by I enjoyed Publisher Rick Harrison’s article, “Markets matter. Deal with it” in Home News Now. I especially liked the statement, “The final mile is on you.”
When I’m asked “How was my market?” I always respond that it was good. And I mean it. Why? Because “my job” is to make it good. Yes, I do have the luxury of coming early and staying until the end. I use this time to cover as much of the middle to high-end as possible. You get to know the best product, pricing, etc. Let’s face it, we have some of the best creative minds in the world there, designing product. We have some of the best manufacturers, all trying their best every market.
Yes, some markets may be better than others, but I have never had “a bad one”.
As we all know, laziness has become an epidemic in this country (well before Covid). When I hear a buyer say, “There is nothing new at market,” I think: How hard have you worked? I have heard some of these buyers quitting at 2:30 to go have cocktails. Really? You are here to shore up your income for the next six months. What justice are you doing to your design clients, when you are trying to find the “perfect” pieces for their projects?
I have many times heard buyers say, “That is good enough.” God bless you. That does not cut it for our clients. Our clients expect more than that; that’s why they come to us, and we deliver more than that.
Some people ask me why we can’t just order online or from a catalog. Once you get to truly know a company by visiting many markets, you can have some confidence in doing that. But, there is NOTHING that takes the place of touching, feeling, sitting on and experiencing the product. This also makes selling the product much easier because you have a physical connection to it, and this translates to the consumer.
Markets also offer so much inspiration that you can bring back to your stores. If you are not personally energized when you leave market, you probably have not done your job to the fullest.
Michael Uvanni
Michael Uvanni is the owner of Michael J. Uvanni Interiors in Rome, New York.
Well said Michael.
Hope you’ll share again.