furnishings industry questions

Re: [spiers] furnishings industry questions


Hi Mary Kay,

Digital movies are easy to make these days with a digital camera like a
Canon S2, with great sound, then you would just take your laptop -
this would also work well if you had a booth at a Garden show, to show
the fountain in different locations.

Just an idea, Susan


On Jan 10, 2006, at 2:18 PM, John Spiers wrote:

> Slight correction...not "I take the samples to the same retailers and
> others to get orders
> sufficient to fill supplier minimums." but "I take the samples to
> the same retailers and get
> the names of the very best independent sales representatives for this
> kind of product."
>
> With the names of the best reps, and buyers ready to buy, you then
> pose the promotion
> problems to the reps, the professionals who do this kind of work.Â
> they'll have the best
> advice...
>
> As to #2 below... that www.surtex.com site mentioned yesterday has
> interctive access to
> hundreds of designers and talent agents...perhaps you could poll
> them...
>
> John
>
> > I have developed a unique "high-design" water fountain that
> retailers told
> > me was a great idea that their customers would buy. Two questions:
> >
> > 1. Samples: I now have samples. Under the Spiers model, I take
> the
> > samples to the same retailers and others to get orders sufficient
> to fill
> > supplier minimums. However, my fountains are difficult to
> transport due to
> > size and location of the retailers. Only a few retailers are
> local. This
> > must be a problem common in the furnishings industry. Consider
> armoires.
> > To those of you with furnishings (or other large item) experience,
> how do
> > you deal with it? I've considered making a small scale model.Â
> However this
> > requires duplicate tooling (molds) and the pumps are unavailable to
> > replicate the water flow. The product does show best live vs.
> photographed.
> >
> > 2. Design commission: Compensation to the designer may change.Â
> Does
> > anyone know the common range of commissions for "lesser known"
> furniture
> > designers? I've been unable to sleuth it out in the trade journals.
> >
> > Thanks much. By the way, I've been enjoying the saga of the basic
> cell
> > phone search.
> >
> > Mary Kay

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