The NEW RULES of selling in today’s marketplace

  This is the 16th blog I've written on LinkedIN. (But whose counting, right?) I have written about how the marketplace has changed and we need to change our approach to selling to Interior Designers. I've written a lot on why we have to change and what we have to change. My last blog I laid out the 7 CORE PRINCIPLES OF OPTIMIZED SALES and yet many showrooms remain too afraid to change what they are [...]

What causes inconsistent sales for those who sell to interior designers (even seasoned ones)? Doing some things not all.

I had a huge epiphany yesterday about how optimal sales are achieved. I started sales training more than 20 years ago in the interior design industry. I have worked with and observed hundreds of sales people over the years. These are very capable, strong, people. Many with larger than life personalities. They were all beloved in the industry and many had been doing this a long time, you could say seasoned. And naturally their managers think [...]

Are showrooms “mass marketing” to increase sales to interior designers?

  I went to pick up my mail today and, as usual, stood by the garbage can and unloaded 1/2 of my mail that was squeezed like a sausage into my tiny mailbox. People are looking for sales anyway they can today. So they are resorting more and more to postcards, letters. brochures, and any other, sometimes expensive marketing materials. Where does that end up if I can't use what they are selling? Right in that [...]

Stop the teeter totter. Showrooms who sell to interior designers can have the stability they need by breaking from the old way of thinking.

In the past I have written mainly for sales people in the interior design industry. I thought I would change it up a bit by writing about another passion, the showroom where many sales people I train work. Over a 25 year career, I worked with four showrooms in the Merchandise Mart, Chicago. I was very lucky to work with some of the most prestigious showrooms in the country as a contract and residential sales person [...]

Why do sales people under perform? (Clue) it’s NOT the economy.

  Here we are, almost at the end of the first quarter 2016. New Year..new start, spring has almost sprung. And yet here's what I am STILL hearing from product companies and showrooms: We had a horrible start to our first quarter. We had a horrible January... February looked better..not sure about March yet. Some of our territories had a great January (bad January) bad February (good February). When I ask why they think that is, [...]