And this one’s right about mattresses
By Gordon Hecht, YSN Contributor
Few things are more satisfying to writers than comments about the words we write. You, my audience, have been generous in feedback over the years.
My Oct. 7 column on old school sales tips resulted in a mailbag of observations.
Brian Muncaster, the Western regional sales manager for Serta Simmons Bedding of Canada, emailed me an amazing mattress sales tip that we often overlook.
A synopsis of his note follows. Great stuff!
And he writes:
“I have been introducing into training for both retail salespeople and my own reps that we sell a ‘quality of life’ product. There are no other big-ticket items in a furniture or sleep shop that can affect the quality of life like a new mattress.
“No other product allows us to heal, to love, to relieve pain or to soothe ourselves as much as a mattress. I get excited and engaged when presenting this information because we get to sell something to people that allows them to heal themselves every night.
“When you think about other big-ticket merchandise, most are vanity or social value purchases. But a mattress will truly benefit every aspect of our shopper’s life.
“We need to embrace this when speaking with shoppers, now more than ever. We know most people looking for a mattress are never excited about it. Most view a mattress purchase as a grudge purchase, as there is very little social value to it. People rarely brag about their new mattress or show it off to neighbors. Facebook is almost devoid of photos of beds.
“We first need to reset the shopper before starting the selling process. A simple reminder that this mattress purchase should be taken seriously, like a medical device or custom orthotics. It delivers benefits every day and night.
“Let them know that the bed they are looking for shouldn’t just be about replacing their existing one, but upgrading their night to a healthier, more restorative and luxurious sleep. The right bed that provides rest empowers your shoppers to have the energy, strength and mind power to achieve and surpass their daily goals. It seems most sales training focuses more on the features and benefits of the component parts of a mattress and less about how those features affect the user’s health.
“We all experience cycles of sleep during the night. Each cycle lasts about two hours, and we experience four cycles during an eight-hour sleep. These stages are referred to as:
Twilight or N1: A very light sleep that occurs when you move from being awake to sleeping. This normally lasts 1-5 minutes.
Light Sleep or N2: True sleep in which muscles relax, eye movement stops and body temperature can fluctuate. Usually lasts 25-30 minutes.
Deep Sleep or N3: A very deep sleep that is hard to awaken from. Heart rate, breathing and brain waves become regular. This stage can last an hour.
REM Sleep: Stands for rapid eye movement. In this stage breathing and heart rate become less regular. There may be some muscle paralysis at this point, which is your body’s way of keeping you from acting out your dreams. This period lasts 10-15 minutes.
“Help your shopper understand that during REM sleep our bodies turn off the ability to regulate temperature, causing spikes that can lead to throwing off blankets and waking up, thus reducing the quality of that restorative sleep stage. Many mattresses feature temperature-regulating materials, which are great for those points in the cycle when we sleep too hot or cold. Add in other features like support coils, comfort layers and adjustable bases and you’ve got a great big package of benefits.
“There are many websites and books about the lifestyle improvements that come from getting the proper rest. Read the information and be able to relate it to the products we sell.
“We are not medical experts, and no mattress or sleep system can guarantee miracle cures. But you’ll be on your way to better sales and healthier, happier customers when you make sleep knowledge part of your presentation.”
Brian Muncaster
Western Regional Sales Manager
Serta Simmons Bedding of Canada
Gordon Hecht is a consultant to the home furnishings trade with over four decades in retail and manufacturing. He has authored more than 500 newsletters and articles for our industry, and his award-winning experience includes tenured time with Ashley Furniture Industries and Serta Simmons Bedding, with progressive responsibility for large and small retailers. Gordon can be reached at gordon.hecht@aol.com.
