To
see all available chapters, please go to the contents
page.
HOW
TO USE THIS BOOK
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The
purpose of this book is the title itself, “Sell More Beds.”
Whether you are a retail sales associate, manager owner, manufacturer’s
rep or sales manager, there are ideas contained that I believe
can help you in achieving that worthy goal.
You
already said that!
As
you will see, there are certain points that I make regularly in
my writing. Understand that this is a compilation of articles
over a five-year period. So, as you read you will see some of
the same points made several times as parts of different articles.
Some may call them redundancies. I like “reinforcing”
important concepts better.
The
nature of articles and columns is that each has to stand on its
own. I always assume that there are many readers that have never
seen any of my other writing. There are always new people coming
into this industry that may be reading material for the first
time.
I
can’t say it enough!
The
points that I repeatedly make are the foundations of the success
I have found in my training. I believe that some of the ideas
are so worthwhile, that I reinforce them every chance I get. I
have learned that in the meetings I have conducted with the same
sales staff over many years, these ideas still have an impact
on them. I haven’t had anyone complain. Pro-athletes continue
to practice the fundamentals, even though they are second nature
to them. It is good to be reminded of important ideas.
As
in my first book I say, “Do not read the whole book, sequentially…
unless you want to that is.
The
same goes for this book. If the desired effect is for you to increase
your effectiveness in selling more mattresses, then keep this
book handy and read it in small increments. It is a cafeteria
of ideas from which to pick and choose.
On
the job training
A
wonderful aspect to retail sales is that associates can usually
find time to study and improve their skills while on the job.
This book is especially helpful when read in the downtime between
“ups.” Just like Spring Training, Sell More Beds can
be a long-term resource that can help sharpen selling skills,
increase knowledge and expand awareness. I suggest using both
books.
Sales
Meetings.
Many
companies now use the ideas and concepts in Spring Training as
topics for their sales meetings. (See article on Effective Sales
Meetings) In addition to product knowledge, it is a great idea
to pick out one article or chapter from either book, and conduct
a selling skills meeting on a new subject every week. Try it and
measure the results.
Sorry,
Not interested.
Depending on your circumstance, you may find an article; column
or chapter that you think doesn’t apply to you. Example:
How to make Sales Meetings More Effective, may not catch your
attention if you are a retail sales associate, after all, you
probably don’t set up or conduct the meetings.
But
I think it is worthwhile to learn as much as one can about the
industry in which he or she works. Try to find something in each
chapter that pertains to you, even if it is just expanding your
awareness. The more knowledge you acquire, the more effective
you will be.
Don’t
get mad.
All
my ideas and concepts are meant to be compatible with any and
all other manufacturer or retailer sales training programs. I
always say that my ideas and concepts set the stage to make the
other programs even more effective. My information is not necessarily
better, it is just a different perspective for you to consider.
I hope you like it.
Please
take the time to read “The Evolution of Mattresses”.
Even though this chapter is not specifically about selling, I
think you may find it not only interesting, but also helpful in
gaining a new perspective on the products that you sell.
A
matter of opinion
Understand
that the information in this book is my opinion based upon my
experiences. It is subjective, so you may disagree with many of
the things I say, but that’s OK with me. I have been wrong
many times. I still think that anyone in the bedding industry
can find lots of helpful ideas.
In
other words
Some of the articles and columns are the unedited versions. Nancy
Butler, editor of Sleep Savvy, sometimes had space limitations
and had to make some modifications. I have always been pleased
with the articles and columns that she edited. My ideas and intentions
were never altered.
I
report, you decide.
As
in Spring Training, this book doesn’t focus or even really
mention brands (with a few exceptions) because my writing is meant
to help as many people in the industry as possible regardless
of brand.
SPRING
TRAINING UPDATE
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In
my book Spring Training: A Supplementary Guide to Retail Mattress
Sales, I tell the story of how I decided to write it in first
place. At that time I had no idea if I would ever sell any copies
at all. In fact, being a manufacturer’s rep, I thought I
may just hand them out to my customers to see if would help their
sales.
Not
wanting to invest a lot of money (besides not having a lot to
invest) with a real book publisher, I started off having 250 copies
printed at a local shop. The quality was poor, but I was able
to send a few books out to people in the industry.
One
of those was Larry Thomas, editor, Furniture Today. In January
of 2000, he wrote a very favorable review in his Bedding Today
column, (See chapter: What People Say about Spring Training).
Immediately
I began receiving phone calls. I remember the thrill of seeing
area codes that I didn’t recognize on my cell phone. I knew
that it would be someone ordering the book. It was so exciting
to talk to people around the country. Within three weeks I had
orders form over 30 states and several provinces in Canada.
Somehow
one got into the hands of a VP of a major department store. He
called his buyer from a commercial airplane phone on his way to
California and had him order 1000 copies. This allowed me to go
to a real book publisher and get nice copies made.
The
amazing thing was that the department store got its two bedding
suppliers to pay for them. MY COMPETITORS! How great is that!
But, they were glad to do it, because they believed the book would
help their sales. It did. Since then, both brands, along with
many other manufacturers, continue to buy copies. A friend of
mine with a Big S brand, said at his recent national sales meeting,
said his VP ended the meeting by holding my book up and suggesting
that everyone read it. My friend said he stood up and said, “
I know Gerry, and he’s a real jerk.” He really just
said, “I know Gerry”. I just thought it would be funny
to say that.
You were correct, Sir!
Spring
Training was dedicated to Dan Weir, former President of Weir’s
Furniture Village in Dallas. It was his endorsement of my idea
of writing the book that inspired me to do it. He said that every
company in the country would buy it and that people would begin
asking me to speak to their sales staffs. I couldn’t imagine
that at the time.
But
guess what? Dan was right. While not every retailer has bought,
thousands have. In addition, I have received orders from most
every manufacturer and many reps in this country and many other
countries as well. Here are a few:
Malaysia, Hong Kong, Panama, Guatemala, Great Britain, Italy,
Belgium, South Africa, Australia, China, United Arab Emirates,
New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Turkey and India
Recently,
I received an order from the largest manufacturer of mattresses
in Russia. I am still puzzled that the book has sold in countries
with such different cultures than ours.
Right
again.
Much to my surprise, Dan was right about people wanting me to
speak to them. Soon after Larry’s Furniture Today column,
I got a call to do a seminar for a chain of sleep shops at a beautiful
hunting lodge in Minnesota. They were having their annual sales
meeting and wanted me to speak to all the sales associates and
managers. Before I started, I was so nervous that my heart was
beating like a hamster with a kitty cat on the cage. But I managed
to conduct a four-hour workshop, never loosing one person’s
attention.
When
I finished, the president stood up before his staff and was silent
for a moment. “Oh no”, I thought, but then he shook
his head and said, “That was absolutely the most incredible
“thing” I’ve ever heard!” The sales associates
stood, clapped and cheered. I was stunned (started crying…
kidding again) but knew I had found what I wanted to do. A few
weeks later he wrote to tell me his business had gone up in all
his stores, not just in volume, but also in average ticket price.
I’m
a travelin’ man.
Since
then I have conducted seminars and workshops for retailers, manufacturers
and buying groups in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, San Diego, Providence,
San Antonio, Orlando, San Francisco, LA, to name a few. They have
been some of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I love
meeting and talking with people and find it immensely rewarding
(big bucks) to have helped them, even if in some small way. It
is a humbling experience to stand before people that could teach
me how to sell.
Please see the chapter on “Seminars” toward the end
of this book.
THE
INNER SPRING LOGO
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The
Inner Spring Logo 
®
This
chapter is for the many people that comment or inquire about my
little Inner Spring guy. I tell the story exactly as it occurred.
Make of it what you will.
In
the late 90’s, I had toyed with the idea of writing the
book for a number of months. From time to time I would write long
rambling notes that overwhelmed me. I was full of ideas, but had
no plan of how to organize them into a book.
One
day my Dad said, “When will you ever get that book written?”
I didn’t know, but I continued to think that it would be
worthwhile. As with many of my dreams, I would get to it someday.
But someday never seemed to come.
Around
this time, my girlfriend (now, adored wife) and I had started
taking a Disciple Class at our church. At best I had only a passing
interest in it. I, like a lot of people, just went through the
motions and attended church because it seemed like the right thing
to do.
But
as the class progressed, I started taking it a little more seriously.
With much talk of prayer, I decided to give it a try. As I was
running early one morning, I decided to ask God to help me know
how to write the book. Awkwardly I said that were I successful,
I would try to help others.
As I kept running and started thinking of other things, the words
“Inner Spring” popped into my head, seemingly out
of nowhere. Inner Spring, two separate words unlike innerspring
mattresses. I thought “what a cool name” an Inner
Spring, some deep motivation from within. Genius!
I
had been thinking of a name to form a one-man company to publish
this book if I could ever get it going. This was perfect. Thinking
it was so great; I then realized that there were probably thousands
of companies using it. After searching the Internet I found that
no one had claimed it. Eventually, I got a registered trademark
(notice the ®) by my little man.
Next
I tried to claim a website domain. Unfortunately someone owned
innerspring .com (they don’t use it though), but no one
had .net. So, I got it. Then something happened that I still get
chill bumps from. In our next Disciple Class, we were studying
the book of John and I read the verse: John 4:14 Whoever drinks
my water will have a spring form within them, gushing up to eternal
life. An Inner Spring!
I was stunned. For the first time in my life, I knew God had spoken
to me. I didn’t go nutty; it was just a wonderful revelation
that changed my life for the better.
After
that experience I became motivated to really get the book done.
I had never been able to sit and concentrate for very long, but
starting in December 1999, I began writing every waking moment
that I could. As I wrote, ideas would come to me and I would record
them on my idea page. I then went back and expanded the ideas
and either created new chapters or included them in another. The
only outside input that I got, was from a fabric rep that clarified
a few of the different covers that are used on mattresses. That
was it. Somehow I was able to write over 200 pages with only my
thoughts and a laptop. I finished the text in February.
I
had no idea what to do next. I needed a cover and someone to print
it but I didn’t have a clue where to start. I was about
to dial a friend, Mike, that I thought did some kind of graphic
work, but at the last moment for some reason I put the phone down.
I decided to call another friend to ask if he knew if Mike did
that kind of work. He said, “ I don’t know but I do
know someone that can help you.” Jon Cartier.
I
called Jon and we met at a restaurant. I instantly liked him.
As we talked he told me of a similar spiritual experience he had
just gone through. We were both surprised.
Well
Jon turned out to be a genius. He, knowing nothing of the bedding
industry had already conceived the cover by the time we met. Jon
had written his own book. On PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS! Our armed
forces still use like a text book.
To
make a long story short, Jon and his wife Kim, proofread, edited
and formatted the book. He designed the cover and graphics and
put it on a disc that I was able to take to the printer. I will
forever be indebted to them.
It
would be easy to pass much of this off as coincidence. But, I
believe that it was God’s grace.
My
little man is revealing his Inner Spring. It was His “Inner
Spring” that guided me through the process of writing and
publishing Spring Training.
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Visit
Gerry's SleepTrust website: www.betterbeddingsales.com
