Several years ago at an industry conference, Home Decorators Collection's President Gil Kemp learned one of his most valued lessons about direct marketing during a speech by catalog legend Lillian Vernon.
Thursday morning--during a keynote session at the New England Mail Order Association's spring conference--he shared that bit of wisdom. Treat your vendors, he said, as a valued asset.
St. Louis-based HDC does that through programs like an annual vendor's conference. The event, said Kemp, allows vendors to spend time learning about his company and how he and the vendors can work together more profitably. Good ideas--like opening an office in China--often come out of the gathering.
Kemp also sends out personal notes--discussing what is working and what isn't--to about 150 top vendors for every catalog mailing, along with a copy of the catalog. Many vendors are pleased to receive the mailing, since they might not see the catalog otherwise.
"A little thoughtfulness goes a long way," said Kemp, noting the goal is to create a bond and keep the catalog in vendors' mindsets.
HDC mails over 40 million catalogs annually. While Kemp said he has noticed the current consumer tendency to turn toward "cocooning", it hasn't had much of an effect on his business. His strategy is to focus on things he can control, like the merchandise mix, rather than on things he can't, like the country's emotional or economic climate.
NEMOA's spring conference at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA concludes on Friday.
