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FurnitureCore Introduces Graphics to Offerings
August 8,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on August 9, 2011
Sometimes a graphic is the best way to communicate performance, so
FurnitureCore has added a new graphics section to its market share reports for each sales representative.
Now, sales managers can access customized market share information 24-7, drill down to specific cities, view the report in percentages or dollars, and even email the report in a Word document to each sales rep.
These reports translate a complicated spread sheet of numbers into a visual of gains and losses in market share, said Bob George, managing partner of
Impact Consulting which owns FurnitureCore. Its convenient, reliable and affordable, but its most important function is that it is a highly effective management tool with the reps.
The most basic question is, How are we performing in the marketplace? For sales management, the question is, How is each individual sales representative performing in each city of their territories?, he said. Graphs communicate ongoing performance in an instant.
In addition, if a manufacturer is focused on expanding into new markets, FurnitureCore identifies which companies are doing business and in what categories, so sales management and representatives alike can better plan and understand the marketplace. The result is greater productivity and accountability.
A.R.T. Furniture is in the process of planning for significant growth over the next five years, said Jeff Cook, CEO of A.R.T. and a FurnitureCore subscriber for nearly two years. Central to this is an accurate benchmark of how we perform compared with the marketplace, both in our product categories as well as in individual markets. Its also important to us to understand our customers so we can, in turn, help them with their decisions as an extension of our philosophy that we are even more valuable as strategic partners. We can help them make decisions based on facts, not opinion.
As a dynamic web portal to vital research designed expressly for the home furnishings industry, FurnitureCore provides comprehensive market intelligence by integrating dozens of databases with extensive, proprietary FurnitureCore research, creating information that is relevant to each client, and making it easy for retailers and manufacturers alike to apply it to their specific business model.
At A.R.T. Furniture, the significance of FurnitureCore is that the information helps us navigate through each market clearly, Cook said. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but they are not entitled to their own facts. FurnitureCore makes it easy and affordable to sort out the facts.