Listening to the consumer pays dividends for Big Bill's Comfort
David Perry, Bedding editor -- Furniture Today, March 8, 2010
WATERLOO, Ontario —
With a name like Big Bill, you would expect Bill Tanchuk to make his presence felt at Big Bill's Comfort Plus here. And he has.
His sons, Brent and Brian, run the business today. But the lessons passed on by Big Bill, who started the company here almost 40 years ago, endure.
“My Dad loved selling mattresses,” recalled Brent Tanchuk. “He used to tell me, 'Take your time and listen to the customer.' He would also say, 'Because we are a full-line furniture store and not a mattress store, if we sell someone an unsuitable mattress, do you think they will come back in two years when they need a sofa?'”
Those lessons have stuck with Brent Tanchuk. “To sell a better bed,” he said, “you've got to take your time. You can't just say, 'Look at this bed. Do you want to lie down on it? Do you want to buy it?' Instead, you've got to take your time and listen to the customer.”
Larry Klein, executive vice president of sales at Natura, one of Big Bill's bedding vendors and a fan of the retailer's commitment to mattresses, said that's an excellent way to boost sales. “Listening more and talking less is good advice for any retailer,” Klein said.
Big Bill's is doing well with Natura's line of natural sleep sets and accessories. “Natura makes good quality products,” Tanchuk said. “We carry their mattresses and accessories, including pillows and comforters. Consumers buy into the program.”
That includes the Natura crib mattress. “Someone will buy a Natura bed and they will be happy with it and then they will have a child and they will call us about our baby bedding options,” he said. “It is a full program.”
Big Bill's also carries bedding by Kingsdown and Serta, and also has some private-label Comfort Plus models.
These days, the retailer, with a sales floor of more than 15,000 square feet, is having more success with better beds. “We are doing well with the better products,” Tanchuk said. “Natura and Kingsdown are doing the best for us. We are finding that the 'S' brands are turning bedding into a commodity. In my opinion, they are shooting themselves in the foot.”
The retailer carries Kingsdown's diagnostic mattress program, which scientifically spells out the beds best for each consumer. “That is a neat system,” Tanchuk said. “It gives you instant credibility.”
His father was impressed with the system, too. “It takes the place of a conscientious mattress salesman,” he said to Brent. “Of course, there aren't too many of those out there.”
Big Bill's has a rack of Natura pillows next to the five Natura sleep sets on the sales floor. “We encourage the consumer to grab a pillow they like,” Tanchuk said. “That makes the consumers a little more comfortable on the bed. And we usually get the add-on sale.”
Consumers increasingly appreciate the natural bedding offered by Natura, he said. “They are different from other lines with their organic bedding,” he said. “More companies are moving in that direction, but Natura has been doing that for years. When you are different, you can keep up your price points.” Like that $3,000 Natura sleep set that does well at Big Bill's.
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