"Dealers: Visit Your OPEN LINE Manufacturers During Neocon!"
06/04/24 Edition Stephen Says Column

Dear Stephen,

I run a major #Steelcase dealer in the Midwest with long tenacles of offices throughout the country. We are excited about #NeoCon2024, and yes, the Steelcase showroom is still located on the 3rd floor of the #Mart! (In case your readers are wondering, it’s next year that they’re moving out).

Steelcase being our major line, we have many client meetings there and walk throughs as well as special dealer time dedicated to learning about new Steelcase products. Additionally, the advantage of spending time at our main line showroom is that we get to meet and greet all the bigshots from #GrandRapids, where there has been a lot of change at the top lately.

Here’s what I want to share with you, and I think it’s a great tip for your readers; I require our salespeople to visit the “open lines” that we sell because I think it is critical for them to see the latest designs from our open line companies, as well as to visit and show respect to those sales reps, many of which are independent rep groups, because these open lines represent the bread and butter of profitability for our dealership. That is because our customers ask us for options. When a design firm may specify Steelcase, but we can’t get the discount we’re looking for, the open line is usually very accommodating.

Right after we check in at Steelcase on the 3rd floor of the Mart this year, we’re going straight to #Global on Floor 10 – we’re looking forward to seeing their latest in healthcare and office furniture and they have a new product called Collaborative Spaces that customers are really going wild for. Then I go to #9to5seating: which is reliable, priced right, and my customers want it… and don’t you just love the name! #Flokk, the parent company, just acquired #Stylex which is down on floor 3, and I can’t wait to see their new designs.

Stephen, dealers need these optional manufacturers to maximize our profits, satisfy our customers, and not lose sales because the major manufacturer that we’re still very loyal to may not be in the price range that the end user wants.

Normally, it’s difficult to see all these options in one place, the Mart is particularly efficient to see open lines and #FultonMarket is catching up. So, my question to you is, what do you think of my suggestion? I really do think my time in #Chicago is best spent visiting with our main manufacturer but also spending at least half my time visiting the open line showrooms. Often, I even find new open lines that I didn’t even know existed until seeing them at NeoCon. What do you think?

Signed,
Open Lines Here We Come!

Dear Open,


I could not agree with you more! I started my own career working for a #MillerKnoll dealer many years ago, before I worked at #Haworth. And as a dealer sales rep, the open lines were the products I was most able to sell, especially to my smaller customers, and I made the most amount of gross profit margin on those manufacturers. I found the reps easy to work with, even the independent reps, because they genuinely want your business as opposed to the major line that my dealer was representing who simply expects my business, and often took it for granted.

I like your list of must-see companies and I’m going to add some of my own. One of my first stops at NeoCon is always the #Davis showroom on the third floor. It’s not just that every product is a gem, the showroom just feels good when you walk into it. The same thing happens to me when I visit the #Halcon showroom on the tenth floor where I feel like I’m walking into a luxury boutique surrounded by beautiful products. I also spend a lot of time on the tenth floor in the #Global showroom, just like you. Especially when I worked at a dealer, another showroom that just feels good to me and is super friendly. 9to5seating and Stylex; a must. But I love to scour every showroom on the tenth floor, eleventh floor, the third, and don’t forget about seven! That seventh floor has so much phenomenal stuff, one of my favorites that you should all see is #HMTXIndustries, they have a spectrum of floor covering brands that you’ll be impressed with. And speaking of floor covering, be sure to see #Mohawk, #Milliken, #Interface, and then there’s all the textile showrooms, I love to see them all. I’m going to stop by #Vitra, where there is a new president. But I never leave the Merchandise Mart without going way upstairs to visit #HollyHunt and all the residential brands. Outdoor furniture is hot and that’s where you’ll see it, #JanusetCie is there, you’ll want to buy that outdoor furniture right on the spot!

But don’t forget about #DesignDays and Fulton Market. Some of my favorites there are #Teknion, #Humanscale is a real wow this year, I love the #Allsteel/#HNI showroom, and then of course Miller Knoll is a must on everyone’s list, even if you sell a competitive product. (Last year they had the best swag with those great t-shirts!)

However, let me say that every dealer’s secret weapon today should be #OFS and all the brands that they own. They have options that are priced right, that users love, and that cross the gamut from hospitality and office furniture with brands that continue to impress me.

Lastly, here is my biggest advice, especially for you, the writer, as a Steelcase dealer: please encourage your team to stop into the Haworth showroom on the third floor of the Mart. Next year, Haworth will be the only major manufacturer, as of now, to have their flagship showroom in the iconic Merchandise Mart. Why visit Haworth if you’re a MillerKnoll or Steelcase dealer? Because some day, with all the chaos in the industry today, you may want to flip to become a Haworth dealer, and once you visit that showroom you may see why. All the luxury brands that Haworth has now acquired and sells; you will have a new opinion of the name Haworth. #PoltronaFrau is just the tip of the iceberg at Haworth.

And guess what – if you didn’t make it to #Salone this year, visiting that Haworth showroom and all its brands, will make you feel like you’re in Milan… in the middle of Chicago! Happy NeoCon.

Signed,
Stephen