Issue 8 - October 2007

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the fall High Point Market and fully enjoyed the experience. We were excited to finally meet many of you face to face as well as many other interested furniture retailers at our booth in the NHFA's Retailer Resource Center.

One item of news we are very excited about happened at High Point. We were named the NHFA's Exclusive Provider of Online Sales Training. This acknowledgment by NHFA of the value of our courses to the furniture industry is quite an honor.

We look forward to continuing to expand our online training offerings in an effort to help all furniture retailers increase their revenue.

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...

• Feature Story: E-Learning
• In The News: E-Learning is Extremely Effective for Retailers
• Did You Know...

Feature Story: E-Learning

From the desk of Mike Petersen

E-learning has lots of advantages over traditional forms of training. 1) Its consistent so everyone gets the same "best" training. 2) Its non-threatening so you can make mistakes without anyone knowing. 3) Its self-paced so you can take the training as fast or as slowly as you want. 4) Its on the Internet so you can be trained anytime and anywhere. 5) Its fast so you can learn more in less time than with other media. 6) Its fun so fun so people stay with the training. 7) Its cost-effective so it makes sense to train your staff.

We were gratified to receive a glowing recommendation from John Hamilton, Senior Vice President of RoomStore, Inc. who said, "After more than thirty years in the industry this is the best sales training program I've ever seen."

E-Learning is extremely effective for furniture retailers

Furniture retailers investing in e-Learning, online interactive training courses, have begun reporting major improvements in the knowledge, skills, and selling success of furniture sales associates who complete online furniture training courses delivered by The Furniture Training Company.

Tony Bellerdine, Executive Vice President of National Accounts and Business Development for Cort Furniture, reports, "We have been using the Fundamentals of Furniture Product Knowledge for some time now and are extremely happy with the results. We bought the program for new hires with no furniture background, but to our pleasant surprise, we have found that existing employees as well as new employees are taking the course and getting value from it. Our people find it easy to use and very informative. It quickly gives them the ability to speak confidently with clients. We are very pleased with the product!!"

Read the full release...

Did You Know...

Veneers

A veneer is a thin layer of wood placed on a piece of furniture, which is generally constructed of a cheaper or lighter wood. Veneers can reduce the cost of a piece of furniture, make it lighter and easier to move, and help preserve rare or exotic woods by using them only in limited quantities. Veneers can also add beauty and unique interest to furniture pieces, especially when striking woods are arranged in patterns, a technique known as marquetry. Craftsmen have been using veneers and marquetry since the sixteenth century to enhance the artistry of their work.