Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting For Salespeople From Herman Miller or Knoll To Come Work For You.

Dear Stephen,

I really thought that Herman Miller’s acquisition of Knoll would be pay-dirt in terms of those of us at a manufacturer or dealer trying to find new employees. I can speak for myself as a competitor; I smelled blood when I heard the acquisition announcement. I thought salespeople in particular might be concerned about their future and interested in interviewing both at the dealer and manufacturer levels. I’m the VP of sales at a medium sized manufacturer, and we’re always looking for good salespeople nationally… so, I did what any smart manager would do; I started putting out feelers directly to salespeople and managers at both Herman Miller and Knoll as well as their dealers. Hiring someone from either prestigious brand with that pedigree can only look good at our organization. I hate to say it, but sometimes I think even the worst salespeople at Herman Miller or Knoll are still better than my best.?

Guess how many interviews I’ve been able to get with these people so far? Zero! For both manufacturers as well as their dealers, I’ve certainly sensed a bit of uncertainty, but, bottom line is, the salespeople from all of these organizations seemed emboldened, not paranoid. There’s a certain level of concern, but nobody’s jumping. Why is that? How could my hunch be so wrong? I’ve talked to colleagues at other manufacturers, and even some of our dealers, and they’re all encountering the same experience with trying to lure people who may be leaving either brand. No bites. I would have thought they’d be in a bit of limbo… As a recruiter, what are you experiencing? Am I wasting my time? In the past, when manufacturers have acquired other companies, there is usually a bloodbath or mass exodus… why is this so different?

-Desperately Seeking Survivors????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

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Dear Desperado,

You’re talking about one “A” player acquiring another “A” player. In the past, we’ve seen “A” players buying “B” players, or “B” players purchasing “C” players, but, this is the first acquisition I can think of where everyone is already on the same level…

#TheViscusiGroup recruits for dealers all across The United States - dealership owners have been calling from Seattle, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, you name it… In other words, across the country, dealers and manufacturers want to hire us on the assumption that this merger will result in tons of talent suddenly becoming available or looking to make a change. Both manufacturers and dealers have been salivating over this merger. We have blatantly steered clear from these assignments because we don’t see a mass exodus approaching the way everyone in the contract furniture industry seems to be predicting. It simply would not be fair for us to take client’s money knowing there are no candidates to deliver right now. We have discouraged our clients from assuming that this merger will bring disillusioned employees onto the job market or that lots of people in sales will be losing their jobs. I just don’t see it happening… at least for now. Remember, the deal doesn’t even close until September or October of this year, allegedly. Furthermore, the Herman Miller fiscal year ends May 31st. So, if any changes will be happening, June 2022 would be the time to start circling. To go back to your question, I’m a bit turned off by you describing your own salespeople being worse than the worst at Herman Miller or Knoll. It tells me a lot about your leadership. To me, this merger is like Mercedes-Benz purchasing BMW; why would anyone want to leave either of those brands, or their dealers? Or even the new combined companies? I’m having a hard time understanding why everyone thinks salespeople are about to come bursting through the doors and windows.?

To me, right now, you’re barking up the wrong tree. If you insist on this goal, at least wait until the second quarter of 2022. I don’t have a crystal ball; I just know both companies have excellent reputations as do their subsidiaries. With new leadership at Steelcase, Haworth and Teknion, our industry is poised for a lot of growth. If you’re going to circle any camp, for what it’s worth, my clients tell me they are circling #Clarus, #Inscape, #NationalOfficeFurniture, #Kimball, #Bernhardt #HNI and its subsidiaries like #Allsteel & #HBF. That’s where you see movement, if you’re watching LinkedIn job changes. By the way – it’s mostly the dealers that think that they’re going to be able to poach people from Herman’s Miller’s acquisition of Knoll.?They want us to hit the dealer salespeople hard. I just don’t see it. Dealer salespeople are very smart, and they make an excellent living because they must juggle lots of moving pieces. They will make this work, or the dealers themselves may merge.?What do you think? Let us know here in the comments!

As far as where you should be putting your energy, instead of worrying about the #HermanMiller and #Knoll salespeople, I wish people like you would spend more time and money recruiting and training a more diverse salesforce from outside of our industry and simply investing the time it takes for them to develop relationships. Contract furniture is an exciting and fun industry that many strong and diverse salespeople from other industries would love to be a part of. I see too much emphasis on companies looking for immediate results, or, looking for salespeople with a “book of business.” To me, this is just a mistake. In other words: you need to invest in new people on your dime and give them a chance to learn on your time.

It will be fascinating for us all to see what happens in the middle of 2022 and beyond: What announcements are made for how this acquisition will change the industry and its dealers. For now, I see it only as a positive shake up at just the right time. But let’s just all stay tuned together.

Sincerely yours,

Stephen Viscusi

[email protected]

?Stephen Viscusi is the CEO of The Viscusi Group an executive search firm that recruits in the interior products industry.?212-979-5700 ext. 101. 2 year FREE replacement guarantee on all hires. Visits www.viscusigroup.com. Tell us your comments and questions right here and share this story on your own social media. Send your own workplace questions to [email protected].

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