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David Perry

Verlo's bedding dreams shine in rural America

TOUR UPDATE: We are in the land of the Field of (Bedding) Dreams.

The corn fields of Wisconsin glistened in the fading sunlight as we drove from the quaint Janesville, Wis., airfield up to Fort Atkinson, Wis., where VyMac Corp. and its Verlo Mattress Factory Stores unit are located. As we drove by the fields, I expected to see some old baseball player come walking into view, a scene made famous in the movie “Field of Dreams.”

Verlo is also in the dream business. The well-known factory direct operator marches to a different drummer and has carved out a successful niche in the highly competitive bedding arena. The factory direct channel of distribution is one that we don’t write about too much, so it was great for me to meet with several members of the Verlo team.

We added a heavyweight in the world of sleep to our already strong roster of experts for our visit at Verlo. Dr. Rubin Naiman, a clinical psychologist and author of a number of books on sleep, shared several insights with the Verlo team.

I had a chance to sit down with Dave Young, CEO of VyMac, who has a refreshing outlook on many bedding issues. He has done a superb job of managing his business, and his stores have established formidable market positions in several rural markets. The hand-crafted image his company projects is one that clearly resonates with its customers.

Young said the factory-direct model is “alive and well” despite the industry’s big retailers and producers continuing to grow larger.

Verlo’s store managers and franchisees seemed to appreciate the better sleep message that the tour’s consultants delivered. We left Fort Atkinson on a high note. Now we are getting ready to fly to Cleveland. And our Better Sleep Crusade rolls on.

BETTER SLEEP MOMENT: Light is the enemy of good sleep. Light at night is particularly detrimental to a good night’s sleep, Dr. Naiman said. “We’ve lost touch with night and with literal darkness,” he said. Is your bed in a dark corner of your bedroom? It should be.

INSIGHT OF THE DAY: “You are not just selling mattresses. You are really selling a health product. You need to understand the implications of that.” That was one of Naiman’s more intriguing points, and the implications are, indeed, significant. If our industry is selling a health product, we need to change our sales language. Craig McAndrews has been talking about the importance of using different sales language in his presentations. Questions focused on consumers’ health are critical to selling the health benefits of mattresses.

THE VIEW FROM 25,000 FEET (LITERALLY): Some people don’t enjoy flying, but I’ve always found a sense of peace soaring through the clouds. Yes, we have all had bad travel days, but it is relaxing to look down on the world from an airy perch high in the sky. On our flight to Wisconsin, I listened to Oldies on my iPod while watching the patchwork quilt of farms pass by far below

THE VIEW FROM 25,000 FEET (FIGURATIVELY): I have to admire the men and women who sell mattresses for a living. They are the unsung heroes of our industry. While the big brands set the tone for their lines, it is up to the retail sales associates, or RSAs, to make the sale. It’s inspiring to meet them each day on this tour. I’ve interviewed dozens of RSAs over the years, and this week is giving me a graduate-level look at their challenging world.

SPRINGING FORWARD: One of the clever parts of Leggett & Platt’s Active Support Technology campaign is the use of the word “active.” That is a good word. Everyone wants to be active. Being active is better than being passive. And “active” suggests that innersprings have a dynamic nature.

“There is a common misconception among consumers that a bedding surface shouldn’t move,” said Mark Quinn, the L&P bedding executive who is leading this Spring Alive Tour. “That’s simply not true. A mattress should respond to your body movements. Active Support Technology allows your muscles to relax in a more natural sleep position, moving as your body moves, all while maintaining a consistent support system which is crucial in comforting and supporting your body actively as you dream on.”

There is that “active” word again.

TOMORROW I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT: Original Mattress Factory.

FOR MORE ON THE TOUR: See Leggett & Platt’s special Web site, www.LeggettSleep.com, for daily tour updates.