Open For Business Through Uncertain Times & An Unpredictable Future
We’re navigating our way through uncertain times. It also appears that we face an unpredictable future, while individual states continue to enforce stay-at-home orders even as others declare themselves “open for business” once again.
Having stated the obvious, we feel compelled to let you know this: All of the companies we represent are financially stable and fully operational. In response to the unprecedented situation in which we find ourselves, they have implemented steps to weather this storm and protect their customer’s and client’s investments.
Likewise, we at TD Fall are open for business as your partner in design and luxury furnishings. Though our teams are being diligent in following social distancing guidelines, our facilities remain open. To help you keep your projects moving forward, we will hold your orders until you have a time and date for delivery, as needed.
This type of message is essential in the wake of the global health crises we’re facing, with repercussions for businesses at all levels. Experience tells us that, much like the 2008 recession, some will not make it through to the other side.
Then as now, “On one side of the equation, the buyers are wary. On the other, sellers are stressed. Taken together, it’s an industry-wide game of chicken. With millions of dollars in the balance, designers continue to ask each other the same question nervously: Are you placing orders?” (BusinessOfHome.com)
The follow-up question to this is obvious: Are the vendors healthy, and are the brands ready and able to ship?
Stick with What – and Who – You Know
A recent article at Business of Home, titled Are you placing orders right now?, outlines many of the concerns of both designers and manufacturers in response to the pandemic (and its potential aftermath).
So, where does a designer or furnishings business turn in uncertain times? While small companies may be more versatile and responsive, large manufacturers likely have more resources to fall back on, having weathered such storms before.
As described in the article, “Large or small, the new table stake for any brand is transparency. Companies that don’t pick up the phone, or aren’t willing to send detailed updates about the state of their operations, are rapidly falling out of favor with designers. Now more than ever, vendors have to be willing to field tough questions.”
Of course, vendors also have concerns about those with whom they do business. They can’t help but wonder if their designers and dealers are working on a solid foundation. In other words, this is a two-way street of business stress. Both sides want to be supportive, and both sides worry at the viability of the other.
Even as the article offers the opinions of various designers and vendors, the conclusion seems relatively apparent – the solution is to rely on relationships. “Designers tend to be deeply involved with the companies they work with, and a worldwide health crisis has only deepened the bonds.”
Based on our decades of experience, the relationship we’ve built with Kravet is as stable as it has ever been. Further, working with the recognized leader in the home furnishings trade has instilled a sense of confidence in our ability to support our customers as fully as we have in the past.
In short, our relationships with the vendors we represent allow us to proclaim confidently… Yes, we are open for business!
Are you looking for more tips on growing your design business, new design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.