Alabama's Mattress King tackles the tough questions
David Perry, Bedding editor -- Furniture Today, April 5, 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. —
In this hotbed of rocket science, sales associates are put to the test.
“It might not take a rocket scientist to sell a mattress,” commented Lee Heath, a store manager at Mattress King here, “but you'd better be able to answer the questions that rocket scientists ask.”
Those scientists can ask some tough questions of the sales associates at Mattress King, a 15-store chain with stores here and in Birmingham, commented Wayne Koswoski, president of Mattress King. He recalls the scientist who was dropping ball bearings on different mattresses on the sales floor and comparing the results.
Dealing with customers like that requires careful attention to the basics of the sales process, says Heath, who has been with Mattress King for 13 years. Like Koswoski, he starts his day with an upbeat attitude.
“It's important to overcome fear in the marketplace,” Heath commented. “Every customer is a new opportunity. If you come to work with the attitude that you won't do anything that day, you won't. I start every day fresh. I'm appreciative of the opportunities before me and I'm grateful for each new day and every new customer.”
When Heath meets customers, he focuses on their needs. “I try to listen and to connect with every customer,” he said. “I focus on their needs and not on needing their money. Being a good steward of their money engenders their trust in me.”
Heath helps his customers find comfortable beds. “When you focus on comfort,” he said, “you focus on their interests.”
Customers these days are “cautious,” Heath noted. “You need to justify every dollar they are going to spend. You need to find beds that meet their needs. Price is not the first thing out of their mouth.”
Heath doesn't use high-pressure tactics. “You read the customer's signals,” he said, and let them guide the sales process.
Adjustable beds, selling well at Mattress King these days, give Heath a chance to talk about various health and wellness issues with his customers, everything from acid reflux issues to shoulder and knee pain. “When you elevate a customer you take them to a different level of comfort,” he noted.
Heath says he benefits from Mattress King's Rest & Restore galleries, featuring a spa atmosphere and hand-crafted, eco-friendly products by Englander. “They really draw the female customers' eyes,” he noted.
While female customers continue to drive the business, Heath has noticed that a growing number of men are buying mattresses these days. He's also seen an increase in the number of younger customers lately.
Whatever type of customer he meets, Heath is ready to meet their needs. That positive attitude pays dividends.
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