Where do I look to find furniture manufacturers that want manufacturers' reps?

[JimTrail]

Hello The Keeping Room Forum!

Question: How do I find, or where do I look to find, high end furniture manufacturers that are looking to appoint salesmen to be manufacturers' representatives for their products?

I am a salesman. I sell business checks and forms for small businesses. We're print brokers. There are three of us in this business. Myself and one other person work the Knoxville/East Tennessee market. One other salesman is in Savannah, Georgia.

I am looking to pick up a line of higher end furniture to offer to boutique furniture stores. I would like to have the exclusive right to sell their furniture in the market area that I serve.

There are trade journals, like Furniture Today, that have furniture manufacturers advertising for manufacturers' representatives. They only have a handful of advertisements.

I can find all of the furniture manufacturers in the US and Canada by using the SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) or the NAICS (North American Industry Classification System). However, there are hundreds of them in Canada and many thousands in the US. It would be like searching for a needle in a hay stack. I am looking for a more efficient way of finding manufacturers other than the SIC and/or NAICS databases.

I would appreciate any information that anyone could provide.

Thanks.

[drcollie]

The ads in Furniture Today as as good a way as any. I'd say 95 % of all Rep jobs are filled on the Good Ole Boy system. So and so knows so and so and they would be interested and its done like that. At least any rep job worth having goes like that. The other way is to put in your suit (mandatory) and go to the High Point Market and introduce yourself around to the various showrooms. There is always an Executive Officer around the showrooms during Market, and you just have to press the flesh and let them size you up to see if you can get a line. Remember the furniture business is an old-school business. They don't do much on electronic communications or resumes and having a good personal presence and being able to tell a good joke goes further than you might think. Good luck.

[JimTrail]

Dr. Collie;

Thank you for responding to my question.

After having been doing my research for a few weeks that is what I have been starting to think.

I missed the spring High Point Market. I might go over there this fall.

Thanks again.

[drcollie]

Keep in mind you will need a trade pass to get in....you can't just arrive. Its open only to the trade.