When Sales Met Décor

A key component of successful businesses today is communication - between company representatives and clients, of course, but also amongst employees. This is often a challenge in large corporations such as Arista Homes, which is proactive in developing methods that keep the lines of communication open and flowing. Recently, Arista's Sales & Marketing Manager, Domenic Bauco, and Décor Store Manager, Andrea DeGasperis-Ronco, conducted a seminar at the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) called "When Sales Met Décor." This was the first of a three-part BILD series on customer service.

Andrea and Domenic shared the techniques Arista uses to overcome communication hurdles between the Sales Department and Décor Store. Their PowerPoint presentation covered the 10 relevant issues that occur between the two departments and how Arista resolves, and often avoids, them.

Cara Shulman, former Communications and Events Coordinator at BILD, says that the Arista presentation was the most successful seminar the organization has run. "More than 90 people registered which is phenomenal," she says. "In the evaluation forms, the average rating was 4.6 out of 5, which is the highest I'd seen. Attendees were impressed by the rapport between Domenic and Andrea. It was obvious that in working together they practice what they preach, and weren't just putting on a show."

A major component of their presentation involved how decisions made by Sales affect the Décor Store process and vice versa. "Audience members liked the real-life examples Domenic and Andrea used," Cara says. "They offered specific examples as well as what worked and what didn't to resolve them. People remarked on how candid they were, and appreciated the down-to-earth nature of the material."

Andrea and Domenic touched on Arista's centralization of operations and implementation of software that helps keep communication flowing amongst departments. "Attendees went away with concrete tools to use in their own businesses," Cara adds, "and one person commented on how gracious it was of Arista to share so candidly with their industry peers. Andrea and Domenic showed how classic industry concerns are handled in a usable, applicable way. They were a hard act to follow!"