Big news on the sales front this month: Sarreid and Straaton Inc. have joined forces, with the well-known group of sales professionals now representing the line in Illinois, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. The team is led by the incomparable Michael Straaton, who got turned onto the better home furnishings business working straight out of school in his father’s Merchandise Mart showroom back in the days when the Chicago show was de rigueur.
“When I started things were very regionally-specific and very show-centric. Other than High Point and Las Vegas the shows have gone by the wayside now, and that allows you to focus more on being proactive and bringing your game to your customers, rather than reactive,” Straaton describes.
His customer has shifted dramatically too. “When I started in the business it was retail, retail, retail,” he says. “That changed with the Recession of 2008 when a lot of people went out of business and never came back. Today our customers range from larger design groups to individual designers, as well as architectural and hospitality firms, stagers and model homes. As a salesperson, you can’t pigeonhole yourself: You need to be open to the opportunities that are in front of you. Especially since designers are so project specific. You need to understand who is working on what, and their timeframes, and then be able to put your best foot forward with your vendor.”
Most important, “a person has got to trust you and the vendors you represent. Sarreid is a vendor that people trust and that performs. From the quality to the designs, stock levels, customer service, marketing, publications and website, you have to have it all to be successful today and Sarreid has everything needed to make anyone who gets involved with the line successful whether they are a rep, a rep company like us, or a customer. It’s a winning combination for everybody.”
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