provided by: Furniture TodayEDITOR'S NOTE: Mattress Barn, based in Rockledge, Fla., has built a reputation for good service. The 23-unit bedding specialty retailer, founded by furniture veteran Ron Bolding in 1989, has carved out a solid niche in the ultra-competitive central Florida market.
Furniture/Today recently visited several Mattress Barn stores and talked with veteran sales associates about some of the strategies they use to connect with consumers and make the sale. Here are two of their stories.
Different consumers need different beds
Cocoa, Fla. ? Todd O'Hagan has been selling mattresses for 15 years. And he has learned a basic truth: Different consumers need different beds. One size does not fit all in the world of mattress retailing.
"There is no best bed for everybody," O'Hagan said the other day at the Mattress Barn store here, where he is the manager. "If there was, we wouldn't need 50 beds on our floor."
O'Hagan credits his success to a couple of basic tactics: "Listening to what consumers have to say, and pointing them in the right direction. You have to adjust as you go along. You may have to turn on a dime and get customers where they need to be."
One thing he is careful not to do, he said, is to oversell the benefits of a mattress. "We aren't doctors," O'Hagan said. "We don't say, 'This bed will cure your back pain.' I'm sure that comes back to haunt some salespeople."
If a consumer says she is suffering from back pain, O'Hagan asks if her doctor has made a specific bed recommendation. If there is no specific recommendation, he tells the consumers that he can show them beds with good support features. One choice would be beds in Englander's 21st Century collection, which have good lumbar support, O'Hagan said.
In addition to Englander, Mattress Barn carries beds by Simmons, Spring Air and Tempur-Pedic. O'Hagan said he has plenty of beds to choose from as he seeks to match the right bed to the right consumer.
Englander makes "the whole range of products," he said, while the private-label Spring Air Heritage collection offers "a lot of value." Simmons is recognizable because "everyone has seen the bowling ball commercial" and the motion separation story resonates with consumers. And Tempur-Pedic "almost sells itself. The commercials do their part. I'm glad we have six different Tempur-Pedic choices."
O'Hagan also is careful when he meets with consumers not to prejudge how much they might spend. "I don't ask them their budget," he said. "That could close their mind."
He generally begins his comfort tests at price points from $599 to $799 retail. If consumers like what they find there, he will agree they have found a good bed. But then he adds: "We have some extra features on other beds. The next bed you try might be even more comfortable."
Whatever bed the consumer zeroes in on, O'Hagan talks about the benefits the bed will provide. It's part of a formula for success that he has honed in his years on the sales floor.
Pay close attention to shoppers' buying signals
Melbourne, Fla. ? Veteran mattress salesman John Work says there are many different ways to close mattress sales.
"You can assume the close," said Work, manager of the Mattress Barn store here. "If they aren't ready to buy, they will tell you. Even if they say 'no' the first time, they are now thinking about buying."
One way to assume the close is to ask consumers where they live and to note that the retailer makes deliveries in that area. A consumer who asks, "Do you deliver?" is sending a buying signal, Work said. "There are so many buying signals that salespeople don't listen to," he said.
Another type of close, Work said, is the "fear of loss" close. If inventory is limited, he gives consumers that information, putting the onus on them if they say they need their bedding by a particular date.
Whatever type of close a sales associate selects, it is important to ask for the sale.
"You are in the wrong business if you can't ask for the sale," Work said. And, he said, once you ask for the sale, it becomes easier to ask for it again. "The next time," he said, "it will be easier for consumers to hear that."
Work has a relaxed manner, which helps him connect with consumers.
"I enjoy what I do," he said. "I try to make it easy for my customers."
author: David Perry, Bedding Editor
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