I just returned from Las Vegas where there are definitely some challenges in our industry. Amazingly there was some very upbeat feelings coming out of a pretty good January. I also found some furniture reps taking these challenging times and figuring out how to make something of it. What I plan to do with this blog is to highlight some cool things members of the rep community are doing. My inspiration came from seeing what Chris De Lisa was doing at market.
Chris is a sales executive at Home Line and manages a sales force for them. He is also very active in the Independent Home Furnishings Representative’s Association as the newest member of the IHFRA Executive Committee.
But what really caught my attention is seeing Chris in his own show space at the Las Vegas market. Chris was showing a patent pending electrical device that could change the way all upholstery functions. This device allows consumers to plug a power cord directly into the arm or side of an upholstered piece.
Chris has got his discovery story down about the “Ah-Ha” moment that he came up with the concept for the convenience of having an electrical outlet in the sofa. Just think, a consumer does not have to go looking for plugs behind sofas for the vacuum cleaner, or when a laptop, game boy or IPOD battery loses its charge. You just plug in the cord to the sofa.
The exciting thing about Chris is he didn’t just think it and forget it like most do. Chris thought it, went to work patenting it, hired Kurt Behm to sell it, and then started spending money promoting it. This could very well become the next must have thing that’s added to any upholstery piece and it was developed by a fellow furniture sales rep.
Congratulations Chris on having a great market and best of luck in rolling out the “De Lisa Power System”.
I want to feature as many innovative reps and members of IHFRA from around the country in this blog.
What I would really like is if you can send me innovative ideas you are using to help your retail and design customers or if you are developing a side business. Anything outside of just going in and selling a piece of furniture, I would like to feature.
So if you have a good idea that you are using or pursuing, please email me the idea at meroot@mikeroot.com. I will set up a phone call where we can discuss it. I really want to write about as many reps doing cool things as I can, so please get back to me at your earliest convenience. Thanks
Mike Root
www.furnituretoday.com