News from WithIt.Inc

WOW TEACHER

Jim Green

Interview by Stephanie Lowder

The home furnishings industry is fashion-driven but it's largely unfashionable, because who determines what fashion is? A lot of people basically buy by the pound, the more it weighs the more it's worth. They don't consider scale, their taste is not that of the fashionistas.

Furniture is an industry that has to be learned.

A mentor doesn't have to be a superior. A mentor can be anyone willing to teach you something, or who teaches by example. When I went to Mass Brothers / Jordan Marsh, furniture categories were doing very poorly and I was hired to turn it around, which I eventually did. The buyers in that department were by and large very good buyers, and I came to understand that it was not my predecessor's fault that business was failing. But the EVP who hired me had chewed the buyers a new one with the attitude that maybe this new guy (me) could make something happen. So I walked into the coldest reception you could imagine, I literally could see the animosity in this room.

One of the best bedding buyers in the country, a big mammoth Greek, 6'2", 300 lbs, who'd been with the company almost 40 years, was in there and he was a kind of leader for the buyers. So in this meeting he was very cold and belligerent, and complained and moaned for a couple weeks after. And somehow I had to put an end to it. I had two choices: I could do it heavy (I can do heavy), or I could do it smooth.

So I called him into my office and I said, we have a problem here. You and I are wasting so much time. If you wouldn't mind, would you write a list of those complaints, and number the list, and we will save a lot of time if when one of these problems is bothering you, you'll just stick your head in my door and yell "Number 3," or "Number 7." And the guy just broke out laughing. From that point on we became unbelievably close and good friends. And although I was his supervisor, he was a mentor.

Department stores often haven't allowed managers or merchants the authority to get the job done. It may be different now.

As a leader, one thing I've learned for sure is to keep a sense of humor, it really helps to get things done. Also, don't set yourself up on any kind of pedestal. Teach.

Letting people make mistakes is a lot of what leadership is about. Giving people the authority to do their job, letting them make mistakes, covering their butts and yours. By letting people make a mistake, you give them a career-altering lesson.

The difference in merchandising and being a sales rep is that a merchant or buyer gets immediate results. You get to make decisions about what to buy and what to sell and you know very quickly whether you've made good decisions. But a sales rep must sell what the factory makes, whether or not it is what the merchant or consumer needs most at that moment.

The worst part about being a merchandiser, a merchant, is that there's a lot of mundane work, like managing the inventory. There's a lot of second guessing and a lot of educated guessing, planning. But I always loved it all. It's something I was good at.

The worst part about being an independent rep is the mundane details. In my view, if a sales rep is doing their job right, there is little fun in the day to day details. Going through a thousand fabric swatches and pulling drops just isn't fun. Updating catalogs and promotional material isn't fun. But you've gotta do it if you want to be good at the job. The teaching aspects, the training, that I loved.

The furniture industry is largely an industry of followers.

It's really absolutely ludicrous that the home furnishings industry is still somewhat male dominated. Because in a family the male is typically the arbiter of decisions about what is going to be spent, and the female is typically arbiter of decisions about what is going to bought. The industry just hasn't caught up.

What I miss about owning a furniture store - nothing. I made mistakes. In good times you can make mistakes, but in unlucky economic times, poor decisions cost you. As a result, I was on my knees. Now the retailing, the merchandising, that I miss.

Before opening a store, I'd advise a retailer to really get into the market demographics, the competitive aspects, who's doing what. Invest in market research to determine the most specific unfilled needs in your market. My particular view is that the denser the market, the more specific a retail business should be. If you're opening up a 10,000 sq. ft. store in Manhattan, then find the most specific niche that isn't being served well. However, if you're opening up a 10,000 sq. ft. store in Iowa, your merchandise categories need to be much broader.

The absolute most important thing in life is family. I love being a father, I love being a husband. I was probably better at that than at anything I've ever done.

What I want to learn next is how to sell books. Patience.

JIM GREEN,has been an executive of a dominating independent furniture retailer, merchandise manager for a major department store chain, furniture retail owner, and sales representative for several major furniture manufacturers. Most recently, he earned an MBA in Management and authored the new book, Furniture Retailing 101: The Business, The Merchandise, The Strategic Concepts.