BY JULIE A. PALM Customer testimonials are one of the most effective marketing tools. Here’s how to solicit them from satisfied shoppers at the end of a sale: Happy customers can do more to drive business than the cleverest ad campaign because, as consumers, we trust the recommendations not only of friends and family but […]
Social media that’s a snap
BY JULIE A. PALM The photo and video sharing app Snapchat can be great for your store—if you use it right Of all the popular social media platforms, Snapchat may be the hardest for mattress retailers to grasp. It’s ephemeral by nature—the amorphous-looking logo is a ghost. The messaging app allows users to share photos […]
Keep your website contact page cool and current
A well-done website contact page gives potential customers plenty of ways to reach you A website contact page seems so boring and basic. I mean, let’s face it, it’s no home page. But the contact page is a vital link between you and your customers—a place for you to show them how responsive you are […]
Turn Up the Tunes to Create Great In-Store Ambience
Playing the right background music in your store can make shoppers tap their toes and put them in a buying mood BY JULIE A. PALM It may be called background music, but the sounds that play in your store should be at the forefront of your mind. Background music is all about creating a mood. […]
How to Sharpen Your Pinterest Strategy
Of all the social media platforms, this one is designed for users who love to daydream, plan and shop BY JULIE A. PALM As one of the first social media apps designed to help people collect, organize and share images of the things they covet—from fabulous wedding dresses to delicious-looking recipes to stunning room designs—it’s […]
Instant Tips for Instagram
BY JULIE A. PALM Instagram should be a part of your social media strategy. Here’s how to make it an effective tool for your store or e-commerce site. Created as an easy way for friends to share photos, Instagram has become one of the “big five” social media apps, along with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest, and […]
6 Steps for Boosting Your Facebook Visibility, Likes and Following
Looking for more exposure on the world’s most popular social media network? Let us introduce you to the Facebook factor. BY JULIE A. PALM If you’re frustrated by Facebook, you’re not alone. You’d like to reach just a tiny fraction of its 1.86 billion monthly active users, but the social media site’s algorithms practically push businesses […]
Tipsheet: Better Business Blogging
Use your store blog to answer customer questions, drive traffic to your website and store, and burnish your reputation. BY JULIE A. PALM A blog can help your retail mattress business accomplish many things—push traffic to your website and store, build awareness for your retail brand, answer consumer questions, even give you and your staff a […]
Tip Sheet: Attract Shoppers in the Christmas, Hanukkah or Solstice Buying Spirit
BY JULIE A. PALM The big selling season for mattress retailers has long opened with the three-day Memorial Day weekend in May and run through the three-day Labor Day weekend in September. Let’s face it: The mattress industry loves the three-day holiday weekend, regardless of the time of year. Bring on Presidents Day! The major […]
Tip Sheet: Keeping Social Media On Schedule
BY JULIE A. PALM What’s more important to managing your store’s social media efforts than a mobile device? A calendar, of course. When you are responsible for creating and managing social media content, those social media “streams” can feel more like flooding rivers. One way to manage the flow and keep yourself afloat is to […]
Tip Sheet: How-to Beat Retail Burnout
The competitive, people-oriented environment of a showroom floor can lead to physical and mental stress. Here are 5 ways to stay motivated. Stress on the sales floor and in the workplace is nothing new, but it seems to be on the rise. According to a June 27 article by Rich Fernandez posted on the HarvardBusiness Review […]
Tip Sheet: Watch Your Language
Replace lazy, off-putting phrases with customer-friendly substitutes and watch your sales jump BY JULIE A. PALM Words matter and what you say to a customer matters a lot. Throwaway phrases and poorly thought-out responses to questions can send customers scurrying away from your store and over to a competitor. Retail Training Services, a firm based […]
Tip Sheet: Scents and Salability
Hitting the right note with in-store fragrance can put shoppers in a buying mood BY JULIE A. PALM Smell is one of our most powerful senses. Fragrances are evocative and compelling. A whiff of baseball glove leather can transport you back to summers spent on Little League fields; the scent of hot popcorn can make […]
5 New Year’s Resolutions For Mattress Retailers
BY JULIE A. PALM Make 2016 your best year yet Try one of these five easy resolutions to invigorate your store or your professional life during the coming 12 months The new year is a nice time to take on new challenges. Many of us make personal resolutions as the calendar turns to January. This […]
A Little Privacy, Please
When customers rest-test to find a comfortable mattress, don’t make them so uncomfortable they want to flee the store BY JULIE A. PALM The last time Sleep Savvy checked, there weren’t a lot of clothing retailers that encouraged people to try on outfits in the middle of the store—just pull off those jeans and slip […]
Email etiquette
While it may seem old school, email remains the most popular form of business communication. Remember these tips to keep your messages clear BY MARY BEST I know, I know, in the days of social media, email seems so 20 years ago, but like the rest of the world, mattress retailers have become so dependent […]
How to welcome customers to your store
Greetings and salutations: How you welcome customers to your store can determine whether they feel comfortable staying, shopping and buying BY JULIE A. PALM 1) “Hey.” 2) Silence 3) “Can I help you?” Which of those is the worst way to greet a customer? OK, we admit it’s a trick question. All three are inexcusable—likely […]
Punctuality pointers
Time not on your side? These nine solutions can help you beat the clock Are you one of those people who battle the clock every day? Being chronically late not only is annoying to and inconsiderate of others, but it’s also bad for business. Making co-workers—or even shoppers—wait because you couldn’t find your keys doesn’t […]
Get a grip on handshake basics
What’s in a handshake? A lot more than you realize. Here’s a quick review of the basics—and pitfalls to avoid You know the old saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. When working with customers, part of that first impression often comes with a smile and a handshake. This traditional […]
Remembering to say thank you
Sending your customers a thank-you note is a simple touch that can make a lasting impression. Follow these simple steps to make your store unforgettable BY JULIE A. PALM If the last time you wrote a thank-you note was for the candlesticks Aunt Ruth and Uncle Harvey gave you for your wedding—or worse, the sweater […]
Perk up! Survival skills after a sleepless night
It’s time to head to work, and you are anything but rested and ready. Here are some strategies to help you survive the workday after a sleepless night BY BARBARA T. NELLES You are in the business of selling the importance of a good night’s sleep, but what to do on those rare occasions when […]
Stand up straight—and smile!
When it comes to selling mattresses, your body language matters as much as your well-rehearsed sales pitch Depending on which research you believe, somewhere between half and virtually all communication between two people is nonverbal. We’ll let the experts quibble about the particulars, but it’s clear that things like how you stand, the expression on […]
How to deal with angry mattress shoppers
Kill ’em with kindness. What to do when an irate customer stomps into your store? Here are seven ways to defuse angry people IN RETAIL, IRATE CUSTOMERS are a fact of life and dealing well with them takes planning and practice. It also is important to understand that a mattress purchase is a stress-inducing task for […]
The well-dressed RSA
To rework a phrase, it’s the clothes—plus a few other things—that make the retail sales associate It takes people just seconds to form an impression about someone they’ve just met. In fact, a set of Princeton University psychologists found in 2006 that it takes less than one-tenth of a second! For retail sales associates wanting […]
Tip Sheet: Rev up your RSAs
YOU’VE HIRED THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND TRAINED THEM WELL, but in a showroom filled with mattresses where traffic may ebb more than it flows, how do you prevent that urge to “lie down on the job”? Is it possible to keep retail sales associates energized and performing at their peak, ready for the next customer […]