Blog

To paraphrase Stephen R. Covey, what we are experiencing is demonstrated in our communications. Listen to what you are saying in describing your current state, your opinions, your challenges...how you describe those things show you where you are operating from.

When you are present to being grateful, how do you express it? Do you thank others? Do you show how happy you are to see someone when they walk in the showroom door? Does your gratitude greet them before you say a word?

How do you expre…

Gratitude is often in reaction to something happening that we wanted to have happen, such as simple things like a good parking space and more complex things like a good relationship…or being grateful for coming through adversity having gained insight and success. 

I start my day with a prayer of gratitude and a request for patience and willingness. Yes, willingness.

To not let my stubbornness and resistance take over what I am experiencing or expecting. To be open to new ideas, opinions, or wa…

I had dinner last night with a dear friend who is a brilliant cabinet maker and installer of high-end appliances. Kitchen/bath designers and appliance retailers refer him to their clients who want their products installed perfectly.

We were discussing how he gets paid (from the client) and how to best communicate that expectation. He currently asks the designer or salesperson “Has the client been told that I will collect my fee from them?” to which they always, always say “Yes!” And he usually te…

The home furnishings and home improvement industries have been drinking from a fire hose for the last year. Lots of showroom traffic consisting of people who have been staying home…and using their tired, broken, uncomfortable furniture much more than they used to. And they have been buying like crazy!

August traffic lessened a bit. Maybe vacations, maybe their houses are getting full, maybe they have COVID. Whatever the reason, less traffic didn’t necessarily equal less written business, as those…

“Homework”
High Point Market Seminar, Saturday, October 16 - 4:00 HFA Resource Center

In the last year, so many things have been amended or eliminated, morphed into something else, or revealed themselves as different from originally intended or understood. Those things have all happened to me, to my business, to my clients, and to my understanding and methods for teaching salespeople and sales managers.

This topic, Homework, is one of those newly realized nuggets in my “Sell it or Schedule it” sa…

We all wish it was different…that special orders could be placed and received within a couple of months.

We all wish that price increases didn’t accompany these delays…and yet they do. What we can stop wishing for and start acting on are the communications that need to happen with the customer.

If it’s not a habit to send monthly emails to your customers who placed a special order, make it one. Start by telling your customer (in their thank you note) that they can expect to hear from you every…

Mask, no mask?

Social distance or get close enough to talk?

As the pandemic rails on and showrooms manage incoming opportunities, the ability to communicate while wearing a mask remains tricky.  It’s hard to read full facial expressions, to hear people who speak softly behind a mask, and to repeat once or twice to be understood. 

It’s helpful to the customer (for their comfort and information) to initiate how the interaction will go…and if someone needs to repeat what they said, it’s understo…

For sales associates and leaders everywhere

The numbers never lie. When you step on the scale, you know. When you open your bank statement, it’s right there to see.

The same is true for sales. When you look at your sales results, you know whether you are on track to make goal or not. If you are, great. If you aren’t, it’s a function of actions: the quantity and quality of the actions you have already taken.

If you want to get back on track to make goal, you need to take more actions. If you h…

Q2 2021

For sales associates and leaders everywhere

 Q1 2021 is now behind us. If you hit your quarterly goal, congratulations! If you missed it, check your performance statistics and you will find what was insufficient that kept you from  hitting your target.

The obvious challenges most retail and trade showrooms are facing right now are supply chain shortages and insufferable lead times. This is what the remainder of the year will look like, so it’s critical that we manage what we can contr…

I started this project about a month ago, although how much time it was going to take to complete the project remained an unspecified mystery. Since this was the first slipcover I ever made, I spent time researching HOW to do this so that the result would be respectable. The ticking stripe fabric was a couple of years old, because I originally thought I would have someone do the work for me. But the pandemic arrived and my travel schedule slowed…