WHFA conference packed with seminars, roundtables
By Jay McIntosh -- Furniture Today, May 26, 2008
Tucson, Ariz. — Focusing on community involvement in addition to the usual education and networking, more than 200 members of the Western Home Furnishings Assn. gathered under the Southwest sun here last week.
Attendance was down slightly, probably because of the slow economy, but the program was jam-packed with educational seminars, idea-sharing roundtables and a consumer panel.
At an outdoor dinner under a full moon, featuring barbecued steaks and corn on the cob, San Diego-based Top 100 company Jerome's Furniture was honored as the WHFA's 2008 Retailer of the Year. Top executives Ann Navarra, Jerry Navarra and Lee Goodman accepted on behalf of the company, a 54-year-old institution in Southern California.
Two days earlier, WHFA members took part in another outdoor event in the springtime sun — it was the earliest 100-degree day ever in southern Arizona — by assembling Huffy bicycles that would be donated to children in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson. It was a team-building effort that also fit into a conference theme, that retailers should be active in supporting their communities.
The WHFA also donated $50,000 to the charity, which serves at-risk boys and girls.
In the course of 14 educational sessions, some of which ran concurrently to offer retailers a choice of topics, WHFA members picked up such nuggets as:
-
Don't assume you know your customer — get out of the store and ask them, suggested Scott Toland of The Marketing Academy. One retailer's favorite piece of advice from Toland's three-hour presentation was his suggestion that stores make a CD for customers who shop but don't buy, giving it to them as they leave the store. On it, the owner thanks the person for shopping and tells about the store and what it offers. Once in a while, a consumer plays the CD in the car, then turns around and comes back in.
-
Salespeople should ask open-ended questions, like "What's important to you in selecting a new bedroom?" Brad Huisken of IAS Training drove home the point that consumers don't buy furniture for its features, they buy for its benefits — such as a home that's comfortable and beautiful, or a better night's sleep. But Huisken added, "I think it is more important to sell yourself and sell your store than it is to sell your merchandise."
-
Make a plan for merchandising products before you buy them, said Mary Liz Curtin, co-owner of Detroit-area retailer Leon & Lulu's, whose "Who Let the Dogs Out" presentation focused on how to move products that don't sell. "We do a mini-business plan for any line we bring into the store, if it's a big investment."
-
Forget about e-mailing your 20-something customers, said Stephen Taylor of Mississippi State University. E-mail is baby boomer; think "txt msgg." And remember that selling to Generation Y (born in 1980 and later) often means selling to a group, not an individual, since people of this age are accustomed to reaching a consensus with their friends and families on many important decisions. And don't ignore them, he warns: "These kids have money — $200 billion a year is what they spend."
One highlight was a four-woman "town hall" panel of consumers, who gave an absorbing if sometimes puzzling explanation of how they shop furniture stores and what influences them to purchase. One thing they agreed on: Salespeople should offer a friendly greeting but shouldn't hover. They should, however, be available quickly to offer help when needed.
WHFA members couldn't attend every session but will be able to soak in all the information later at their leisure. Included in the cost of registration is a DVD of all the presentations, which will be sent to attendees in a few weeks.
