Furniture World Articles
All of the Furniture World Magazine Articles that have also been published
online can be found here. Select a year to begin browsing the articles.
Articles published in
2011
Furniture Tales
- 12/6/2011
It’s the stories of our industry that this installment from Grandpa Mike-e-e! at 90 is all about. Every furniture rep, manufacturer and retailer has a few really good ones.
Quick & Easy Furniture Repair
- 10/5/2011
Do you have a backlog of damaged stock? Are your quick and easy finish repair solutions turning out to be neither quick nor easy?
Tools of The FurnitureTrade
- 10/5/2011
Retail strategies a successful second generation furniture retailer learned from her Mom and Dad.
We're All Selling The Same Stuff!
- 10/4/2011
Ever notice that furniture retailers seem to all be selling the same stuff? Here are five ways to make this reality less important to your bottom line.
Dreaming Of Better Bedding Sales - Part 2
- 7/12/2011
This month, our series on how to sell more higher-end bedding continues with additional ideas to help you and your salespeople create a focused and consistent marketing approach. See what the experts say about shifting the emphasis away from price by creating a plan for advertising, approaching customers, greeting them and asking appropriate questions to advance the sale.
How to Escape From The Entitlement Trap
- 7/12/2011
Sometimes thoughts of entitlement grow so entrenched that family members believe they have the right to use company resources without permission or to direct company employees even though they have no direct management responsibility in the organization.
Furniture Retailers Share Their Stories - Part 8
- 7/12/2011
FURNITURE WORLD’s retail readers share their stories of survival, growth and service. This series that commemorates Furniture World’s 140 year of publishing, continues with interesting stories from retailers Longs Bedding & Interiors, Verbargs Furniture and Design and Home Furniture.
Bring In Customers With New Facebook Strategies
- 7/11/2011
Congratulations if you already have a Facebook page, but last year’s Facebook page just won’t get you the results you need. Here are Step by step instructions on how to turn your Facebook presence into more business.
Setting Minimum Standards for Sales Performance
- 5/30/2011
Why is everything you ever thought about commissions, and the things that motivate salespeople to perform, probably wrong? Poor performing salespeople don’t need disciplinary actions or warnings, they need help, and they need coaching. To coach you have to have a game plan, a strategy, a plan, just like sports teams have.
New Media Marketing: Host Your Own Web TV Show
- 5/30/2011
A regularly scheduled Web TV show will make it easy for you to communicate decorating tips, introductions, new service offerings, and best sellers. Mike Root provides step-by-step instructions on how to get started.
Think Like A Retailer... Not Like A Furniture Guy!
- 5/30/2011
Retail furniture stores are different than other retail formats, but we can and should learn from the best practices of good retailers in other industries. Gordon Hecht identifies mindsets about credit, consumer buying behavior, inventory management and recruiting that furniture retailers should be thinking about.
Furniture Retailers Share Their Stories - Part 7
- 5/30/2011
FURNITURE WORLD’s retail home furnishings store readers share their stories of survival, growth and service. This series that commemorates Furniture World’s 140 year of publishing, continues with interesting stories from retailers Arte de Mexico, Conway Furniture and Mattress Giant.
Recursive Nature Of Furniture Sales
- 5/30/2011
Although some furniture salespeople insist on going sequentially through the five steps of the sales process mechanically, the most effective salespeople know when to retreat to an earlier stage in the process.
Manual Techniques For Moving furniture
- 3/16/2011
In our current era of robotics and other high-tech solutions, it is easy to overlook the necessity and importance of smart manual handling.
Mattress Advertising Wars
- 3/15/2011
Some say that the major “S” mattress brands have lost the high ground in branding and advertising to Tempur-Pedic. Should they be concerned? Larry Mullins thinks so.
Retail Break Even Analysis
- 3/15/2011
This article will demonstrate how to calculate your break-even point of sales. It also provides real world examples of ways smart retailers can reduce their break-even points and level of risk.
Dreaming Of Better Bedding Sales?
- 3/15/2011
This is the first part in a series that looks at how retailers can sell more higher-end bedding. In this issue, we define the luxury bedding category, present information on customer demographics and start to look at what experts say about best sales practices.
Case Study: Cost Of Not Managing Sales Performance
- 3/15/2011
If you title your sales manager a “Store Manager” you’re making a mistake. The store doesn’t need a manager. The salespeople need a leader. They need a coach. They need a teacher, a guide, a caring mentor, a person who knows stuff and can help them. Look at this real-life example to understand why.
Five Smart Steps To e-Tail Inventory Management
- 1/5/2011
Today, consumers initiate their shopping experience. If they find you through Google, you have a chance to get their business. Here’s how to manage your e-tail inventory to make the most of an initial website contact. Included is a 12-step process that will help to make their buying decision easier.
“Herd Mentality” & Reversing Sales Sabotage
- 1/5/2011
Systems most furniture stores put in place to implement a customer focused sales strategy are being subverted and hijacked by salespeople. When this scenario plays out in your store, your selling strategy and training programs that aim at having salespeople establish strong relationships with customers are sabotaged.
Gender Awareness - Part 2
- 1/5/2011
Your business will vault 10 steps ahead if you take gender differences seriously and adjust your sales and customer service approaches accordingly. This installment continues our discussion about how women buy, and presents tips furniture retailers can use to sell more by creating sales initiatives.
Furniture Retailers Share Their Stories - Part 5
- 1/5/2011
FURNITURE WORLD’s retail readers share their stories of survival, growth and service. Due to overwhelming response, this series that began in the March/April 140th year anniversary issue, will be continued into 2011. This time Art Van, Decorium, Stickley and Gorman’s are featured.