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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 2013

Sales Coaching 2014  - 12/13/2013

A detailed explanation of the best sales metrics to follow in 2014. Plus, Hal McClamma explains the best ways to coach your sales team based on this information.

Dear Furniture Godfather  - 12/10/2013

Readers’ questions answered by the “Teflon Don” of the furniture business. The Furniture Godfather dispenses advice about getting sales associates to show up on time ready to work, how to improve the retail sales process, sell more accessories and achieve a higher percentage of perfect deliveries.

Strategic Planning 2014  - 12/10/2013

David McMahon outlines the advantages of putting in place a strategic growth plan for the new year. For your business, strategic growth planning is the GPS for your retail future. It helps your business stay on course.

Ninety Seconds To Successs Series  - 12/10/2013

This 90 Seconds To Success Series article looks at furniture coatings and their impact on the long-term beauty of our products. It will also touch on how sales associates might address some of the health/environmental concerns that relate to the furniture making process.

Play By Play Coaching In Five Steps  - 12/10/2013

Some salespeople close at 30%, and some close at 15%. In most stores there is no plan, no strategic selling system, and no coaching initiative in place to fix this. Joe Capillo suggests a 5-step method to help you coach for success.

Mattress Series: The Mattress Warehouse Part 2  - 12/10/2013

Here is a collection of ideas on how to arrange and run a mattress warehouse for optimum efficiency. This article can be useful as a check list when opening a new warehouse or as a training guide for new warehouse personnel.

Retail Success: Exclusive Furniture  - 12/10/2013

Houston-based Exclusive Furniture is known as the place “Where Low Prices Live!”. This focus on price has been paired with a store-wide effort to create a relaxed and friendly customer experience.

EDITOR’S CORNER: Those Naughty and Nice Emails.  - 12/10/2013

There are cases where strongly worded communications with employees and others are required, but before you press “send”, I suggest the following five steps...

Selecting The Mattress Warehouse  - 11/11/2013

If you haven’t set up a mattress warehouse before, are looking for new/additional space, or want a quick review of important considerations, read on.

Your Retail Liability From Online Exposure.  - 10/2/2013

Do you need protection against hackers, data loss, theft of intellectual property, extortion, defamation or infringement?

Sales Metrics Coaching  - 9/30/2013

Most retailers capture dependent sales performance metrics such as sales volume, traffic, average sale, etc., but stand-alone, this data is not very useful. Here’s how to use precedent metrics to really get results.

Ninety Seconds To Successs Series  - 9/30/2013

Eleven thought-provoking leadership precepts that ensure success.

Dropped Call  - 9/30/2013

Are you losing sales to competitors who offer a better mobile experience? Find out if your website measures up and what you need to do if it doesn’t.

New Trucking Regulations  - 9/30/2013

Reduce the impact of new driver rules that promise to cause higher costs and delivery delays for retailers.

Creative Retailing In Five Steps  - 9/30/2013

There are so many tactical things an independent can do that big boxes cannot. But before they can employ killer tactics with maximum effectiveness they must first have a creative, strategic game plan. Here’s how to get started developing that game plan.

Pineapple Furniture Sales Hospitality  - 9/30/2013

A three-step process to explain and train your way to a comfortable and hospitable customer buying experience.

Better Bedding & Mattress Sales Series: Shorthanded Again?  - 9/30/2013

Training new-hires, as every small and large store owner knows, is a problem that never ends. This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to structure a program for new hires that will set them up for success and longevity on your sales floor.

Mentoring Furniture Mavericks  - 9/30/2013

Tips for jump starting the furniture careers of young employees and co-workers.

Should We Meet?  - 9/30/2013

Seven important meeting types that set the stage for retail success.

Retail Success: Astone Home Studio  - 9/30/2013

Vertically integrated retailer relies on word of mouth to appeal to the high end.

Editor's Corner: The Best Get-Away At High Point Market  - 9/30/2013

For those of you who make the biannual trek to High Point, I encourage you to visit the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library.

Risky Business - Part 3: Insuring Your Store & Stock  - 7/11/2013

Everything you should know to protect your assets including your store, showroom, warehouse and the stock/inventory contents contained therein from loss.

Better Bedding & Mattress Sales: Part 11 - Oh Natural!  - 7/11/2013

Part 11: Are we in the middle of a bedding revolution, an evolution, or is it a non-starter for your operation?

Repair Solutions For Matte Finishes  - 7/11/2013

Quick and easy repair for matte finishes solutions -- that aren’t.

Sales Connect!  - 7/11/2013

Customer Connection is multifaceted. Let’s explore connecting on three levels. Store image, marketing message, and the personal connection brought about by our sales team’s charm and expertise.

Editor's Corner July 2013: “Groundhog Day”  - 7/11/2013

Are you a fan of the movie “Groundhog Day”? If so, you may remember the following lines which have implications for furniture retailers... "It's the same thing your whole life, wash your hands, sit up straight, don't chew with your mouth open,... Oh yea, don't drive on the railroad tracks!”

Mattress-7: The New Reality  - 7/11/2013

Seven ways to adjust your sales and marketing to take advantage of a new reality.

Dealing With Retail Bottlenecks  - 7/11/2013

The difference between operations that run smoothly and those that are chaotic is often the number and severity of operational bottlenecks.

Operations Checklist: Receiving  - 7/11/2013

Dealing with receiving issues that compromise customer service and profitability.

Design Tip: Short Tips Series  - 7/11/2013

Use Form and Line to your advantage when creating retail displays and customers' rooms.

Why? Power  - 7/10/2013

If you answer this question “Why?” and deliver the answer to your staff, they will follow you. And, so will your customers!

Case Study: Retail Transformation - Davids Furniture & Interiors  - 7/10/2013

How 41 year old Davids Furniture was transformed into a 21st century destination where customers create stylish homes.

Are You An Absentee Manager?  - 7/10/2013

You may be an absentee manager if you aren’t connecting with and mentoring your employees in a meaningful way. Here are tips for applying participative management techniques.

A Baker’s Dozen: Retail Ideas  - 5/30/2013

These thirteen practical and detailed tips for retail success from Gordon Hecht will help you to build your furniture business.

Romance & The Big Ticket Sale  - 5/30/2013

A fascinating article on how to apply the concepts of romance and love to furniture sales. The article advocates for a profound shift in the attitude of retail salespeople away from a purely profit motive toward a more intense focus on service.

Profit Parasites  - 5/30/2013

They are rightly named “Profit Parasites”. Like thieves in the night their insatiable appetites silently steal our working capital. Furthermore, they often evade the focus of our time and attention until they have done irreparable damage.

Risky Business - Part 2  - 5/30/2013

Prudent furniture retailers in large and small operations purchase Time Element coverage to provide protection for loss due to reduced sales/income and to restore a business to its condition prior to a catastrophic loss. This article by Stephen J. Wisocky explains how to purchase this type of insurance wisely.

Transportation Cost Cutting: 7 Steps  - 5/30/2013

When shipping choices – including setting rates, choosing carriers and assigning classification codes – are left to your vendors, you have little control over the inflow and transportation charges related to your goods. By using the seven steps outlined in this article, even smaller retailers can achieve savings of tens of thousands of dollars per year.

Retail Success Stories Part 19: Sit ‘n Sleep  - 5/30/2013

With his long-time partner and friend, Nelson Bercier, President of Sit ‘n Sleep, Larry Miller just opened his thirty-second store. They have plans for expansion to 40 stores over the next three years. More than 300 highly trained employees serve Sit ‘n Sleep’s clients’ needs and sales have surged past $100 million annually.

Editor's Corner June 2013: Are You In Love With Your Customers?  - 5/30/2013

Without proper attitude, even superior sales skills and impeccable product knowledge can fail to create customer buy-in. So, what is an optimal attitude for retail salespeople?

Editor's Corner April 2013: Our Industry Is Coming of Age  - 4/1/2013

In 1980, the year I joined Furniture World, Jerry penned a six-part series our editor brilliantly titled, The Epperson Report...

Believe In Furniture... Again!  - 4/1/2013

Jerry Epperson tells Furniture World readers why demographics, changing lifestyles, the economy and technology all promise to make our industry’s immediate future bright indeed.

Drop Those Percentages  - 4/1/2013

Observations on how percentage discounts and some sales goals expressed as a percent may be harmful to your furniture business.

Risky Business - Part 1  - 4/1/2013

With extreme weather on the rise, take a close look at your store’s insurance coverage, especially the policy exclusion endorsement.

Reinvent Your Company  - 4/1/2013

Perhaps you have a compelling Mission. And, you may have a clear vision of where you want to be this time next year. But these are only potential powers until every person in your organization understands and can express them. Larry Mullins gives step by step instructions on how to translate your mission into action.

Balancing The Scales Of Business In 2013  - 4/1/2013

Ten areas to consider when seeking to apply focused management and balanced performance.

Eight Secrets of Successful Retailers  - 4/1/2013

In this issue, David McMahon speaks about eight practices that separate successful home furnishings retailers from their struggling competitors.

Bedding Anatomy 104: More Components  - 4/1/2013

The 10th installment in our Better Bedding & Mattress Sales series continues with a close look at the latex and gel used in mattresses, their features and benefits.

Retail Success Stories Part 18: Leopold’s Fine Home Furnishings  - 4/1/2013

Leopold’s Fine Home Furnishings: Beyond the ordinary since 1859.

Retail Display Trends  - 4/1/2013

Ideas for using color to create eye-catching displays on your retail floor.

Time To Dump That Loser In 2013  - 1/10/2013

Do you devote precious showroom space and inventory dollars to merchandise that just doesn’t sell? Do you have low performing salespeople who are costing you lost sales every day? If so, here’s what you can do about it.

Reinvent Your Company In 2013 - Part 1  - 1/10/2013

Why should you reinvent your company? Because, as Steve Chandler, author of Wealth Warrior, points out: “Companies and individuals who reinvent themselves are more prosperous than those who stay stuck where they are.”

Use The Furniture Warehouse Cube  - 1/10/2013

If your operation is positioned for growth in 2013, you may need additional warehouse space. Before you build or expand, try these strategies for increasing efficiency.

Resistance To Change At Furniture Retail  - 1/10/2013

A major mental construct that has sabotaged many businesses is resistance to change. Ray Morefield takes a look at how companies respond to changing market circumstances.

Chain Of Operations 2013  - 1/10/2013

David McMahon presents a checklist for eliminating weak links to help you improve retail furniture store efficiency in 2013

Bedding Anatomy 103: Foam Used In Mattresses  - 1/10/2013

The 9th installment in Furniture World Magazine's Better Bedding & Mattress Sales series continues with a close look at foam.

Furniture Retail Success Stories Part 17: Crest Furniture  - 1/10/2013

Simon Kaplan, CEO of 14-store Crest Furniture explains his philosophy of continuous improvement based on the teachings of such management and leadership luminaries as W. Edwards Deming, Major Dick Winters and Lao Tsu.

Charitable Giving: Sleep Train’s Focus  - 1/10/2013

Sleep Train is dedicated to its community through pioneering philanthropic programs that provide at-risk youth with important material items.

Building Your Dream Team By Wowing The Crowd - Part 4  - 1/10/2013

Rene’ Johnston-Gingrich finishes up her four-part series with a discussion of ways your sales team can “wow the crowd” by exceeding your customers’ expectations.

Editor's Corner: A World Of Change Coming In 2103  - 1/10/2013

Thoughts about change and Furniture World's Magazine's