My sales reps

I love most of my sales reps. I even enjoy talking with reps that do not work with my business. Actually, some of my favorite reps in the industry, I don't even do business with!

I was in the process of writing a thank you note to the boss of reps that I had dinner with at market. I then realized, I'm not really sure that he is their boss. I swear I think he is, but I'm not sure. So do I send this letter anyway? I hate to e-mail the guys and be like "Hey who is your boss?" I seriously need a chain of command on the website.

Industry chains of command are notoriously complicated. I have a good friend who when we were in high school would ask me what his Dad's position was, because as a retailer, I knew. As his son, he never knew.

The big problem is we have 24590834 Vice Presidents in this industry. There are VP's that mean something, and others that just have a title. That is confusing. People tend to ask "You are the VP of...?" To which I usually reply "The whole thing. I'm the only VP."

Hopefully, the National Sale's Manager and National Product Manager's thank you note should go to the VP & GM. (Thank GOD I keep an old conference guide in my desk, because I couldn't have told you what they did until I looked it up. It is pretty much the who's who of the industry).

To sum this up, if you are repping for someone, make sure your contacts know who your boss is. Especially if they are the kind of person that will use it for more good than bad.

Business Attire...

I am thankful that I grew up in DECA and at High Point Furniture market.

The lessons DECA taught me, I still use everyday. When preparing to leave for my Vegas business trip, it occurred to me that we had strict rules on travel attire. Just for fun I looked it up. DECA would have never allowed for me to wear jeans on a trip. No matter how nice I looked in them. Sorry Mrs. Gantt I wore blue jeans on the way out and sweat pants on the way in. That wouldn't have been acceptable at all. I also wore sneakers both directions. I would have never made my Charlotte connection in pretty shoes. There is a lot that can be said for comfort in travel. Even flip flops had no place in DECA. Mind you, I never wore my flops in any showrooms. I only wore them in the hallways at market. The sweatpants were for a red-eye. I wish I had a picture of me getting off that plane. I looked like death.

Everyday though, I had on a jacket. Blue blazer. Everyday, I had on khakis or some other type of nice slacks. It really made a difference. It is hard being in a mostly male industry. To be respected, you can't be in "cute" business attire. I was complimented both days on my nice shirts and blazer. Day one I had heels. Day two I had flats. I rarely took off my jacket, which is something DECA and a close friend taught me the importance off.

I was taken back at the amount of "designers" with jeans on. Also the amount of important people in golf shirts was astounding. Call me a classic High Point market girl if you must, but that is not the way we did business in North Carolina. I mentioned it to various people to hear that "You should see it at summer market!"

Granted, most of these people were not in the exact industry I'm in, but they were still there to do business in jeans. Yes, you have to walk miles a day, but jeans?!

My Dad has this theory that once you are important you can wear whatever you like and get away with it. I think that is true in your personal business, I do not think that is true when doing business with other people.

I do not have any good photos to illustrate my business attire without calling out some fellow industry people for the polo shirts.

My great grandfather was known in Greensboro for wearing a three piece suit everyday and always having a flower in his lapel. I'm fairly casual in my own business, but when it comes to business with others or big industry events, you have to look nice. Especially if it is the first time you are meeting people.

Another thing about women in business. The big hair is distracting. Really, it is. You need to be toned down. Now is not the time to be "bold." It is the time to take care of business.

Here we go again...

So there is this yellow page company... I won't call any names. They've been trying to get me to do an internet video now for weeks. Keeps getting put off. Well, I just KNEW, it would finally get done today. I got my hair blown out, my make up professionally done (you know the too much so you look good on TV kind).

THEY SENT THE CREW TO RALEIGH.

"Oh we can drive down..." No. You will not. 1pm is the best time to take pictures or do other things like videos. You're the least swollen that time of day.

You make an appointment, you call, you confirm, you follow up.

No, not this company. *in an Indian accent* "Thank you for calllling, %$&$."

East Carolina Univeristy...

May teach us how to run a business, but they sure aren't one.

Let me start with a few days before school started. I pulled up my book list from onestop and bought my two books. About a week in, I realize I have the wrong Visual Basics book. That is a programming book. Something you KIND of have to have. It will finally be here from the bookstore TOMORROW. The university ordered the wrong books. Great.

Now, bring us to today, I am working on my MS Office class, which is BS if you ask me, but that isn't the point. I'm looking for the exercise that is due tonight. Guess what? I have the WRONG F-ING BOOK AGAIN!

ECU didn't ask me to get one wrong book, but two. Now, if they were a business, they would be held accountable for this mistake that is costing me grades. Who is there to hold accountable?

In a way, it is my own fault for not comparing the ISBN to the one on the syllabus, but then again, who expects the university to assign you the wrong book?

Don't kid yourself, they are the right titles. Even the right content, but when it comes down to doing exercises in them, THEY AREN'T THERE.

I cried. It didn't help. I would feel better if I could strangle someone.

Well, this is how I do business...

I realized I had been in Wilmington a bit too long while in a bank in Raleigh the other day.

There I stand in my Brooks Brothers polo, khaki skort, and Rainbows. I had my hair in a pony tail on my head. My big ass sunglasses on my head.

I walked in to the First Citizens on Edwards Mill. Which is a VERY nice FC. Even nicer than the branch that caters to Figure 8 at Porters Neck here in Wilmington. I have never felt so out of place in a bank. Everyone around me was wearing slacks, heels, knee length skirts, etc. They had all spent at least 20 minutes that morning putting on make up and doing their hair. I had gotten up, gone to work, driven to Raleigh in a tizzy, and some how ended up in the bank.

Then, they realized by my tan and raccoon eyes that I was not from around there. Funny thing is, I am from around there, but not anymore.

There was no one in line speaking to each other about how hot it was. No one commenting on how bad traffic was. No one asking you how you have been. Of course, the teller didn't know me from Adam, but took my money anyway. I am so happy to have moved to Eastern North Carolina. Where they greet you with a smile, whether they know you or not. I should have just got to the FC in Garner... They're far enough east that they are nice too.

Note to self- When in Raleigh, around Lawyers row, you MAY look out of place.

Business and Religion

Ok, this is a tough one.

I grew up Southern Baptist. I was in church as a child, much more often than I was out of church.

When it comes to business, these things are separate. I still consider myself a Christian, but I am far from being in church every Sunday. Most of the better people in this world do not feel a need to be in church every Sunday.

To make myself clear- I have been screwed in business by more "good Christians" than I have anyone else.

I cannot stand when someone hides behind the cross. They will lie, cheat, and steal, only to ask for forgiveness on Sunday.

It is way more valuable to be a good person all the time. Why lie? It's not worth it. It creates more problems for yourself later. Why screw people? At the end of the day, all you really have is your reputation. When you mess that up, it is over. No one will trust you again. Or if they do, you have to work really hard to regain that.

As I told Dad yesterday, "Maybe it is because I believe in God and I believe 'what goes around comes around.'"

So, if you label yourself a "good Christian," please don't tell me. Show me in your actions, not in your words. Do not continue to perpetuate hypocrisy.

Maybe I just don't get it...

CEO's confuse me.

Well, CEO's that I don't know. In our industry, they trade CEOs like baseball cards.

I will never forget sitting at the Bedding Conference two years ago, and having a CEO explain that he use to work for Chiclet and how upset his daughter was when he left there, until he told her he would get her a new bed.

So now, the new Tempur CEO is from Campbell's Soup. He use to be CEO of J.Crew, pretty awesome. He is a friend of a neighbor, and probably a pretty cool guy. That still doesn't help me understand what soup and beds have in common.

I have been in this industry my entire life, and there are still days that it baffles me. How the heck can someone from a totally different industry come in and run a corporation?