Diversity in America: How to Work with and Market to People Not Like You

March 21, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on March 22, 2011 Diversity. We don€™t have very much of it around these parts. I suppose it€™s getting better, but we have an awful lot to learn.

There ARE differences. I don€™t mean to be divisive, but men and women just think differently. Gen Xers think differently than Baby Boomers. And Hispanics may have a cultural tendency or two that you don€™t know about that can help you sell more furniture. The world is a mixed bag these days. Accept it, learn about it, and grow your business.

The upcoming Home Furnishings Industry conference is a place where you can learn about things like this. It€™s in San Antonio, Texas, this year and it starts April 30. You can still register. Home Furnishings Business is a sponsor as are other major players in the industry (sponsors listed below)  We hope you€™ll come. 

Kelly McDonald of McDonald Marketing will be speaking at the conference; she€™s an expert on diversity. The title of her speech is "Diversity in America: How to Work with and Market to People Not Like You."

Check out the list of key points below of what you€™ll learn in her session. 

KEY POINTS:

• Participants will learn key retail consumer profiles and the values associated with each to better understand customers and coworkers;

• Special attention will be focused upon generational segments and the retail trends that each are shaping;

• The Hispanic €œsize of the prize€ will be reviewed. Attendees will learn about the Four Levels of Acculturation and specific examples of what Hispanic customers are looking for in home furnishings;

• Learn how to avoid customer service mistakes and HR blunders and how to provide exceptional service to Spanish-speaking customers; and

• Specific strategies for developing effective diversity retail initiatives will be reviewed. Dos and don€™ts will be covered in detail.

Something tells me if you learn all that at the beginning of May, your June could see a difference. Invest in your brain. Come join us at the Home Furnishings Industry Conference.  Plus, there will be all kinds of cool people there. You can still register online.

Amy

SPONSORS: AspenHome, CFMA, HFB, IDS, IHFRA, MicroD, NHFA, PFD, SEHFA, Serta, SHFA, WHFA, WMC. (I know what all of those initials stand for; smart business€”that€™s why they are sponsoring conference.)