Home Sweet Home?

Posted QLeave a commentPosted in furniture, marketing, mattresses

I know that we have our own issues in the mattress world, but the furniture guys are in worse shape than we are.

Consider that the mattress guys spend significantly more money on national advertising to promote our brands. By this, I don’t mean the coop funds that manufacturers give to retailers to swing the door. I am talking about honest-to-goodness national buys that go towards building the brand and building value in the products that we sell. We have people out there talking about the direct connection between our products and the real benefits of using our products, like better sleep, which leads to better life. Where are the furniture producers? (more…)

News flash: Men sleep too!

Posted Q6 CommentsPosted in creativity, marketing, mattresses

We have been talking about how to sell beds to female consumers for years now. In fact, most everything we do or say, as it relates to marketing mattresses to customers, revolves around women. It’s understandable: Across all research, women make up the vast majority of buying decisions. According to a recent Furniture Today poll, retailers believe that percentage to be closer to 88 percent as it relates specifically to a mattress. (more…)

All or Nothing

Posted Q2 CommentsPosted in creativity, marketing

I pretty much suck at golf. Actually, I’m not horrible but it seems like I can never put it all together. When I am hitting my driver well, my putting is off; when my short game is working, my irons don’t show up. Think about your “business game”: Is it all coming together? If you are going to maximize your opportunities in this industry, you have to figure out how to get it all working at the same time. (more…)

Power to the People!

Posted Q2 CommentsPosted in furniture, marketing, mattresses, product development

The old school philosophy says that there are two ways to grow sales: sell to more people or sell MORE to current customers. My focus is on the latter. How do we sell more to the people coming in the door?

In the interest of full disclosure, I work for Leggett & Platt, the largest manufacturer of power foundations (also known as adjustable beds) in the U.S. Believe it or not, my passion for this product does not come from company loyalty, but from personally sleeping on one for the past two years. I am, however, in the minority, because my best guess puts power foundations at a 1 percent attachment rate to all mattresses sold. What a shame. (more…)