yet been identified. But the company, which has 55 employees, is looking for a 10,000-square-foot to 14,000-square-foot space at the northern end of Route 17 to house a showroom expected to open in the fall with 15 employees.

That would leave 35 workers and a 5,000-square-foot showroom in the Paterson factory, which will sell furniture. Greenbaum Interiors also has a 7,500-square-foot showroom with five employees in Morristown.

The company’s wealthy clients have included actor Eddie Murphy, who bought for his homes in Englewood and California; King Hussein of Jordan; and a Russian billionaire, whom the company declined to identify and who bought an entire houseful of furniture that was shipped to Russia.

Mayor Jeffery Jones said the Greenbaum family briefed him two weeks ago on its plan to close the Paterson showroom, but did not mention moving to Bergen County.

“It’s a big loss,” Jones said, though he noted that the company will retain a significant presence in the city.

“The clientele doesn’t come from Paterson, but the workers do,” he said. “The labor, the work, the storage, the repair — all that stays in our city.”

See the balance of the article, CLICK HERE

You have to ask….  What is their motivation?

Most retailers have long and mutually profitable relationships with the professional sales reps that call on them.  Over the years, they usually develop strong friendships, founded on trust and

Sales pros that recommend PFP do it for the right reason

honesty.  The hundreds of sales professionals, that recommend PFP, do so because they feel that we are the best company to assist their customers.  They know that by using PFP, they have the best chance for recovery, whether it’s to save a struggling business, or to use the PFP copyrighted “What If?” program.  A “What If” promotion allows a store to completely reinvent their business model with a relevant and profitable new structure.  Bottom line, if a sales representative recommends PFP, they’re doing it because they believe we can help, not for their own remuneration.  The most they can hope for from PFP is orders to support a sale, but even then, we only buy lines that are “right” for an event and that provide outstanding value.

As an example, we see a lot of correspondence going to sales reps like the following letter sent by a promoter.  Unfortunately, these “lead fee” programs are very common.  The point is, it’s important to understand the motivation of the person that may be pushing one promoter over another.

The following is a letter that was emailed to hundreds of sales reps nationwide.  This is only one example, we’ve seen many….

PROMOTER LETTER (NOT FROM PFP):

When you give us a referral, here is what you can expect from (Company Name Removed):

The majority of you have been in your respective territories for many years and the retail relationships that you have developed and nurtured, in many cases, have also become close friendships.  Relationships that your retailer/friend has come to depend on for: product knowledge, market/competitive advice, sales/product presentations for their staff in addition to a number of other various “business caps” you wear for which they solicit your input.  That puts you in a unique situation to also make recommendations when their daily sales and margins are falling, they are over-inventoried, floor samples need freshening and the resources to do so are lacking, they have a backlog of sold/undelivered orders that are on credit hold among numerous other signs of distress.  NOW, you can make a recommendation to those same retailers/friends when you recognize the signs of distress, or they simply reach out asking for your help.

AND…we’ve strengthened our rep referral program. We will pay you a guaranteed $4,000 for every referral made to us that we convert to a sale (emphasis added). Here is how it works…if you provide me with a retailers name and contact info and that retailer is expecting my call, when we sign that sale, you will be paid a guaranteed $4,000 or .5%, whichever is greater.  For example…if the sale does $500,000, you will receive $4,000 and if that same sale does $1,500,000, you will be paid $7,500….if it does $3,000,000, you will earn $15,000, etc.  Payments are sent to you on a weekly basis during the term of the event.  AND….we’ll buy from you the lines you’re representing to use in the sale; so, you’ll generate a revenue stream from both sides of the event.

AGAIN, the above is a PROMOTER LETTER (NOT FROM PFP):

“CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO”

As covered by the Memphis Commercial Appeal

West Tennessee’s Henco Furniture announces closing

Entrepreneur and longtime retailer Tom Hendrix wants customers to know that his homespun television commercials promising that “It’s worth the drive” to visit Henco Furniture in Selmer, Tenn., are still true, but now there’s an expiration date attached.

The expansive furniture store, located about 80 miles east of Memphis at 205 Henco Drive in the Selmer Industrial Park, is closing after 17 years in business. Hendrix, who turns 81 in April, made the announcement on Tuesday and said he plans to devote the next chapter in his life to penning his autobiography. A going-out-of-business sale is now under way, but the official closing date depends on how long it takes to move the remaining merchandise.

“When I turned 80 last year I told my wife Sherry Lynne that I thought 80 to 90 would be my best years,” Hendrix said. “I’ve always wanted to write a book, but it takes time to do it, so that’s what I’m going to focus on now. That and spending more time with my family.”

Hendrix said that although he’s enjoyed running the family-owned business, it just wasn’t feasible for his daughters — Leigh Anne McWhorter of Nashville and Susan O’Connell of Corinth, Miss. — to uproot their lives and move their young children back to Selmer to take over day-to-day operations.

And economic factors played a significant role in the decision, Hendrix said.

From a high of around 100 employees, the staff has fallen to around 40 workers after the fallout from the recession. And while the store used to post sales of more than $1 million a month, that figure has been cut at least in half since 2008 and the effort to maintain operations was becoming exhausting.

“It’s sort of like owning a dairy farm because you’ve got to get up early and milk the cows every day. You’ve got to love it and live it,” Hendrix said. “They’ve got their lives elsewhere and this was not the right career for them.”

It certainly didn’t seem like an obvious career for Hendrix, either, at least not at the start.

After decades as an entrepreneur and working in a variety of venues, Hendrix came out of retirement in 1996 to open his furniture showroom. With no prior experience in furniture sales, he focused on building personal connections with customers and creating a family-friendly environment that served as shopping emporium and tourist destination.

“My wife and I were motor-homing it across the country and I told her that at I had a lot of productive years in me and needed to do something else,” Hendrix recalled. “I decided to open up a furniture place near where I grew up and make it a place where the parents would love to visit and the kids would cry when they had to leave.”

To do that, Hendrix fashioned his facility as a destination spot, transforming more than 200,000 square feet of showroom and warehouse space into a homey village that included a restaurant, soda fountain and offered cookies at the front of the store and popcorn in the back. Henco featured a Main Street theme with various storefronts that led to different merchandise areas.

“I was working at a bank at the time when Mr. Hendrix came in and wanted a loan to recreate this small town, furniture store kind of place within an industrial park and I thought he was crazy at first,” said Ted Moore, executive director of the McNairy County Economic Development Commission. “But we made the loan and he made the business successful and Henco has had a great impact on our community.”

Spread out over 40 acres, the site drew customers from six states and was the second-highest tax generator in the county, said Russell Ingle, director of Chamber programs for the McNairy Regional Alliance. The Chamber of Commerce promoted the facility as both a shopping outlet and a tourist destination.

“Lots of groups like the Rotary Club met there and it was a hub for social networking activities,” Ingle said. “It was a great attraction for our community and we’re going to miss it.”

Hendrix’s daughter Susan O’Connell said she’d also miss the store, but that she knew her parents were looking forward to spending lots of time with their seven grandchildren.

“We’re sad about leaving all the customers and employees because they’ve been like family to us, but we want to look at this as a celebration of my father’s career and what he’s meant to so many people,” O’Connell said. “He’s not closing the book, he’s just turning the page to start the next chapter in his story.”

Henco Furniture will continue to discount its merchandise and remain open until the stock is depleted, Hendrix said, but there’s no way of knowing how long that will take. In the meantime, the property is being listed with a real estate agency in the hope of transforming the space into something else once the final sale has been rung up.

“It’s still worth the drive, but you need to get on the road and make the trip today,” Hendrix said. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

PFP handles store closing after 67 years