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17700 Carolina Sepia
With the dark contrast of the welting details and rich finished showood legs,
the light airy fabric and rolled arm contemporary design of the “Caroline-
Sepia” upholstery collection creates an atmosphere that awakens the look and
feel of any living room décor.
DELAWARE, NEW JERSEY & PENNSYLVANIA
515 Lowell
Ashley Update
680 Clearwater
With a light brown finish beautifully accented by the elegant look of the Anigre
inlay and ornate details scrolling throughout the furniture, the “Clearwater”
bedroom collection perfectly captures the inviting and relaxed quality of grand
Old World design to enhance the sophistication of any bedroom décor.
Customer Loyalty for Small Businesses By Mark Johnson, President & CEO, Loyalty360
Unlike larger entities, smaller companies have the unique ability to nurture more personal relationships when implementing loyalty strategies. They can engage, listen to and
empower the customer -- the cornerstone of effective loyalty strategies for businesses of any size. Instead of focusing on offering rebates and/or reduced pricing (non-value
based selling), they can commit to provide value, strong customer service and responsive voice-of-the-customer driven communication -- all of which work together to drive
engagement and greater loyalty.
Many successful small businesses also focus on "in the moment" loyalty initiatives, partly because their employees can have a greater impact. They can manage their training
and buy-in more effectively than larger entities, since the locus of control is much smaller. They have the ability to be more nimble and, if they are truly committed and have a
full-time employee (FTE) to put against the initiatives, the ability for them to glean actionable insight. The goal of all loyalty initiatives is to get back to the "corner store men-
tality" and engagement levels of the early mom-and-pop stores -- a time when the proprietor knew more about the interests, attitudes and opinions of their customers than
they know today. The chance for small businesses to be "in the moment" is quite important.
Lastly, smaller companies that have more control of their programs can use value propositions that are easier to understand and resonate better with their customers. Because
of their smaller customer base, smaller companies do not have to develop programs that have to appeal to more diverse communities.
The challenge to smaller companies around driving loyalty programs lies not in their interest, but the willingness to dedicate an FTE or even half an FTE is hard given the pro-
ductivity issues in small America. For example, I was recently talking with leaders of a small sized construction company who ruefully acknowledged to me that they had no
one on staff to run a loyalty initiative. In their efforts to hire someone for this capacity, they discovered that because loyalty marketing is such a complicated field, bringing
someone on board can be very challenging.
The complexity of loyalty and engagement initiatives has increased, but the returns of effective administration of these programs is larger than ever before.
Think your business is too small to implement an effective customer loyalty strategy? Think again. - The Loyalty Marketer's Association
Constructed of wood solid and wood veneers. Typical Constructed of wood solid and wood veneers. Typical Constructed of laminates over engineered wood, Made
construction consists of wood solid frames, drawer construction consists of wood solid frames, drawer in USA - Arcadia WI (domestic)
fronts, pilasters, sides and panels. fronts, pilasters and trims with wood veneer tops, sides Constructed of wood solid and wood veneers. Typical
Ball Bearing Drawer Glides (import) and panels. construction consists of wood solid frames, drawer
Wood Cuts used: Wood Solids and Veneers Wood on Wood Center Glides (import) fronts, pilasters and trims with wood veneer tops, sides
Wood Finishes used: Veneers Metal on Metal Center Glides (import) and panels (import)
Most Common Used Woods: Oak, Pine, Cherry, Walnut, Wood Cuts used: wood solids and Veneers Nylon Roller Side Glides (domestic)
Burch and Ash-Barrel Accents Wood Finishes used: Polyurethane Wood Cuts used: MDF used with Laminates over engi-
Most Common Drawer Construction: English Dovetail in Most Common Used Woods: Rubber wood (maple family),
the back and French Dovetail in front, side and neered wood (domestic)
Burch, Ash-Barrel Accents, Asian Hardwoods and
corner supports with drawer stops other select hardwoods Wood Finishes used: Lacquer (domestic)
Most Common Accents used: Natural Marble, Decorative Most Common Drawer Construction: English Dovetail in Most Common Drawer Construction: Glued and tacked
Upholstery and Molded Accents the back and French Dovetail in front, side and
Solid Wood Drawers corner supports with drawer stops Decorative features, full base returns, storage, and
Felt lined top drawers Solid Wood Drawers hardware
Cedar lined bottom drawers Felt lined top drawers (used on some Ashley case goods)
Decorative features, large scale, full base returns, Cedar lined bottom drawers (available on some)
dresser heights, storage, hidden drawers and Decorative features, full base returns, storage, and
features and decorative hardware hardware
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 Page 3
St. Patrick’s Day - Use green shamrock tags and the luck of the Irish!
Easter - Who’s up for an Easter Egg hunts, Egg Tags, Baskets, etc
Spring Cleaning /Clearance
o u r M a r keting
Tax Return Season Talk to y r more ideas
fo
Specialist mer incentive
May Day
Tempted to Text
During a recent shopping expedition, Doug Fleener, and customer service suffers or is ignored completely."
President and Managing Partner of Dynamic Experi- A few people are fine with it.
ences Group, couldn’t help but notice the number of
store employees using cellphones while on the floor. "I don't mind if my employees access their phones as
The question was did these companies allow their long as there are no customers in the store."
employees to use their phones at work or folks were "In today's world, cells are an integral part of life. They
just not following company rules. When one person was are used in lieu of a watch. Kids and elderly parents
asked if her company was okay with her checking email need just one number for emergency contact. Quick
instead of paying attention to her customers - oh, if texted messages are less disruptive than phone calls but experts suggest the following:
looks could kill! to/from the store. But phone conversations are to be
So, Doug decided to ask his clients what they do. They taken off the floor. If phone isn't a disruption and First, have a written cellphone policy that is
are a combination of small, mid-size and national doesn't impede service, it's ok." reviewed and signed by the employees annu-
One store manager even leverages the phone for good ally. It would be short and to the point, spelling out
specialty retailers. Here's what they said:
specifically what is and is not allowed. I knew it was
1. Do you allow employees to carry their phones with service.
dumb and dangerous to text or read email while driv-
them while on the floor? "We let employees take pictures from their cell of ing way before the state outlawed it, but my behavior
Yes - 20 percent product to email customers with new merchandise or only changed when the law did.
No - 70 percent product that they think their customer is interested in."
Other - 10 percent (Mostly in case of emergencies) Next, have a zero tolerance for phone use on
2. Do you allow employees to access their phones while So what's the right answer? Should or shouldn't you the floor except in an emergency. Employees
allow cellphone use at work? shouldn’t be checking their phones when they should
on the floor?
be helping customers. The customer and his/her ex-
Yes - 15 percent perience has to be the top priority.
No - 75 percent I'm torn on this one. Part of me says that we're all
Other - 10 percent (Mostly in case of emergencies) adults and we shouldn't have to have a rule. Shouldn't
we be able to expect our employees to do what's best It's fine if people use their phones in the back on break
3. Do you have a written policy on cellphone use at for the customer and the business? I wish it were that and at lunch. As a matter of fact, you may even con-
work? easy. sider putting a computer in the break room for employ-
Yes - 55 percent ees to use during break and lunches.
No - 45 percent Here in Massachusetts, the legislature recently passed
a new law prohibiting emailing or texting while driv- At the same time I would be extremely lenient
Not surprisingly, multi-store locations are more likely when asked by an employee if they can check
to have a written policy, but most respondents were ing. Not even at a stoplight or in a traffic backup. As a
smartphone junkie, going cold turkey has been ex- email. I know we live in connected world, but at the
pretty firmly against cellphone use by employees. same time we can't afford to let anything distract us
tremely difficult, I'll admit. I've had a few slips, but I'm
"Cellphone use on my clock is strictly prohibited. They doing my best! from winning the customer, maximizing the opportu-
must be turned off upon arrival to work and all purses nity, and creating an incredible store experience.
are left in the office to help prevent employee theft," The temptation to text, email, and Facebook is
said one. very tough to overcome. Yes, we live in connected world, but the most important
Added another, "We would like to allow the use, but connection we can make is with our customer, at every
invariably they end up texting, gaming or on Facebook We can't say what's right or wrong for your business, opportunity. The rest can, and will have to, wait
Y o u r A s h le y R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s Retail Experience Required, or Not?
Case Goods: People persons and great customer service
Bill Nagle - (215) 933-9595 The number of retailers who require job applicants to have retail experience is always amazing. Why is it so essen-
billnagle@sales.ashleyfurniture.com tial for a part-timer or temporary employee to have retail experience? You may find that, unless you're hiring
Bob Nagle - (215) 528-2006 for a management position, it's often easier to hire and teach people who don't have retail experi-
rnagleoffice@sales.ashleyfurniture.com ence.
Jay Ferber - (267) 265-5597 A storeowner once said she only hired people with retail experience. "This way people understand they have to
jayferber@sales.ashleyfurniture.com work nights and weekends, they have to stand on their feet all day, and they have to learn our way of retailing."
John Nagle - (215) 704-1174 Wouldn't it be easier to simply tell people they will have to work nights and weekends, and stand on their feet all
jnagle@sales.ashleyfurniture.com day? This way, new employees won't have to unlearn all the bad habits they've fallen into while working for other
Dan Nestor - (610) 931-6795 retailers who don't expect as much as we do.
dnestor@sales.ashleyfurniture.com
Consider these requirements when hiring for work at your store:
Motion:
Sean Orlando - (215) 669-1242 1. Be a genuinely nice person. Is anything else more important?
sorlando1@sales.ashleyfurniture.com
Paul Morris - (267) 249-1010 2. Care about people. You can teach products and processes but you can't teach someone to care about oth-
pmorris@sales.ashleyfurniture.com ers. Don't confuse this with people who say, "I'm a people person." Tell me what you've done to show you care.
Richard Prince - (610) 350-7290 3. Be happy. It's amazing how many unhappy people are hired to work in stores.
rprince@sales.ashleyfurniture.com
4. Smile. Why would you hire someone who does-
Stationary: n't smile during the interview? Happy people
Tom Moore - (973) 897-9122 smile, especially in a job interview.
tmoore@sales.ashleyfurniture.com
Anthony Forrest - (215) 880-5122 5. Enjoy making other people happy. People
aforrest@sales.ashleyfurniture.com who find joy in other people's happiness deliver
great customer experiences.
Eric Wenger- (215) 919-2277
ewenger@sales.ashleyfurniture.com 6. Be confident but not cocky. The difference
Todd Csencsits - (610) 909-3031 is in number five. Never be afraid to hire confident
tcsencsits@sales.ashleyfurniture.com people. Confident people sell more.
Sarah Lynch - (570) 236-3522 7. Play well with others. Every time you add an employee you're changing the team's dynamics. Being able to
slynch@sales.ashleyfurniture.com work well with colleagues is a key attribute.
Carmen Valleri- (570) 460-4682 8. Love, or at least be truly interested in, the products you sell. Always ask applicants what they like
cvalleri@sales.ashleyfurniture.com about your store and products. If they can't answer, move on. They at least should have learned about them before
the interview.
WELCOME 9. Love to learn. This is often the difference between good and great salespeople. I want people who want to
know more and be better every day.
Carmen and Sarah 10. Want to work at my store. There's a big difference between someone who wants a job and someone who
wants to work specifically for you.
We are pleased to welcome Carmen Valleri and Sarah
Lynch to the Stationary team in Todd’s region. Both 11. Sell during the interview. You can call the open position anything you want, but if you work in a specialty
bring a wealth of experience to assist you in increas- store it's a sales job. Even good cashiers sell. If a candidate can't make an attempt to selling him/herself in the inter-
ing your store traffic and revenue. view, this may not be the right person for the job.
Sarah has 9 years of retail experience including the
last 4 years as a store manager with Pier 1. Carmen 12. Be available when I need you to be. The job might require nights and weekends, but if an applicant has
comes to the team with a background in finance and the first eleven requirements you might just find a way to hire him/her regardless of availability.
has more than 12 years of furniture retail experience
as a former member of the Rosen’s team. As you can see, these are tougher requirements than simply having worked in a store. That's why you should never
limit yourself to applicants with retail experience.
See their full contact information on this page or by
visiting our website at
www.tristatefurn.imagineretailer.com.