July 2014—When Disaster Strikes

APRIL 2014

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WHEN DISASTER STRIKES

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INSIDE JULY 2014

in each issue 04. NAHFA President’s Message 06. Editor's Message 10. Connections Meet Your Newest Association Members 12. Retailer2Retailer/Inspired Reading

14.

20. Community Today Trade Association Partnership 28. Fresh Perspectives Being a Part of Your Community 34. Product Focus Lighting 64. Government Relations Making the Most of Recess 67. The Scoop 70. Industry Calendar 72. The NOW List

features

14. When Disaster Strikes 18. How Attractive Are You?

24. NGN Spotlight: Emily Severson 27. HFNC Wrap Up

24.

39. Las Vegas Market RRC Preview

departments Sales & Marketing

23. Are You Asking the Right Questions?

59. The New Way of Marketing Technology

08. TechNOW 60. Tweet Like a Pro Membership

56. Layaway vs. Multiple Check 63. Networking News

27.

A Perfect Storm. Are you ready? Read this month’s feature to help you prepare.

She's tough and ready to take on the next generation, meet Emily on page 24.

Highlights from the Home Furnishings Networking Conference, featuring the very popular round table retailer-to-retailer discussions.

www.retailerNOWmag.com

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thePlayers What we are so passionate about. . .

To have the courage to pursue purposeful dialogues that challenge conventional thinking, to engage and entertain our readers by delivering content that creates a fervent following ready to change the landscape of our industry.

Published by the North American Home Furnishings Association 500 Giuseppe Court, Suite Six, Roseville, CA 95678 800.422.3778 • retailernowmag.com

RetailerNOW is the magazine for today’s home furnishings professional.

Developed for a specialized community, RetailerNOW brings a unique editorial focus on progressive and relevant issues concerning the home furnishings industry in the retailer’s voice, with a focus on issues impacting retailers NOW.

Contact Information:

500 Giuseppe Ct., Suite 6

Executive Staff

Lisa Casinger Editorial Director lisac@retailerNOWmag.com

Sharron Bradley CEO NAHFA sbradley@NAHFA.org

Robert Bell Editor robert@retailerNOWmag.com

Mary Frye EVP NAHFA mfrye@NAHFA.org

Lisa Tilley Creative Director lisa@retailerNOWmag.com

Membership Staff

Cindi Williams Business Development cindi@retailerNOWmag.com

Roseville CA 95678 Online: retailerNOWmag.com Phone: Editorial: (800) 422-3778 Advertising: (800) 422-3778 Social: Facebook.com/retailerNOW

Twitter.com/retailerNOW Pinterest.com/retailerNOW

Michael Hill mhill@NAHFA.org

Jana Sutherland jsutherland@NAHFA.org

Rick Howard Sklar Furnishings Boca Raton, FL

If you would like to stop receiving RetailerNOW, please send an email to unsubscribe@retailerNOWmag.com.

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Jordan Boyst jboyst@NAHFA.org

Retail Advisory Team

RetailerNOW, ISSN# 2166-5249, is published monthly (except March and December) by the North American Home Furnishings Association, 500 Giuseppe Court, Ste 6, Roseville, CA 95678.

Application to Mail at the Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Roseville, CA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please address changes to: RetailerNOW, The North American Home Furnishings Association, 500 Giuseppe Court, Ste 6, Roseville CA 95678.

© 2014 North American Home Furnishings Association. Published by the North American Home Furnishings Association. Material herein may not be reproduced, copied or reprinted without prior written consent of the publisher. Acceptance of advertising or indication of sponsorship does not imply endorsement of publisher or the North American Home Furnishings Association. The views expressed in this publication may not reflect those of the publisher, editor or the North American Home Furnishings Association, and North American Retail Services Corp. Content herein is for general information only; readers are encouraged to consult their own attorney, accountant, tax expert and other professionals for specific advice before taking any action.

Kaprice Crawford Membership Team Leader kcrawford@NAHFA.org

Eric Malone emalone@NAHFA.org

Travis Garrish Forma Furniture Fort Collins, CO

If you would like to only receive an electronic version of RetailerNOW, please send an email to gogreen@retailerNOWmag.com.

People watching on Freemont Street

Sydnee Seites Webmaster sseites@retailerNOWmag.com

Carol Bell Contents Interiors Tucson, AZ

Subscription: $70/year

Head out to Red Rock Canyon and just stare

RetailerNOW Staff

Michelle Nygaard Sales Executive michelle@retailerNOWmag.com

Mailing – Editorial and Advertising

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Where do you go when you want to lose yourself in Las Vegas?

Dianne Therry dtherry@NAHFA.org Please call (800) 422-3778 for all membership inquires.

Mike Luna Pedigo’s Furniture Livingston TX

Contributors Kaprice Crawford, Kevin Doran, Brooke Feldman, Jeff Giagnocavo, Marc Wayshak

www.retailerNOWmag.com

Neon Museum on Las Vegas Boulevard North. Bring your shades.

GE Capital

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Credit is extended by GE Capital Retail Bank. © 2014 General Electric Company. All Rights Reserved.

President's Message President’s

Are you prepared?

W

here do you invest most of your resources to run your business? If you are like the majority of us, you put your time and money toward sales, merchandising, staff, warehouse and customer service. Do you spend much time thinking about how to protect yourself against a disaster?

Our budgets are built around sales, gross margin, staffing, facilities, advertising, marketing, receiving and delivering. We can quite accurately forecast these line items in our budgets from our P&L sheets and by adding what we are changing and planning for the coming year. When a budget is thoughtfully planned, it can be a fabulous roadmap to follow and measure our performance.

But how do you budget for a fire, a valued employee's heart attack, hurricanes, floods, major accidents or other unforeseen catastrophic events? The old saying is, “Plan for the worst, but expect the best!” So how do we do this? Let’s start with the easy fix: insurance. You need a liability package that will take you through every imaginable catastrophic event your agent can dream up. You need good advice and then decide on the amount of coverage necessary. Don’t forget to include fire, auto, medical, liability and product liability, and make sure you have business interruption as part of your general policy coverage. Talk to your agent about an excess umbrella package for your business as well.

It is a fairly inexpensive way to buy coverage over your regular insurance limits.

A good insurance agent will make sure you are covered for any and all rare events, or at least let you know what insurance exclusions are in your package. Most standard insurance policies do not cover flooding, windstorms, mudslides or sink holes to name a few.

Try to get business interruption on these exclusions where possible because a disaster could force you to shut down for an extended period of time and you will need funds for temporary space and employee retention to get your business back up.

OK, now what else could happen? What about a key employee being lost to sickness, accident, a sudden resignation or even a death? Are we ready for this with a thoughtful succession plan? Perhaps the big box retailers are ready, but it is difficult—yet not impossible—for a smaller company to prepare.

Many of our businesses are family owned with husbands and wives working together in key rolls. Key man insurance can help pay additional help in times of crisis. Cross training will also ensure time to stabilize and ready a replacement.

While writing this I realized my wife Pat and I had never asked each other a difficult question, “What do you want me to do with the business should something happen to you?” We know what we want as partners, but we never thought about what we wanted if we are on our own. Time to wake up and think this through.

Our insurance is coming up for renewal and while it is expensive and has many arms it makes me feel good knowing it is comprehensive and covers everything we can think of. All of our employees rely on our good judgment as owners and managers to prepare them for any disaster.

Are you prepared?

Rick Howard 4

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

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Editor’s Message

Dealing with disasters

I

n another life, I chased hurricanes. No really. Here in North Carolina we’re known for our basketball, barbecue and hurricanes. As a reporter, it was my job to chronicle the death and destruction the latter left in their path.

I’ve stood in a stinging, sideways rain and watched Hurricane Fran pick up a boat and toss it in a neighbor’s front yard. I’ve seen retailers slog through muddy showrooms, tossing out row after row of ruined merchandise.

So, yeah, I know a thing about natural disasters. I know they cause pain and suffering. I know they cause millions of dollars in damage. And after interviewing hundreds of hurricane victims, I know something else: Many simply weren’t prepared for the wicked that came their way.

This month RetailerNOW examines how you can prepare your business for the worst. It’s an important topic many retailers can’t afford to ignore—and yet many do just that. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a study this spring on the lingering effects of superstorm Sandy to small businesses in New York and New Jersey. Brace yourself:

`` Less than 5 percent of merchants had business disruption or flood insurance.

Robert Bell Editor RetailerNOW

`` Half of the merchants recovered with money out of their own pockets while others were forced to increase debt levels. `` Nearly a third of the businesses simply vanished.

I hope you’ll check out our cover story on page 14 because some risks are just not worth taking.

Speaking of risks, Las Vegas Market is approaching. We can’t help you with the games (though 22 black has always been good to me), but NAHFA’s Retailer Resource Center in B-1050 will be a much-needed resource for strengthening your store’s daily operations.

If you need help with financing solutions, are looking for business-building seminars, consulting services or just want a cup of hot coffee and some peace and quiet, drop by. Until then, check out the RRC’s 16-page special section in this issue.

Robert Bell robert@retailerNOWmag.com | (916) 757-1169

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

Is Your Business Software Barely Hanging On? Stop by our booth at the

Las Vegas Summer Market Building B, 10th Floor Booth B-1050 and discover why thousands of retailers are more profitable after switching to RETAILvantage.

“With RETAILvantage we have continued to grow our volume and GMROI — best of all, our bottom-line profit has more than doubled.”

Chris Cooley and Carrie Molitor Michael Alan Furniture

866.325.0015 PSIinfo@profitsystems.com www.profitsystems.com

Tech

TechNOW

facebook.com/RetailerNOW

What technology are you using in your store? Let us know at Robert@retailerNOWmag.com!

@RetailerNOW

pinterest.com/RetailerNOW

Hot News

Hot Site

Pinterest is Beefing Up its Business Platform

mustbepresent.com

What Pinterest is doing with paid advertising, and why it’s awesome.

Cool new small business social media tool: Must Be Present.

Pinterest wants to make sure introducing paid advertising to its platform doesn’t ruin the fun.

By testing its new “Promoted Pins” program with a handful of retailers, including Banana Republic and Target, the service hopes to make sure its network remains “tasteful, transparent,” and “relevant” to users.

This is awesome because Pinterest appears to be considering its users when changes are made – a sharp contrast to the insensitive approach often employed by Facebook.

Pinterest monetizing its user base was inevitable. At least its playing nice. Keeping users happy will help ensure the social media site retains its usefulness to everyone.

New technology allows businesses to analyze Pinterest activity.

Pinterest has announced a new initiative, “MarTech” (Marketing Technology) aimed to help businesses gain more insights.

By working with Marketing Technology developers, Pinterest aims to enable businesses to analyze their Pinterest activity using popular marketing software like Salesforce, Hootsuite, Spredfast, Percolate, Piqora, Curalate and Tailwind.

The company will continue to build value into Pinterest Analytics, which will remain an important free tool. If you’re a business that use marketing technology built by a developer Pinterest is working with, you might start seeing additional insights soon (if you haven’t already).

mustbepresent.com tells you how quickly you respond to mentions on Twitter. Engagement reports place you in a percentile based on the responsiveness of other accounts so you can see how you compare.

You’ve been told time and time again that you can’t Set and track goals for just be on social media, you your responsiveness, and need to be present. You aim for a certain percentile need to pay attention and or a particular average respond to your followers.

Whether it’s just attention response time. they crave, or if they want to know your store hours or current sales, mustbepresent.com makes it simple to tend to them quickly and effectively. Gauge your brand's social responsiveness in real-time and compare yourself against industry benchmarks.

Put it to use

Cool Apps Expensify It’s market time, meaning you’ll be traveling and having to track your expenses.

Expensify is an app that keeps track of business expenses and mileage, lets users scan and upload receipts, files them by trip and even submits expense reports to employers. It is fully crossplatform compatible with multiple mobile and desktop operating systems, easy to use, and offers awesome integrations with other popular apps like Evernote. For example, export your expense report to the Expensify folder inside Evernote so you can have fully searchable PDF expense reports at your fingertips!

Free for personal use; user & feature costs scale with you. Web, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry.

Pro-tip

Connect USB devices on first try without flipping.

NAHFA APP It’s the ultimate companion for home furnishings retailers who are looking to Look or feel on the USB cable for the USB symbol. That sell more, make more and keep more. Our side will always be the top side when plugging in. No app brings you events, updates, and news symbol on the cable? Just put a tiny notch on the top from NAHFA, articles from RetailerNOW and side, just small enough that you can feel it. full in-app access to nahfa.org and retailernowmag.com.

And don’t forget to look for the interactive icon (shown below) throughout this issue—that’s your signal to grab your mobile device and scan to go beyond the page.

Free; iOS, Android.

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

Interactive Symbol

www.retailerNOWmag.com

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Membership

Meet Your New NAHFA Members NEW MEMBERS SINCE JANUARY 2014

OREGON

HEATHER VAN EYK, Northwest Design House, Corvallis

I joined NAHFA for the education. I’m hoping to learn something from the pros in the business. There were the perks, too, like a good credit (card) rate, but I want to learn from others who’ve been doing this a lot longer than me.

Rob Elam, Elam’s Home Furniture, Longview, WA Heather Van Eyk, Northwest Design House, Corvallis, OR Zack Katib, Furniture Zone, Racine, WI Randy Swanson, American Furniture Mart, Brooklyn Park, MN Craig Vinopal, The Fundamental Kitchen, Brookfield, WI Joy Stephens, Above & Beyond Home Furnishings & Design Center, Madras, OR Stewart Patey, Mattress City, Everett, WA Jesse Bise, Pacific Lifestyle Furniture, Beaverton, OR Jose Torres, K&K Custom Furniture, Yakima, WA Minh Duong, MHD Furniture, Milpitas, CA

UTAH

PHILIP BAIRD, Kanab Furniture, Kanab

We were looking for a finance organization that could buy our retail paper. Also, we use the merchant credit card vender to process credit card payments, which saves us a fair amount of money each month.

(800) 422-3778 10

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Bruce Assadnejad, Divine Interiors, San Diego, CA Jim Leontas, Comforts of Home Furniture, Irvine, CA Soren Thomsen, TEMA Contemporary Furniture, Albuquerque, NM Mike Pierce, Twin City Furniture, Kellogg, ID Phillip Baird, Kanab Furniture, Kanab, UT Rochelle Erickson, Discount Furniture Warehouse, Honolulu, HI Carol Bridges, Central Distributing, Fresno, CA Sonia Weksler, Sleep Bedder, San Diego, CA Kyle Young, Wholesale Unlimited, Draper, UT Wendy Fortner, Furniture Solutions, Peoria, AZ Jennifer Wilson, Paj Furniture, Taylorsville, UT Franklin Rodriguez, Furniture U Find, Ontario, CA Benjamin Adler, Charlton Mfg. Corp, National City, CA Minh Duong, MHD Furniture, Milpitas, CA Michael Kline, FurnitureGet.com, Palmdale, CA Richard Osborne, Sleep Xperts, Newport, Beach, CA Ethan Phan, New World Class Furniture, San Leandro, CA Liann McDonald, EQ3, Emeryville, CA www.retailerNOWmag.com

Membership

The credit card processing is what lured me in, but also the help NAHFA offers. It’s the best of the organizations out there to help support our industry.

FLORIDA

It just makes great business sense. I know a lot about the furnishings industry, but there’s a lot I don’t know. That’s where (NAHFA) can help. You can’t beat the networking, the product know-how it offers.

JIM COLLIER, Arts Appliance & Furniture, Valley Stream

UTAH

Roger Stevens, Bolton Furniture, Morrisville, VT Matthew Chess, Mattress Mary, Waterbury, CT Rami Macani, Leonardo Furniture, Valley Stream, NY Jim Collier, Arts Appliance & Furniture, Ashland, ME Deanna Berman, Furniture Factory Liquidators, Livonia, MI Chris Graves, Ted’s Discount Furniture, Lincoln Park, MI Joel Sadow, Furniture Décor Showrooms, Stoughton, MA Mike Qendah, East Main Furniture Outlet, Springfield, OH Beverly Fritts, Crickets Home Furnishings, Dimondale, MI Brian Wilson, Buyers Paradise Inc., Somerset, KY

CYNTHIA HEATHCOE, Contemporary Living, Palm Beach Gardens

Cynthia Heathcoe, Contemporary Living, Palm Beach Garden, FL Mary Conover, Midwest SAW, Summerville, SC Johnny Maloney, Cowboy Maloney’s, Jackson, MS Joshua Hudson, Hudson’s Furniture Showroom, Sanford, FL Darren Modricker, Willow Street Pictures, Inc. West Lawn, PA Rodney Brickell, Holladay House & Home Center, Inc., Aylett, VA Charles White, RW Design & Exchange, Cumming, GA Sherri Will, Leather Express, Pompano Beach, FL

James Keathley, James Craig Furnishings, Houston, TX Thomas Nix, Nix Home Center, Stamps, AR David Davis, US Mexico Consulting, Austin, TX Joni Greeson, Collectic Home LLC, Austin, TX Karl Hayes, Hayes Home Furnishings, Eldon, MO Helen Roberts, Hugo Furniture & Appliance, Hugo, OK Sonia Ornelas, A&M Enterprises Furniture and Appliances, Pearsall, TX Becky Jones, Your Savings Place Furniture, Broken Arrow, OK William Niels, Interior Design Gallery, Austin, TX Josh Derr, Frontera Furniture, Houston, TX Dana Magill, Kid Zone Furniture & Oklahoma Futon, Oklahoma City, OK Melissa Ward, Furniture Queen, Katy, OK

www.retailerNOWmag.com

JAMES KEATHLEY, James Craig Furnishings, Houston

TEXAS

I would go to High Point all the time and never pulled the trigger. I just assumed (NAHFA) was for big, humongous retailers and I’m just a boutique designer. But it’s an association that has everyone in mind. I really like the buying group opportunities on things like insurance, light bulbs IT systems for inventory. There’s something for all my needs.

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Retailer2Retailer

Retailer2Retailer

Q:

How does your store prepare for natural or man-made disasters?

Joe Antonelli, owner, Antonelli’s Furniture, Melbourne, FL We don’t do anything more than usual. I don’t do much beyond my insurance, but that’s been a key. We got hit pretty hard by four hurricanes back in 2004, but it was (Francis and Jean) that did the most damage. They hit us about two weeks apart. We got a lot of flooding, a lot of water damage.

We were closed for seven weeks when all was said and done.

What saved me was my business continuation insurance. I didn’t even know I had it so it was a pleasant surprise to know it was there.

Abe Malla, owner, Westside Foundry, Atlanta, GA We don’t have a specific plan or anything like that, but we do communicate with each other about what everyone’s role will be. A good example of that is when most of downtown Atlanta was flooded in 2009. We’re an 85,000 square-foot store that had a lot of water damage. We called several after-disaster companies and they said the soonest they could get to us was the next day.

So we got in contact with all of our employees and everyone rolled up their sleeves, got down on their hands and knees and got to work. This was the morning after the flood. By 3 o’clock that day we got 85,000 square-feet dried and we were back in business.

Joe Antonelli, Antonelli's Furniture

The key to preparing or dealing with a disaster is surrounding yourself with a great group of employees who are as committed as you are. We have a wonderful culture here of everyone wanting to help each other out.

Inspired Reading:

A Pathway to Profit, by Anita Pugh, Caroline Hipple, Chris Matthies, Dixon Bartlett

A Pathway to Profit is a guidebook every retailer and manufacturer needs to read. It’s written by industry icons who pull back the curtain and share how This End Up and Storehouse created cultures unlike any other.

Though they give all the credit for this idea to This End Up founder Stewart Brown, it is obvious that without these individuals driving the efforts things would have been very different. Brown realized early on that everything could be copied—furniture, stores, catalogs—but not people. And that is the crux of the culture.

Pathway to Profit gives readers a step-by-step explanation of how (and why) to build the type of internal culture that leads to fiscal profit. Why look for advice from employees of companies that fell into bankruptcy?

Because the culture didn’t lead to the bankruptcies; in fact the culture is the reason both were two of the most successful companies in the history of our industry.

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Cover Story

Will You be Ready? athy Williams walked two miles to her store—two miles past broken g l a s s , d ow n e d power lines and cars hanging from trees like Christmas ornaments—before reaching the corner of 26th Avenue and 10th Street. She stared ahead and breathed a sigh of relief: Amidst all the death and destruction a powerful tornado unleashed on Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the night before, Spiller Furniture, against all odds, was still standing.

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By Robert Bell

Williams, the company’s longtime manager, to pick up our marbles and go somewhere crossed the street and peeked through the else to play, but it could have been worse, broken storefront glass. That’s when she a lot worse.” breathed another sigh, this one of disbelief.

When disaster strikes—either by Mother “I looked inside and all I could see was Nature or by man—many small-business sky,” she said. “That’s when I knew things owners aren’t fortunate. Indeed, 25 percent weren’t good.” of independent small businesses fail to reopen after a major disaster, according to It would only get worse. Tuscaloosa’s dead- the Tampa-based Institute for Business and ly tornadoes, which killed 64 people in Home Safety. Now here’s the rub: Experts April of 2011, sheared off a large portion say many of those businesses would likely of the brown-brick store’s roof and hurled be open for business if they had impleit down the street. A sidewall collapsed in- mented strategic disaster plans. ward, exposing the store’s furniture and accessories to more than four inches of rain. Gail Moraton, the Institute’s Business Resiliency Manager, sees it time and time Williams grabbed an empty shopping cart again. “Businesses, especially small, indefrom what was left of a nearby grocery pendent businesses, are so often focused store. She filled it with any important com- on protecting their physical properties pany papers and petty cash before pushing that they lose sight of the bigger picture,” it the two miles back to her car. She never says Moraton. “Certainly your store and bothered trying to rescue inventory. warehouse are important, but so are your suppliers, your in-store data, keeping your “There was nothing to salvage,” says owner good employees from finding other work Shane Spiller, who was out of town during if they’re going to be out a long time—all the disaster. “Everything was destroyed. of that factors into whether a business can Everything.” survive a disaster.”

Spiller’s insurance did not cover replacing the store, one of three he owned. The store never re-opened, but Spiller believes he was lucky. “That sounds odd to say, but none of our employees or customers were hurt and we got a large part of our investment back,” he says. “Yeah, we had

www.retailerNOWmag.com

Panous Kouvelis, a business professor at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, studies how companies prepare and react when a natural disaster strikes. He says small business owners ignore disaster plans at their own peril. “Some might struggle and survive

Cover Story

without one—especially if they have two or three other stores to rely on for revenue—but a lot of others simply don’t make it,” Kouvelis says. “Are they easy to implement? Not always, but keeping your business sustainable always requires a little effort.”

“Waffle House has solid risk management plans in place,” says Kouvelis. “So when a disaster strikes, they’re ready to go.”

trying to stay afloat financially. Only making matters worse was that Thompson did not have flood insurance. “Never thought I’d need it,” she says. “We’ve had storms Just as important, he says, Waffle House un- come and go in the past and always surderstands that supply chains go both ways vived, but Sandy hit us hard.” for a retailer. “Think about it,” Kouvelis says, “when a disaster strikes your community Without any insurance, Thompson estiKouvelis creates an annual list of com- that’s when the furniture or service you mates she sunk more than $100,000 of her provide is most needed.” panies that handle disasters well. The list own money into the store to get it back up includes the usual suspects—Walmart, and running. That personal cash infusion The quicker a retailer rebounds, Kouvelis is what saved her, she says. Other retailers Lowes and Home Depot, for example —but the company at the top might sur- says, the sooner it can start capturing sales around her weren’t as fortunate. One minprise you. Waffle House, a chain of din- just when residents need them—whether ute they were doing fine, the next day they it’s, in the case of Waffle House, a hot meal were gone and never came back. ers largely exclusive to the Mid-Atlantic after three days with no power, or a mattress and South, has “an extremely systematic or sofa to replace one ruined by a storm. approach” to disasters that many small Spiller and Thompson are not unlike businesses would be wise to duplicate, other home-furnishing professionals, says Besides an increase in sales, Kouvelis says Moraton. “A lot of small businesses think says Kouvelis. the ability to respond quickly to your they are adequately (insured), but when hurting customers “buys a lot of customer that hurricane or tornado hits they find out Don’t take Kouvelis's word for it. The loyalty from your community.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency something completely different.”

(FEMA), which knows a thing or two Joann Thompson learned this the hard way Moraton says so many retailers focus on about disasters, uses the “Waffle House Index” to determine the impact of a natu- in October of 2012. Two weeks after she re- what they are covered against that they fail turned with a truckload of furnishings from to consider where they might be exposed. ral disaster on an area. If a Waffle House is open for business with a full menu, the High Point Market, Thompson and her Ocean City, New Jersey store were pounded Moraton suggests retailers look at their the index is green. If a store is offering

by Hurricane Sandy. Thompson showed up policy’s exclusion clauses to learn about a limited menu, the index is yellow. If a the next morning and found chairs, tables what’s not covered such as flooding and store is closed, the index is red. and other furnishings floating throughout business interruption, two common risks Waffle Houses were up and running dur- her shop in more than 20 inches of water. that can cripple a business. “Start at what’s ing the ice storm that paralyzed Atlanta excluded at the end of your contract and Thompson, who started her design store work your way to the top,” she says. “A lot earlier this year. They were also open more than 22 years ago, spent the next of business owners are surprised just how shortly after Hurricane Katrina and several weeks digging and drying out while exposed they are to disasters.”

Alabama tornados.

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Cover Story

Left, the deadly tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2011 devastated Spiller's Furniture store.

Right, owner Shane Spiller stands next to a wall that collapsed from the storm.  Continued from page 15

Not all disasters come at the hands of Mother Nature. For years Jeff Burt believed his company’s data was safely backing up on myriad operating systems throughout his Suburban Contemporary Furniture store in Oklahoma City. When the store’s office manager deleted the company’s precious data from one computer one spring day in 2012, he unknowingly deleted everything.

Gone was 14 months worth of data. You name it—banking, inventory, sales, purchase orders and customer information— and it disappeared. “It was an all-hands-on-deck mentality for many, many weeks,” says Burt, who rallied employees and his accounting firm to enter all the lost data by hand. “I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it.”

Burt’s digital disaster proved a major inconvenience.

Fortunately the lost data never found its way into the wrong hands, a growing problem for retailers and other small businesses. Breaches at large companies such as Target and Michaels dominate the headlines, but a recent survey from computer security company Symantec found that 30 percent of cyber-attacks last year targeted small businesses.

Ten years ago cyber-risk was a specialty product among insurers, a product only Fortune 500 companies invested in.

“Now it’s a normal product,” Moraton says. “It should be no different than hurricane coverage.”

Kouvelis, the business professor, says many retailers make the mistake of backing up their data in the store. Even better, he said, is to store that data many miles away from your store where it’s protected from any disaster that might come your way. “If you’re on the East Coast, back up your data on the West Coast,” he says. “It’s still at your fingertips, but safe from any danger you might face.”

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What can a chain of greasy-spoon diners teach home furnishing retailers about protecting their businesses? Waffle House, a regional chain of 1,600 restaurants, knows how to make two chicks on a raft (eggs and toast), but it also knows a thing or two about readiness. Grab a cup of joe and pull up a seat:

Create a disaster plan: Do employees know what their role is after a disaster? Waffle House dispatches hundreds of outside employees to crippled stores to get them up and running. You may not have that luxury, but your employees should know what is expected of them.

Share your plan: Now that you have a plan, share it. It does no good to create a plan and then throw it in your trunk or lock it away in a vault. Waffle House employees from the president down to the fry cook, know what’s expected of them. Consider creating a Facebook page exclusively for employees to communicate.

Ask questions: Waffle House knows that supply

chains work both ways. They pull food and labor from outside a storm-ravaged area to help out. Do you know what contingency plans your suppliers have for dealing with their own disasters? If you lose a supplier for months, do you know whom you can turn to?

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Use your NAHFA app to scan this page and download an easy-to-use recovery plan created by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. Don’t have our app? Download it free at nahfa.org/myapp.

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17

Retail Voice

JUST HOW ATTRACTIVE ARE YOU?

by Jeff Giagnocavo

W

hether you’re like me and you sell mattresses, or you sell home furnishings, there are three different ways to sell. I like to call them Push, Pursuit and Attraction.

Push is what happens in the fragrance department of a store. You are browsing the fragrances when— BOOM!—it hits you. The latest fragrance from this week’s hottest celebrity is sprayed your way.

Push selling is all around us. From the carnival barker (“Step right up!”) to the grocery store where you turn a tight corner and accidentally bump your cart into a display of sugary cereal with the hottest new toy inside. You see it, your kids see it—suddenly the odds have increased on that cereal going home with you.

Attraction selling is about determining if you and the customer will fit. In fact, this is where the only selling really comes in to play. You have the solution your customer needs, but will they feel comfortable working with you?

The only problem with attraction style selling is that it’s very much like a first date. So much is promised up front, even the slightest mistake can turn a customer off. But the payoff —more sales—is worth the risk.

Pursuit selling is the method most home furnishing sales professionals are familiar with. Pursuit is the customer in your store. Maybe it’s the lifeblood of how you’ve been selling for years.

Just like push selling, the problem with pursuit selling is that it’s mostly unwelcomed by the consumer. Oh, sure, customers know true sales professional can help them. The problem is those professionals are so few and far between that many customers have never dealt with one before. The thought of listening to another amateur frightens them.

Pursuit selling is the high-pressure, buy-it today tactic that destroys the well-spoken, knowledgeable sales professional. Unless you have the proper marketing to attract clients who are a strong fit to your home furnishings store, pursuit is, unfortunately, where most sales professionals will spend their lives.

Attraction selling easily translates to the home furnishings industry.

At my mattress store there are two big moments for attraction selling.

The first comes on the front end, where the customer can download our sleep guide. We know that our best sales are from clients who have obtained our guide, which asks specific questions about one’s sleeping habits. Whether it’s online, an old-fashioned referral, or a newspaper ad, if a client shows up at our store via this attraction method, we know they are a better lead than someone off the street.

Home furnishings retailers should consider putting together their own tip sheet and making it available online, by email or in your store. This sheet is most helpful to consumers when you propose or suggest answers to questions they should be asking.

So what should you be striving for? I’m a huge fan of attraction selling. When you sell by attraction you attract only the best clients. When a customer walks into your furnishings store because of attraction selling, your sole focus from there on is to merely affirm that what she has been told along the way is true.

Don’t confuse should be asking questions with frequently asked questions. FAQs are what every retailer and their brother posts on their website, maybe you have them too. Should be asking questions are those that set you and your store apart from your competition.

Should be asking questions move beyond price, color selection and speed of delivery.

With attraction sales, the consumer already knows you and your store are the solution to their problem. They are the negative to your positive charge—pure magnetism!

They answer questions such as, “Will I really enjoy this new sofa with power recline, cup holders and flip-down trays—or is it too much? This new bedroom set is gorgeous, but will it really work

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

You need to answer these questions because I promise you your customer is asking them—if not out loud then to herself.

Doing so not only creates a better buyer-seller relationship, but will also likely position you as the professional and lead to higher tickets.

You can create your own assessment around those should be asking questions. For now, simply take the top five questions you should be asking and work those into your presentation for each home category offered in your store. Make them an organic part of your conversation as opposed to an awkward Q&A session.

When you weave in these discussion points and questions your presentation turns from “this person just wants my money” to “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this, and this person genuinely cares about my satisfaction.”

Your tips sheet can reside on your website, category pages, and even social media pages. If you have a Pinterest page, turn your tips sheet into an image and pin it. Don’t ignore old school: A tips sheet should also be a printed sheet in your store that your sales staff can hand out during their presentation.

When that perfect customer is attracted to you and your store, they are saying YES! You are for me, and I’m for you! The heavy lifting is done. Affirmation is now your sell. Your sole focus from here on is to affirm that what she has been told along the way is true.

The second biggest moment of attraction selling is when a customer comes into our store. Rather than begin the usual what size, what firmness, how old is your mattress dialog, we offer a more consultative experience. With 29 laser-focused questions, we get to the heart of what the customer’s real needs are, often discovering things about their sleep habits they never even considered when buying a mattress.

The only problem with attraction style selling is that it’s very much like a first date. So much is promised up front, even the slightest mistake can turn a customer off.

in my room and will it hold all my clothes? The bunk bed will free up a lot of space in the boys’ room, but will they use the top bunk in two years?

So the way to win with attraction selling is simple. Say what you will do for the customer, how you can truly help them and serve them. Then practice what you just preached.

Jeff Giagnocavo is co-owner of Gardner's Mattress & More, Lancaster, PA, co-founder of Mega Mattress Margins ("http://www.MegaMattressMargins.com" www.MegaMattressMargins.com), and he regularly speaks at industry events on successful retail strategies.

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19

Community Today

That Strengthens Our Industry

By Lisa Casinger

about?

: What issues are your members most concerned

Counts: Staying in business. Certainly they look to us to focus on legislative and regulatory issues on the federal and state level; they also turn to us for product safety information. In the last five or six years in particular we’ve been inundated with regulations and legislation that heavily impact the industry. Many of the issues have a lot of chemistry and science behind them and members don’t have the resources to focus on these issues internally.

Andy Counts, AHFA

T

Sharron Bradley, NAHFA

he purpose of a trade association is to bring together like-minded people so they can learn from each other, share ideas, make contacts and work toward a common goal. In the home furnishings industry two such associations are the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) and the North American Home Furnishings Association (NAHFA).

Both associations work in concert for the benefit of their respective members and for the industry.

This month RetailerNow sits down with the CEOs of each association, Andy Counts of AHFA and Sharron Bradley of NAHFA, to learn more about the groups and their contributions.

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Bradley: Our members are also concerned about staying in business. They’re racing to keep up with technology, learning how to deal with the different generational issues regarding both consumers and employees, and competing for the consumer’s disposable income. They do look to us for information on regulatory and legislative issues, but they don’t necessarily realize how important those issues are until something happens to affect them personally.

Our job is to help them understand these issues and why they are so important and to work to protect their business interests on both a national and state level.

: How do you address these concerns?

Counts: We work to make sure the industry has a seat at the table. We’re providing a voice in various forums, from meetings with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Bill Purdue, our vice president of regulatory affairs, travels all across the country addressing the concerns of the industry on the federal and state levels.

Bradley: We address retailer concerns by providing education and opportunities to talk to each other about solutions. The retailerto-retailer connection is very important. We try to educate our members at every event and we’re putting on more regional events to make networking even more convenient.

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Community Today

Counts… “There are profound advantages to staying informed—and also to making sure your company’s perspective is being represented within your association.”

When it comes to government relations, we have engaged a national lobbying firm and have a staff government relations liaison that address our members’ concerns. In addition to the AHFA, we also work in partnership with other organizations and coalitions on legislative and regulatory issues.

: How do you distinguish between the information you provide your members and the information you share with the industry?

Bradley: We share as much general information and research with the industry as we possibly can. For example, we offer educational seminars in our Retailer Resource Centers (RRCs) in Las Vegas and High Point. The more specific, detail-driven information is reserved for our members. Our members are our first priority— making sure we give them the tools and information they need and we work hard to communicate the rules and regulations they should be aware of.

Counts: I agree with Sharron. There’s a big difference between information you can Google and information specific to our industry. About 80 percent of our members are small businesses. They consider us an extension of their staff. They look to us to provide them with the compliance tools they need, specific solutions and analysis of what’s going on and how it affects them.

Bradley: Exactly—the information is everywhere and you can’t put a lid on that. It’s knowing how to put that information to use, knowing the specifics of what to do, that’s important. That’s the benefit of associations—we filter all of that information and drill down to the most important aspects that affect our members. : AHFA and NAHFA work together on many issues, why is this important?

Bradley: I think it’s important for the industry to have one strong voice. We can influence the federal and state governments and consumers if we speak and act together. The goal is to use our partnerships to have a stronger voice. Some things people are aware of—new, more favorable flammability regulations in California, for example, but they aren’t aware it happened because there was a lot of industry involvement.

The NAHFA was founded in 2013 with the merger of the three largest U.S. home furnishings retailer associations. It is North America’s largest organization devoted specifically to the needs and interests of home furnishings retailers. The Association has more than 1,800 members representing more than 7,000 storefronts across all 50 states and several countries. With 21 people in California, Texas and North Carolina NAHFA provides members with services, programs, networking and education to help them run their businesses more efficiently as well as information and advice on regulatory, legislative and compliance issues.

The AHFA traces its history to the North Carolina Case Workers Association, formed in 1905. The organization went through several iterations as it grew to include both case goods and upholstery manufacturers throughout the United States, as well as outdoor furniture manufacturers and suppliers to all of these industries. Membership is open to manufacturers and importers of residential furnishings for the U.S. market. For more than 100 years, AHFA’s purpose has been to provide the latest marketing, management and technical information to its member companies and to serve as their advocate for meaningful and effective standards and regulation. Today, AHFA has a staff of 10 people in High Point, N.C., serving nearly 400 member companies.

Bradley… “We can influence the federal and state governments and consumers if we speak and act together.”

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Community Today

 Continued from page 21

Counts: It’s critical that we have the same voice in the industry.

Retailers are the boots on the ground. If there’s any disconnect between manufacturers and retailers the whole compliance issue could fall apart and we’d both be in serious trouble.

People hear about or know something about California’s Prop 65 or the formaldehyde rule, but what’s important to realize is they don’t hear about all of the things that have gotten killed in committee or changed during the negotiations and rule-making processes.

These are the critical things we work on every day on behalf of our members and the industry. : What’s the best way for the industry to stay informed about these issues?

Bradley: Be part of the conversation. Be a member. Read the information your associations send you. Be informed. And most importantly, call us. We can help.

Counts: There are profound advantages to staying informed – and also to making sure your company’s perspective is being represented within your association. If you are not a member, you are abdicating your voice in that conversation.

Current Issues The North American Home Furnishings Association and the American Home Furnishings Alliance work together on legislative and regulatory issues on the federal and state level that affect manufacturers and retailers alike. Here are just a few of the current issues they’re working on: `` California Prop 65 reforms `` California’s proposed labeling bill regarding fire retardants in furniture `` National regulations pertaining to formaldehyde use in furniture `` National regulations regarding flame retardants in furniture For more information on these and other issues, check out our Government Relations column on page 64.

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Sales & Marketing Use your NAHFA app to scan this page and download Marc’s ebook 25 Tips to Crush Your Sales Goal.

ARE YOU ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?

By Marc Wayshak

More than

500,000

startups are born each year in the United States.

Impressed by that number? Don't be. Half of those startups fail within their first year.

Wait—it gets worse. Within the next four years, another 50 percent or more will fail.

The environment for home furnishing professionals is hostile. If you’re running a furniture or design store today, you know what I mean. Luckily, there are ways to master your environment and give your company a leg up. The number one rule is this: You must know how to sell your product or service. And you need to sell it better than your competitors.

The good news is your competitors are out there right now enthusiastically pitching the features and benefits of their products to your prospects. They’re making cheesy sales calls, using outdated closing techniques and wasting their time following up on prospects that are unlikely to do business with them.

The bad news is that you’re probably doing the same exact thing.

Having worked with hundreds of retail furniture store owners and their sales staff, I have a unique perspective on how companies are selling today. Most are doing it all wrong. Rather than pitching their products or services, salespeople and business owners should be asking effective questions to understand their prospects’ challenges and goals. By asking great questions, salespeople create great value in the eyes of their prospects.

Here are five questions you should ask in every selling situation: “Tell me about your challenges with regards to…” Every great

salesperson must first understand his prospects’ particular sales challenges. If you’re selling furniture, then you’ll wants to understand your prospects’ furniture challenges. If you’re an interior designer, you’ll want to understand your potential client’s challenges with regards to their existing, outdated room. This is an effective start to any selling conversation because it immediately shows that your goal is to focus exclusively on the prospect and not on yourself. Too often salespeople choose the latter and end up losing a customer.

“Give me an example of this challenge.” Once

you’ve learned about the key challenges, you want to get examples of those challenges.

This question takes a challenge from theoretical to personal. Ultimately, the prospect will only be motivated to buy from you if the challenge is personal and truly frustrating. You will learn this by asking for an example. “Our old sofa and loveseat need to be replaced,” isn’t enough.

Through questions, I want you to learn that, “We’re looking for a sofa and loveseat with a bold pattern to replace our plain-old beige furniture.”

“Ballpark how much this c h a l l e n g e c o s t s y o u . ” If

a challenge isn’t costing the prospect anything then they will not feel motivated to fix it.

Don’t think of “cost” in terms of money.

For consumers, that “cost” can be personal.

By asking the right questions, you might discover the problem is costing the prospect in terms such as, “Our ugly dining room table has meant that I’m too embarrassed to have dinner parties anymore.” www.retailerNOWmag.com

“What would it mean to you if you could solve this challenge?” Before

you ever get into presenting your solution, you want to understand just how committed the prospect is to solving his or her challenges. By learning what it would mean to solve the challenge, the prospect starts to paint you—and, just as important— themself!—a picture of exactly what the upside will look like. Understanding what it would mean to solve the problem (a bold, new sofa and loveseat) allows the prospect to articulate the value that you bring to them (more dinner parties!).

“Big picture, what are you looking to accomplish?”

Many salespeople often have no clue as to why their prospects would even want to buy a product or service from them.

This question is the ultimate paintbrush in the hand of your prospect. This is where you fully understand what the prospect wants to accomplish from a high level.

In the case of the home furnishings sales professional selling outdoor furniture, this is where the prospect might share how she’s looking to increase her living space and sees outdoor furniture as more than just a weekend product.

Just think: Most salespeople are pushing their products or services onto prospects, whereas you will simply be asking great questions to let the prospect sell himself.

By asking these five questions in every selling opportunity, you will begin to understand your prospects on a deeper level that will help you dominate your competition.

Marc Wayshak, www.marcwayshak.com, is a sales strategist who created the Game Plan Selling System.

He is the author of two books on sales and leadership including, Game Plan Selling, and a regular online contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine and the Huffington Post Business section. @MarcWayshak J U LY | 2 0 1 4

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Next Gen NOW Spotlight A big Dallas Cowboys fan, Emily's favorite Cowboy is tight end Jason Witten.

: How does a communications major end up in the furniture industry?

Emily: I majored in communications with

a management minor because, like most 19 year olds I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I started taking calculus 2 and communications courses and the (communications) courses are what resonated with me.

: If you opened a home furnishings store tomorrow, how would you be successful?

Emily: I’d have to have an online presence.

If I don’t, I’m going to have a hard time believing I’ll be successful—especially a new business like mine. I need a website if for no other reason than people need to fine me online before they star shopping in person. I also need a venue for people who don’t want to come to the store, but still want to interact with me. A site that inspires them while they are researching is the best way to capture them…then you can sell to them. I can’t just open a store and sell, sell, sell. I have to gain their trust. I’m not sure a lot of stores understand what online can do for them. They just don’t get it.

gets it.

GETTING TO KNOW Emily Severson Operations Manager Furnituredealer.net Eagan, MN

: Tell me a retailer that

Emily: Belfort Furniture has blogs, surveys, design tips. They try to inspire, show a range of product that can go with any lifestyle but in a way of engaging the customer—not just “here’s our website now come buy something.”

: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made on the job and what did you learn?

Emily: Not taking advantage of all the

networking opportunities that were available when I first started. It’s hard to learn it all on your own. You’re not going to get anywhere quickly if you assume you have

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Next Gen NOW Spotlight

Emily bought her first sofa, from Rowe's Dalton collection, for her apartment last year. That was the easy part. Choosing this emerald green fabric took 2.5 hours.

to find all the information on your own without any help. Once except the Packers. This was when the Cowboys were winning you take in the industry, find a mentor and some friends, the indus- with guys like Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders. My older try will embrace you. I didn’t let it embrace me as soon as I could. brother started liking Dallas first. When you’re 5, your 7-yearold brother is your hero so he kinda made my choice for me.

: Do you think those are the biggest challenges facing store owners today?

Emily: I think those are probably right up at the top. The challenge

is that it’s a self-fulfilled prophecy. We drop prices, we run thinner margins and it reduces our ability to do the things we want to do.

So what happens is we’re working harder for less. You have to sell more $200 dressers to make up for the one $400 dresser you used to sell. When we drop our numbers, we have to work a lot harder and do a lot more to make the same amount of money.

: From a 20-something perspective, what’s the biggest challenge the retail furniture industry faces?

: Your apartment is on fire. There’s only time to save your cat and one social media.

Emily: I would go with LinkedIn. Facebook has gotten a little

convoluted in the sense that it’s everything. A lot of it I don’t care about. I mean, it’s a great venue for content and staying connected to people, but it’s almost too overwhelming. LinkedIn is a good, professional network. Everything I find on there is relevant to my life. Twitter and Instagram just aren’t as robust as I’d like to see.

: You’re walking down the street when you see the home furnishings industry coming toward you.

Emily: The biggest challenge is engaging the younger customer What does it look like?

because they’re the next big buying group the industry is going to be trying to grasp in the coming years. (Millenials) are young, tech-focused and have different expectations of how things are done.

They don’t buy things the way their parents do. Retailers are going to have to adapt and engage them on their terms.

: Why has the furniture industry been so slow to embrace the Internet?

Emily: A man, maybe someone who walks around in a sport coat and jeans. He’s professional making executive decisions in the sport coat, but the jeans give more of the history of where he started. This industry didn’t happen overnight. A lot of hard work got us where we are today.

: You do a lot of online shopping, which is odd since you live so close to the largest mall in the Emily: It’s a big leap to start doing some of the online strategies world. Online or bricks? needed. It takes time, it takes money. For businesses, that can be scary. Retailers had a wheel that was turning just fine. Now the industry is trying to reinvent itself, but a lot just want to keep going and going the same old way. I totally get that. It’s not like you’re buying a book online after reading the synopsis. Furniture is a big-ticket purchase with a lot of things to consider: size, fabric and comfort. It’s asking a lot of someone to pay $2,000 for a sofa without sitting on it.

: How does someone from Amery, Wisconsin end up rooting for the Dallas Cowboys?

Emily: (Laughs) My father was never into sports and my mother was from Minnesota. She said we could root for anyone we wanted

Emily: I love both. I will spend a week online looking for ideas

before I go into a store to make a purchase. That’s how I bought my sofa last year. Or, if I’m confident it will fit or know I can use it and like the reviews, I’ll go ahead and just buy it online.

: Why is Next Gen important?

Emily: Again, it’s the networking. Easily the best way to learn

the industry and grow, while at the same time helping the industry. The best of the best are at High Point Market and the best of the best are getting younger. They want to share what they think and they want to hear what you think. You really are taken seriously.

Next Gen NOW (NGN) is a community of young, passionate, engaged industry professionals whose mission is to give a voice to the needs and goals of the up-and-coming future generations. NGN strives to educate the industry on how and why it should attract and keep young talent. The NAHFA supports NGN by facilitating meetings and educational opportunities and introducing the industry to its members through RetailerNow. Connect with NGN members at ngnow.org or on Twitter @ngnow.

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25

Fresh Perspectives

BEING A PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY

by Brooke Feldman

I

grew up in Leonia, New Jersey, a small town where everyone knows everyone. My family is active with the two community theatres there. To this day, we enjoy a weekend walk through town, buying bagels, coffee, produce and other items from local shops.

Just last month while walking to the local market, I mentioned to my mother how much I enjoyed shopping there. Mom agreed.

“It’s nice to support our local business,” she said.

It’s a satisfying feeling to to give my business to independent retailers. It’s equally fulfilling knowing that business owner decided to open shop. It’s a powerful thing to be an entrepreneur, but the job is not without its drawbacks. The biggest concern for any new businessman or woman is staying afloat. You might think think the problem is that you're just missing some better marketing strategies, which could be right, but you’re on a budget, and need to count all your pennies. What, then, is the solution? It’s all about community.

At last month’s Home Furnishings Network Conference in Phoenix, I spoke at length about the meaning behind community.

The word “community” can refer to a usually small, social unit of any size that shares common values. It comes from the Old French communete, a broad term for fellowship. Makes you think of the Three Musketeers, doesn’t it? The “all for one and one for all” motto has a nice ring to it. If you’re ready to draw attention to your business, it’s time to create a mark in your community.

What does that mean? It means standing out and giving back. There are many ways to do this. Here are three:

What is your niche?

In other words, what is the one thing about your business that stands out from other places consumers can spend their money. Every great marketing campaign starts with a theme or that one little component of a product that stands out. What is that to you? It could be you who brings the offerings and convenience of a chain store to your small store; it could be you only sell sustainable products, or contemporary furniture at an affordable price.

These are niche themes that can work in your community. Grab customers’ attention with that niche.

Be a team player.

Another way to gain new business might just come from your next-door neighbor. Working with another business owner to cross-promote items will help you gain attention in a different location without having to take out a newspaper ad. For example, if your neighbor store sells hand-made pottery, those bowls or mugs might be the perfect accessory for that dining room table you're trying to sell. Cross marketing can be a win-win situation.

Learn what it means to give back.

Helping out in your community is the best way to gain attention without direct selling any products. Regardless of the size of your town, there are numerous charities that need help. Learn about the ones that strike a chord with you and your business philosophy and get involved.You can host in-store events, let customers know that a percentage of sales benefit a specific charity, or hold a raffle. There are myriad ways to help.

People enjoy doing business with companies that care—it puts your business in a different light. You never know how one event might draw the attention of a potential customer.

It’s time to embrace the town where you do business and find ways to engage customers in a different way. Find your niche; learn about the businesses around you and how you might partner with them; and educate yourself on what it means to give back.

Brooke Feldman is an Instagram fanatic, yogi, opera goer, coffee lover, and writer of the blog, The Seed, which focuses on social good and innovation.

She is also the digital marketing coordinator for Nourison Industries.

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HFNC Highlights USE THE NAHFA APP TO SCAN THIS PAGE

NAHFA retailers gather in Arizona for the annual Home Furnishings Networking Conference

J

ames Keathley didn’t know what to expect when he showed up in the Arizona desert for last month’s Home Furnishings Networking Conference.

After all, Keathley is the owner of James Craig Furnishings, a small, boutique design store in Houston. What could he possibly gain, he thought, from hanging out with retailers much larger than himself.

Turns out Keathley learned a lot. A whole lot.

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HFNC Highlights MISSED CONFERENCE? USE THE NAHFA APP TO SCAN THIS SPREAD AND WATCH EXCERPTS FROM SCOTT STRATTEN AND RYAN ESTIS. GET THE APP AT nahfa.org/myapp.

“I just thought a lot of what would go on wouldn’t apply to me because I’m not a big humongous store,” he said.

“But I was floored. “The break-out sessions were very worthwhile and the main-stage speakers were first class, just really, really good. I learned so much -- not just from the speakers, but from other retailers. The networking alone made it an awesome experience.”

Keatley is not alone. Many of his fellow North American Home Furnishings Association members are still raving about NAHFA’s annual conference, four days of information, inspiration and networking – not to mention a little golf and poker, too.

Members had access to some of the most influential and insightful figures in the home furnishings industry.

Before the Home Furnishings Networking Conference got under way, attendees spent the morning golfing at the Wild Horse Pass golf course.

Polly Teeter, of family-owned Del-Teet Furniture in Bellevue, Wash., enjoyed being re-energized by getting away from the office and hearing from experts and peers alike.

“It was great being reminded of things I should already be doing layered with new ideas from the speakers, Teeter said.”

The conference included storeowners and their employees from 114 unique retail stores around the country. Retailers got to hear from experts in marketing, and sales as well as motivational speakers preaching customer service.

The Exhibitor’s Showcase featured 49 exhibitors to help retailers make their businesses run even more smoothly.

There were also trips to a nearby outlet mall and a behind-the-scene tour of American Furniture Warehouse’s 630,000-square-foot facility.

Rick Sklar, owner of Sklar Furnishings, in Boca Raton, Fla., and president of NAFHA, said the conference was “over-the-top great.”

“Our Emcee, Greg Schwem, was wonderful at keeping the energy high, and poked a bit of fun at us all. I can’t imagine that role being better handled.”

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Sherry and Dale Sheeley, from Sheely’s Furniture and Appliance in North Lima, Ohio, were one of the more than 400 retailers and vendors who took part in the conference’s closing party in the desert.

HFNC Highlights

Julian Jeppe, of Reed’s Furniture in Aurora Hills, Calif., meets with another conference attendee following a presentation.

Bill and Judy Castleberry of Castleberry’s Ethan Allen Home Interiors in Tulsa, Okla., listen to one of the many main speakers during the conference.

Scott Stratten engaged attendees by telling them their “best form of marketing is just being awesome to your customers.”

Attendees enjoyed a lunch and learn session with the industry’s iconic Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale of Gallery Furniture.

Aaron Cooley, right, of Michael Alan Furnishings in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., was one of the many home furnishings retailers who took advantage of the networking opportunities at the conference.

Forty-nine vendors shared their products and services with attendees in between sessions.

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HFNC Highlights USE THE NAHFA APP TO SCAN THIS PAGE FOR MORE GREAT MOMENTS FROM HFNC. GET THE APP AT nahfa.org/myapp.

What’s a conference without a little golf? Bo Coconis, left, and Nick Gates were among the nearly three dozen attendees who took part in the North American Home Furnishings Association golf tournament at the Wild Horse Pass Golf Course in Chandler, Az.

L i b by Mc Cu r r y, ow n e r o f Mc Cu r r y Furniture in Warrior, Ala., has been a regular at the Home Furnishings Networking Conference. McCurry called the latest conference “one of the most informative and fun conferences I’ve attended in years.

“As store owners, we not only got to meet and network with so many wonderful and inspirational individuals, but were also able to bring extraordinary ideas back to our businesses” McCurry said. “The speakers, vendors, food and fun were all excellent.”

Jesus. R. Capo of El Dorado Furniture in Miami Gardens, Fla., agreed. “The main speakers and breakout sessions were engaging and didn’t just ‘fire you up,’ he said. “I left with a list of very useful and achievable to-dos. “We are already looking forward to next year’s event.”

N A H FA’s 2 0 1 5 H o m e Fu r n i s h i n g s Networking Conference will “Celebrate Dreamers” for three days in Orlando’s Walt Disney World. The conference will run from May 17-19 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

The conference’s Sunday night poker tournament by the pool was a huge hit with attendees.

“We are thrilled with the success of this year’s conference,” said Sharron Bradley, NAHFA’s CEO. “We’d like to thank our sponsors, speakers, presenters and staff for making this such a hit. We’d especially like to thank all of the retailers who attended—members and non-members alike. We wouldn’t have a conference without them. We hope to see everyone next year in Orlando.”

NAHA officials encouraged attendees to put down their smartphones and get to know one another.

Andy Bernstein and Mary Fruehauf took them up on their suggestion.

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L to R: Michael and Kimberly Wynn and daughter Isabel with Cyndi, Dave and Kellen Harkness.

T

he North American Home Furnishings Association honored two of its own last month when Dave Harkness and Tom Olinde were named 2014’s Retailers of the Year at the Hone Furnishings Networking Conference.

Harkness, who along with his wife Cyndi, runs Harkness Furniture in Tacoma, Wash., was awarded association’s top honor for retailers with under $10 million in annual sales. Tom Olinde, of Olinde’s Furniture in Baton Rouge, La., was honored as the association’s premier retailer among stores who sell in excess of $10 million each year.

Both men received their awards on the opening night of the conference at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa.

Dave Harkness and Tom Olinde, NAHFA’s Retailers of the Year.

L to R: Alabel, Cheryl, Tom, Elizabeth and Olivia Harkness.

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HFNC Highlights

Back Row from left to right: Alex Macias, Lael Thompason, David Davis, Tom Olinde, Randy Coconis, Kerry Lebensburger, Giff Gates, Chris Sanders, Jeff Child, David Beckmann, Andrew Tepperman, Jim Fee, Melissa O'Rouke, Howard Haimsohn, Dru Jeppe, Karen Craig. Front Row: Steve Kidder, Dave Harkness, Mary Frye, Rick Howard, Sharron Bradley, Tom Slater, Sherry Sheely, Jesus Capo, Claudia LeClair, Stan Pickett, Chris Cooley, Valerie Watters.

THE OWNERS OF R&A COULD TELL YOU WHY WE ARE THE BEST AGENCY TO HELP YOU

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6/11/14 8:29 PM

Product Focus

S

top and think about how many lighting options you have in your home.

Depending on the size of your space you could have a mix of 25 or more lamps and fixtures and they all have different uses.

There are three types of lighting—ambient, task and accent—and two of those three are must haves for any room.

Ambient lighting provides your overall illumination; this can be achieved with chandeliers, pendants, track lighting or any ceiling or wall-mounted fixture. Task lighting helps perform specific tasks; this includes pendants, desk lamps, reading lamps, floor lamps or any fixture that is used for a particular need. Accent lighting adds drama and visual interest; wallmounted picture lights and decorative lamps are good examples of accent lighting.

Of all the accessory categories, lamps and lighting are technically the must-haves.

Consumers can do without throw pillows or decorative accessories and wall décor (although we don’t want them to pass up these great accessories)—but they have to have light. That’s where you come in.

If you’re showing furniture in vignettes that aren’t properly accessorized with lighting you’re leaving money on the table.

Mike McAllister, owner of Hold It Contemporary Home in San Diego, has included accessories in his product mix since opening his 9,500-square-foot store in 2001. Roughly 25 percent of this highmiddle to lower-upper end European contemporary furniture store’s business is in accessories, and lamps and lighting make up 20 percent of that.

“We’re a little heavier in accessories than most stores,” McAllister said. “I think today everyone is looking for ways to drive traffic and accessories can do that.”

McAlister says lamps and lighting (and all accessories) are a category other retailers need to look at. “It adds dollars to the bottom line and it does drive traffic.”

Hold It carries vendors such as Pablo, Robert Abbey, Sonneman, and Koncept task lighting and has a Nuevo gallery. Sales are split evenly between fixtures and lamps.

McAllister has a lighting cloud that holds 20 fixtures and lamps are worked into the furniture vignettes.

Naturally in a European contemporary store the lighting and accessories share that design aesthetic, but McAlister says one McAllister’s store is surrounded by retailers noticeable trend within the style is glass like West Elm, Pier 1 and Ikea, so he avoids globes and industrial looks in fixtures and trying to compete in the inexpensive cate- pendants. gory. “With our lighting and all accessories we have to stand out among the stores near Consumers sometimes shop for package us. We don’t get into the obligatory looks deals or just accessories, McAllister says. and categories—we go for the unique.”

“We train our design consultants to sell the

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Product Focus Use the NAHFA App to watch a slideshow from Hold it Home, featuring lamps made with real bird feathers—literally light as a feather.

Get the App at nahfa.org/myapp.

McCallister merchandises lamps and lighting in room vignettes, but also uses displays such as the 20 fixture cloud.

Hold It Contemporary Home owner McCallister says lighting and accessories are great traffic drivers.

whole home; we talk about it from a design perspective and that includes the furniture, upholstery, accessories, the rugs and lighting. Unfortunately people still buy one piece at a time.”

McAllister has found, however, that once customers get their sofa home they’re more likely to return later for accessories and lighting.

“We also sell into the lines we carry,” he says. “We can’t stock everything, but we’re able to work with customers when they’re remodeling, for example, and show them the fixtures they’re looking for to complete their design. Just because you’re a furniture retailer doesn’t mean you can’t sell lighting.”

Surya, which was historically a rug company, branched out into accessories and lighting. “We entered additional home accessories categories with one objective

in mind: to help our valued retailer and mixing and matching of lamps in different designer customers meet their customers’ colors, materials and finishes to create an needs more effectively by offering every- eclectic look.” thing needed to create on-trend, coordinated looks – across a range of lifestyles “More natural materials, including indusand price points,” says Surya’s president, trial steel are trending this year,” says Mac Satya Tiwari. “Simply put, if you’re not Cooper, CEO/president of Uttermost. in lighting, you’re not truly a one-stop “More lighting designs are also focused on antique bulbs of varying types.” accessories source.”

Surya recently debuted an expanded lighting collection with more than 150 table, floor and task lamps. The collection offers product in a range of finishes, materials, shapes and sizes. Retailers can also purchase Surya lamps individually rather than as a set, which offers more design flexibility. Lynne Meredith, vice president of Surya’s product development says the company continues to see an interest in oversized lamps, which can create an unexpected focal point in a room. “We’re also seeing lots of organic shapes and the www.retailerNOWmag.com

Mark Moussa, founder and creative director for Arteriors says they’ve moved to more sculptured lighting forms. “However, function also needs to guide the sculptural design and provide light for a space. We work hard to balance the form of a fixture with effective wattage for its intended use,” he says.

Tiwari and Cooper agree that their retailers run the gamut from traditional furniture retailers to designers and home accent retailers. “The lines continue to be blurred as J U LY | 2 0 1 4

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Product Focus

1.

lighting stores sell accent furniture, furniture stores sell lighting, and so on,” Cooper says.

Arteriors also sells to these retailers, as well as to consumers via its Los Angeles store. The company has a hospitality division that sells to hotels, offices, bars and restaurants.

Cooper says he’s seeing more traditional furniture retailers enter the lighting category. “They’re adding more impulse items, lower-ticket items to get consumers to shop more frequently,” Cooper says.

Tiwari says retailers who aren’t selling lighting (and accessories) are missing the boat.

A sample of Surya's lamp offerings.

“A retailer who’s able to display a well-accessorized room is more likely to realize incremental sales beyond the furniture purchase,” he says. “Adding a lamp or set of lamps to a vignette creates a welcoming ambience and make it easier for sales associates to initiate the design conversation. Prominently displaying a group of several lamps in a similar color family within the store is a great way to showcase the availability of a variety of styles. It’s also important that retailers explain to customers how lamps, as well as pillows, throws and other accessories, create the finishing touch that ties a room together.”

LIGHTING DISPLAY TIPS

Making a statement with lamps doesn’t have to be a challenge. Designer Paul Thompson of Paul Thompson Signature offers a quick, easy-to-implement tip.

Thompson conceives, designs and installs awardwinning showrooms and works with retailers on space planning, product development and merchandising.

While vignettes should always include accessories and lighting to complete the look, grouped displays offer more bang for the buck.

Optimal use of vertical space in a Lamp Works display in the Ivystone showroom in the Dallas Market Center.

“This type of wall presentation can really create scale and drama and provide the necessary light to make the area more inviting,” Thompson says. “You don’t have to do a whole wall like this, but some portion of this that uses vertical space nicely. In a retail environment this allows for the best use of space so you can maximize your sales-per-square foot.”

Another benefit to a display like this is that it can be customized to fit the retail space with paint, stained wood or a molding application.

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Special Advertising Section

LAS VEGAS MARKET PREVIEW

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ADVERTISING/MARKETING/WEBSITES ACA/ Advertising Concepts of America .11 Knorr Marketing........................................5 MicroD, Inc..............................................16 Mail America.............................................3 Moso Graphics........................................38 Truckskin, LLC......................................... 37

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20

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FurnitureCore/Impact Consulting............20 The Furniture Training Company.............20 JRM Sales & Management........................ 7 Profitability Consulting Group.................30

The Social Spot

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22 23

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Internet

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Reception

37 16

Internet

Credit Source Finance...............................8 CrossCheck.............................................28 EasyPay Finance.....................................25 GE Capital...............................................14 Genesis Financial....................................36 Tidewater Finance Company.....................4

PRODUCTS

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Retailer Resource Center Floor Plan

BUSINESS CONSULTING

25 2

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Best Buy for Business…......... .Social Spot Guardian Protection Products...................2 No. American Home Furnishings Assoc.31 Quarz.........................................................6 Service Lamp Corporation...................... 27

14 13

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SOFTWARE

3

Access From Building C

9

Entrance Hallway

10 5

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27 32

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33 Seminar Room

Custom Design Software........................12 Furniture Wizard......................................15 Genesis Software Systems.....................29 FurnServe................................................10 Myriad Software...................................... 17 PROFITSystems, inc...............................13 STORIS...................................................18

WAREHOUSE & DELIVERY

6 7

RRC

8 30

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NAHFA

Clear Destination.......................................9 Cory First Choice Home Delivery.............. 1 Diakon Logistics......................................33 DispatchTrack.........................................34 Speedy Delivery LLC...............................35 United Steel Storage (USSI).................... 21

INSURANCE & WARRENTIES

Access From Building A

Restrooms

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Elevators & Escalators

Buyers’ Club

Association Insurance Services..............32 Risk Assurance Partners, LLC................22

Retailer Resource Center’s 2014 Summer Seminar Series In Showroom B-1050 TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2014

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

9:00 - 10:00am Location Matters

9:00 - 10:00am Turning Lookers into Buyers

Doug Kays, Kays Commercial Real Estate

Philip Gutsell, GutSELL & Associates

10:30 - 11:30am Boost Your Business Using

10:30 - 11:30am Social Media and the

Key Performance Indicators

Time-Challenged Retailer

David McMahon, Wayne McMahon, Accellos – PROFITsystems, Performance Groups & Consulting

Crystal Viklaitis, Crystal Media

12:30 - 1:30pm The Big Middle: What Today’s Buyers Want From Your Store

12:30 - 1:30pm Create Your Own Money Making Referral & Testimonial Machine

John Egger, Profitability Consulting Group

Jeff Giagnocavo, Automated Mattress Profits/ Mega Mattress Margins

2:00 - 3:00pm Create Your Own Stimulus Package

by Eliminating Lost Sales!

2:00 - 3:00pm The Power of Pinterest for Businesses

Brad Huisken, IAS Training

Liz Bolen, SnapRetail

3:30 - 4:30pm Retail Trends: Showrooming, Reverse Showrooming and Consumer Education Donnie Surdoval, STORIS

3:30 - 4:30pm Sweating the Small Stuff

Albert Marrache, Phoenix A.M.D. International Inc.

MONDAY, JULY 28, 2014

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

9:00 - 10:00am The Revolution of Next Generation

9:00 - 10:00am The “New” Local Market Sev Ritchie, Tailbase

Web Design!

Joshua Camden & Ron Gordon, MicroD, Inc.

10:30 - 11:30am 10 Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

10:30 - 11:30am Strength in Numbers – Effectively Maximizing Your Finance Sources

Marty Grosse, Furniche, LLC

Ken Mahar, Email Broadcast

12:30 - 1:30pm Succession Planning for the Independent Retailer

seminar series sponsored by:

JRM Sales & Management, Inc.

2:00 - 3:00pm How to Turn Retail Sales into a Game

Eric Foucrier, Eric Foucrier and Associates, Inc.

3:30 - 4:30pm Enabling the Next Generation Retail Experience

Dan Wieczorek, Best Buy

N O R T H A M E R I C A N H O M E F U R N I S H I N G S A S S O C I AT I O N

W W W. N A H FA . O R G

www.retailerNOWmag.com

800-422-3778

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Las Vegas Market RRC

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

Retail Trends: Showrooming, Reverse Showrooming and Consumer Education

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Turning Lookers into Buyers

Donnie Surdoval, STORIS

Philip Gutsell, GutSELL & Associates

“I’m just looking!” It’s the number one excuse in our industry.

Learn how to overcome this response and build rapport with even the most difficult customers. Philip Gutsell, a 40-year industry expert, will divulge his secrets of turning lookers into buyers and how to take back to your sales floor for immediate results.

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

MONDAY, JULY 28, 2014

Social Media and the Time-Challenged Retailer

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Crystal Viklaitis, Crystal Media

Crystal will take the stress out of social media by showing you how to create a content schedule so you never feel frustrated on "what to say" again. She’ll also help you find the best times to post, share four time-saving tools and give tips that could save your store's reputation and lots of embarrassment.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

The Big Middle: What Today's Buyers Want From Your Store John Egger, Profitability Consulting Group

The Big Middle, designed for owners, managers, sales staff and designers, outlines the studies and processes that will help you change customers into clients. John has helped thousands of retailers increase sales and profits. You’ll leave this seminar with practical, executable solutions.

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Create Your Own Stimulus Package by Eliminating Lost Sales!

Brad Huisken, IAS Training

Brad will lead participants through a fun and motivational seminar detailing powerful ways to maximize your traffic, sales and profits. With the competition increasing you have to learn how to sell yourself and your store. You have to be proactive in building repeat customers. Brad will cover how salespeople can help “brand” the store, telephone clienteling, three responsibilities of a salesperson, handling objections, company stories, customer follow-up and analyzing lost sales.

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Learn how to prepare your store organization for smarter consumers, make your product information more accessible and offer multiple purchase channels. Donnie will explain how consumers are using mobile devices in your showrooms and educating themselves about your product. Find out how the sales associate and available product information play to your advantage and discover how and when consumers learn about what you sell.

The Revolution of Next Generation Web Design!

Joshua Camden & Ron Gordon, MicroD, Inc.

Eighty-five percent of consumers who enter your store have spent at least 5 to 10 minutes on your website before they even come in. That's great news for you because the revolution of website design is coming! By now you've heard some of the buzzwords like Responsive Website Design, Parallax Scrolling, and E-Commerce!

These web technologies will enable you to present a truly engaging and informative web presence that will delight and inform your website visitors. Using them properly will enable you to stand out among the competition and succeed in bringing customers into your store and closing sales.

These technologies have already altered larger industries including Automotive, Fashion Apparel, and Hospitality. MicroD explains how you can be on the cutting edge of our Home Furnishings industry by implementing a web-first mentality that will enable you to create amazing opportunities on an affordable budget.

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

10 Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid Ken Mahar, Email Broadcast

In this fast-paced talk you'll learn the top 10 mistakes businesses make with their email campaigns and how to fix them. Business owners and marketing executives looking to get the most from their digital marketing efforts will have immediate actionable items they can implement in their own campaigns, or what to

www.retailerNOWmag.com

Las Vegas Market RRC

avoid when launching one. Ken is the founder and CEO of Email Broadcast and has 14 years’ experience in this field. His company drove more than $6 million in sales for Mor Furniture for Less in 2013 which was directly attributed to email marketing.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

Succession Planning for the Independent Retailer JRM Sales & Management, Inc.

Less than one-third of all family businesses survive transitioning to the second generation and only one half survives the transition from the second to third generation. Although it is difficult to face and procrastinated by most, succession planning is a critical process. It is not simply critical for the business unit, but perhaps more importantly critical for the family unit. Poor succession planning processes tear families apart! This seminar will focus on the critical issues that surround the transition to future generations. We will share comprehensive strategies for the selection process of both asset distribution and company leadership, how to proactively deal with family situations resulting from non-selection, how to develop an environment that will encourage future generations’ interest in the business, how to understand when to let go, and basic estate planning concepts.

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Enabling the Next Generation Retail Experience

Dan Wieczorek, Best Buy

You spend tremendous amounts of time, energy and resources to drive customers into your store. How are you leveraging that traffic to improve close rates, customer satisfaction, and increase sales? In this seminar you will learn about leading-edge technology that gives you even more insight to your customers than you ever thought possible. You will also learn how you can take steps to avoid being the next company to be victimized by a data breach. Learn how to protect your customers, while increasing sales with future technology.

Come see us at the RRC Social Spot

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

How to Turn Retail Sales into a Game Eric Foucrier, Eric Foucrier and Associates, Inc.

After working with and training top sales performers from around the country, Eric has the chops to share how a process can be used to improve sales results, closing ratios and ticket averages. He will outline proven processes shared by the furniture industry’s top performers, processes that improve performance and remove the feeling of a daily grind by turning everyday on the floor into a game.

If you’re looking to improve sales performance, attend this session and take away the tips and tools you need to implement successful strategies for your operation.

COME SEE US AT THE RESOURCE CENTER AND LEARN HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP RUN YOUR BUSINESS Call us today 1-866-214-3226 www.bbfb.com/furnituremarket

www.retailerNOWmag.com

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Las Vegas Market RRC

TUESDAY, JULY 29 2014

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Location Matters

Doug Kays, Kays Commercial Real Estate

With the steady growth of Internet sales in home furnishings, where your brick-and-mortar store is located matters more than ever.

Learn how to decide what type of location is best for your business (furniture center, mall or freestanding location), how to find that type of location, where the West Coast hot-spots are and how to expand your business through multiple locations. This seminar is Real Estate 101 for the new entrepreneur, but it also addresses the most current trends in real estate for the savvy, experienced retailer.

You will walk away with new thoughts about where and how to "position" your business in your market.

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Boost Business Your Business Using Key Performance Indicators

David McMahon, Wayne McMahon, Accellos – PROFITsystems, Performance Groups & Consulting

Do you want to know which areas of your business need improvement and how to do it? Knowing where to look in your business and how to assess your strengths and weaknesses is a critical first step to growing your business. Best practice organizations are using a host of key performance indicators to rate themselves against their peers so they can continuously improve.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

Create Your Own Money Making Referral & Testimonial Machine Jeff Giagnocavo, Automated Mattress Profits/Mega Mattress Margins

Testimonials and referrals can be so much more than, "Like us on Facebook, and tell your friends about us!" Every business should have its very own referral and testimonial machine. Whether you are a design-focused store, furniture only, or mattress store this presentation will cover how to set up a SYSTEM, plus steps and tech tips on how to AUTOMATE your system so every new customer is asked for referrals and testimonials. Sadly many good customers are too busy to refer and share their positive experiences with your store. But if you have a system and solicit referrals and testimonials automatically you will see an immediate increase in reviews, referrals and testimonials.

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

The Power of Pinterest for Businesses Liz Bolen, SnapRetail

Pinterest is the fastest growing social network ever, with more than 80 million people pinning and repinning daily. In this engaging presentation, learn the basics and best practices for using Pinterest to inspire your customers and drive store sales. Actual retailer examples

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will be shared and explained to motivate you to adopt Pinterest into your current marketing strategy. Attendees should be independent retailers or exhibitors who are interested in learning how to leverage Pinterest to build their brand and grow sales. The takeaway is that you will have all of the knowledge you need to get started on Pinterest.

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Sweating the Small Stuff Albert Marrache, Phoenix A.M.D. International Inc.

How does percent to the bottom line sound? Let’s take a look at complimentary sales as a significant category in your business, how they can be the largest contributor to your bottom line, and how to manage it all without losing sight of it within your day-to-day small stuff.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

The “New” Local Market Sev Ritchie, Tailbase

Research shows a huge market for BOLPIS…seriously. Buy Online Pick-up In Store. It is time for retailers to realize the paradigm shift continues (and it is accelerating paradigm shift) where a consumer combines digital with brick-and-mortar.

This does not mean the end of brick-and-mortar, it means it is time to do business differently. Local consumers want to purchase online and either pick-up at the store, or have their merchandise delivered. Integrating ecommerce is a necessary move to capture this growing segment and maintain a healthy and thriving physical store, and who knows what else they will pick up when they show up?

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Strength in Numbers— Effectively Maximizing your Finance Sources Marty Grosse, Furniche, LLC Create seamless selling opportunities by developing and integrating multiple finance sources. Discover ways to build financing into the sales process to drive up average sales and build customer brand loyalty. Learn how to measure and monitor the metrics of each finance source and build ongoing relationships with multiple lenders. Learn the most important measurements in your business, how to figure your metrics, what the best operators are achieving these days, and see real-world examples of actions you can take to out-perform your competition. You will leave this session with a road map for developing vertically-integrated multiple-finance options along with tips and tools for effectively measuring performance results.

www.retailerNOWmag.com

 How to grow your business  Utilizing technology in business  Connect with and learn from successful retailers

GET INVOLVED

Next Generation NOW is a community of young and engaged home furnishings professionals who are the future of the home furnishings industry.

FUN EVENTS

Working together, this community will develop the next group of industry leaders through educational events and social networking, giving a voice to the unique needs of future generations in the furniture industry.

Visit www.ngNOW.org or www.NAHFA.org to see the Next Generation NOW events scheduled for the Las Vegas Market July 27-31, 2014.

NGN BASH

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NEXT GENERATION NOW IS A HOSTED COMMUNITY OF

NAHFA.ORG • (800) 422-3778 • 500 GIUSEPPE COURT, SUITE SIX, ROSEVILLE, CA 95678 www.retailerNOWmag.com

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Las Vegas Market RRC

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D.

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

complete and easy-to-use softwaRe foR fuRnituRe RetaileRs • Inventory Management • Intuitive POS Entry • Barcoding & Price Tags • Accounts Receivable • Installment Loans • Mailing List • Customer Service • General Ledger • Accounts Payable • Payroll & TimeClock • Powerful Reporting • Automatic Backups

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Las Vegas Market RRC

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On the App Store, on the Windows Store How about your Store?

Ultimate Point of Sale Our windows 8 touch-screen large format digital super catalog can easily be set up to intelligently suggest add-on items as a shopping cart is being reviewed. A powerful silent salesperson for your store.

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Lets your sales associates work more efficiently and handle multiple customers while closing more sales.

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Genesis Credit Second-Look Financing “We are extremely pleased with our partnership with Genesis...Our business is up significantly. The process is easy so our employees love it.”

Rob Kelley, VP Marketing Mor Furniture for Less

GuardianProducts.com | 804.381.9430

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888-975-2082 genesis-fs.com/furnishings

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Las Vegas World Market | NAHFA Retailer Resource Center | Building B, Suite 1050

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Our program features: - A variable plastic card with a personal landing page - Trigger email offers based on their product selections - An in-store scan to win with hand scanner - Web-enabled reporting that puts the details at your FINgertips - Real-time lead notiFIcation

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Las Vegas Market RRC

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Converting a warranty program into a

reinsurance (captive) program cuts costs, improves service, and provides access to lucrative financial tools.

In Las Vegas

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NAHFA FEATURED PRODUCT Let Us Help You With “Touchy” Situations

We want you to have the right tools for the job.

With our extensive product offering we’re sure you’ll find just what you’re looking for to help your business and boost your level of customer service.

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

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RRC Booth 14 GE Capital

WE’RE NOT JUST BANKERS, WE’RE BUILDERS. Let our home furnishing finance experts work with you to build a consumer finance program that brings customers to your store and helps them purchase what they really need. Offer a program that simply works in your advertising, on your website, and for your salespeople.

Stop just banking. Start building.

Visit us at gogecapital.com or call 1-866-209-4457 today!

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Las Vegas Market RRC

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UCF provides “Accurate and Reliable Inventory and Real Gross Profit performance.”

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Celebrating 25 Years Serving the Home Furnishings Industry Honoring Partners Who Shaped Our Company

“STORIS has been a leader in the retail furniture marketplace for decades. They provide proven stability and the willingness to invest in their business which allows them to help other organizations be more efficient and profitable.”

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eRoam Maximize your sales team’s performance and improve service in your showroom with this robust, intuitive application

1.888.4.STORIS www.STORIS.com J U LY | 2 0 1 4

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Membership

LAYAWAY vs.

MULTIPLE CHECK Customers might be more inclined to buy from you if they knew they could split their purchase into multiple payments.

Y

ou’ve seen it before: A customer lingers over an item, clearly imagining where she would place it in her home and how her family and guests would admire it. Then she wanders away, browses some more… and returns to the item again… and then again…

You know you should have a sale, but when she looks at the price tag she sadly concludes that it is outside of her budget, and turns to leave.

I’d Like to Take Credit, but …

Times have changed, haven’t they? Before the recession, when 179 million Americans had at least one credit card, often with an open balance, that wishy-washy customer might have charged that item without a second thought. But since then the prevalence of credit cards has dropped by nearly 64 percent and Americans have reduced their outstanding debt by $1.3 trillion. People don’t want to take on debt anymore, so even if you offered to finance the item, chances are your customer wouldn’t take you up on it.

Seventy-one percent of all shoppers are open to using layaway, according to a 2013 Consumer Research survey. That includes shoppers at every income level—wealthy people are just as pleased with the idea as are people of modest means. And when asked what they would use layaway for, home furnishings topped the list.

These shoppers see layaway plans that are either free or offered for a nominal fee as a great way to budget for expensive or unique items. And with the average credit card charging an interest rate between 13 percent and 15 percent the absence of interest makes layaway especially appealing.

Merchants offering layaway do take some risks. If you remove a unique, expensive item from your showroom you may risk missing a sale to someone willing to pay full price immediately. If you remove an item that is trending well and the layaway customer falls through after the trend has peaked, you may end up putting the item back on the floor at a discounted price.

Multiple Check—New Furniture Now

By offering Multiple Check as an alternative to your layaway plan you make it even easier for your customer to say “Yes!” A multiple check service lets your customer write two to four checks to be deposited over as many as 60 days, typically timed to meet her cash flow. When CrossCheck, NAHFA’s multiple-check guaranLayaway—New Furniture in 60 Days tee program, approves those checks you are guaranteed payment However, she might jump at the chance to put it on a layaway plan. even if one or more bounces. Best of all the customer can take her With layaway though, her biggest concern is that she can’t take the furniture home today! product home today, in time to: Entertain guests for a big party, have relatives over for an extended stay, or replace that old couch CrossCheck puts you in the perfect position to approach your that desperately needs a landfill. With a multiple check service, that customers who might be on the fence over a purchase and show problem can also be solved. them how they can make it theirs.

If you are interested in learning more about CrossCheck, NAHFA’s multiple-check guarantee program, contact your member services representative at 800.422.3778.

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

See us at:

Las Vegas Market

On the App Store, on the Windows Store How about your Store?

July 27-31, 2014

Furniture | Home Décor | Gift

Bldg B 10th. Floor #1050 Retail Resource Center

Update available NOW! New ‘QuickSale’ feature Using our iFurniture Point-of-Sale iPad App on the showroom floor lets your sales associates work faster, more efficiently and handle multiple customers while closing more sales.

INVENTORY

Available on the Windows Store

iPad Inventory App

Ultimate Point of Sale

Take physical inventory and add new inventory on the fly.

Our windows 8 touch-screen large format digital super catalog can easily be set up to intelligently suggest add-on items as a shopping cart is being reviewed. A powerful silent salesperson for your store.

eCommerce Website Integration

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Sales & Marketing

THE NEW WAY OF MARKETING

M

arketing changes seemingly overnight. It seems we wake

up and discover some type of

new marketing tool that is going to change advertising as we know it. But before you purchase that cool new digital software they say has all the capabilities you will ever need,

take a step back to think about the way you and your consumer interact, buy things and even think about things.

What did you think about? Did your mind go directly to products, price, place and promotion? The new way of marketing isn’t about getting rid of what you have done in the past. It’s about taking what you have done great in the past and creating marketing that changes the way you communicate with prospects and customers.

There are four dynamic ways in which you develop a comprehensive marketing campaign that will satisfy Ms. Jones and ultimately drive traffic into the store to help you sell more stuff.

Consumer wants and needs (vs. Products)

By Kevin Doran

is that aspirin costing you when this new mattress could take that cost (and pain) away?”

Convenience to buy (vs. Place)

How do you buy your product from your manufacturer partners?

It is probably a safe bet that it could be done electronically, by fax, over the phone or in person. How can Ms. Jones buy from you?

The more options a consumer is given in convenience the more likely she is going to make a purchase with you. If convenience to buy becomes a selling point for you then Ms. Jones will have more of a reason to buy from you.

Communication (vs. Promotion)

“I am winning.”

“I am going to win.”

“I won.”

All three of these statements relate to the same concept. However, based on the tense we are speaking it is obvious which one has become the truth. How we communicate through our advertising vehicles is the most important aspect versus what does it look like.

Think back to your most successful events. Were they successful because of the name of the event? Or were they successful because of what they communicated to Ms. Jones?

In today’s digital marketplace, authenticity is the new form of payment. Without it, you won’t be able to get Ms. Jones to react to any communication. You won’t be able to sell your products or services. And you won’t be able to build a strong community of customers who think of you as their go-to resource.

Ms. Jones is not buying a sofa just to buy a sofa. She is buying a sofa to sit, read, sleep or lounge on. Any furnishing decision she makes is to take care of what she needs. Imagine a world where the headline “Fabulous Brand New Sofas” turned into “The greatest way to watch primetime TV available only at ABC Furniture.”

The best way to build authenticity is to start thinking about marketing a little differently. It takes a blend of the four Ps (Products, Price, Place, Promotion) and the four Cs (Consumer wants, Cost to satisfy, Convenience to buy and Communication) to create a strong sales process. You can’t get by with only two or three of them.

Cost to satisfy (vs. Price)

When your message is right, any media will work. When your message is wrong, all the media in the world won’t help. By building a strong message and strategy for spreading that message, you will continue to deliver useful, actionable content. Thus, you’ll easily rise to the top and capture your market.

Guess what? If we make our advertising about price, Ms. Jones is going to want price. If we make our advertising about how an item is going to satisfy Ms. Jones then price is no longer a concern.

Turn the headline “Mattresses starting at $399” into “How much

Kevin Doran is the CEO of R&A Marketing. Armed with more than 25 years of furniture retail marketing experience as a full-service traditional and digital marketing company, R&A works with retailers in the home furnishings, appliances, and electronics industries.Visit www.ramarketing.com or email info@ ramarketing.com for more information.

www.retailerNOWmag.com

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Technology

D

By Lisa Casinger

uring last month’s Home Furnishings Networking Conference I overhead a lot of retailers talking about marketing and advertising. “Traditional advertising is dead,” one retailer said. “Social media is the only way to go,” another quipped. I don’t believe either, but as a relative newbie to one of the social media hot spots—Twitter—I know that not everyone gets it. Including me.

URL, making it more Twitter-friendly.

You can also use tools on social media management platforms like TweetDeck, Sprout or HootSuite. These tools not only help you to stay within the 140-character limit, they also offer features for real-time activity tracking, post organizing/scheduling and follower engagement.

If you find a tweet that you’d like to share, you can retweet (RT) it. Hover over the tweet and click on Retweet. If you want to add a comment to the tweet you’re sharing, just cut and paste the tweet onto your timeline, type your comment at the beginning of the tweet and then add RT before the original poster’s username. If you need to edit the original tweet when doing this (usually due to space restrictions), use “MT” (modified tweet) or “PRT” (partial retweet) to let people know you’ve done so.

You’ll have to consult with experts on the pros and cons of tweeting in relation to your marketing/ advertising program, but I can share a few basic tips to get you started. I tweet to share information about government issues, retailing, business, the furniture industry or even just an-off-the-wall article I found interesting.

When you want your tweet to appear on someone else’s timeline or you’re Tweeting is quick; it has referencing them use an @ sign and their to be because you’re limited username (commonly referred to as a to 140 characters (that in- Twitter handle). cludes punctuation, spaces and hyperlinks).

Hashtags—formerly known as the pound sign (#) are a discovery tool used to denote There are ways around this, a topic of conversation or participate in a however. If you are tweeting larger linked discussion (e.g. #WorldCup, and you want to include a link #HPMkt). Using a # in front of a word you might go over the 140 makes it easier to find. For example, when limit, because URL’s are gen- you’re tweeting about an amazing chair you erally pretty long. Solution: saw in a showroom at the Las Vegas Market cut and paste the web address you would put a # in front of Las Vegas. for the link into bit.ly, Ow.ly When you search or click on that hashtag or TinyURL.com. These web you’ll see tweets that mention it in real time, sites automatically shorten the even from people you don’t follow.

Twitter Lingo and Etiquette DM—direct message—sending a private message to a user # (hashtag)—used to mark keywords or topics to categorize a message.

Trending—a subject algorithmically (by a computer program) determined to be one of the most popular on Twitter at the moment.

Twitter abbreviations—these acronyms are Twitter shorthand, generally preceded by hashtags. Use these to join larger conversations about what you learned today (#TIL/“Today I Learned”) or something funny you overheard (#OH/“Overheard”). Other popular examples include:

`` ICYMI (“In Case You Missed It”) —often employed when a user retweets her own content from earlier. `` FF (“Follow Friday”)—Twitter users suggest who others should follow on Fridays by tweeting handles with the hashtag #FF. ``HT or h/t (Usually means “Hat Tip”, also “Heard Through”)—a way of acknowledging the person who originally shared the content being tweeted, such as a link to an article or video.

Follow your followers (if they are relevant to you and/or your business)—followers receive all of your tweets.

Retweet important tweets/content at different times of the day to hit more readers.

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Grant Laidlaw VP of Sales Eric Clarke President

Locations: Puyallup, WA Mira Loma, CA • Morganton, NC Fax: 828-764-4461 • Phone: 855-208-6377 Email: sales@NWFXpress.com

The Northwest Furniture Transportation Leader

Please contact Grant Laidlaw VP Sales at 778-549-3188 or glaidlaw@nwfxpress.com to review your transportation needs. www.retailerNOWmag.com

www.NWFXpress.com

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61

MORE Programs – MORE Benefits – MORE Savings

LOWEST RATES IN THE INDUSTRY

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Put your membership to work and receive a free, no-obligation statement analysis that shows exactly how much you are paying for your current processing. This analysis will uncover any hidden fees and costs that interfere with your potential profits. These savings can more than pay for your membership!

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Call (800) 422-3778 for your FREE statement analysis.

The North American Home Furnishings Association is committed to helping you Sell More, Make More and Keep More 62

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Learn

Going the Distance with Golf!

Achieve

Network

Pilgrim Furniture City 10th Annual Golf Tournament Tuesday, August 5, 2014 Lake of Isles Golf Course Foxwoods Casino, North Stonington, CT

What could be better than networking with industry peers while improving your golf game? The annual Pilgrim Furniture City Golf Tournament is among the scheduled golf events

Tupelo Furniture Market

we have in store for you this year. It gets underway

August 14-17, 2014 Tupelo, Mississippi www.tupelofurnituremarket.com

on August 5th, 2014 on Connecticut’s beautiful Lake of Isles Golf Course at the Foxwood Resort & Casino.

Enjoy a buffet lunch before you play, and after

Inland Empire Furniture Dealers Golf Tournament

the tournament stick around for dinner and an

Wednesday, August 20, 2014 1:30 p.m. scramble Circling Raven Golf Club, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

auction with all proceeds going to the Channel 3 Kid’s Camp. Scott Haney from WFSB Channel 3 News will be our celebrity auctioneer.

Contact kareson@nahfa.org for more details.

Northwest Regional Summer Education Day

Retailers interested in attending any of these high-impact events can visit www.NAHFA.org for event details and registration, or call us at (800) 422-3778.

Thursday, August 21, 2014 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Coeur d’Alene Casino, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

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Government Relations

MAKE THE MOST OF RECESS

N

By Lisa Casinger

ext month, while you’re busy planning end-ofsummer sales, gearing up for Labor Day, taking that much-needed vacation or getting ready to send the kids back to school, your congressional representatives will have a recess—for the whole month of August.

Since the 2nd Congress in 1791, Congress adjourned most summers to escape the Washington, D.C. heat. In 1970, Congress mandated its summer break as part of the Legislative Reorganization Act. This is a time when members head home to spend time with their families and—more importantly for you—meet with their constituents.

Now is the perfect time to schedule a face-to-face with your senator, representative, or their staff in their local offices. If you aren’t sure who your legislators are, you can locate your representatives at www. house.gov and your senators at www.senate.gov by typing in your address (make sure to use your business address.) Each legislator has their own page that lists their local offices and contact information.

(See our tips for contacting your public servants on the next page.)

Phone calls and face-to-face meetings are the most effective ways to communicate with your legislators; take a few minutes right now to make an appointment with them while they’re in town.

While it’s important to reach out collectively as members of the North American Home Furnishings Association (NAHFA) and to lend our voices to other like-minded groups and coalitions, your meeting with your legislator to discuss how these issues impact your business is very powerful.

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Senators and representatives are interested in hearing your personal stories. Let them know specifically how difficult it is for you to compete with online retailers and why you support the Marketplace Fairness Act for example. Or explain how important your business is to the community, the city, the state and how anti-business regulations and legislation hinder your ability to provide jobs and investments for your community and ultimately the state. These are the stories they want to hear.

Personal accounts are what they’ll think about the next time they get a memo or read a report or have to vote on an issue that directly affects the constituents in their states.

If a face-to-face meeting isn’t possible, pick up the phone. You may not get through to the senator or representative directly, but you can share the same information with someone on their staff.

If you’re having an event in August—charity fund raiser, employee-appreciation dinner, grand opening etc.—invite your state and federal legislators. This presents a win-win situation in that you can show them firsthand your business and your involvement in the community and they get a chance to meet voters face to face and possibly get local press (for them and your business) before November elections. If you do meet or call your legislators or they attend one of your events, let us know – and take a picture. We’d love to share you story with other NAHFA members.

Lisa Casinger is NAHFA’s government relations liaison. Contact her at lcasinger@nahfa.org and follow her on Twitter @LisaCasinger.

www.retailerNOWmag.com

TIPS FOR CALLS OR MEETINGS • Time is money. Be succinct; short and sweet.

• When you call to request a meeting or a phone call, make sure to identify yourself as a constituent and a business owner in the legislator’s district or state.

• If you can’t connect with the senator or representative directly, ask to speak to a staff member with responsibility for business or the issue about which you’re calling.

• Be prepared with talking points. Share how the issues or proposed legislation/regulations will or already have directly affected your business.

• NAHFA's here to help members—our lobbyists can help set up meetings and we can give you talking points.

• Find out where your legislators stand on the issue and directly ask for their support or vote on an issue.

• Be polite—regardless of whether the legislator supports your view, be respectful and thank them for their time.

NAHFA’S ISSUES

You probably have a list of your own concerns or issues you’d like to raise with your legislators, but if you don’t here are some topics the NAHFA monitors and works on. If you need talking points contact our government relations liaison, Lisa Casinger, at 800-422-3778 ext. 305 or lcasinger@nahfa.org.

Marketplace Fairness Act—NAHFA supports a level playing field and the collection of online sales taxes. The Senate has already passed this bill and it’s stalling in the House.

Hours of Service—NAHFA is against the current regulations (cut by 12 the number of hours that commercial truck drivers can stay on the road every week and require drivers to take regular 34-hour rest periods that include pre-dawn hours (12am – 6am) of two straight days) and we join other groups in calling for a review of the data that brought about these regulations.

EPA’s proposed formaldehyde regulations—NAHFA

stands with the American Home Furnishings Alliance in requesting (among other points) reduced testing and selfcertification programs for laminated products.

CPSC’s national flammability standard—NAHFA is

in favor of the CPSC following the guidelines laid down in California’s TB117-2013 regulation.

Thank You

Our Association gratefully recognizes all of our sponsors whose dedication and commitment have strengthened our industry.

Signature Sponsor

Serta Mattress Company

Premier Sponsor

Furniture Today International Market Centers Surya Rugs

Titanium Sponsors

aspenhome Furniture Coaster Company of America Cory 1st Choice Home Delivery Emerald Home Furnishings Furniture Wizard Jaipur Rugs Inc. Leggett & Platt MicroD, Inc. Myriad Software Nourison STORIS

Platinum Sponsors

ACA Advertising Concepts of America • American Leather Ashley Furniture Industries • Best Buy for Business FurnitureDealer.net • Furniture of America High Point Market Authority • Netsertive • Northwest Furniture Express • PROFITsystems, Inc. • R & A Marketing Simmons USA • Steve Silver Co.

Gold/Silver/Bronze Sponsors

Corsicana Bedding • DSI Companies • Elk Group International Feizy Rugs • ShockWatch

To become an industry sponsor contact: North American Home Furnishings Association 800.422.3778 or email: cwilliams@nahfa.org 66

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*List as of July 10, 2014

The Scoop

Photo © Kate Jerde

the scoop

The Butterfly Effect, by designer Vanessa DeLeon, one of the chairs auction off at IFDA's Take a Seat event.

Rick and Pat Howard, Sklar Furnishings, named Small Business Leaders of the Year by Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce

vvSklar Sklar Furniture Owners are named Small Business Leaders of the year Rick and Pat Howard, founders and owners of Sklar Furnishings, Boca Raton, Florida were named Small Business Leaders of the Year by the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce at its annual Business Awards Luncheon in May. The Howards were recognized for their business achievements, success, serving as role models of innovation and best practices and their eco-friendly business leadership. Aside from supporting and participating in local civic and charitable organizations, the Howards are members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council. Rick Howard is president of the North American Home Furnishings Association.

Boca Chamber CEO/president Troy McLellan said, “From their stewardship of Sklar Furnishings and their robust industry leadership roles to their long-standing commitment to community and sustainable live/work philosophy, they set the standard extremely high for others who work, live and play in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County.”

vvIFDA’s Take a Seat Gala at Room & Board

“Room & Board is honored to have been a part of International Furnishings and Design Association's second annual Take a Seat charity gala,” said Abbie Gonzalez, Room & Board’s leadership associate. “The level of talent and skill exhibited by the artists were incredibly inspiring, and we had a wonderful evening celebrating modern design.”

Libby Langdon, interior designer and makeover, TV personality was the Master of Ceremonies and bidding was led by professional auctioneer Harrie E. Copeland, III. More than 250 attendees enjoyed the gala and auction, with all 28 chairs being sold for $150-800 each.

The first Take a Seat, held in May 2013, was an international, simultaneous design exhibition and auction curated by IFDA New York, San Diego and Osaka, Japan chapters raising more than $16,000 for Tsunami and Hurricane Sandy relief as well as chapter professional development. This October, chapters in Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Scottsdale, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco will host their Take a Seat events with proceeds benefiting the overall IFDA TAS initiative called Helping Heroes at Home, raising funds and awareness for charities including Habitat for Humanity, Wheelchair Foundation and Project Home.

vv Smith Village Home Named Top Performer Smith Village Home Furnishings, Jacobus, Pennsylvania has been honored by La-Z-Boy as the top performing Comfort Studio® dealer for outstanding performance in the Northeast region based on sales percent increase in 2013.

The New York chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) hosted its second annual Take a Seat gala at Room & Board’s New York store on May 14. One-of-akind chairs designed and created by leading designers and artisans “I am very happy to accept this award, but I must give credit to were auctioned with proceeds benefiting Habitat for Humanity our upholstery buyer, Colleen Schaffner, our dedicated sales team, and IFDA chapter professional development. The chairs were and of course the La-Z-Boy brand, for making this happen,” said on display in Room & Board’s SoHo store windows and in vi- Dallas Smith, president of Smith Village Home Furnishings. gnettes May 9 – 14, the week of the International Contemporary “Everyone at Smith Village Home Furnishings is very proud to Furniture Fair, and during NYCxDesign. have earned this sales award.”

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The Scoop

Celia Moh Scholarship Winners:

Howard Blakey, La-Z Boy and Colleen Schaffner and Dallas Smith, Smith Village Home Furnishings.

Kaitlin Thompson

Emily Hardin

Samuel Patterson

Heather Seto

Smith Village Home Furnishings has been in business for 82 years.

Its 30,000-square-foot showroom features a selection of home furnishings and mattresses and includes the La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio and a Mattress First bedding center featuring Serta.

vvCelia Moh Scholarship Winners Named The Celia Moh Scholarship, one of the preeminent academic scholarship programs for students bound for careers in the home furnishings industry, has been award to four students for the 20142015 academic year.

Emily Hardin, a senior interior design student at Mississippi State University; Samuel Patterson, a junior in the industrial design program at North Carolina State University; Heather Seto, a senior furniture design major attending Kendall College of Art and Design; and Kaitlin Thompson, a junior home furnishings major from High Point University, will receive the scholarships, which cover tuition and fees, room, board and books. In addition, the scholarship hosts an annual networking and resource-building trip to the High Point Market, and provides informal internship and career guidance for its scholars, as well as offering an active alumni network for former scholars who are now in the home furnishings industry.

Previous scholarship recipients have gone on to make their mark in the home furnishings industry in fields such as management, marketing, retailing, product design and development, merchandising and engineering.

vvLogan Steps Down as ICFA Director Joseph P. Logan, executive director of the International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA) since its inception in 2008, and executive director of its predecessor organization, the Summer and Casual Furniture Manufacturers Association from 1999 to 2008, has announced he will step down from his post July 25.

Established in 2001 by furniture industry entrepreneur Laurence Moh, best known as the founder of Universal Furniture and later, Logan said he plans “a new program of study, increased philFine Furniture Design, to honor his wife, Celia, the program’s en- anthropic and board activities and service in my hometown of dowment has provided 84 full scholarships in 13 years, exceeding Winston-Salem and in North Carolina, and involvement in our $3.8 million in awards. state’s growing wine industry.”

Scholarship candidates are hand-selected by their respective Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of public relations, has been universities and must complete an extensive application question- named the association’s interim executive director. naire, write a personal essay, obtain instructors’ recommendations, and provide a college transcript illustrating exceptional academic ICFA is a division of the American Home Furnishings Alliance achievement. A scholarship committee comprised of notable home (AHFA). Prior to his appointment as executive director of ICFA furnishings industry executives selected the students from a pool and SCFMA, Logan served as vice president of financial services of premier candidates from eight universities across the country. for AHFA. 68

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The Scoop

May,” said AHFA CEO Andy Counts.

“We have mobilized teams to meet with lawmakers in Washington, submitted technical comments and participated in public hearings on behalf of the industry. We were gratified to hear from Mr. Jones that our message is being heard.”

Attendees, in addition to AHFA staff, included executives from American Leather, A.R.T., Ashley, Century, C r a f t m a s t e r, D M I , G a t C r e e k , Flexsteel, Home Meridian International, Hooker, Johnston Casuals, Klaussner, Magnussen, Riverside, Sauder Woodworking, Universal, Vanguard, Vaughan-Bassett and Veneman.

vvAHFA Board Meets with D.C. Officials

vvIndustry Accolades & Kudos

During the American Home Furnishings Alliance Washington, D.C.-board meeting in May, members met with key officials from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as key lawmakers to discuss issues of significant importance to the home furnishings industry

Accellos, a provider of supply-chain execution software solutions, has been named a Top 100 Logistics IT Provider for 2014

by Inbound Logistics magazine. This year marks the seventh consecutive year that Accellos has received the distinction. The company also has opened a new performance group for home furnishings retailers (formerly PROFITgroups). The Accellos Performance Group will hold its first meeting in early November in San Diego, California.

Two key items on the agenda were the EPA’s proposed rules for implementing the federal formaldehyde emission standard and the NLRB’s reissuance of the so-called “ambush election rule.”

Jim Jones, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, told AHFA board members that his tour of a North Carolina furniture factory in March, along with comments submitted by AHFA, provided needed insights into the production of furniture containing laminated wood components.

The EPA continues ironing out compliance rules for the formaldehyde emission standard passed in 2010. An implementation rule released last May contained a game-changing detail: The agency proposed putting all furniture manufacturers who use hardwood-plywood (HWPW) panels in the same category as the HWPW manufacturers themselves. This would subject furniture manufacturers to extensive testing and third-party certification requirements.

“AHFA staff and key member executives have been engaged on this issue since the proposed rules were released by the EPA last

STORIS, a provider of fully integrated, cross-channel, retail software solutions, has been named as the best place to work in New Jersey for small to mid-sized businesses by NJBIZ magazine.

The Best Places to Work statewide program identifies, recognizes and honors New Jersey’s top 100 employers who are committed to employee personal growth, quality of life and business development.

Kudos to Norwalk Furniture for ditching harmful additives a full seven months ahead of tough, new mandatory regulations taking effect in California. As of June 1, Norwalk Furniture upholstery will be free of toxic flame-retardant chemicals and will carry the CertiPUR-US® seal guaranteeing that foams are free of harmful additives.

Abbyson Living’s president Yavar Rafieha has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year™ 2014 semi-finalist in greater Los Angeles. Surya’s president Satya Tiwari has been named a finalist in the Hospitality and Retail category for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Southeast program.

Share your stories with RetailerNOW. Did you or your business receive an award? Host an event? Open a new location? Hire someone amazing? Send your news or press releases to us at scoop@retailernow.com

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Calendar

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE INDUSTRY EVENTS Check out Networking News on page 63 for NAHFA Regional Events Atlanta Summer Gift, Home Furnishings & Holiday Market July 8-15, 2014 Atlanta, Georgia www.americasmart.com

Las Vegas Market July 27-31, 2014 Las Vegas, Nevada www.lasvegasmarket.com

KEM Furniture & Accessory Market August 3-5, 2014

International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market

Tupelo Furniture Market August 14-17, 2014

September 16-19, 2014

Tupelo, Mississippi www.tupelofurnituremarket.com

The Merchandise Mart Chicago www.casualmarket.com

NY NOW High Point Market

August 16-20, 2014

October 18-23, 2014

New York, New York www.nynow.com

High Point, North Carolina www.highpointmarket.org

KEM Furniture & Accessory Mart KEM Furniture & Accessory Mart

September 7-8, 2014

November 19-20, 2014

Central, Florida www.kemexpo.com

Long Beach, California www.kemexpo.com

Edison, New Jersey www.kemexpo.com

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Contact us for details and receive a special, 100th anniversary commemorative gift. Plus, if you hold a Lynch Sale during 2014 you’ll become eligible for our Grand Prize of a trip for two to Ireland!

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PHONE

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Furniture Wizard

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GE Capital

(800) 422-3778

nahfa.org

Jaipur Rugs

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Inside Back

Las Vegas Market

(702) 599-9621

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Lynch Sales

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lynchsales.com

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MicroD

(800) 964-3876

microdinc.com

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Back Cover

Myriad

(800) 676-4243

myriadsoftware.com

http://tinyurl.com/myriadFB

NewComLink

(855) 229-3713

NewComLink.com

NewComLink

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Next Generation-NOW

(800) 422-3778

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North American HFA Sponsors

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Northwest Furniture Xpress

(828) 475-6377

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Nourison

(201) 368-6900

nourison.com

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Okinus

(855) 330-3958

okinus.com

Omnia

(909) 393-4400

omnialeather.com

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PROFITsystems

(800) 888-5565

profitsystems.com

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R&A Marketing

(888) 225-0776

RAmarketing.com

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Serta

(888) 557-3782

serta.com

SertaMattress

@SertaMattresses

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Simple Finance

(800) 742-1789

gosimplefin.com

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STORIS

(888) 4-STORIS

storis.com

facebook.com/STORIS.solutions

@STORIS

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Surya

(877) 275-7847

surya.com

facebook.com/SuryaSocial

Tidewater Financial

(800) 535-4087 x6553

tidewaterfinance.com

Truckskin

(877) 866-7546

truckskin.com

facebook.com/TruckSkin

@TruckSkin

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TwinStar

(615) 975-4862

twinstarhome.com

facebook.com/TwinStarInternational

@TwinStarHome

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The Now List A quick dose of fun facts, random trivia, and useful (or useless) bits of info

SCAN THIS PAGE TO SEE THE LIGHTING OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST CHANDELIER GET THE NAHFA APP AT nahfa.org/myapp

The Now List

Cyber Crime

An estimated 200 million data records were stolen in the first quarter of 2014, up 233% over the same period last year.

Pinteresting

Bright Lights Big City

the world’s population.

Shoppers coming from Pinterest spend nearly $170 per session on average. In comparison, shoppers from Facebook spend $95 per session, & Twitter shoppers spend $70. The top 10 categories purchased through Pinterest are 10. Sporting goods; 9.

Entertainment; 8. Baby gear; 7. Flowers, food, drink & gift; 6. Footwear; 5. Health & beauty; 4. Home, garden & pool/ spa; 3. Art, hobbies & supplies; 2.

Accessories (jewelry) and 1. Clothing & apparel.

Happy Residents

What’s in a Name?

Hou$ing Info

program.

from 2013; most expensive market is San Jose, CA ($808,000) and least expensive is Youngstown-WarrenBoardman, OH ($64,600).

Trust Issues

54% of consumers (down 3% from 2013) say they don’t trust businesses with their online personal information.

3 Billion & Counting

By the end of 2014 there will be nearly 3 billion Internet users—about 40% of

About half of Illinois and Connecticut residents say that. if given the chance, they would like to move to another state.

Residents in Montana, Hawaii and Maine are the most content where they are at 23%.

37% of Millennials said they would not be loyal to a brand without a rewards

Cleveland’s theater district, Playhouse Square, is home to the largest chandelier in the world it is 20 feet tall, weighs 8,500 lbs. and hangs 24 feet over the intersection.

Median price for existing singlefamily home is $191,600, up 8.6%

CC © 2012 Tangible Media Group/MIT Media Lab

Digital Wins

In an Androit Digital study, 36% of Millennials said digital ads are the most effective at influencing brand decisions; traditional ads scored 19%.

111 DAYS MIT’s Moving Furniture

Tangible Media Group from MIT Media Lab developed TRANSFORM—a shape-shifting tabletop. The kinetic energy from a person drives the wave motion of more than 1,000 pins.

Most Researched

Among people who regularly or occasionally research products online— these are the most researched before purchasing in a store: 46% electronics; 27% apparel; 25% appliances; 23% shoes; 21% home improvement; 17% beauty care/cosmetics; 16 percent food/ groceries; 15% medicines/vitamins/ supplements; 13% furniture & home décor.

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Tax Freedom Day (the day when as a nation we’ve earned enough to pay the total tax bill for the year) was April 21—111 days into the year. Americans paid $3 trillion in federal and $1.5 trillion in state taxes, which = 30.2% of income.

So Many Regs!

If it were its own economy, U.S. regulation would be the world's 10thlargest, bigger than the economies of Canada or Australia.

Best Givers

In 2013, Utahans were the most likely to report donating time and money; charitable giving was lowest in Southern and Southwestern states.

www.retailerNOWmag.com

35K and Counting

According to IBIS World, there are more than 35,000 U.S. furniture retailers.

Obamacare

Majority of Americans are still not happy with the president’s medical plan. Only 43% of Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act.

Sources: Safenet.com, United Nations International Telecommunications Union, Tangible Media Group/ MIT Media Lab, RockPaperRobot.com, taxfoundation. org, gallup.com, National Association of Realtors, Androit Digital, Prosper Monthly Consumer Survey, RichRelevance, Shop.org, comscore, The Partnering Group, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, TRUSTe 2014 US Consumer Confidence Privacy Report, Bond Brand Loyalty report

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Summer Influence Meets

Exceptional Design

MR09

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Wh e n i n fl u ence o r inspir at i on h i t s, i t c an b e a m ake o r break m om e n t for a n arti s t. In t he case of t h e J a i pu r su m m er i nfl uence series it ’s a ppa re n t t h a t al l thi n g s ‘lago on’ mad e t h e i r w a y f ro m concept t o realit y in t h e n e w l y la u n ched ‘ THE BOOK Spr i n g/ S u m m e r 20 1 4’ . In d oor /Out do or pil l ow s f rom t h e Verand a co llect ion are f re sh a n d vi b r a nt i n a r ange of pa t t e r n s a n d sty l e s , w h i l e t he new Des e rt In door/ O u td oor fl at weav e rugs provi de a c ool Az t e c i n sp i red aura. Aqua , t e a l , se a f o a m, p ow d er blue, and sha de s of sk y a n d sea are heav y player s a l on g w i t h t h e i d ea of t ext ure. Jaipur h a s t a k e n t h e look text ures, in t heir in spi ra t i on a l sen se, an d recreat ed t h e e sse n c e us i n g p atter n inst ead of t he t a c t i l e . Th e

f i n i sh e d c re a t i on is a t o n a l p la y g ro u n d of a f re sh a n d a wa k e n e d s t y le . M ix in g in j u t e a n d h e m p f ib e r s in t h e f o r m o f t r u e t e xt u re c re a t e s t h e a m b ia n c e o f w id e ope n spa c e a l on g w it h a n e w t a k e o n a t ri e d a n d t ru e p a lle t . T h e re is m u c h t o be sa i d for t he id e a o f c a lm in g t h e se n se s t h rou gh o u r s u r ro u n d in g s a n d ou r vot e i s for t h e s u m m e r in f lu e n c e ye a r rou n d.

THE BOOK SPRING / SUMMER 2014 CATALOG

AGA06

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