I’m climbing on my soapbox, so buckle in. I’m ticked.
This summer, my heart was buoyed by the fact so many vendors and sales reps brought a positive attitude to their showrooms and booths. The negative complaints about buyers, marts, traffic, etc. were replaced by (what I thought was) a realistic understanding that the economy stinks, consumers need to be engaged, and that with some compassion, patience, and understanding, we’d all come through this thing together.
Sadly, now that the summer show circuit has ended, I’m getting an inordinate number of phone calls and emails about vendors who have taken off the white gloves and replaced them with boxers, using strong arm tactics designed to corner accounts into impossible situations. [click here to continue…]
Well, here we go…off to the Big Show, the summer gift show at AmericasMart in Atlanta. Admittedly, I’m a bit curious about the next few days and how they’ll play out. In January, we were all looking each other in the eye for the first time since the market nose dived into oblivion. It only took 24 hours for the collective :::sigh::: to be heard across the three block campus as everyone recognized they were in this thing together.
Now, six months later-—to the day-—everyone’s had time to adjust to doing business differently. [click here to continue…]
As you know from my previous blog post, the final buzz from the National Stationery Show was unquestionably positive, with vendors and retailers alike returning home happier than expected.
Thankfully, BookExpo-—the book industry equivalent of NSS that just wrapped up at the Javits last weekend-—mirrored much of the same. Vendors agreed while buyer headcount was down, the quality was up. Buyers felt that while exhibitors were fewer, they were more willing to work with them in partnership.
Which proves a point I’ve made with a number of industry folks the past six months. [click here to continue…]
I’ll be the first to raise my hand when it comes to endorsing the concept of “permission based marketing.” Bottom line is that you simply don’t add someone’s email address to a mailing list unless they provide it to you for that purpose.
Which is why I’m a bit steamed over the fact my personal inbox was hit with sales pitches yesterday. The first couple, I unsubscribed using the links provided, then sent a note to the vendors explaining why I’d done so, asking that they please not use that address. By the time the third fourth one appeared, however, the pattern surfaced. Marzipan, Evy Jacob, Fin + Roe, and Hen and Barley–the three four that sent uninvited e-blasts–shared a booth…and reps. [click here to continue…]
2008 could become The Year of the Road Rep, for those who play their cards right. Smart reps who have maintained consistent relationships with their retailers will be sitting pretty, more necessary-—and appreciated-—than ever during third and fourth quarter.
Those who have been lazy, however, just now appearing at stores, ready to cash in, will be laid out like a bad bear skin rug by retailers with short fuses and long memories.
One reaps what one sows. Welcome to the harvest.
