Issue 5 - July 2007

Greetings from the Furniture Training Company. For several years our Furniture Product Knowledge customers and others have pressed us for a high-quality, interactive, sales training program that teaches the complete selling process, and it is with great excitement that I am announcing the release of our newest training program that fulfills these requests, SalesForce: Selling with Service. The response to this groundbreaking program has already been phenomenal. In particular, sales associates have loved the numerous video examples and simulated customer dialog activities that really allow them to experience the proper ways to Greet the Customer, Discover their Needs, Present appropriate Solutions, Handle Objections, and Close with Confidence.

This newsletter focuses on giving you and your sales associates the knowledge you need to successfully sell furniture. Feel free to contact us and share your training knowledge and ideas. Good luck with your training, and enjoy the Furniture Training Newsletter.

- Mark Lacy, President

In This Issue...

• In the News: The Furniture Training Company Releases Much Anticipated Sales Training Program
• Special Offer
• Article: Why Investments in Training Make Dollars and Sense
• Feature Story: Asking the Right Questions
• Did You Know...

The Furniture Training Company Releases Much Anticipated Sales Training Program

Self-directed furniture sales training program delivered online to every furniture sales associate

North Logan, UT. – The Furniture Training Company has announced the release of SalesForce – Selling with Service, its much anticipated, premiere sales training course for the retail furniture industry.

The SalesForce training program teaches retail furniture sales associates how to sell more furniture to more customers and enables them to build long-term clientele. With a sales staff that has mastered the SalesForce selling skills, furniture retailers will set themselves apart from the competition by providing their customers with a level of service that won’t be found anywhere else.

Read the full press release...

Special Offer

To thank our loyal customers, orders for SalesForce – Selling with Service placed before July 27th will be half price.

Why Investments in Training Make Dollars and Sense

Today's economy isn't the same one we grew up with. Many modern businesses do not have the hard capital, like equipment, machinery, etc., that traditionally provided the basis for a sustainable business. Today's modern businesses succeed primarily because of the knowledge and skills of its workforce.

While this is true of the global economy as a whole, it is even truer of the retail furniture industry. As Joe Capillo points out in a recent Furniture World Magazine article, "every dollar of revenue you generate passes through your sales staff"(1). We all know how valuable an effective salesperson is and how vital those people are to the success of your business. Recognizing these facts should lead retailers to the conclusion that investing in employees' skill development is a worthwhile and necessary component of their business strategy.

Read the full article...

Feature Story: Asking the Right Questions.

Mike Petersen, Marketing Vice President for the Furniture Training Company, recently spoke to Robert Powers, a sales associate using the SalesForce software, and was excited about Robert’s response to the program.

Robert, who hails from Cort Furniture in Atlanta, Georgia, is just in the Greet the Customer Module, but it is already influencing and improving his selling techniques. He no longer initiates a conversation by asking about furniture, but takes the time to make the customer feel comfortable by asking the right kind of questions. Robert says that just learning about the customer makes a lot of difference in the overall sales process. He went on to say that there are so many things he hadn’t thought about before that seem to work.

Did You Know...

Thomas Chippendale is one of the most influential designers in the history of furniture. Working in mid-eighteenth century London, he designed gracefully carved chairs, often with cabriole legs and pierced splat backs. Chippendale's work set the standard for traditional furniture and still influences customers' tastes today.

Chippendale's influence is due in part to the fact that he arranged for his designs to be published in a book known as The Director. This book allowed other furniture makers to imitate his designs and spread his style to generations of furniture makers across the world.