Issue 6 - August 2007

The Market was abuzz with excitement about our new SalesForce: Selling with Service online training course. It was particularly pleasing to read the positive articles in the trade journals distributed at Market.

As our goal of helping furniture retailers turn more store visitors into satisfied customers through professional training becomes more and more a reality through the efforts of our many subscribers, we see ourselves having more and more impact on the industry.

For those of us that missed us in Vegas, be sure to visit us at HighPoint at the NHFA retailer resource center.

In This Issue...

• Feature Story: Double Your Sales
• Tips and Techniques
• Article: Principles for Implementing Effective Training – Part 1
• Did You Know...

Feature Story: Double Your Sales

Dan Sparks, the CEO of the Furniture Superstore in Spokane, WA is happy to report the success of the SalesForce: Selling with Service program. He has used many different training programs in the 25 years he has been in business, but he says this program is the best, because both seasoned veterans and sales novices benefit from the program. He related one experience in particular that stuck him as proof of the program's success. One sales associate had been struggling for a long time. They had tried many different methods to help her gain the skills she needed to sell furniture and nothing seemed to be working; however, after she completed the SalesForce training, Dan saw immediate results. In fact, her sales doubled. “Knowledge is power,” said Dan, “If you make the effort to do the training, you can double your sales.”

Tips and Techniques

As a store or sales manager you have assumed responsibility for the selling success of your sales associates. Your responsibilities with respect to training are no different. As manager your leadership is a critical part of the success of many of your sales associates rests on your shoulders. A few sales associates will naturally know what to do with the training they are given, but many will look to you for direction and support.

The following list are things to contemplate as your implement your training program:

• How do I create a training schedule?
• How do I motivate the staff to do the training?
• Should I pull an employee of the floor for training?
• What is the benefit of group vs. individual training?

These questions and more are discussed in great detail at the following link:

Principles for Implementing Effective Training – Part 1

Here's a scenario that has played out in many different companies in every kind of industry: Management purchases a training program or hires a consultant to provide some in-person training for a week or two. The employees are motivated and excited during the training period and try to apply what they've learned. For a while after the training event is concluded (one week to one month), employees make efforts to apply their new skills and things improve. There may even be an outstanding individual or two who, through personal ambition, make some permanent changes. After some period of time, however, almost all employees end up doing the same things, the same way they have done in the past. The training is dubbed a failure, and management either discards the idea of training as a worthwhile investment or looks for "better" training.

Read the full article...

Did You Know...

Eco-friendly Furniture

Eco-friendly, or environmentally friendly, furniture is gaining popularity as more customers become concerned about diminishing natural resources and the possibility of a changing global climate. Many manufacturers are responding to this demand by making more environmentally friendly furniture.

There are several ways furniture can be more environmentally friendly. The materials for furniture construction can come from sources that are recycled, reclaimed, or obtained through sustainable practices, reducing the furniture industry's impact on natural resources. The materials can also be processed or produced with fewer chemicals, which reduces pollution.

Retailers who know which pieces of furniture are eco-friendly can include that as a selling point with customers who are concerned about the environment.