Certified Rug Specialist Class in Dallas, Texas Day 6, Final Day

Today is the day 6 and the last day of our Certified Rug Specialist course. We are supposed to be in the class at 9:00 am to take the test which has two parts, the written part comprising 50 questions from the 400-pages book and from the topics covered in the class. Then there is a Rug-ID part in which we should identify 50 marked rugs. The passing grade for each part is 80 out of 100 which is equal to B!

If someone passes the written test let's say he gets 85 but do not pass the Rug-ID part and gets 75, he fails the class. The score of two parts are separately taken into account and do not combine.

All 8 of us will return to our home towns later this afternoon. We have people from all over the country. Two from Los Angeles (me and James), one from Monetrey , North California (Barry), one from New Jersey (Orlando), one from Philadelphia (Kevin), one from New York (Jim), one from Arizona Rick), and a lady from Alabama (Shellia). I am the only rug dealer in the class. The rest are rug cleaners and one of them is a rug cleaner as well as a dealer.

We will have 10 months to submit a rug project which should deal with one aspect of rug industry. We should chose the topic and the committee should approve the topic. After this project is done and approved, we receive our certificate and become Certified Rug Specialist.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

How Can a Rug Dealer Survive in Hard Times?

I was thinking to find out how a rug dealer can survive and become successful in a stormy market like the one we are experiencing these days! By successful, I mean to be able to pay the bills, and take some money home. This is becoming tougher every day with soaring gas prices, unemployment, credit crash, declining home values, the election year and so on. But is it really impossible to survive? Maybe not.

I believe the first step to survival as a rug dealer is not to lose hope. The minute we lose hope and yield, we lose the battle. Second, in a difficult time like this, we have to work harder and smarter. People (read customers) can realize and appreciate you knowledge and expertise and if this is accompanied by good will and satisfactory services provided to the customers, they will appreciate it and this will pay off in the mid and long run. Treating my customers seriously with respect and care and establishing good relationship with them has paid off for me. I try to become friends with my customers and I enjoy this.

I received a phone call from a customer who lived in Glendale, a city up to the north east of Los Angeles, 20 miles away from my rug gallery. This young lady had several old Persian rugs. She needed appraisal, cleaning and repair for all of them. When I went to her house on Sunday evening at 6:00 pm and measured each rug and gave her estimate for the rug appraisal, rug cleaning and repair, she said that she had no money and could not afford to go ahead with all that. She also said that she had thought I could do the appraisal in her house for free. I was about to lose my temper and my patience. But I controlled myself and told her politely how would it be possible for some one to drive 20 miles to your house on a Sunday evening to appraise several rugs for you for free and return home and drive back another 20 miles?!

After I gave her my professional advice on what to do, she agreed to appraise two of the pieces and give me one piece for cleaning. Her total invoice became $230. It was not that great, but at least this made her happy and I did not return empty handed, and I am sure she will give me more business in the near future after her financial situation improves.


Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

A Rug Dealer An American Lady in Persian Rug Exhibition in Kish Island Iran

Just while ago, there was a Persian carpet exhibition in Kish Island in Iran, a 20-minute fly from Dubai, UAE. The show was held on April 29 to May 2, 2008. An American rug dealer was among several other visitors who visited the exhibition. Here is what she has written after her return:

I just got back from a lovely vacation to Dubai and the rug exhibition
at Kish. Many thanks to everyone there, people were extremely kind and
helpful. Don't let the current political situation put you off if any
of you consider making the trip. As an American woman traveling alone
I felt very safe. One should always be aware of the
surroundings no matter where you travel. I only regret that I didn't
have more time for tourism in country and will have to make another
trip.Since I took over 400 photos it's hard to pick and choose, but here's a
few.

I am glad she liked it there, because this was her first trip to that part of the world.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Oriental Rug Sale, American Sarouk

Recently, I have been contacted by different individuals trying to sell their rugs. I received such an e-mail this morning from someone who wanted to sell a very nice American Sarouk. Below, you can read my response:

"The rug market has been very slow these days. Can you wait until it picks up? Dealers my not offer a good price. Can you find an end user rather than a rug dealer. This end user maybe a friend, a colleague, a neighbor? Can you try e-bay or the Craig's list? We do not buy rugs. we are producer and importer of rugs".


Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085