About Gerry Morris

Gerry Morris has been a mattress manuracturer’s representative since 1986. Over the years, Gerry’s unique and humorous approach to sales training has helped thousands of retail sales people sell more and better mattresses.

He continues to conduct entertaining sales meetings and is known to spend most Saturdays on retailers’ floors working with salespeople and customers. His first-hand experience has been a vital part of testing and proving the ideas and concepts found in both his Spring Training Seminars and the accompanying book he wrote. In addition, he is a regular contributor to Sleep Savvy Magazine.

Gerry is a husband, father, grandfather, triathlete, drummer and active church member. He is a veteran of more than 100 triathlons, including "Escape from Alcatraz," and several national championships.

Gerry says:

I have been a mattress sales representative for more than 14 years. When my parents first brought me home and laid me down on my little mattress in Dallas, Texas, I knew that someday I would sell them. Well, maybe, I shouldn’t go back that far. Actually, it was entirely by accident that I ended up selling mattresses. Nevertheless, I did, and I love it.

Prior to selling mattresses, I represented several accessory lines. So, the retail furniture industry was not new to me. But unlike accessories, I found that selling beds to the retailer didn’t stop after the order was written or the goods were shipped. I had to teach salespeople how to sell them. I didn’t know how myself, but I was told to concentrate on teaching specifications, features, and benefits, and to throw in a "one-size-fits-all" selling method.

The yawning during my sales meetings was quite distracting. I discovered that most furniture salespeople didn’t like selling mattresses. (...to put it nicely.) Great! Some sold mattresses reluctantly. Others openly admitted that they avoided it all cost. I tried to figure out why. I think I have.

I was curious to find out what was so different about selling mattresses from furniture. I concluded the difference was the customers’ attitude. It wasn’t the product as much as a deeper motivation of how people approach buying things they need as opposed to things they want. Need items are bought based more from an intellectual, analytical perspective (logic and reason). Want items are based more on emotional motivation. People like to buy things they want and don’t like to buy things they need. Which attitude would you rather sell to? Bingo.

When I would explain my "perspective" to sales people I started hearing comments like: "Wow, I never thought about it like that!"

I was asked to write a series of columns for a newsletter and decided to start by presenting an overall look at the bedding industry. I discussed how customers viewed purchasing a mattress set. The reaction was great. It seems that over the years, most of the focus had been on the product by itself. If you take a step back and look at the industry from the customer’s perspective, it changes everything. I learned that if you could get a customer to want a mattress, they wouldn’t ask so many questions. The whole process was easier for both buyer and seller.

I incorporated this concept into sales meetings and the yawning stopped. Okay, it lessened. We were still talking about mattresses. But an interesting thing happened. People actually would applaud. Imagine that. More and more salespeople started reporting back that this attitude adjustment changed everything. One of my dealers wrote a letter to my factory saying I had given the best sales meeting they ever had. I was shocked. When I mentioned that I had considered writing a book about mattress sales, he encouraged me to do so.

Well after hundreds of hours, here it is. I hope you enjoy it. More importantly, I hope it makes selling mattresses easier and more fun for you.

Read the story behind the Inner Spring logo.

For more information, or to contact Gerry, click here.

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Visit Gerry's SleepTrust website: www.betterbeddingsales.com

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