Leading Toy And Trend Specialist Judy Kauffman Promotes Advocacy As A Key To Great Relationships With Retailers

Judy Kauffman loves her business and jumps at the opportunity to forge great relationships with retailers through advocacy on their behalf. As a leading toy and trend sales representative based in Atlanta who is proud to be associated with 225 Unlimited (http://www.225unlimited.com), she believes in the power of  great partnerships. She also acknowledges that today’s top retailers possess great instincts, experience and state-of-the-art software tools and yet, she says, “All  the tools, experience and instincts do not create any more hours in the day. If a retailer partners with a dedicated sales professional who truly ‘has their backs,’ then there is a terrific ingredient added to the  recipe for success and that is called ‘leverage’.”

She helps her “busier-than-ever” customers through the complement of  expertise she brings. She has pretty  much “done it all” from hands-on inventory counts to the last minute “do or die” holiday product requests by retailers, to cool in-store product promotion events and “whatever it takes” to help retail customers succeed.

Kauffman states, “I have tremendous respect for retailers and the extraordinary sacrifices that they make as entrepreneurs.”  She continues, “They are epic risk takers and without them, a retail shopping experience would simply lack a diversity of products and imagination.” She continues, “However, as an intermediary between 225 Unlimited, the manufacturers, fellow toy and trend colleagues, trade show exhibitions, my assigned territory and other retailers, I get a 360 degree view that can be  helpful to individuals who are frequently confined to their stores. It is really important for retailers to get the ‘inside’ track which they may miss otherwise.”

So, here are some ideas that may serve as gentle reminders to busy retailers.

5 Good Things to Recall On Very Busy Days

(1). Stick to the Basics and Know Where Inventory Stands: It is hard to evaluate what you cannot measure. Software tools, when properly utilized, provide concrete measurements. If a retailer does not adopt a technology, then a physical detailed inventory analysis is required and is a huge time sink for the retailer and associates. Regardless of how a retailer acquires the information, knowing where one stands on inventory is mission critical.

(2). Be Like Frozen and Let it Go: This is of paramount importance. If a retailer thinks that an item is “not selling” after seeing it “stuck” in their store(s),  it may  be time to act as in the movie  Frozen…and “let it go.” Mark it down, get it off your floor and check in with your best sales partner for some new merchandise that is  moving in retail environments.

(3). Create some “Shazam” Moments for Retail Shoppers: Inspire your customers to say “Shazam” when they walk inside your store. There are few things more fun that walking into a retail store for some “carefree timelessness” and getting a big thrill over the displays and merchandise. Summarily, a great experience is likely to be shared with friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

(4). Sizzle With Color: Color tells us stories. Using  industry seasonal  “trending colors” is a compelling way to make a big impact for little expense. Organizing toys and trend merchandise around color stories has been a huge opportunity for stores like Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware and will work for most retail environments. See http://www.pantone.com for more ideas on color.

(5). Get Into the Firefight With Your Backside Covered: A highly professional and experienced sales representative can be a power tool for your business. Do get to know them and build a relationship while partnering with them for mutual success. It is pretty amazing to consider all the hats a truly great gift sales pro wears. Just to name a few: Trend Specialist, Merchandiser, Data Analyst, 24/7 Administrator, Order Processor, Manufacturer Liaison, Cheerleader, In-store Promotion Staff and Special Confidant. Summarily, the best retail partnerships are characterized by mutual respect and trust garnered through the good and  tough times. Kauffman remarks, “As my dad, a career Master Sergeant, said, ‘Make sure you know who is in a foxhole with you when the shrapnel is flying overhead.’ To this day, truer words are rarely spoken.”

About Judy Kauffman: 

Judy Kauffman resides in the Atlanta, Georgia metro area. As a seasoned kid’s toy and trend wholesale product Sales Specialist and top ranked Independent Representative she is joyfully associated with 225 Unlimited (one of the wholesale gift ware industry’s top sales and marketing agencies). She is a wife, sister, auntie and mother to 4 lovely grown daughters, 4 son-in-laws and soon-to-be 10 grandchildren. With a lifelong passion for fashion trends and toys, it is only befitting that she would specialize in these product categories. Even as a little girl, she loved to dress up in costumes that sparkled. More recently she has  re-deployed her “inner” child into great in-store events for customers and creating the “best” Easter and Christmas celebrations for her grandchildren. As one successful retail customer said, “I simply can’t do without my Judy.”

For more information:

E-mail: jkauffman@225unlimited.com

Phone: (678) 570-3964

An Invitation to Experience Southern Hospitality: Retailers are cordially invited to  meet  Judy Kauffman and the entire 225 Unlimited team at the Atlanta  International Gift and Home Furnishings Show to witness some of the best gifts, kid’s toys and trend products created in the entire gift industry by the outstanding and top ranked manufacturers associated with 225 Unlimited. See new “Frozen” merchandise in the 225 Unlimited Showroom at Americas Mart, Bldg #2, Ste. 1718. 225 Unlimited Showroom open for business dates: July 7-15, 2014.

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