The *Hot Spot Social Media Bar*, based on the concept of Apple’s *Genius Bar*, is a free service for World Market Center Las Vegas attendees who would like a 1/2 hr. tutoring session on any aspect of how to use social media (Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, You Tube, etc ) to increase their business. *The Hot Spot Social Media Bar* is located inside the *Illuminations* showcase in Bldg. C-1096 and will be open between the hours of 8:30-5:30 Mon-Thurs and 8:30-12:30 on Friday, Jan. 28th.

Ms. Carothers, CEO of The Kaleidoscope Parnership, will be bringing a team of 4 well known design bloggers and social media practioners to make sure World Market Center Las Vegas attendees have access to the best advice available.

The four are: Olivia Millwood, on twitter as @swaygrl and co-owner of http://gotogrls.com-a social media agency. Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo, on twitter as @abcddesigns, design blogger extraordinaire at http://abcddesigns.com, co-founder of Twitter’s #DesignTV chat and soon to be seen on a segment of HGTV ‘s new show, Selling NY. Joy Zaczyk and Janet Villeneuve, on twitter as the @moggitgirls where they are blog on http://moggit.com.  Joy and Janet are well loved for their unique sense of humor and were most recently featured on Nate Berkus ‘s show.

No appointments are necessary and all World Market Center furniture retailers and interior designers are invited to stop by at their convenience to receive specific social media guidance targeted to their unique business needs.

For more information, please call 713-705-2482 or email Ms. Carothers at leslie@tkpartnership.com. You can find The Kaleidoscope Partnership online at http://tkpartnership.com and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/TheKaleidoscopePartnership. You can follow Ms. Carothers on twitter where she is @tkpleslie and also join the Linked In group she runs: Social Media for Furniture Retailers, Manufacturers and Suppliers. This group currently has approx. 700 members and is a  resource to talk with and learn from others in the industry using social media to advance their business goals.

(Sept. 8, 2008) My company was originally hesitant to hire an outside consultant for internet strategy, due to ROI concerns. Upon meeting Leslie, however, we were impressed by her knowledge of the furniture and interiors industries, as well as her weath of understanding of how to apply current trends in the IT world to our industry. The decision to work with Leslie, principal of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, produced information that we could implement immediately and which directly improved our websites and their visibility. Leslie’s advice concerning the type and amount of text used on our sites, the visibility and layout of photographs and media, and the current use patterns of customers has proven to be a value far beyond the cost of her service. Her deep understanding of a variety of segments of the furniture and home industries made her an outstanding consulting partner, and we would strongly recommend her services for any company in the home industries who is considering hiring an Internet Strategist to help them drive increased market share and revenue.”

(November 17, 2008) “Leslie came to our company to support both website and social networking growth for our company. Through SEO development and social networking, Leslie showed us how we can get more exposure to our audience, improve our day to day exposure and drive traffic to our company. She also showed us examples of companies she worked with and the results they were getting. Furthermore, she provided possible suppliers to assist with additional needs and revenue generation and connections within the industry and with clients that would be mutually beneficial. Leslie is absolutely a team player and on top of her own game in the arena social networking and website effectiveness. As well, her follow through is impeccable and her knowledge of the home industry and social networking is immense and offers a variety of channels. Heather Brown Bluefish Home Furniture Vendor”

(May 10, 2009) “I hired Leslie Carothers to aid Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery in greater SEO placement and use of social networking in conjunction with our business. Prior to hiring Leslie, we received few buyer inquiries and were not ranked high. Basically, people searching for furniture in Portland, Oregon didn’t know we were in business. After we changed our web site on Leslie’s recommendation and implemented Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn, the traffic to our website doubled and we receive on average a buyer inquiry per day resulting in sales and walk ins. We highly recommend Leslie Carothers!”

(March 1, 2010) The Kaleidoscope Partnership has been our social media agency of record for the past  6 months. Leslie Carothers, the owner and our strategist, coordinated all aspects of our re-branding with regards to social media. Over the past 6 months she successfully built our brand awareness via Twitter and Facebook as well as integrating new technologies on our website via YouTube. She attended the New York Gift Fair with our team + organized a unique live broadcast via UStream from our space at the Piers at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. This event created an amazing buzz via Twitter + the “Blogosphere”.

Leslie did an excellent job with our blogger relations campaign. Many influential design bloggers wrote about my line due to her efforts and many of these blog posts are now featured on my website. In addition, several influential interior designers reached out to me directly via social media channels to inquire about buying pieces within my line.

As well as attending the NYIGF for Shine she also traveled most recently to Paris to work with our team at the international furniture fair Maison Objet. Leslie gave tirelessly at this event and was a true asset during the exhibition. Leslie has also interfaced effortlessly with our team in California on our new website launch and brought many new and innovative ideas to the table. Leslie is a both a tireless and dedicated worker. She used her highly polished and well developed skills at connecting and understanding the nuances of social media marketing to positively impact all aspects of our re- branding and also used her influence on her own twitter feed @tkpleslie to positively impact the awareness of my brand. I highly recommend her services and plan to use Leslie again in the near future.

“I have raved about your presentation to NHFA and everyone…I am so impressed! You have so much knowledge at your fingertips… (I) could have spent the day listening and learning…”

Leslie provides a retailer with a solid roadmap to manage their internet reputation in the age of consumer ratings and blogs. She is knowledgeable, tenacious, curious and enthusiastic. She is results focused and not afraid of a challenge or hard work. We have been quite pleased with the results of our work together. Her guidance is valuable and worthwhile.

(April 23, 2009) “I hired Leslie in early 2009 to lead social media programs for our brand in the home furnishings space. Her efforts over the first three months have led to some valuable partnerships within the industry and have creating broader awareness of our products. Leslie always has a high level of energy and a positive attitude. She is an idea woman- always thinking creatively about new ways to reach an audience. She also operates with the highest level of integrity and trust. Leslie sees connections between people and companies and helps connect the dots for greater value to both organizations. She is plowing new ground for the home furnishings industry and social media!”

My company, The Kaleidoscope Partnership, was fortunate to have been chosen to provide social media services for George Little Management – the producers of @ICFF2010. We were awarded the contract on the Wednesday before the show opened on Saturday. There was very little time to prepare.

What’s in this information for you?

There are times when, as a retailer, business or individual, we may have an opportunity for growth in front of us that requires us to be able to run up to that pole vault bar FAST and jump over our comfort level bar – in order to capitalize on what may never come our way again.

The 3 business nuggets shared below are what helped us to make the leap and I hope, by sharing them, will help your business to prepare for that one vault that just could win a cascade of gold medal opportunity for YOUR company, too.

Read the full article here

And, yet, they are still unhappy! Why? They didn’t get what they wanted.

In the past, you knew this customer was one that, unfortunately (but not for lack of trying) might be one of the few that was going to be (at least for a while) unhappy with your store. What could they do to REALLY hurt your business? They could talk about their unhappiness with their friends over a meal, they could write the Better Business Bureau, they could go on TV.

In my 20 years of retail, no matter how unhappy a customer was with a store where I worked, I never saw one of them – even after much threatening to do so – go to the BBB or to the local TV station. I even saw that, when they calmed down over time, they came back and bought again!

Read the full article here