Breus: Understanding Sleep Habits Helps Sales
David Perry -- Furniture Today, July 13, 2011
Sleep Doctor Michael Breus sits on his latex bed by IB.
HIGH POINT - Sleep Doctor Michael Breus has been spending a lot of time on the road teaching retail sales associates about his specialty sleep line of beds.
After meetings with more than 2,000 sales associates since he partnered with International Bedding on a line of latex beds, Breus has discovered something surprising about the RSAs.
"They are not as interested in specs as everyone thinks they are," he said in an interview in the International Bedding showroom during the recent High Point Market.
Instead, Breus said, the sales associates are most interested in learning how they can help their customers identify what is happening with their sleep.
That is the same challenge that Breus faces in his private practice, when weary consumers turn to him for solutions to their sleep problems.
"I have the same job as the RSAs," he noted. "People have sleep problems and I offer them solutions."
A natural educator, Breus enjoys the time he spends with the sales associates. "They are hungry for information," he said. "They are interested in learning more about sleep."
That gives Breus, a respected figure on the national sleep scene, a natural connection with the RSAs. In his years of research and in working with patients, he's learned a great deal about the keys to better sleep. He's incorporated that knowledge into his latex bedding line, which offers a number of high-tech features designed to help consumers sleep comfortably.
And Breus backs that line with a broad educational program that includes his House Calls feature, in which consumers can get sleep tips and sleep information directly from him. The tips are designed to improve consumers' sleep, health and life.
That House Calls program features a First Night Kit, a package that includes a sleepfriendly nightlight and a sleep diary that will help consumers document their improved sleep on his bed. He recommends that consumers start the diary before they receive his bed and then continue it for at least seven days afterward.
Breus says that retail sales associates are health consultants, and notes that sleep and health-related questions will help them establish a bond with their customers.
He recommends questions like: What is the biggest factor disrupting your sleep? What is your bedtime routine? Do you eat before going to bed? How did you sleep last night? Describe the best night of sleep you've ever had.
"You want to get a feel for their sleep hygiene," he said.
"Once they open up about that you start forming relationships with them."
And those relationships lead to sales of better beds, which lead to better sleep.
That's the prescription for better sleep being written by Sleep Doctor Michael Breus.
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